ScorpyStell's blog

10 months post op. Today I went back to see my orthopedic surgeon Dr. Veillette.

The purpose of this appointment was mainly for scheduling another surgery if I wanted. In my head, I was still contemplating on whether or not I should get my ’9cm, low-profile, pre-contoured, titanium Smith + Nephew clavicular plate and 9 screws’ removed. My gut said ‘No’ but I wanted to discuss it further just to make sure I’m making an informed decision that I won’t regret in the future.

I’ve got my full range of motion back, am able to lift heavy weights, have not been compromised in any way, and have not been experiencing much pain aside from if and when I happen to put weight on it or wear a messenger bag…and, I can still feel the hardware beneath my skin. Nothing major and life is good. The question: is it worth the risk of infection, a possible numb patch that may not reduce, and another scar? I don’t think so.

I was reassured that if kept, the plate will not deteriorate over time and was told that only 5% of his patients actually get the plate taken out. That’s a pretty small percentage. Plus, the only reason why one would take it out would be if the plate is uncomfortable (ie: acts up in cold weather), causes pain, or somehow comes loose (haha, and I doubt I’d have any problems with that esp since I have 9 screws!).

With that said, I have decided to keep my Titanium plate and live happily as a bionic girl. Finally, my clavicle adventure concludes

Thanks everyone for the kind words, support and for following me on my journey.

Dr. Veillette, if you’re reading this, thanks so much for everything – You’re the BEST! None of this would’ve been possible if it weren’t for the ORIF surgery. I’m extremely thankful to be back stronger and able to continue being athletic. Couldn’t have asked for much more than that! For anyone with shoulder issues and broken clavicles, you have my highest recommendation.

Kettlebell workout of the day. Building functional strength and working the entire body with a series of compound movements involving single and double kettlebell swings, windmills, overhead squats, presses, and rows, topped off with a set of weighted pistols.

This was filmed exactly one year after I fractured my collarbone in a cycling accident. Serving as a reminder that setbacks create challenges to be overcome and opportunities to become better.

My clavicle is FULLY HEALED!!  I went back for a follow up xray and ortho appointment today and that was the official verdict. It’s been exactly 6 months since the surgery and I’m feeling amazing. In fact, I was feeling pretty invincible within the 4-5 month range..but now I can officially push myself even harder.

Is it just me, or do all my xrays look the same?

The next question to ponder is whether or not remove my ’9cm low profile, pre contoured, titanium smith + nephew, claviclular plate and 9 screws. hmmm….I asked about this and it seems that it’s not a big deal whether I keep it in or take it out. It’ll depend on factors like how i feel, and whether my body adapts to or rejects it within the 1 year period. One of the main drawbacks of getting it out is the fact that it requires making a second incision to the area, which may result in a bigger numb patch that has a lesser chance of reducing. Plus, I’ll have to go through a third rehab…this time waiting for bone to form in place of the screw holes. That’d mean another 6 weeks or so without working out. However, the good part is that I’ll no longer feel a hunk of metal on my clavicle. We shall see…and if I do get it taken out, I hope to be able to keep the plate and screws so I can frame it along with my xray!

Ever since I traded my ‘bump for a scar’ and began posting updates my recovery from the ORIF surgery performed on my broken clavicle, I’ve received numerous emails. Some offering advice, a few who’ve gone through the same experience, and others asking questions. The one question I’ve been asked the most is – what does the scar look like? and how prominent is it?

At 5 months post surgery, the scar really isn’t that noticeable, though it’s been like that for a while…i just haven’t had a chance to post. I also rubbed on Bio Oil everyday for maybe the first couple of months to help reduce its appearance. It’s hard to say if it really helped or not since scars naturally do fade over time anyways, but I am very happy with what i see (or don’t see). Also, since my scar follows the contour of the clavicle, I find it doesn’t stand out as much. Plus, it might even look cool and be good segue into a conversation at a party

I will try to post pics when i get a chance….

Breaking my collarbone has been the single worst and most humbling experiences I had ever been through. The part that drove me crazy was not being able to workout or function at full capacity. However, looking back on the whole thing, it has taught me a lot about myself, life, and training. I felt invincible up until the accident and now that I’m fully healed I can’t help but feel the same way. Everything always works out in the end and it feels good to be back into the fold. Only difference is that I’m more cautious about my actions, now that I proved to myself that I’m not like Wolverine

Top lessons learned:
1. Do your research – don’t trust everything you’re told. when it comes to your own health and well being, get several opinions, educate yourself so that you can be 100% sure that you are making the right decision and not just taking someone’s word for it. Always look out for #1.
2. Patience is a virtue – work through it one step at a time and don’t rush a good thing. Get a good athletic therapist , do your physio, and slowly ease back into the hardcore workouts you know and love.

