Broken Collarbone

On 3 August, Team Tibco raced a circuit race in Winston Salem, North Carolina. There were many attacks during the race but we kept it together for our sprinter, Brooke. As the bell sounded for lap to go, I was moving up to start the lead out. I was on the right side of the course and got to 5th wheel when I saw a Colavita rider in front of me, get shoved into the barriers.

I was doing about 50km/hr as she tumbled to the ground and I hit her really hard. I had no time to swerve out of her way and I had riders to my left. After hitting the ground on my left shoulder, elbow and butt cheek, I felt riders crashing over me. I instinctively curled into a ball and groaned as each rider slammed into my back.

It felt like an eternity before riders stopped landing on me, and I lay there until they had all climbed off me. I tried to move my left arm to get up but couldn’t move it. It was excruciatingly painful. I called to a by-stander to help me. He rushed over and lifted me to my feet. I immediately felt nauseous and giddy. I hobbled off the road and asked him to lower me to the ground. He took off my helmet for me and asked who I was. He then ran to get the medics. From my viewpoint, the opposite side of the road was littered with other causalities, including two of my team mates, Ali Rosenthal and Sarah Caravello.

A few minutes go by and I look up to see my team mate, Brooke Miller punch the air in victory as she crosses the finish line, ahead of Tina Pic. Well, at least we won the race, I think as I sit there waiting for help. A family doctor in the crowd comes over to see me and asks me to lift my left arm in the air. It takes several seconds but I manage. I told him it really really hurt and he said if you can lift in the air, there’s no chance it can be broken. He told me to do it a second time, but I use my right hand to press down on the shoulder and that makes it a little easier. I know now, that I was holding the bones together with my right hand as I struggled to lift my arm above my head.

Another team mate, Rach comes over and sits with me whilst we wait for the medics. She tries to get me into the shade but it was hard to move once I was on the ground, as I couldn’t use my shoulder for leverage. I decide it was better that I just go and get changed and get to a hospital. I walk back to the van with Rach and realise my butt is hanging out of my knicks but I don’t really care.

It takes 2hrs to drive to Charlotte and I take 2 Ibuprofen’s to try and dull the pain. We find the Presbyterian Hospital which ironically was the sponsor of the criterium we raced last night and finished 2nd in. I found it kind of funny to be in this hospital but was hurting too much to laugh out loud. I told the man at the Emergency desk that I think I’ve broken something. He points to the other waiting patients and tells me I may have to wait 3hrs to be seen by a doctor. I couldn’t believe it. I told him I had just crashed at 50km/hr and was really hurting. Suddenly, he realised that my high impact crash warranted immediate treatment and he brought me through a security door to see a doctor.

Well, they put an IV needle in the inner crease of my elbow of my right arm so I couldn’t bend it without feeling the needle. I couldn’t move my left arm at all so I just lay on my back waiting for doctors to assess me. I had x-rays done where the radiologist made me hug a plate with both arms. I nearly passed out when he moved my left arm into position.

I had a CT scan performed as they were worried about my internal organs. They asked me to put both arms above my head and I told them I couldn’t. I was in a lot of pain and hadn’t been given any painkillers yet. Luckily, I could still get my wedding rings off my left hand and they didn’t have to cut them off. I went into the SC scan with my left arm by my side. .

A nurse eventually gave me some morphine which certainly worked and then a doctor came to see me about an hour later and confirmed that I had a clean break of the clavicle. I started to sob quietly. I realised my race season was over and I was going to be taking things easy for the next 6 weeks or so.

The x-ray of my broken left clavicle – 3 August

The following day, I flew from Charlotte back to San Fransisco. I had a reaction to the painkillers I was given, I vomited non stop from 9am until about 4pm. I was wheel chaired around airports clutching a ziplock bag to vomit into. It was a miserable day of travel. I flew with my team mate Rushlee, who took great care of me.

Four days later, I flew back to Melbourne. I found painkillers that worked, providing I had enough food in my stomach. The painkillers made me really sleepy so I slept almost 10hrs of the 18hr flight. I was so relieved to get home and cried when I saw Bob waiting for me. I was safely home and able to now rest and get well again.

So now, it is nearly 3 weeks since the crash and I am no longer wearing a sling. I have started physiotherapy at the VIS and can see little improvements each day. Bob has been a great nurse and has done everything for me. I have improved enough to now tie my own shoe laces and dress/ undress myself so I don’t feel quite so useless.

I am scheduled to get x-rays done next week and hope to get the all clear to hit the gym, put load on it, and get it 100% again.