Its been 3 1/2 months since my surgery.For quite some time I have had this area of thin bruised looking skin over my incision about the size of a penny.Just yesturday a 1/8" "weep hole" developed in the center of it and I can now see the plate through that small hole.Needless to say I went to the doctor right away and now I have an emergency surgery to sew me back up at 6:oo am tomorrow.Dr.mark have you ever seen this before?

Sounds like an infection?

Thanks for the speedy replies!

The surgical site has been healed for almost 3 months wouldnt an infection show up earlier ?:excuseme:

My doc didnt do the skin debridement(I dont think anyway).He cut away the infected area and streched the skin over and stiched me back up.My doctor said it was too early to remove the plate.He also recomends removing the plate.

drmark said:

I hope my doctor isnt that stupid.I have to trust what he is doing is right.This doesnt sound like good news.How would it fail?

Right now the wound has a big bandage over it and i cant remove it for another day or two.I'm anxious what i'll see.

drmark said:

Yes it did fail about 3 weeks later.I got a second and a third opinion on what was going on with me.It wasn't and infection (hard to diagnose without actually seeing it for you guys) it was the skin rubbing over the plate and wearing out the skin.My body I guess doesn't like titanium in it.This time when it failed it opened up about 1" by 3/8" of plate showing

http://i161.photobuc...to/IMG_0479.jpg

So this means the plate has to come out early or put a different style plate somewhere where the skin wouldnt rub it so much.Luckily the bone was "good and strong" so the plate was removed.It's been a week now since the plate has been out and there is no sign of the skin breaking down.I could tell right away before when the skin was breaking down. Right now I'm in a sling for three weeks until he sees me again.I'm not to sure what "good and strong" means becuase the x ray days before still showed the fracture a little.
Also i'm not sure why i'm in a sling right now,I was lifting weights and riding before the skin started breaking.
I guess my question for Dr.Mark and those of you who had your clavicle plate removed is : How long is the recovery time?,and what instructions did your doc give you?

Man, that is just wrong.:eek: :crazy:

drmark fixed my collarbone last November and all I've got is a sweet scar.

Where did you get this fixed? You said that it is a skin reaction to the plate, if that's the case did the scar start opening anywhere else? Or is just from the skin rubbing against the plate in that spot? how does the bone feel now that the plate is out?

Sorry, that pic is just freaking me out. Looks like Ahnuld in the Terminator.

BlairV said:

I know the pic is freaky it looks great right now.To answer your questions no it didn't open up anywhere else,the bone feels great ,better than great I should say.For me I always noticed that the plate was there and always felt uncomfortable.Oh I had the operation in Modesto,CA

Believe it or not I'm still glad I got the plate because the bone is healing perfectly.

drmark said:

I more than likely will.

yeah..there is an old saying in surgery that goes...Approximation, not strangulation. :)

Sucks about your complication. Looks like further surgery and skin grafting is in your future. Maybe if you remove the plate, the skin will be able to close over the area.