# Broke my clavicle (collarbone)



## Sinkhead (May 26, 2008)

Ok, so on Friday night at about 10:15pm we had just arrived at the kayaking trip with the rest of the club. At 10:45 I was in the car on the way to A&E  
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





Basically, me and Gaz and the rest of the club were play fighting (for lack of a better word) over glow sticks. Now, I'm one of the oldest junior members, only younger than two others, and Gaz was one of these. He flipped me off the top of a small hill and i landed on my neck facing the ground. He then landed on top of me.

Crack.

The pain was not immediate. At first I started to get up but it hurt so much, it felt like someone was squeezing the soft bit below the joint between your shoulder and collarbone, so I fell back down. Luckily two of the senior members of the club are physiotherapists. They poked and felt bits of my shoulder and told me that I needed to go to hospital, that either my shoulder was dislocated or that my clavicle was broken.

I got to the first hospital where they had no real facilities, it was only a doctor's with a minor injury clinic. They gave me some normal paracetamol and took notes which they put in a letter for me to take to the real hospital so I wouldn't have to tell them it all again.

I got to the proper hospital (James Cook University Hospital) and waited in the A&E waiting room while the police took out a drunk (it was Friday night) and then was examined again. They read my notes and sent me for an x-ray. I had two x-rays done in total, one of which I scanned and you can see here.

So I went back to my room in A&E and heard some doctors talking, saying "wow, that's pretty bad" and "I've not seen one of those for a long time". I was one of two patients currently there so it was very quiet, so I stuck my head round the door and said "I hope you're not talking about me" in a sarcastic type of way. Turns out they were...

They told me I would need an appointment at a fracture clinic, either on Monday at James Cook's or on Tuesday in my hometown. I chose my hometown so I could go home to my own bed and have things to do.

To be honest this couldn't have happened at a worse time. I got invited to Blackpool Pleasure Beach (a theme park) on Thursday which I probably won't be going to and then next Monday I'm supposed to be going to France and Belgium on the Battlefields Tour our school runs.

But then again, I suppose I am lucky in some respects. It's a clean break and the chances are that I won't need surgery, and if I do, I live in the UK so it's free.

Does anyone else have experience with a broken clavicle? If so, what were your experiences, would you say I will probably be able to go on the trips I said?

Thanks a lot.

(argh I hate having to type with one hand!)


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## shootme (May 26, 2008)

I feel with you. 
I also have broken the clavicle once, but i was like 6 years old so i dont remember much, only that it hurt. also i didnt have to have surgery
Hope you dont need surgery and get well soon


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## Spikey (May 26, 2008)

I'm sorry to hear you are in such a poor state. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Best the luck to you for a speedy recovery!!! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Just be glad you weren't in a fight with lagman, he'd have broken more than your clavicle.


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## tinymonkeyt (May 26, 2008)

awww hope ya feel better!
*hugs*
im sorry that you might not be able to do all that stuff you planned
laughter is the best medicine, so be happy!
maybe you'll have a faster recovery :]


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## Unchi-san (May 26, 2008)

hey man that sucks =(

Junior Year in college i broke my collarbone going down a hill on a skateboard....  It was a clean break so no surgery needed.  The bad thing about breaking your collarbone is that you can't put a caste or anything on it... so you need to let it heal on its own naturally (if you don't have surgery).  That is why they say it is one of the most painful breaks you can have.

For me it was very difficult to do anything physical for at least 2 months.  Even then, any physical activities (like basketball) were a no go.  I don't think you will be able to do any of your activities... A Theme park would absolutely murder your collarbone.  

Looking at your xrays, it is basicaly the same as mine (right shoulder area w/ clean break). 

Sorry dude :/  

hope you get better soon


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## Pizzaroo (May 26, 2008)

hay, my dad flew off his motorbike and broke his collar-bone last week. but he damages some nerve tissue in his shoulders, so he might need surgery. It Sucks and Dosnt suck at the same time, because if you dislocated your shoulder, it would hurt like *HELL!*  to get it relocated (i would know 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




), but you might have made it to the theme part on thursday. Hope you feel better soon


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## Alerek (May 26, 2008)

That sounds painful, sir. I've cut myself a lot, just by falling on stupid things like stairs and on to sharp objects...had a gash in my head above my eye that you could see my skull through once.....haven't broken any bones yet though.


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## Westside (May 26, 2008)

Never broken a bone, but I once split open the under side of my chin.  I fell off a diving board and directly hit my chin on the sharp end.  It was extremely painful at the time.


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## science (May 26, 2008)

I never broke my collarbone, but I did dislocate it last year. 