I’m currently at 18 weeks post surgery and feeling absolutely incredible! I got my groove back and blessed that things can only look up from here. The injury gave my body a good break from working out, leaving me well primed and ready to push limits, try new things, get stronger, and become a better athlete. I like a good challenge and vow to make this my best training year yet. For the past month I’ve been easing back into a workout program. I’ve been doing:

90 minute bikram yoga sessions

kettlebell workouts

indian clubs

flirty girl fitness classes

Life is good. Don’t live for the moment. Live in the moment. Take it all in. Do what you can when you can. Stay focused on the task at hand and make it happen.

Week 9, Day 6: After a full week of doing isometrics, working out on the elliptical trainer and my first 3 mile run, I am super pumped about getting a bit more aggressive with the training, now that the shoulder’s a lot more stable and feeling good. Today I went in to see Ian, my athletic therapist for another MAT session. Going in, I was able to move my arm about 175 degrees but whenever I lifted my arm overhead I had problems keeping my elbow from coming out to the side. After an hour of treatment, not only was I able to move my arm a full 180 degrees, but I was also able to keep it straight when reaching overhead so that the side of my arm would touch my ear. To say the effects of Muscle Activation Techniques are incredible and far reaching is an understatement. I’m a believer!

Time to party~

Personal proof that surgery is good for severely displaced fractured clavicles and that MAT treatments will speed up recovery times. Observe how my range improved drastically after week 4, which was when I began my MAT treatments. Although my range didn’t go beyond 130 with the natural healing, I did gain back a decent amount of strength before going into surgery which in turn has really helped speed things along.

Having said that, weeks 6-8 of my post-op rehabilitation have been going really well. I’m rockin’ the physio, working out more, and normal everyday activities like getting dressed, tying hair and putting on seatbelts are getting a lot easier & less painful Imagine if I had gotten the surgery right from the get go, then i’d be snowboarding by now! So here’s what’s been happening:

week 6

I went in for a follow up appointment with Dr. V. I was told to avoid lifting any heavy weights overhead with my left arm over the next 4 weeks and to work on increasing my range more towards the overhead movements…then “we can all party” – Clavicle Clash #2 anyone?

After seeing my athletic therapist Ian, I went from 110 degrees to being able to move my arm 160 degrees! Gotta love those Muscle Activation Techniques. I gained 50 degrees of ROM in that session alone. It’s like magic!

….and for the first time since the accident, I was able to put on my Lululemon workout tank tops again! — with no pain!

week 7

I’m up to 170 degress in movement, can reach my arm behind my back (keeping arm parallel to ground) and noticed greater stability & strength in the shoulder which makes working out with a kettlebell on my right arm easier and less painful. Of course I’m still being very careful not to do too many quick sudden movements that would aggravate the spot. The shoulder numbness from the surgery has also gone down significantly and I don’t really have any pain on the fracture site aside from bit of irritation if I happen to touch the plated area. I’m hoping that will go away with time.

week 8

Lots of progress has happened and I’m very close to being able to move my arm a full 180 degrees!
I got the ok to began doing some light duty isometric resistance training on my back using a 5lb weight. This would help better stabilize the shoulder and the surrounding muscles.  This whole broken clavicle experience has been humbling has really made me appreciate being able to do the simple things.

I’ve noticed many small improvements with my workouts:
• cycling on the stationary trainer – I can now comfortably put both arms on the handlebar and even put a bit more weight on the affected side.
• improved stability & strength in the shoulder – I was able to add more weight and reps to my kettlebell workouts (ie: 100 – 20 or 35lb KB swings, squats, clean/presses, windmills)

That’s it for now. ’til next time…

Week 5, day 3 post op…

The clavicle’s feeling good. I’ve upped my physio to 2x/wk and as a result, my ROM improved slightly (meaning i can go a bit beyond 90degrees) and there’s evidence of some hard callous bone formation happening! FINALLY!!! I’m doing a bunch of isometric exercises on the floor to help it along. Funny part is, I sometimes fall asleep doing them. Could be ’cause I’m really tired or they’re just not too stimulating…however, it’s really important to stick to them as they will help strengthen the post deltoids, biceps, triceps, and the upper trap, which i’ll need to work extra hard on since I have 4 screws in it :S

I gained about 8lbs during these past 5 months so now it’s time to lose it and get back in fab shape! It’s GO TIME! I’m back on a super healthy diet, upped my cycling intensity, am doing ab moves on the mat, and just today I reintroduced some light kettlebell training back into my workouts – for the right (uninjured) arm. Oh how i miss them…

This was my WOD:

10 mins isometric exercises
bicycles
leg raises
knee in/outs

30sec front kicks (l/r)
30sec side kicks (l/r)
30sec back kicks (l/r)

50 squats
100kb swings
50 cleans
50 windmills
50 side presses

20mins cycling (high resistance)

I’m currently 5 weeks post op and things are going well as I kickstart the whole recovery process once again. Though, this time around, the recovery is much faster and actually happening since the bone has been reunited. I’m currently doing isometric exercises and working on increasing my range. Standard bone healing time is 6-8 weeks so I’m looking forward to seeing what’s in store. This is how the first 4 weeks went:

Multitasking with 1 hand.

