Learn Me Broken Collarbone

I just saw this news of your injury and wanted to wish you well. Those X-rays look pretty nasty. But you are young and tough! I hope this doesn't interfere with your summer internship in Michigan. I'm no doctor, but from my experience, as the sling comes off and the injury heals, you will have a limited window in which to regain full range of motion. Be careful but be relentless. Heal quickly!

Danny

Tom Suddard wrote: Here's an example of what he usually makes, btw: http://www.arizonacustomknives.com/large-carbon-fiber-hunter-by-doug-buchanan-155909.aspx

Now that's a knife

Surgery is just the beginning of this deal, by the way.

So, A Clockwork Garage's present just got here.

IT'S AWESOME! Thanks a ton, Jay.

In reply to Tom Suddard:

I'm glad you like it. It's the last one I sent out before shutting the shop down for the move.

I'm kind of sorry I sent that one though, As I was packing up my plates I found this one, would have been funnier...

AClockworkGarage wrote: In reply to Tom Suddard: I'm glad you like it. It's the last one I sent out before shutting the shop down for the move. I'm kind of sorry I sent that one though, As I was packing up my plates I found this one, would have been funnier...

Great advice on that plate!

In reply to secretariata:

and with the added degree of difficulty for those in Florida

Yeah, wow, that's pretty spectacular.

My clock, btw, has already been proudly hung in my living room. And that awesome spark plug keychain has been proudly attached to the Focus keys.

Those Arrive Alive license plates were on the front of every Connecticut car that ever visited Florida in the seventies. Back around 1976, I remember an orange Corvette that used to drive through our neighborhood with another version of that plate. I had to ask my dad what it meant.

So... a brief update:

I'm pretty much back to normal! Had my last physical therapy appointment on Friday, and spent this afternoon moving furniture around. Friday night was 4 hours of beach volleyball, and I took the rowboat out this morning. Long story short, I feel great! Still a little bit more motion to get back, but I'm stretching and working out every day, so it's getting better quickly. I can even do pushups again. Oh, and I've gained back most of the 10 pounds I lost over the past few weeks.

I've been riding lots, too–did 30 miles this weekend, and I've only put 4 or 5 miles on the car in the past 3 weeks. Oh, and I flew past my physical therapist on her bike going up one of the big hills on the way to my appointment the other day.

That said, I haven't been back on the mountain bike yet. Mentally, I'm completely ready. Physically, I think I am, too. That's why I left the mountain bike at home for the summer. I didn't want to be tempted.... Of course, I am jumping curbs on the road bike and exploring some of the dirt trails, so maybe I'll just figure out that cyclocross has always been my true calling.

Here's a photo from this afternoon: Yes, that's my Miyata.

Thanks for all of the help and support, everyone. Until next time, I think this thread is closed.

Good news. Thanks for keeping us in the loop.

I was going to call BS on the "big hills", but that doesn't look like Florida.

You might have mentioned it elsewhere, but where'd you end up for the summer? Looks nice!

I will bet Tom spent the day biking Old Mission Point in Grand Traverse Bay. Looks to be about Chateau Grand Traverse.
If so, that would make the body of water The West Arm of Grand Traverse Bay, Traverse City, MI

Tom, have you ridden the paved 26 mile trail from Charlevoix to Petoskey?
http://www.traillink.com/trail/little-traverse-wheelway.aspx
About 1 hr north of TC.

Mountain bike in Florida ?

I'm hoping for a fairly quick recovery time like yous. I didn't get to take a picture of my xray, but it broke the end of it. Have between .5-1mm of gap the orthos thought will heal itself. Hopefully they are right.

A while back, I fell hard on my left side. It hurt, but I thought it was just a deep bruise. A month later it still hurt bad when I did thing that required a reach of my arm. Getting dressed, etc. Went to see my Dr. (finally), he sent me for an MRI, OK, bad things. Several torn cartilages, muscles atrophied, one magic word was' massive damage". Crap. Went to my Orho yesterday, says that most of the damage was preexisting. No idea how, but he said a lot of his patients have that. The fall just made everything worse. Does not look like surgery, just physical therapy and Tamadrol. Took a jolt of Cortisone in the arm and feel better, but it is still painful. Getting old and fragile is a bitch.

In reply to cwh:

get an MRA, it's an MRI with contrast dye, that sounds like labrum damage and will not get better without surgery (warning recovery will take 2+ months of being fully dependent on others). But it's the only way that it will get better. Cortisone may help for a few weeks, then after awhile additional injections may no longer help at all. Physical therapy will help, but once you stop it'll revert, and while the pain is diminished from the successful PT, you'll engage in activities that will make the tear and degenerative damage associated worse in the long run. If it hurt to put on a shirt, it's time to go under the knife. I had a misdiagnosis of my labrum tear as an AC separation and was given Tramadol and remained on it for 18 months due to inflammation and doctor A trying to avoid surgery. The elevated liver enzymes were a direct contributing factor to the development of the cancer on my ampullary valve within the pancreas. Which was discovered during pre-op for surgery with doctor B as I went with a second opinion, which resulted in a change in surgery, and doctors C, D and E entering my life as well. Don't Berkeley around with this cwh.

Wow, looks like my life just took a detour! Will find a Doc for a second opinion now. Thanks.

And for what it's worth, the surgery was awesome! At this point I don't have any regrets. I'm back to about 99% already. The only lasting effect is that when I do the breaststroke, my shoulder starts popping after a minute or two. No pain or anything, just a popping noise with each stroke. Apparently that's fairly common even if you don't hurt yourself, so YMMV. And Dr. David, I did end up having some separation, but it wasn't too bad and healed up while I was in the sling for the broken bone. Apparently my collarbone was a good fuse for the rest of the system.

Oh, and I don't set off airport metal detectors or scanning machines, so that's nice. Apparently it really is titanium.

Open Reduction with Internal Fixation FTMFW!

Oh, and I did buy a diesel Mercedes like the one I linked to while high on pain meds. So I guess that's a side effect you need to consider.

Re: the popping noise. Snap crackle and pop are my new shoulder noises. Gee, I sound like a cereal.

Capt Downshift- I really appreciate your advice. Looking for a second doctor now. Many thanks, my new friend.

In reply to cwh:

No problem, I'm beyond glad to help out as its something that nobody's family, let alone the patient, should have to go though. Especially when preventable by avoiding long term use of antiinflammotories

Thankfully my joints up there still looked good.

I think I need to get a better sling than the POS blue/white one they give you though

In reply to yamaha:

Breg SlingShot2 is pretty fantastic, short of insert sleeves for reusable ice packs it has most features you could want, and you can also retrofit a non-supportive strap that accommodates an ice pack insert