I was playing hockey, and I was pissed off at a player on the other team, so I completely leveled him, and from that, I decided to keep going, because I was so angry at the time. I went to hit a kid, so I threw my shoulder into him, and as I did, something didn't feel right at all, so I skated off the ice to the bench. I sat there for a bit with just a dull pain in my shoulder, and as I sat there, after about 30 seconds, the most excruciating pain I had ever felt in my life kicked in. It hurt so bad, and the worst part was when I had to take off my shoulder pads, and had to move my arms around to get them out of there. Lifting up my arm and having to move it around with a dislocated collarbone was the worst thing I had ever done. Thankfully, my doctor's son was on my team, so she helped me out. I didn't go to the hospital because she put it in a sling for me, but it was still so painful. I still feel pain in it on cold days, or when doing certain things, but that might be because my arm was in a temporary sling for 2 weeks, when it should have been in a permanent sling. Hopefully yours heals better, which I'm sure it will, because mine did a shit job of being replaced.


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## Bob Evil (May 26, 2008)

I have broken mine, and I totally sympathize with ya ... it's a mammy rammer ...


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## FAST6191 (May 26, 2008)

Not me personally but I have seen it many times when bikes (be they motorised or otherwise) and skateboards.

First listen to your doctors and your physio friends: anything from plain fractures to nerves to bones can be involved so in depth diagnosing is not something to be done over the internet. You biggest problem will likely be tendons but as you have some physio's to call on do so.

Get an exercise bike or something to keep remotely fit with (naturally forgoing anything intensive with upper body which means jogging and such is also out as falling is not a good idea) and couple this with eating correctly. You are just about the age when bones start becoming adult bones (and so more likely to break) as I recall (16 is lower end of it).

Trips: head injuries are likely to make you skip these, broken bones are not (unless spinal, knees or very serious breaks). You may have to forgo the pepsi max mind you (and not to rub it in but I was on the front one year and it was fantastic), they had a decent maze when I was there however (and if they are still doing the tiered tickets it is a nice way to kill the otherwise useless low grade ones).

One handed typing: I tried with a busted wrist and it does suck, hopefully you can get to a stage where you can at least mash the keyboard with the other hand.


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## NeSchn (May 26, 2008)

I have broken two bones before and they hurt a lot. I couldn't imagine breaking my collarbone.


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## Jax (May 26, 2008)

I'm glad to say I never broke a bone in my body.

My biggest injury was a huge cut on my temple that almost caught my eye. I have a distinctive scar now 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




.


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## Lazycus (May 27, 2008)

I broke mine on the right side by crashing a dirt bike.  Bike stopped after hitting the side of a logging trail and then a bush.  I went right over the handle bars and the right shoulder planted nicely in the ground.  The bone break didn't hurt so much as what felt to me like the cutting of tissue when accidentally moving the right shoulder and having the bone poke around in there.  I had the old figure eight sling that holds your shoulders back.  It healed up pretty well but I still can't throw a baseball or football like I used to.  If you are a side sleeper make sure you don't roll over on it during the night.  I think it was 3 nights after the break I woke up on my right side due to the pain.

You won't want to ride anything at the theme park, but travel and walking about should be no problem.


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## Sinkhead (May 27, 2008)

Thanks for all your comments, they mean a lot to me!

I've just been for my appointment and the doctor says I should be fine to go on my trip and that it needs no treatment. I have to go back in three weeks for a check-up but that's all!


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## Unchi-san (May 27, 2008)

sinkhead said:
			
		

> Thanks for all your comments, they mean a lot to me!
> 
> I've just been for my appointment and the doctor says I should be fine to go on my trip and that it needs no treatment. I have to go back in three weeks for a check-up but that's all!



wow good stuff!  just make sure to go easy on it and have fun!


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## JPH (May 27, 2008)

Ooh, that sucks man. I'll be praying for ya! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



Luckily, I've never broken anything. I've cracked both of my big toes (baseball accidents!) and that's really the only major thing that's happened to me.
Hope you feel better yo...just think, it could've been worse!


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## gizmo_gal (May 27, 2008)

tinymonkeyt said:
			
		

> awww hope ya feel better!
> *hugs*
> im sorry that you might not be able to do all that stuff you planned
> laughter is the best medicine, so be happy!
> ...



That gives me hope that you can go 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 But, of course you still need to, ya know, talk with your Doctor, and get all the needed pain meds and immobolization devices and find someone in your class--or 3-5 people if you can/depending on how long the trip is--who will volunteer in shifts to help you out on various days--depending on whats been planned for the group and find some people you can depend on there to be there for you when you need it.

Also, when you get there, find a darn good pillow or something to sleep on to support you properly how ever the Dr. recommends. Please, please, please dont forget or over look this. I can tell you from the times I've had broken bones or just been in a lot of upper body-mid back pain that you will regret it.


P.S. Just because I always forget, make sure that you give out thank-you cards when you get back


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## ScuberSteve (Jul 27, 2008)

bump cause it's old, cold, and covered in mold.


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## xcalibur (Jul 27, 2008)

ScuberSteve said:
			
		

> bump cause it's old, cold, and covered in mold.



Today is a slow day but cant you find something else to do?
Masturbate?


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