Bruised my ribs - Can anyone tell me what to expect?

[VRBeauty]

A week and a half ago I stumbled into a bedside chest and bruised my ribs. It didn''t seem too bad initially, but a few days later the pain hit and I checked in with my doctor. She gave me some industrial-strength ibuprofin, told me to take it easy for a while, and told me to take deep breaths every hour or so.

A week later I can once again laugh and sneeze, without excruciating pain, and I no longer live in fear of getting the hiccups! But when I take those deep breaths, it feels like things are shifting and rubbing in my ribcage. I swear you can even hear things "popping" in there.

I''m hoping someone out there has experienced rib injuries and can set my mind at ease. Will things move back into place eventually? Will the apparent rubbing and popping end at some point? I''m a choral singer, so the prospect of not being able to take those deep breaths easily is kind of frightening.

 

[Karl_K]

It can take 4 to 12 weeks for bruised ribs to totally heal.
While what your experiencing is somewhat normal I would call your doctor and see if a follow up x-ray is needed.
Sometimes a broken rib does not show up on initial x-rays.
The treatment is the same so don''t expect miracles but it will take 8+ weeks to heal so its better to know.

 

[VRBeauty]

Thanks, Karl. I really don''t mean to whine, but... 6-8 weeks eats up the planting season!

**sigh**. I am thankful that I bonked my ribs, and not my head!

 

[vip0802]

i've cracked my rib twice before (the same one actually!), and like Karl said, it'll take about 8 weeks or so to heal. don't worry, things will move back in place and you'll be able to take deep breaths again without feeling like things are going haywire in there.

hiccups are the worst with an injured rib aren't they?! thankfully that has passed for you!

btw, i had no idea you were a singer. how cool and you must be very talented!

 

[yssie]

I hope you feel better soon VR!!



FI bruised one a couple of years ago, and then he got a cold! My goodness, with all the sneezing and coughing - he was completely miserable

He said the sharp pains stopped after just a couple of weeks, but I remember he was achy in that area for a good two months afterward. Now he's completely fine (and has been for a long time) so yes, you will heal completely! Just don't get sick

.



Dusting you!

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

My mum fell off a ladder and managed to land on her head, split it open and break two ribs in mid March and they are still sore now. At first she didnt know that she had broken them, she only had the xray about a month ago when they werent feeling any better. The doctor told her that they do take a long time to recover and unfortunately there isn''t alot she could do about it.

Wishing you a speedy recovery!

 

[joflier]

Date: 5/26/2010 2:28:46 AM
Author: Karl_K
It can take 4 to 12 weeks for bruised ribs to totally heal.
While what your experiencing is somewhat normal I would call your doctor and see if a follow up x-ray is needed.
Sometimes a broken rib does not show up on initial x-rays.
The treatment is the same so don''t expect miracles but it will take 8+ weeks to heal so its better to know.

Ditto what Karl said - it takes awhile, and you''ll have some discomfort for the next few weeks. Although you could probably skip the xrays. Save yourself a little cost. Unless your having difficulty breathing....Whether your ribs are just bruised, or actually broken - it doesn''t really matter - the plan of care remains the same. (although some dr''s want xrays before they give you any pain meds, and if nothing is broken, no drugs) Just try to take it easy.

 

[Steel]

Ouch, I'm sorry to hear that.

I went to the Dr. at the end of last year thinking I might be having a heart attack because I had such sharp, constant and overall pain on the top left side of my rib-cage; it even hurt to breathe. Turns out I bruised a couple of ribs and the surrounding muscle, plasterboarding the ceilings. So I was out of action for about 10 days but after that the pain was manageable and I worked away.

Now I don't know how you feel, but I would not worry about getting fit. Rest now and hopefully you will be fit and well very soon.

 

[VRBeauty]

Thanks for the input, everyone... I guess I''ll just have to wait it out.

It''s nice to know that things will return to normal. I went to my chiropractor today to get some help with the headaches that seem to be tied to the fall, and he confirmed that there are no broken bones!

 

[PumpkinPie]

I hope you feel better soon VR - I have no experience wtih rib injuries but it sounds pretty awful

 

[VRBeauty]

Thanks Maevie! The pain has subsided but things are clearly not back to normal yet. It turns out that a rib injury is much like a broken toe -- the treatment is pretty much limited to pain control when things are at there worst, and then just waiting. And deep breathing exercises... which are still uncomfortable, but they don''t hurt like they did last week!

 

[choro72]

How are you feeling VRBeauty? My mother just found out that she cracked her ribs, so I searched for topics and this came out on top. Do you mind if I asked some questions?

She''s tagging along with my dad on his extended two month long business trip in July. From what I''ve read here, she won''t make full recovery before then. Is there anything she needs to worry about? Cabin pressure, etc? Of course my dad will be handling all the luggage.

VR, has your pain subsided? I hope you''re feeling better.

 

[VRBeauty]

Hi Choro! I''m sorry to hear about your mom. Has she been checked out by a doctor, just in case? For some reason when you hurt your ribs they worry about fluid in your lungs -- my doctor wasn''t concerned about getting x-rays, but did listen carefully to my breathing. Nothing I''ve heard or read mentions restrictions on flying, so I''m guessing that cabin pressure isn''t an issue. I couldn''t sleep on one side for quite a while and it''s sometimes harder for me to fall asleep when traveling, so I''d be packing melatonin (but I do that anyway when I travel). Deep breaths, coughing, laughing, and sneezing hurt for a long time... so your mother might want to avoid strenuous activities and comedy clubs while she''s on vacation!

I''m all better now and even did some serious digging out in my yard this weekend. Thanks for asking!

 

[choro72]

Thanks VRBeauty, it''s encouraging to hear that you can do yard work after 3 weeks! My mom is complaining that she''s going to regain all the weight that she just lost and that she has to instruct my dad how to plant her tomatoes and roses. It will be great if she can do some gardening herself before leaving.
Yes, she did get multiple x-rays that showed two cracks. The doctor gave her some sort of bandage to wrap around, but I guess that''s just to keep you from jiggling too much when you laugh.

I''m so glad you''re feeling better. I can''t imagine being in pain every time you laugh, and not being able to sleep!

 

[dragonfly411]

Consider yourself lucky. I had a fractured rib... it has never fully healed. I think what you are experiencing is pretty normal. The popping is probably from the bruised tissue moving around as your ribs heal. Bruising is basically us breaking blood vessels and damaging tissue and muscle. The body has to work to heal those areas and re build the blood vessels as well. I think it''s great that she advised the deep breathing, as it really will help your ribs to heal and keep your lungs exercised properly. I hope you feel better soon!

 

[VRBeauty]

Date: 6/14/2010 12:10:42 PM
Author: choro72
Thanks VRBeauty, it''s encouraging to hear that you can do yard work after 3 weeks! My mom is complaining that she''s going to regain all the weight that she just lost and that she has to instruct my dad how to plant her tomatoes and roses. It will be great if she can do some gardening herself before leaving.

Yes, she did get multiple x-rays that showed two cracks. The doctor gave her some sort of bandage to wrap around, but I guess that''s just to keep you from jiggling too much when you laugh.


I''m so glad you''re feeling better. I can''t imagine being in pain every time you laugh, and not being able to sleep!

Chrono: I didn''t post right away after my fall, so I''m now actually 4+ weeks out. Still, the pain didn''t last nearly as long as I feared it would!

I hope your mother heals quickly too!

 

[marcy]

I hope you feel better soon. My dad has cracked and bruised ribs quite a few times and it''s usually 4 - 8 weeks before he is better.