anyone got any tips for breathing all I can say is it very painful!!!! Have been informed off respiratory nurses at work I will find it easier to take inhalers thru volumatic and bot it is!!! Just wish i had some like a volumatic to make breathing easy!!!
heidi
Hi Heidi,
Sorry to hear you're in so much pain - I've never really had a fractured rib (well only when too out of it to know) but I know they can be really nasty. Did you have it diagnosed at the hospital, and if so, did they give you any pain relieving advice?
You should talk to your GP about adequate analgesia - don't be fobbed off with the comment that asthmatics can't take most painkillers. See my comments on previous post about painkillers for some suggestions.
It's really important that you DO breath deeply, even though it hurts. You should try to stop every hour or so and focus on taking a couple of breaths that are as deep as you can. If you don't do this, there is a risk of infection in the area of the lung that is not being ventilated properly, which will worsen the pain and so on. It might help to wrap a towel or similar around your chest whilst you are doing the deep breaths, to give a little extra support. Heat packs or hot wheat bags might also help.
I'm sure others who have direct experience in this will step in soon and come up with some more useful suggestions. I really would go and see your doctor, though - it is not just an issue of putting up with the pain, it is a case of *needing* to be able to breath deeply comfortably to avoid infections.
Hope this helps a little and you soon feel better
Em H
I too curently have a fractured rib and brittle asthma. t the mo im on quite alot of opiate analgesia morphine tabs and liquid, but been on a while so you become tollerant to it? I had in increasde while inpatient under suppervision of pain team and asthme cons, i found helpful when added in regular parcetamol and now a specialist thing i have lidocaine local anaethetic patcehs applied over the break for 12hrs but continue working the whole 24hrs!! there fab.
Be prepared if on pred and been on a while takes a lonnnnnnggggggg time to heal, my repeat xray after 4 weeks still shows break?
Heat patches and tens machines help, and when coughing wrap a sheet aroung ribs cross over at front and pull tigjt to support when cough?
Hope get sorted soon
Andrea xxxx
I too curently have a fractured rib and brittle asthma. t the mo im on quite alot of opiate analgesia morphine tabs and liquid, but been on a while so you become tollerant to it? I had in increasde while inpatient under suppervision of pain team and asthme cons, i found helpful when added in regular parcetamol and now a specialist thing i have lidocaine local anaethetic patcehs applied over the break for 12hrs but continue working the whole 24hrs!! there fab.
Be prepared if on pred and been on a while takes a lonnnnnnggggggg time to heal, my repeat xray after 4 weeks still shows break?
Heat patches and tens machines help, and when coughing wrap a sheet aroung ribs cross over at front and pull tigjt to support when cough?
Hope get sorted soon
Andrea xxxx
thanks for the advice guys you been really helpful. I an going to go back to the docs tomorow as now I am geting chesty I had a cold before i fell off so that prob hasnt helped!!!
heidi
if it is causing a lot of problems, it is also possible to get local anaesthetic infiltrated around the nerve, which can be effective for much longer than you would think - if your gp doesn;t have any good ideas ask if there is an acute pain team you could be seen by - they are the experts at this kind of thing.
Yeah sarah they mentioned that and an epidural too me but unfort for me its high up ust below my shoulder blade so was too dangerous too my breathing for it? trust me???
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