Week 1
I felt pretty good after the surgery and was just really thankful to have survived it. The best part about the ride home was that I no longer felt my bones shifting around with every bump in the road like they did when it was initially broken. Definitely a good sign. However, getting surgery also meant that I had to start all over again to regain my range of motion. Bummer! My main restrictions were to stay in a sling for 4 weeks and to keep the arm immobilized for the first 10 days, meaning no movements at all. No weight training for the next 4-6 weeks The incision site was covered with steri strips to prevent the scar from widening and a big gauze bandage over top that needed to be kept dry, which meant no showers for the first few days.

Sleeping on my back made waking up a bit of a pain, mainly due to the sharp pain and constant numbness in my shoulder. My neck and upper back felt really stiff and I tried to avoid any form of yawning, coughing, or laughing, as it would aggravate the ‘spot.’ No more comedies or late nights! However the pain did fade during the day since I was popping painkillers like candy The only real side effect I had was drowsiness. I worked from home. By the end of the week, I got very proficient at typing and designing with one hand.

The new hardware.

Week 2
I was off the painkillers, doing pendular movements, and went in for a follow up session with my orthopedic surgeon. I finally got to see my xrays and had my sutures taken out. I thought it’d hurt but as it turned out I didn’t feel a thing. The whole procedure took less than 30 seconds. The xray was pretty crazy though – I have a 9cm plate and 9 screws in my left clavicle…or as I like to call it: a 9cm – low profile – pre contoured – titanium – smith&nephew – clavicular plate + 9 screws

Xmas shopping with the new ‘hardware’ was an interesting experience. I think I may have set off a few detectors at the mall. At one store, the security guy checked all my bags then when I walked through, the detector went off…so I’m pretty sure it was the plate and screws that set it off.

I began cycling on the stationary trainer this week.

Week 3
I was able to move my arm about 70 to 80 degrees. Pretty good considering it took me 4 weeks just to move it 45degrees after the initial break. I began physio again at Striation Six with athletic therapist Ian Murray. I lost some muscle definition in my left arm (nooooo!!!) and was leaning to the left. I was told that having a fractured clavicle for the past 4 months had altered the biomechanics of my muscles. Nothing that can’t be corrected though. He worked on stabilizing the muscles, helped correct my body alignment and released tension in my back and neck through MAT (Muscle Activation Techniques). Amazing stuff! The pain that I had when I yawned was totally gone and I felt less tense.

I threw a Clavicle Clash to ring in the new year and celebrate my newly repaired clavicle with all my friends and family. (see post below)

Week 4
I went for a follow up appointment with my ortho. The scar and bone were both healing up nicely. The scar is actually not so visible unless you look up close…just a thin red line which follows the contour of the clavicle. I was up to 90 degrees in movement and told to slowly increase my range and to do isometric exercises, no weights yet as that may hinder the healing process.  I also began driving again, which felt really good! Clear the roads and sidewalks, Stell’s back behind the wheel!

With a new year comes new beginnings. I’ve always believed in focusing on the positive and to celebrate the triumphs the come along the way.

I, for one try to make the most of an adverse situation and maybe even laugh about it a bit. On January 3, 2009 (3 weeks, 5 days post op), I had a Clavicle party to celebrate the reunion of my collarbone.

Stell’s Clavicle Clash was a reunion for the union!

Friends and family came to celebrate with me as I started the new year off with a perfect clavicle.

There was lots of food, music, sangrias & free autographed xrays for all! What a blast!

I created a branded event where I designed posters, invites, thank you cards, ‘chocolate clavicles’, a themed menu etc. I even went through the trouble of getting all my xrays on cd etc so I’d have good high res artwork to use. Fun stuff indeed!

The Invite

I designed thank you cards and chocolate clavicles to give to guests.

life is like a box of chocolate clavicles....u never know when you'll break one.

Chocolate Clavicle - Front

The Back: it says - DO NOT BREAK. If broken, immediately immobilize and apply ice. A titanium plate and screws may be required if severely displaced.

I printed up a 24x11" xray for all my guests to sign, which will probably go in my room afterwards.