Clavicle Break: Week 4 (July 14, 2018 - July 20, 2018)

Pain Level: 1 to 4, no pain medication.
Discomfort Level: 6-10
Attire:  Shorts and a sling.  Occasional button up shirts.
Sleeping: Recliner, then bed.
Nutrition: Higher than normal calories to maximize healing, with supplements geared towards bone regrowth.
Mobility: Slow, but able to move around much easier.
Physical Therapy: None

Week four saw more improvements in pain level, mobility, and nutritional intake.  I also moved back to bed, and out of the recliner.  It was with no small amount of satisfaction that I removed the sheets from the recliner, and largely put the living room back to normal.

That said, I still spent the vast majority of my time in the recliner.  I continued watching YouTube videos on cycling, documentaries about Lance Armstrong, and following the Tour de France.  Richie Porte - Ugh.  Makes my problems look small...

I was able to get up and spend more time at the computer, but only in short stretches due to the position required of my left arm.  I had about 15 to 20 minutes at a time before I had to take a break.  I'm not sure if the pain was from the break, or the tightness in soft tissue - I suspect the latter.  Most of my time on the computer was spent narrowing down the list of bike replacement candidates.

I was able to spend more time with my son playing Legos and Hotwheels.  He'd been very very good through the previous weeks, and seemed to understand that I just couldn't do some of the things I'd previously done.

I did attempt some time without the sling.  I didn't try moving my shoulder much, but I did let it hang free.  That lasted about a day and a half.  I called the doctor's office to find out what they recommended for physical therapy.  They answered that they recommended I stay in the sling 100% and save physical therapy for later.  I resisted for a day or so - convinced I knew my body better than they did, then went with their advice and went back to the sling as the discomfort mounted into pain.  I accepted, eventually, that maybe they had a little more experience with this than I.  My elbow was pretty well seized up though, so I worked that until I could at least open and close it fully, even if it did hurt some.  I continued with this even after putting the sling back on... I just saved it for when I was sitting down, or changing the sling out for shower time.

I did notice this week that I could rest some weight on the arm.  Sitting down, I could lean forward and relax with my elbows resting on my knees.  This was very encouraging, as it resembles the position I'd be in on the bike.  Also, simply relaxing in a different position felt great.

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