h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Last Sunday I fractured a floating rib go karting.

I thought the Doc in the hospital said I'd be on the mend in 3-4 days, though everyone I mentioned this too thought I had misunderstood and seems they are correct. I'm still in loads of pain now and not really able to do a great deal.

THing is I am due to fly out to Portugal to see my olds for a week next Monday and seriously worried I might still be in trouble then. It can't be that serious (Doc just said Ibuprofen/Paracetamol + rest) but I dont seem to be getting any better.

I think i'll be going GP tomorrow for advice but anyone in these parts had a similar thing?

FB

Indeed - I either cracked or very badly bruised my rib a few days before Halloween, coming off a horse. It's more or less ok now, though the cold makes it twinge, but there's no way 3-4 days is right.

As I was advised don't stint on the painkillers and hold a pillow against your ribs when you cough, or you won't cough deeply enough and get pneumonia.

Unfortunately, I found that out too late, but you can test it for me and see whether it works!

Lord only knows where I got the 3-4 days from. In my defence I was in a bit of a bad shape when speaking to the Doc so probably not listening properly.

I'll try that pillow trick. Course it kinda relies on you having a pillow to hand when you are about to cough!

FB

um, i think you might have mis-heard as well

3 or 4 weeks

My husband cracked two ribs back in the summer.It's taken until December for him to not groan when getting out of bed.He still needs a pillow for support when just sitting on the sofa.

So you are in for a long recovery period.

I don't know if there are flying retrictions or anything

and you weren't planning on scuba diving, zip wiring while you were there,

plus you do know what pain killers are legal through customs


etc etc etc

I'm sure visiting your olds be fine

Yeah already told them that our normal cliff walks along the Western Algarve coast, whilst lovely and picturesque, are unlikely to be high on my list of priorities.

THe thing I am most worried about is getting from Faro Airport to Sagres in the west. It is about a 120K drive and some of the roads are quite bumpy. I don't really like driving at the best of times and a hire car, on the wrong side of the road, with a broken rib, sounds not great fun to me!

Urrgghh...

FB

and IF your planning...

got a message

Greetings Unknown Hiker

FB, you have to hitch

I cracked a rib last spring. It took ages to mend properly. I was able to get around quite quickly though, but sleeping was a nightmare for a long time, and bending/ picking things up was also unpleasant.

Stock up on painkillers. I definitely third or fourth the don't stint them advice.

Ahh that gave me a hearty laugh!

Which given I have a broken rib is a mixed blessing

FB

Laughing *is* a mixed blessing, I second that (I currently have a post-surgery drainage tube sticking out my back and twelve staples from the sternum to the navel so I know what I am talking about). I find that byting my finger really hard is a good way to encounter jokes.

Good luck with your travels and your rib

Y.

Ouch! What did you do, Yelbakk?

Where byting probably means "biting eight times" or so...

No, I am not going to hijack this thread with my own little adventures in modern medicine My space is always open, though

Can't you sort of strap it up.... err, maybe with one of those fancy spandex type thinggies, to sort of prevent it moving too much whilst coughing, driving over bumpy roads, paragliding, mountainbiking, or err whatever else you want to do that probably isn't recomended to do when you've got a broken rib... Never had a broken rib, but most bodily injurys like that I always found best medicated through high strength spirit intake... Sort of works like methadone, it doesn't actually stop the pain, you just don't care if there is pain happening, anymore...
hmm....
maybe just strap a pillow to the affected area as a perminant/semi-perminant fashion accessory?

I have experience of a broken rib. Although it was a long time ago, I do remember that it took MONTHS to mend properly and it hurt lots. I can offer the following advice though to manage the pain:-

1. If you can avoid it, don't breathe.
2. Don't cough.
3. Don't sneeze.
4. Don't get hiccups.
5. If you can get to sleep, don't turn over.

Doing any of the above with probably hurt.

You have my sympathy.

PP.

My broken ribs took 3-4 weeks to ease off. It only hurt when I breathed deeply or sighed (which is surprisingly often).

Yeah looks like the 3-4 weeks thing is right I must have just misheard.

Doc signed me off for a week but has suggested I should go on holiday if I can as long as I rest a bit when there.

I am soooooo blooming bored though. Living on your own is rubbish when convalescing.

FB

I sympathise with the boredom - I was off work sick for a week recently and I nearly went insane.