Clavicle havoc...le...

[tulip]

Take your painkillers if you need them. When I had my head injury, I was so glad to go back to the ER for some intravenous morphine, but they wouldn't send me home with a bag! But I took my percocet without regret. No sense in being more uncomfortable than you have to be.

Chocolate helps, too.

[Possegal]

I second the idea that you should try a different pain killer - dr of pharmacology here, I've advised many a friend and family member of the same thing and they were forever grateful. You would be amazed at how differently people can react to drugs that are very similar. You shouldn't have to choose between eating or no pain. Call your dr and tell them you are not reacting well to the pain meds and ask them to call a different one into the pharmacy.

Good luck and feel better soon!

[lunacycles]

That XRay looks miserable! How do those bones find each other again to heal up?

Looks like you are getting great advice from the much wiser members of this here forum.

Hearing your story makes me all the more stupefied and amazed that Tyler Hamilton (yes, swoon now, smurfalicious) about 5 years back somehow rode all but one stage of the Tour de France with a broken collarbone....and...finished in the top 5

Best wishes for rapid healing and even more rapid alleviation of your pain.

[DebW]

I fractured mine about 5 years ago, broke it into 4 pieces (2 very small pieces, 2 long pieces), and didn't have surgery. See if you can find one of the large wedge-shaped foam boosters to sleep on for a week or two. Mine was about 18" high and held up my whole back and head. I didn't have huge pain issues if I didn't more, but the slightest movement was bad for the first two week. The pain gradually lessens after two weeks as things begin to knit. Trying to get a shirt on or off was very painful, but then I had the idea of cutting shirts and sewing in separating zippers. With those shirts, I could change clothes with my arm still immobile in the sling. If you broke your right clavicle and can wear a women's medium, I could send you a couple of these shirts. Otherwise, just find some short-sleeved button-front shirts, cut across the front of the chest and down the arm, and get someone to sew in a zipper. Same principal as hospital gowns with snap sleeves.

The other problem I had was needing PT after the bones knit because my shoulder was then frozen. That was painful, and one PT session had me very close to passing out. So I'd say that when you can begin to move your shoulder without pain, then give it some limited motion to try and avoid lots of scar tissue in the joint. I was told that the only motion to really avoid was lifting the arm more than 90 degrees.

Good luck. Know that this level of pain should diminish in a couple weeks.

[Lucky, Fabulous]

I broke mine in 3 spots this summer. I also felt like I was being a big baby, but it was extremely painful. Did they give you a figure 8 brace? They gave me one, but I could not use it for a couple of weeks, because it hurt to pull the shoulders back. I used a sling for quite awhile, and eventually did the brace/sling combo. Fortunately, sleeping on my back was possible. It was slightly painful, but if you can learn to relax in that position, you might be able to do it. Showering was horrible, however. And I did get some button down shirts.

What did they give you for pain pills? They first gave me oxycodone, but that was too harsh on my stomach, so I switched to vicadin. Make sure you eat something or drink milk when you take your pills. The occassional cocktail helps as well

[Lucky, Fabulous]

Oh, and as far as healing goes, the ends of the bones don't really find each other. They do sort of move back in line, but basically your body fills in the spaces with scar tissue, which eventually turns into bone. Then, after awhile (probably years) your body will dissolve the bone that is in areas where it should not be. Or something like that.

[smurfalicious]

Hearing your story makes me all the more stupefied and amazed that Tyler Hamilton (yes, swoon now, smurfalicious) about 5 years back somehow rode all but one stage of the Tour de France with a broken collarbone....and...finished in the top 5

That's why he's my lust object. He could come ride bulls with me any day! I remind myself of that when I hit the 13% percent hill to work, and the 10% long beasty on the way home.

That aside, my brother raced moto-cross for a long time and broke his 3 times. It's a bone that is meant to break. Otherwise lots of babies wouldn't make it out. Especially now that we idealize skinny, slight framed women. That aside I think everyone has good advice. You're not being a baby, but this is not the end of the line.

Travis, my brother, was back out there pretty quick and I think that had a lot to do with brake numbers two and three. Take care of yourself, get a Netflix account, eat ice cream. Just chillax a bit. What we do on our bikes is more than most of the couch potatoes in the world do.

[maillotpois]

Nice looking x-ray!!!

I also have a hard time with a lot of the standard pain killers (like vicodin - can't hold that stuff down). Try darvocet if you have not yet. It is a LOT easier to take. Really helped out with my broken scapula last year from my crash.

Good luck - heal well. and go easy on yourself like the others said. Give yourself a break.

[lph]

Oh man, that looks painful! I've never broken mine, but remember vividly my mother breaking hers falling off a horse when I was a teenager, and she was in a LOT of pain afterwards. It's maybe not a major bone but I know it can give you major pain.
In general I second everybody's thoughts on finding pills that work, painkillers are a true miracle when they work and will help you heal so much better.

Good healing to you and lots of strength!

[AnnieBikes]

OH OH OH!!! I sympathize so very much. I broke my collar bone a few years ago (are you sure it wasn't my xray up there!!). It was awful sleeping, dressing, showering, and anything else for about 2 weeks, as someone else mentioned. Then the bones begin to lay down callus and get "sticky". That is when the pain decreases, albeit very slowly.

I second everyone who says you should get different pain meds!! They will not all make you sick (and shouldn't) so get a change! I took Lortab and only a half at that, as it made me so spacey. The button down the front shirts were all I could wear and I bought a few at Walmart and wore a few of my son's shirts.

As far as surgery, I would avoid it like the plague. You will heal without it. You go to Midas, you get a muffler, you go to the orthopod, you get surgery!! The ends hook up, make a bumpy heal and then remold them selves. I am a little shorter on that side but the bump is gone...it took about a year. Do work your shoulder in a few weeks to avoid the frozen shoulder that Deb talked about.

You are not a baby. This is one of the most painful fractures you can have because there is no way to totally immobilize it like for a wrist or ankle and so much of what you do with your arms is dependent on your shoulders (collarbone) stabilizing for you to move. Good luck and take care of yourself. This too shall pass!!! I am thinking of you!!!!