Ouch!

 

We had to go pick up one of our vehicles that was getting serviced.
no big deal I'm felling pretty good. I can drive one home.

When you are on the passenger side of a car, the shoulder strap of the seat belt crosses you right shoulder on it's way to your left hip to be buckled.
Little tidbit, it's the opposite on the other side. it comes across the left side shoulder and down to your right hip when you're driving.
Ever notice how it rests right on top of your clavicle? Nope neither did I.
I quickly discerned If I hit somebody I was in for a world of hurt.

 

Sounds like you are getting around good.

 

So when do you see the next doc as to surgery?

 

What happened with the Monday surgeon? I am amazed that you drove with a FUBB clavicle and broken ribs.

 

Surgery is this coming Monday.
Even wannabee geniuses can do stupid. It seemed like a good idea at the time and it didn't start with "here, hold ma beer"

From a pragmatic standpoint I could operate the vehicle without any real obstacles. Well other than that pesky seatbelt.

 

So, if you care to elaborate, I'm curious why you didn't go with the first surgeon. Do they have different approaches of how to put your clavicle back together?

Surgeons seem to like people better when they're under anesthesia. My guy was awesome at the surgery but lacked skill at communicating. I'm talking he didn't even look at me when I met him. He was explaining what I had going on to a another surgeon in training. Same with my sister who just had a reverse shoulder replacement a couple of weeks ago. Their assistants do the dirty work of communicating for them. I loved my surgeon's assistant. She took the staples out.

 

My heart surgeon was the same way. My son-in-law use to work with him in the operating room and said the man was a genius but a rather dull person. When I came to our conversations amount to maybe 5 words. I didn't really care as long as he fixed my plumbing!

Good luck with the surgery Jerry.

 

In short he kind of pissed me off.
I was very annoyed that he felt no urgency over the holiday to refer me to someone else or contact me.
" get in touch with my office for follow-up" were the directions that were relayed to me on Thanksgiving evening.
What they didn't say was that his office would be closed until Monday.
In fairness too him, apparently no one gets much excited about broken clavicles unless they are sticking out of your chest.
But I am very picky about pain meds, since most from the codeine side of the fence leave me talking to buddha on the big white phone.
It's listed on my allergy form. So what did he prescribe? Hydrocodone with acetaminophen. which is explicitly on my allergy list.
Then he picked another on my list after two days without picking up the phone and talking to me. Boom I was done.
Am I a control freak, it would appear so. Does that bother me? no. It bothers me that I have to check when doctors should do their damn job.
Do I have an attitude? yes I get that way when I hurt for a while. LIKE TWO WEEKS!

 

I think what you describe is pretty common. However the guy that did my shoulder surgeries wasn't all that bad in communication/conversing. He was a well respected surgeon in Boston until he decided to write his own prescriptions for pain meds. He did have a most attractive nurse prac who did the follow up visit. Rick enjoyed taking me to those appointments.

Patricia, your sister has had other shoulder issues hasn't she? Did she not have any good results that she is not getting the replacement or is this on her other shoulder? Does she have RA too?