On a snowy Christmas day at Sunrise Peak, there is a whiteout at the acme; snow is falling heavily, visibility is low, and the wind is unforgiving as it clashes against my bare face. I slowly start my descent down the mountain. As I begin to cut back and forth in a comfortable manner on my board I slip up. I try to turn to follow the slopes path, but I turned too sharply. The front of my board digs into the snow abruptly and causes me to plunge forward. I take a long fall and land directly on my right collarbone. The pain upon contact is sharp. As I try to stand up, I notice I can’t move my right arm, and there is a very awkward pain that stings between my neck and shoulder. Angst rushes over me as I fear that I have broken my collarbone.
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My collarbone was split right down the middle. I’m told by the ER doctor it will take anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks to recover. She tells me, “Within the next week you need to start moving your arm in small circles while leaning over in the shower.” After hearing her say that, I remember thinking of how surreal this injury was as I could hardly even move my arm without experiencing a stinging pain. I learned that there isn’t much treatment for a broken collarbone other than a basic sling you can wear to help support your arm in order to alleviate the deadweight it’s causing on your upper body. I was going to have to be patient with the healing as I knew I had a long recovery ahead of …show more content…
First, I’d have to learn to adjust to a drastic change in lifestyle; I wasn’t able to work, I wasn’t able to participate in any physically demanding activities, and I wasn’t able to drive. Simple tasks such as putting on clothes, brushing my teeth, and preparing food proved to be burdensome. Sleeping was perhaps the hardest to adjust to; I could never find a comfortable position where there was little to no pain while laying down, I would wake up frequently in pain and having to readjust to a new position, all of which hindered me of a good night’s rest. Second, the side effects of the painkillers and anti-inflammatory pills that were prescribed left me without an appetite to eat and a steady low energy state. Third, along with the physical handicaps encountered, I also had to deal with the psychological impact. Before the injury, I enjoyed being active and getting a strenuous workout. My life had changed from being active to sedentary in a flash. I couldn’t help but think how I was losing my fitness and the loss of weight; dystrophy was starting to occur in the muscles in my arm and continued to spread throughout my body because of what little resistance they were
My collarbone was split right down the middle. I’m told by the ER doctor it will take anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks to recover. She tells me, “Within the next week you need to start moving your arm in small circles while leaning over in the shower.” After hearing her say that, I remember thinking of how surreal this injury was as I could hardly even move my arm without experiencing a stinging pain. I learned that there isn’t much treatment for a broken collarbone other than a basic sling you can wear to help support your arm in order to alleviate the deadweight it’s causing on your upper body. I was going to have to be patient with the healing as I knew I had a long recovery ahead of …show more content…
First, I’d have to learn to adjust to a drastic change in lifestyle; I wasn’t able to work, I wasn’t able to participate in any physically demanding activities, and I wasn’t able to drive. Simple tasks such as putting on clothes, brushing my teeth, and preparing food proved to be burdensome. Sleeping was perhaps the hardest to adjust to; I could never find a comfortable position where there was little to no pain while laying down, I would wake up frequently in pain and having to readjust to a new position, all of which hindered me of a good night’s rest. Second, the side effects of the painkillers and anti-inflammatory pills that were prescribed left me without an appetite to eat and a steady low energy state. Third, along with the physical handicaps encountered, I also had to deal with the psychological impact. Before the injury, I enjoyed being active and getting a strenuous workout. My life had changed from being active to sedentary in a flash. I couldn’t help but think how I was losing my fitness and the loss of weight; dystrophy was starting to occur in the muscles in my arm and continued to spread throughout my body because of what little resistance they were