Ribs popped, l have osteoporosis

[sun_flower]

I popped a rib just from bending to put my socks on,3rd time and it's so painful 😫

[Fruitandnutcase]

Ouch! That must be very painful. It’s not until you do something like that you realise how much your ribs affect your everyday living. About forty years ago I damaged my ribs in an accident and moving was really difficult. I used to sleep sitting propped up on pillows. That and paracetamol but rib injuries are horrible but I found it took a long time to get better - and I was much younger back then.

When my husband had his hip replacement operation he bought a sock aid tool from the hospital occupational therapy dept, you can get them from Amazon too. He didn’t use it often because I used to put his socks on after I changed his compression socks I’m not sure how easy they are to use but if you have no other way of doing it then it would be worth a try. You would probably find one of those ‘litter grabbers’ useful for picking things up off the floor too. In the meantime be gentle with yourself, hope you feel better soon.

[sun_flower in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Good ideas thanks, yes l feel very old at 74,the day before l spent 2 hours in the garden and was fine then just putting socks on wham,Osteoporosis is an unseen ailment, take care, xxl I hope your husband has recovered now x

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to sun_flower]

Ah, we’re the same age then. It’s just so horrible isn’t it that everything is fine one minute - then wham, in the blink of an eye - it’s not and there’s nothing you can do about it. If you spent two hours tidying in the garden then you’re my kind of person, so this will be a real inconvenience for you. Xx Husband hasn’t looked back since his new hip. Look after yourself and hopefully you’ll make a speedy recovery. xxx

[fraid]

Nasty for you! I have broken ribs before and they hurt every time you move, so don’t do that 😁I found heat helped a lot, ibuleve gel when you can bear to touch the area, ibuprofen if you can tolerate it. If it wasn’t so cold I’d suggest ice pax to bring any bruising/ swelling down, but not this weather! Hope you soon heal.🤗

[sun_flower in reply to fraid]

Yes been using a hot water bottle, voltarol and paracetamol it's just waiting now just makes me feel nervous 😓

[fraid]

Well even breathing in hurts so try to use shallow short breaths so as not to expand your rib cage too much. Nerve wise, a nice glass of red may help? Distract yourself with pleasant things, no comedy or it’ll make you laugh- that really hurts, and no sneezing! Good luck, relax, you’ll heal sooner than you think.🤗

[MyStar86]

I feel your pain I broke all my ribs in multiple places falling out of bed in hospital and it was the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life I still get nightmares now. I used to live in the bath even got some arnica bath oil, paracetamol, I tried lindocaine patches from a pain specialist as I can’t take strong pain meds which might help you but I ended up needing a nerve block as I couldn’t move and didn’t leave the house for nearly 8 months. Heat pads and arnica were my friend but then it’s only time to heal things. I also started the Zoledronic acid infusion which I think helped speed up the healing process but it took nearly 2 years for them to heal!!

Some big gentle hugs as I do honestly feel your pain. Take care and don’t do too much or it will make it worse xx

[sun_flower in reply to MyStar86]

Thanks you must have been in terrible pain,l can't sleep,l had 2 infusions the last one was 5 years ago,l also have chronic leackemia so get fatigue too,oh well l guess that's life,makes me feel nervous too about bending, take care xx

[MyStar86 in reply to sun_flower]

I do understand it’s impossible to sleep as either side hurts with the ribs and I’ve never been able to sleep on my back. Have you spoken to your gp about possible pain relief? Not sure if it has to be a pain specialist for the lindocaine patches as they are just local anaesthetic so maybe they can might be worth an ask. So sorry you have lots of health issues I’m the same but on the gastro side and I’m only 36 but has osteoporosis since 2015. I broke my hip before in 2012 it’s just a horrible disease silent but scary. I was so worried in the recent frost I wouldn’t go out unless I had snow boots on but they are so heavy to walk in.

Do take it easy and if you have a rheumatologist maybe they could do a scan a ct maybe to check you haven’t done any more damage. I had a chest X-ray that only showed one break but Ct showed every single rib in multiple places so I wouldn’t always trust an X-ray.

Have they not given you any follow up osteoporosis medication? Just you Usuallt have 3 years of Zoledronic acid then have a year break and then back on it…..xx

[sun_flower in reply to MyStar86]

No,l couldn't have a 3rd as my kidney function deteriorated, just calcium and vit D twice a day

[MyStar86 in reply to sun_flower]

sorry to hear that. Hope the pain eases for you and do try your gp as they should be able to try and help. Take care x

[fraid]

If you are sure it’s a popped rib , not # …. I looked it up when happened to me and there’s a utube thing about how to fix it yourself. I did try it and though it eased still took time to heal, maybe less time than a #? But I would consult doc first, I didn’t coz was time of no one in due to lockdown,heal thyself. It should be easier now to get consult. 🤔

[sun_flower in reply to fraid]

Well l assume it popped as l heard and felt a pop,still difficult to see a doctor here.whats a #.?

[fraid]

# is a fracture sign or nearest I can find on iplop . Thing is, even if you see doc, get xray / scan etc they won’t do owt about it so what’s the point of going through all that? My reason for not doing more xray/ DEXA , travel would cause more pain, problems inc. maybe another # . But if you think it needs further diagnosis, go for it. Know what you mean re even getting appt. 🙄

[OIMum]

ouch. Did it break or did your ribs sort of fold excruciatingly and slowly ease back out? That happens to me when I bend down.

[sun_flower in reply to OIMum]

Not broken, feels like it moved when l bent to put my socks on.horrible isn't it ?

[OIMum]

Yes that’s what happens me, feels like they fold over and then have to ease back out to their normal position. Though short lived, the pain is so excruciating, like a spasm/stitch/cramp that takes your breath away until it passes. I hate it. Thank goodness it’s not lasting and goes completely once they get back to normal….until next time!

[sun_flower in reply to OIMum]

Yes exactly makes me very nervous 😓