DH broken collarbone, no advice on discharge from A&E - pain is getting worse - what do we do?

[missingthemountains]

Don't want to go back to A&E but we've not been given any advice on the situation - can't get an appointment for the follow up clinic for over a week. We've managed to get better painkillers off the GP but have had no advice re: sling and exercises - should he be wearing the sling at night as well as the daytime?

It's a displaced fracture so we are not sure if it's going to need plating to fix it.

any advice please?

[fusspot66]

I think you have to go back to A & E. Where else would you get an X ray?

[Mrsmorton]

My father had this last year. No advice, so angry tbh.

His hasn't healed but it's no longer painful so the advice had been to leave it but I'm sorry to say that we had to go to see a private orthopaedic consultant to get good advice. It cost about £200 but was worth every penny, the GP referred us if you're interested.

He wore the sling at night whilst it was very sore to stop him inadvertently moving (turning over etc) and being in agony. Once it was less painful (ten days ish) he started to mobilise it a little and gradually more and more.

His broke in two places so there's a floater about an inch long, he gets crepitus every now and then when he lifts his arm. He's a farmer so the lack of advice made me

Can you afford to see a private physio? My dad refused but I think it might have helped him, the NHS waiting list was enormous because they are so under resourced.

to DH.

Oh, the unintended consequence was that my alcoholic mother became addicted to my father's tramadol (he would take it before bed to help him sleep). Whole nother story...

[Mrsmorton]

It's just over a year btw and he was driving again probably within about a month.

[funambulist]

My DS had a broken collarbone. Very painful as you can't properly immobilise it. His was also displaced.

This is the advice we were given.

He will need lots of painkillers. DS alternated ibuprofen and paracetomol taking the maximum allowable dose of both per 24 hours for the first few days. Don't stint on painkillers, it is extraordinarily painful and try and anticipate when they are about to wear off.

He needs to keep the collarbone as still as possible, especially as the fracture may be displaced. Sling all the time, even at night and someone needs to support his arm (take the weight of it) if he has to take the arm out of the sling to wash or dress.

You could try and support him with pillows at night as it is very painful to turn onto the shoulder whilst asleep.

I bought DS an extra sling to wear in the shower so that it didn't matter if it got soaking wet as he could (very, very carefully) swap for the dry sling afterwards.

Don't exercise the arm at all. You need to keep it still (at the moment) to encourage the fracture to knit properly. The hospital will tell you when its safe to start moving it.

[funambulist]

You would normally keep a cast on for 5-6 weeks so that's the sort of length of time that you need to keep it still, but basically it'll be when the hospital x-rays it and tells your DH that the fracture has healed properly.