I must admit, I am very pleased with the work done by my surgeon, Dr. Stephen Chudik. My clavicle went from a 120° angle to arrow straight. Through an open reduction, internal fixation procedure (ORIF), Dr. Chudik was also able to stitch the bone back together perfectly, giving it the best possible chance to heal correctly.
The before and after surgery x-rays are even more impressive. It’s clear that this “elective” surgery was only barely elective. (Give them a click below to see them larger.) Had I chosen to let the bone heal naturally I can’t imagine that I would have regained full function of my shoulder joint. This break would have, at minimum, severely impacted my swimming, if not everything else in my life.
My new jewelry is just over 2.5″ long and the long screw is ¾” long. It’s quite obvious that something is there under my skin, but the wound was closed so well that I don’t think I’ll have a cool scar to show off. I think doctors should ask their patients if they want a badass scar for stories or no scar at all. ;)
As for how I’m feeling, there is no bone-related pain anymore. I just have to slowly but surely work though the “freeze” that has occurred in my shoulder joint due to inactivity. Thrice weekly PT visits are making big changes in my range of motion and I hope to be off the trainer/elliptical on back on the pavement by July.
Until then, I’ll continue to do bricks in my basement, increasing intensity as I heal.
