Grade 3+ sep
Hello fellow bumpy shoulder peeps!
So my story goes as follows. Approx 5 weeks ago got a grade 2 on my road bike. Got pretty down and was starting to get depressed due to pain, discomfort, realization of permanence of appearance and all the other fun things that go with this injury. Two weeks later got a dream job on the water as a bartender a block away (make 3x what I used to as a cook). Bump went down, got back to biking, hiking, jogging, surfing and playing guitar. Put injury behind me. I wish I had continued to read this forum...
A week ago riding some neighbor kids kicked a basketball out in front of my tire and it hit perfectly to where I got speed wobbles and crashed. Now I've graduated to at least a grade 3 (I suspect it might be 4 due to the fact my shoulder blade sticks out my back somewhat and collarbone has vanished. My neck is hurting like hell and have constant muscle spasms in my shoulder blade. Of course the pain is pretty bad (still about a 6/10) and everything in that area feels out of place. The lump and droopy shoulder are really messing with my mind as I now look like a circus freak. The hardest part is dealing with fact that I just feel physically of balance. I can handle the pain but the thought of one side being different than the other is really disconcerting.
After reading this forum quite obsessively for the last week or so I have compiled a broad overview of surgery v. Non surgery routes. There are many variables with both sides (ie types of surgeries, PT excercises, Dr. Advice, degree of injury, etc) so my findings might differ from someone else's.
I have found that (approximately) with the non surgery route 27 were mostly pleased, 12 were mostly unhappy, and 16 were split (due to either not full recovery or dissatisfaction from appearance). 3 eventually bit the bullet and got cut.
The ones that went the surgery route were as follows. 39 were happy, 3 were not and 3 were split. The ones that weren't happy suffered complications from surgery such as infection, nerve damage, and or loss of ROM/strength. All of them stated that the surgery was incredibly painful and recovery time was slow/tedious.
I have state funded insurance so the treatment at the hospital is hardly top notch. Met with a specialist 4 days after the grade 3 and he asked what I do for a living. I told him bartending and was sort of dismissive saying I'll be fine with time. I explained that tending bar is somewhat laborious being that I have to move full kegs in and out coolers, grab cases of beer from walk in, and reach for bottles at above head height. He then suggested fixation. I go back in 4 days to decide.
As much as I would like to just deal with the pain and go back to work, resume bike riding/hiking/guitar playing, avoid surgery and all the details with that (there's a lot), I think I'm going to go for it my insurance covers it (come on Obamacare)!
My questions are for those of you that went with non surgery,
How long did it take before you felt your body "normalize" to a more even balance?
Did the bump (more like a lump) go down after you recovered?
Do you worry about falling on it again?
(Could it get much worse like collar bone getting into the neck or lungs)
Those with surgery
What foods/diet worked best for recovery?
How long did the pain last from surgery?
What were risky movements post surgery that could snap ligament?
What devices are beneficial to recovering quickly and comfortably?
This is a really tough injury both mentally and physically. I was really depressed the first week and pray to the universe that can scheduled next week for an op. I going to just stay positive, proactive and hope for the best because that's all I can really do right now. I Know It Will Get Better. It can't rain forever
Decided against surgery after all. I didn't want to lose my job and and prolong recovery time. The thought of not being able to ride or play my guitar for 6 months with the surgery route was my deciding factor. I'm still coming to terms with the aesthetic value of it all as I'm not used to having a physical abnormality. I kinda felt that it would limit my chances of finding a girl that would find me attractive. I'm looking for a long term relationship and am over the "hooking up" phase of my life so in the end if said girl can't see past the bump then she probably isn't good for me anyways.
The silver lining that I've found is this injury was the final straw with my relationship with alcohol. I initially suffered a grade 2 from drinking and riding so even though the injury sucks it's helping me be a better version of myself in the long run. Like a lotus flower I had to suck up some shitty substance to eventually blossom. I just hope the conservative route doesn't affect my guitar playing stamina.