Suspect I've got a fracture / broken / bruised rib - where should I go?

That sucks. Let us know what the doctors say. Never had a broken rib but being in constant/intermittent pain is something I can relate to right now. I tweaked something in my lower back a week ago. I think I weakened things with many dolphin kicks on a swim. Then two days after the swim I did weights and also a very small run on a treadmill. On the third day, as I was just walking around the house, I felt sharp pain as I twisted. Eight days later (today) it still hurts but it’s slowly subsiding. I’m feeling especially old today.

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Ultrasound shouldn’t be used to diagnose rib fractures. It’s very time consuming. If you have a broken rib the last thing you want is someone pressing an ultrasound probe into your ribs. It doesn’t have a higher success rate than a standard CT in diagnosing fractures.

If you don’t have breathing issues you don’t need to see a doctor. They won’t do anything to fix the rib even if it is fractured.

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I would want to know, as was mentioned above by the OP and others. I would want to know if a broken rib is what happened and also how bad it is. And the nurses. For the OP, I mean. You never know. This could be part of some grand plan.

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Ha. Yeah, the nurses do often have fun practicing their English with the white foreigner - enough so that my wife got playfully (?) jealous last time she accompanied me to the hospital.

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Wanting know if it’s broken or not is understandable. But it’s wasting the staffs time and resources as without breathing difficulties a chest x Ray isn’t clinically indicated.

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I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it may be 2-3 months, of course depending on the severity of your injuries.

Your pain sounds exactly like what I went through 4-5 years ago when I had a minor spill which ended up being a broken rib. I remember being off the bike for at least 2.5 months. It may have been a bit longer than necessary, but I made extra sure I was ok before getting back out and hurting myself more.

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Ah crap. And by the time I’m OK for swimming again, the pool will be about to close for winter vacation. Sigh. If this is what I think it is, I guess I’m going to get a lot of walking in over the next month or two. Maybe it’s time to sign up for Audible again …

EDIT: and a sincere “F*** you” to the Apple Watch for reminding me that I haven’t yet exercised today. That thing may spend the next month in a drawer.

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I’ll let my doctor know.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.umbjournal.org/article/S0301-5629(15)00358-0/pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjC66GJuMztAhXGThUIHdedAmEQFjAeegQIJhAB&usg=AOvVaw1J_RmRFqkuYAUf3P0bFmZ-

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0735675708003239

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Have a look at NHS https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/broken-or-bruised-ribs/

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Did you actually read any of the articles ? The last one confirmed what I said ?

The first examination is a chest x Ray. If they are not conclusive you move on to other modalities. Normally CT.

But a chest x Ray is not clinically indicated from what the OP describes. It doesn’t mean he won’t get a chest x Ray, it’s often done just to appease a patient as it’s quicker to do one than debate why it’s not needed.

Feel free to let your doctor know.

No, a sincere F*** you to the yahoo who rode uphill in the wrong lane and caused you to fall.

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Well, the guy who had to slam on the brakes to avoid a head-on collision has more reason to be angry with the yahoo. I was a couple hundred meters up the hill when that was going on. The congestion that had me on the muddy shoulder rather than the drier road was a second- or third-remove knock-on effect of his idiocy.

Besides, my Apple Watch can’t sue me for slander, not even in Taiwan! (Can it? Siri, would you sue me?)

EDIT: hospital progress report … now 3:06pm, doctor started at 2pm, they’re now at #13, and I’m #47. But at least if I do schoolwork at the hospital I don’t have the cats to distract me. I still find a way to get on forumosa, however.

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Get well soon, broke some a few years back, I remember having to do some yoga to even get out of bed. The pain subsided after a week or so, but had to be extra careful for a few months after that.

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I had a friend jab me in the ribs and I knew was only bruised and not broken. But hurt like hell for a week. Didn’t want to move or get out of bed. Took 10 days to feel better.

I learned to protect my ribs if being attacked.

Weird coincidence but I was actually at Mackay’s ER last night for a similar reason.

Quite the experience I must say. No frills like the states, but also nowhere near the cost.
A bit horrifying though, the ER waiting room. Yeesh.

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For better or worse, I opted not for ER, but rather for Orthopedics. Now 4:12pm, they opened at 2pm, they’re at #29 and I’m #47.

Oh good, now they’re at #19. That’s oh so promising.

ER waiting rooms can get bad. Remember, many of the people there are having one of the worst days of their lives.

I was sat next to a 3 maybe 4 year old girl completely covered in blood. She seemed alright … relatively speaking… but my god…

Hope all is well with ya!

Oh god. Yeah, that’s pretty high on the list of horrifying things.

To those upthread who suggested Orthopedics: this better be the right friggin’ place, and if y’all are snickering “Ha ha, the braces-doctor and/or foot-insert doctor is going to be really confused by this dumb foreigner asking about his ribs!”, well, shame on you!

Well, I wanted to send you to Obstetrics, personally, but I saw people above me had already given you the correct answer so I just went with it. :grin:

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