clavicle

I had my first physical therapy session yesterday. I'd already met my physical therapist (she's Nancy's too), so maybe she was taking it easy on me, because it really wasn't too bad at all. My range of motion is limited, but my shoulder just feels stiff, not painful at all.

So I have lots of silly-looking exercises to do twice a day until my visit next week. Then hopefully I'll be using a cable machine with weights, and can start strengthening exercises. I'm able to use my right arm all day to do normal stuff (short of lifting or punching my coworkers), though the incision still feels strange sometimes, and I think I can feel the plate as my shoulder moves around.

Just doing some planning here - some dates I'm thinking about.

• Apr 01: next PT session
• Apr 08: RAGBRAI training start (on the bike trainer)
• Apr 22: six weeks from surgery; hopefully I can start running and biking outside
• Apr 30: follow-up appointment with my surgeon
• May 11: Journeys 5K

Today was my first follow-up appointment after my collarbone surgery. I got my staples removed (the staple-looking things in the x-ray above), which didn't hurt at all. No updated x-ray yet; this one's from my surgery.

I don't have to wear a sling unless my shoulder is uncomfortable, which it typically isn't. And I'm cleared for riding my bike trainer! Woo!

Physical therapy starts on Monday, which should be fun.

Where "saddle" is depressingly "my office chair".

Also, I'm sleeping without being propped up now, and only taking a little ibuprofen for pain. I can't wait to get this bandage off in a week. 

Well, I survived surgery. The worst part was waiting, at least until I woke up afterwards. For me, nausea is worse than pain, and I had plenty of it coming out of anesthesia, but it passed by the time we left the hospital.

The surgery itself took longer than planned, as the fracture was more complex than expected. I didn't talk to the surgeon afterwards, but Nancy did, and apparently there was another bone fragment and an issue with one piece of my clavicle having a split in it. So I got even fancier hardware and a higher probability of irritation down the road. On the other hand, it's pretty clear that it wouldn't have healed well without surgery.

I'm just thankful that everything went well, and for the support of friends and family. Especially Nancy, who has put up with my grumpiness more than anyone.

Today I'm feeling a lot more chipper, and my shoulder isn't bothering me too much. The most annoying part is the enormous dressing that I have to keep on until the stitches come out. Otherwise, the pain is responding well to a fairly light course of percocet (5 mg every 8-10 hours or so).

Well, time to go do my exercises.

and so I know the correct way to take good screenshots.

39.2 mm detachment - what do I win? 

Broken right clavicle (collarbone), for those of you who, like me, have forgotten high school anatomy.

I was riding through downtown Houghton on my way to the KBC last night, cranking pretty hard after some kind words from two of Wisconsin's finest in a pickup truck, and I turned too quickly onto the ramp to the parking deck. Somehow I'd forgotten about my studded tires, which don't grip at all on concrete.

My bike went out from under me, and I fell hard on my shoulder. My head hit the ground slightly after my shoulder, but thankfully my helmet absorbed all of that impact. I lay on the ground for a few seconds while I caught my breath and my wits, and got up to find three women had stopped to help. One wheeled my bike off to the sidewalk, and another offered to call someone. At that point I could tell something was wrong with my shoulder, but felt I had the presence of mind to make arrangements for myself. I called Nancy, who whisked me to the ER.

After a brief retelling of my life history and a quiz on my personal data, I got an x-ray and a visit from the practitioner on duty. He gave me a sling and a prescription for opiates, and told me to call the orthopedics department first thing in the morning. I could tell that my fracture was worse that most he'd seen.

Today I spoke with an orthopedic nurse, who had looked at my x-ray with an orthopedic surgeon and said that I would need surgery. I'll meet with them on Tuesday, and my surgery is scheduled for Thursday. Finally that titanium upgrade I've been hearing so much about.

So I'm off of running and riding for a while, sadly. I'm already bored of sitting around, but at least I'll be able to catch up on some reading.

Here, have a couple of helmet photos.