Fractured a rib last year and at times it still hurts; advice wanted

In My Humble Opinion
1

You’re not my doc, hell you might not be associated with the medical field, I don’t care. If you know about broken ribs I would like to hear from you.

So last year in November, 2013, I slipped on some ice and landed on my lower left ribs over some jutting ice. It hurt but nothing crazy. Then in December, about 3 weeks later, I was at a pet adoption meet & greet and had a big cough and it felt like my ribs tried to fold to the inside. Lots of pain, couldn’t move or breathe for a bit and the young volunteer looked like she saw a ghost asking if I was alright.

I told her that I didn’t think I was alright but declined calling for an ambulance. I sat for a bit to make sure my ribs were going to stay where they were. Eventually I got to my truck and drove myself to a close cousins house to see if someone could drive me to the hospital.

Doc says that with the pain localized to a single rib and no neck or spinal damage I have a fractured rib. No swelling or bruising, just me whining about the rib. No x-rays because they probably wouldn’t show anything and if they did the treatment is the same. Take pain pills and breathe hard so that the lungs don’t fill with stuff or something like that. Sleep on the side of my rib, I asked him again to make sure and he said to sleep on it as I could.

So now, close to a year and a half later, here I am with some kind of sick-bug and my rib is hurting again. I don’t know what caused my rib to start hurting again but it is. When I have a larger cough I get close to turning into whiny-me again. No bruising or swelling that I can see, just the constant pressure and pain when I cough.

So I ask the Dope for input; wtf did I do or what do I do now? I’ve been taking aleve for the pain and eating and drinking when I remember.

Is there something that I could have done to my rib to not let it heal properly? I believe I treated it right and had no issues when I was chopping wood during the spring/summer months last year.

Is there something that could be weakening my ribs while I’m sick now that would cause this BS again?

About me; 40-ish, 5’11"-ish, 220-ish. I had a physical job but I also have a bit of a gut. I don’t get sick very often, usually once a year or so. I am not working now so I am doing the same rib stuff as the last time.

2

I’ve broken ribs over the years, and sometimes they still hurt. There’s really not much you can do about broken ribs, taping them up is not recommended because of the risk of pneumonia. I still get twinges of pain from one break when I twist in one particular way.

Broken ribs suck.

3

IANAD.

Coughing can cause stress fractures. It may be possible that you have a weak spot in this area and the coughing has caused a re-injury.

A risk associated with rib injuries, says the woman prone to more pneumonia than a person wants to have in a lifetime, is that you aren’t breathing deeply and you are more prone to pneumonia. I think I am synthesizing that correctly.

Old injury and illness may just not be a good combination for you. OR you may be sicker than you realize.

If you are finding yourself in pain from frequent coughing to the extent that you are comparing it to your recent fractured rib, I would say it’s time to seek a medical opinion. Go see a doc.

4

Thanks for the info.

It sounds like the next time I get sick I’ll have to tell my body not to cough so damn much. I do plan on seeing the doc when I’m over whatever bug I have right now.

5

I’ve broken ribs on three occasions, once a fall and I broke four, once a ‘playful’ drunken punch from my brother and once when I fell off a bike. They suck.

The time I broke four I also suffered from internal bleeding, the x-ray below my diaphragm was black - full of blood. I ended up in hospital for a week and couldn’t sleep lying down for a month. When your rib healed it might’ve formed a thicker ‘skin’ for protection, now you’re putting a strain by coughing that thicker skin could be causing discomfort. I’m guessing your body will again adapt and you’ll get over it.

6

I was in a car accident in 1989. I dislicated a rib. All these years later, it will ocassionally pop back out if I lift wrong, or cough a lot.

7

The others are right about the pneumonia risk. Something you might try (since you’re sick) is to ‘hug’ a pillow or push down on that spot with your hand when you cough. The pressure will help keep your ribs (or that one rib if you’re just using your hand) from flexing and it might not hurt as much.
If the pain is REALLY severe you do need to get it checked out to make sure you didn’t re-break it worse and that there’s bone poking into an organ, like a lung.

I also hold my head when I cough if I have a headache, it makes it not feel like my head is going to explode. Literally, squeezing my head like this, it really makes a difference.

8

I cracked so many ribs over the years. My last “incident” was a few months ago and I can still feel those suckers slipping and sliding around in my chest, especially when I cough hard.
Your best bet is to follow your doctor’s advice and retire to an island in the Greater Antilles and let nature take it’s course. :smiley:

9

Do you sleep on your elbow? That can irritate your ribs even if they are not broken.

10

The pain is no longer as bad as it was a couple days ago for the most part. However the occasional sneeze or cough will make life interesting.

Again, thank you all for the info.

I will see if my doc will give me a prescription to head down there Cabin_Fever!