Hi Quickbread,
I broke my collarbone as a teenager and had a similar experience to cat_named_easter in terms of severity. Mine was a clean break and the bone didn't misalign (I still remember the X-ray, you could see the break straight through the bone but it was lined up perfectly). If it helps, the way mine happened was falling off my bike when walking my dog -- she pulled, the bike went over sideways, and I fell on my shoulder.
- How long would his arm be in a sling? (I read 8 weeks online, just double checking.)
Eight weeks sounds about right. I was in a figure-8 brace, though, not a sling -- a soft wrap that went around the shoulders and back. With my clothes over it you couldn't even tell I was wearing it or that I had a broken bone.
- Could he move his arm during that time at all, like small movements?
I absolutely could. I functioned just fine during pretty much the whole healing period; it wasn't like I was swinging from my arms and I remember being careful not to fling my arm up or anything, but day-to-day was not impeded at all. I went to school, performed in the school play, ran for class president, all during that time.
(Interesting factoid: It turned out another guy in the school play had a broken collarbone at the exact same time. He was also in a figure-8 brace and I didn't know until he told me. We thought it was a pretty funny coincidence. We both performed with them and had no trouble.)
- Could he drive during that time?
I wasn't driving yet at the time, but based on other injuries I've had since that have incapacitated an arm, I'd say: automatic, definitely yes; stickshift, probably yes but with some difficulty in re: range of motion.
- How does it feel when you get one and while it's healing? I've never had a broken bone.
When it broke, it was really super fucking ginormously painful. I have a very high pain threshold and it was one of the most painful things I've ever felt. Horrendous, stabbing, screaming pain. (The pain level was what tipped my mom off I'd probably broken something.) By the time I was at the ER it had died down, and while healing it wasn't painful at all. I don't think I even took any OTC pain meds while healing, but it's been many years now so I might have and not remember -- I just remember it being ridiculously painful at the time and then not at all after.
Hope that helps!