Broken Collar Bone

I don't know why, but I never anticipated injuring myself so severely.
Last Friday I was riding too aggressively, hammering away when I pegged
the inside pedal on a tight curve (I was pedaling - du-uh) and crashed
hard. I broke my left collar bone (broke the last inch or so right off.)

And wouldn't you know, just a few days earlier I had purchased my plane
ticket to Frankfurt (depart July 5 - return July 27). Now I don't know
if I'll be able to make that trip. They way I feel today (5 days later),
arm in a sling and still feeling very very very tender and sensitive, it
seems unlikely.

I've heard it could take anything from 4 weeks to 4 months to heal. And
even if I do heal enough to ride (July 5 is still 5 ½ weeks a way), I
don't know if I would be ready to sleep on the ground in my tent. The
Emergency Room doc said 4 - 6 weeks. Some online searches have indicated
it could be months.

The doctor said that there was nothing that should be done for the break
(other than immobilize my arm in a sling). The collar bone is the most
"mendable" bone in the body, and the two pieces of bone will find their
way back together and mend on their own. It seems odd, but all research
I've done indicated that is so.

Does anyone here have any advice or experience to relate? Should I hold
out hope for a cycling camping trip in July? (My Lufthansa ticket *is*
restricted, but they said I can get a full refund with a medical
certificate.) Any therapy I should consider?

Amazing how much can change in a fraction of a second. Wish I had a do-over.

(I am seeing an orthopedic doctor on Friday, so hopefully he can tell me
more.)

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Chuck Anderson • Boulder, CO
http://www.CycleTourist.com
Integrity is obvious.
The lack of it is common.
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