The "Do I go To A&E?" Quandry

So after a huge and quite dramatic piece of pedal strike on a curb on the way home on Friday Night/Saturday Morning, that left me with a bent crank arm and a nice big bruise on my right Hip, I also have a really painful right shoulder.

So here I am on Wednesday, doing what I always do, thinking "how long do I leave it before getting yet another X-ray to see if this sharp pain is a broken collarbone or whatever".

I'd rather not waste NHS funds on a bruised shoulder, but I also don't want to loose any range of movement in my shoulder. I'm leaving it until tomorrow morning, if the lump is still there and the sharp pain accompanies it, then I'm off to Charring Cross.

Having been riding and skateboarding for as long as I can remember I go through this one a fair bit.

I just wondered if anyone else was familiar with this inner turmoil.

Yes I am. I nearly always go to A&E. 9 times out of 10, if I think I may have broken something, I useualy have.

Go to A&E and get it checked out. Sounds like you need to.

why not? if wasting NHS funds is really your only reason, then think again.

If in doubt go. The worst that can happen is that the triage nurse tells you it is nothing.

Go to A&E regardless, even if you only have a small doubt.

and don't worry about the bloody funds.

It is cheaper to treat a recent injury than remedy a poorly healed one.

If in doubt go. The worst that can happen is that you catch C-difficile.

+1

i would definately have your crank looked at
could turn sceptic if you are not careful

i would definately have your crank looked at
could turn sceptic if you are not careful

shit... I didn't think of that?

So the consensus seems to be go to A&E tomorrow morning then.

Having thought about it a bit I think there is also the fear of walking out with a sling on and not being able to ride for a month. Denial off the highest order.

I usually give it 24 hours. Recently did exactly the same and was convinced i'd broken my collarbone and a rib or two. By the following evening movement had returned to the shoulder and the collarbone was improving fast (still incredily painful though). Ribs I know they just give you a parcetamol and send you on your way so I elected to stay away.

If you're still suspecting breakage the following day i'd get down there. Everytime I've actually broken something that sickly shaky feeling has been a real giveaway. "Owee" doesn't cover it. Perhaps with the exception of ribs which are just as excrutiating to bruise as break in my (sadly extensive) experience.

But yeah, if in doubt, go.

Actually, get yourself an old vacuum tube, some copper wire, the odd rheostat, capacitor and domestic power supply, and build your own X-ray machine.

Alternatively (and I can't believe nobody has suggested this yet), HTFU.

YES!! took a while didn't it?

Stay at home and stop wasting my tax dollars ;)

it's free in this country! How awesome is this!

I completely get what you're saying about not being able to face having to wear a sling or whatever.

...that sickly shaky feeling has been a real giveaway. "Owee" doesn't cover it.

Do you feel like this^?

I would say, to counter all the stating the bleeding obvious up there^, only you know whether you should go or not. Not us. If you think you'd rather cope with a small break without intervention, that's your choice (though you should consider no cycling or skating for a bit anyway if it feels hard to do). As you no-doubt know, interventions for clavicles are: operation to put in some kind of metal work, or put a sling on (immobility not necessarily good for healing, when used long term, in my experience) and take anti-inflammatories (also not good for healing since they prevent inflammation - which is how your body heals bone). In my experience with a clavicle break the NHS were close to useless for me, never actually helped my progress or suggested anything, it all came from me. I stopped taking the pills they prescibed, I started doing excercises, never was I offered physio. Fucking crap.

Some alternatives (to going to A & E for one of the above):
Try drinking shit loads of comfrey infusion. Apply comfrey ointment to the skin all over the area. Smoke extra weed if you smoke weed. Start if you don't. Or make tea out of that too... you'll need to boil it up with some fats in there, like milk or a little butter. Find out what movements to excercise. Take some time out from your normal routine and just chill. Sleep more. Long baths. Take it easy. Listen to music.

Do you still have the feeling dooks mentioned, even after acting on these suggestions? Then go to A & E.

you've probably cracked something rather than broken something

just put your * insert body part that hurts * in a sling and brave it out

Worse case scenario its broke but at least you know.
Best case scenario, its nothing and you get some free codeine.

i would definately have your crank looked at
could turn sceptic if you are not careful

Last thing you want is a skeptical crank, it'll never let you leave the house.

Codeine is serious shit. Not to be taken lightly. Fucking stay away from that.

Codeine is serious shit. Not to be taken lightly. Fucking stay away from that.

+1

really easy to get hooked on that stuff

you could call nhs direct and speak to a nice nurse. I called them last time I had possible cracked bone and we sorted it out without spending half a day in A&E

yeah, it would be a bit much for a bruised ego i reckon. Have some Calpol

If you had fully broken your collarbone then you'd know about! (talking from recent experience)

It sounds like you may have fractured it if you can still use your arm to an extent. I'd go and get piece of mind.

p.s. Skully, will you be my doctor? ;)

Codine messes with my guts, they gave me a load after my ankle surgery and I couldn't crap for about 4 days, so no thanks.

Tell me about it..

Long baths, weed, relaxation therapy, Weed infused Tea, massages and more relaxing...

Actually Skully, can you do me a note for work?

If you had fully broken your collarbone then you'd know about! (talking from recent experience)

It sounds like you may have fractured it if you can still use your arm to an extent. I'd go and get piece of mind.

p.s. Skully, will you be my doctor? ;)