I was in the process of reducing my prednisone down to 9mg and started instituting an exercise regimen that includes biking.
This past Wednesday I went out for a ride and disaster struck almost immediately. About 5 minutes into my ride, at a nice pace, I hit a pothole and was thrown from my bike. When I hit the blacktop I heard some crunches and knew it was bad evidenced by the fact that I couldn't move. Some neighbors ran out and called an ambulance that took me to the nearest hospital that was also a trauma center.
To make a long story short, after multiple tests and CAT scans I was diagnosed with SEVEN fractured ribs with some having double fractures. I was admitted to the hospital for supportive care and pain management and, although the pain is excruciating, I hope to be back home soon.
I hope this doesn't screw up my prednisone taper too badly but I'm currently focused on recovering from this unexpected and challenging accident. Never a dull moment.
Written by
rocketman42
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Oh dear, what a disaster. Best wishes for a speedy and uneventful recovery. The last thing on your mind should be tapering pred until the healing is espablished - you'll need the adrenal support.
Oh the best laid plans of mice and PMR sufferers! I am sorry to hear about your set back but I think you need to be stable before tapering further. Otherwise you risk having to go back up potentially even higher than you are now.
Fractured ribs so painful. It’s doubly upsetting when we are trying to do everything we can to improve our lot by exercising etc and it still goes wrong. Wishing you a rapid recovery.
This is absolutely awful—- so so sorry this has happened to you. I certainly wouldn’t taper whilst you are recovering , put that on hold and get better soon! Every good wish .
Oh no, I remember the pain from 1 rib never mind 7!
This is not the time for getting a cough or even sneezing at all. Speedy recovery and take it steady!
Oh no, poor you. It must be miserable. I do hope they have found you a really good physiotherapist who can help you recover strongly and keep your lungs healthy.
Ouch and double ouch. I’ve done one rib during a dive playing table tennis and that was bad enough, but having a bunch of them feeling like loose french fries must be grim. Back to the one day at a time thing and hope soon you’ll get that wind back in the hair. Sounds silly but don’t stop breathing, do your very best to keep those lungs inflated as best you can.
OUCH! Ribs really are awfully painful! Do hope they get the pain relief right. Are the double fractures forming a flail segment or are they at least not next to one another?
Beware - even a relatively simple fall can trigger a flare. I just toppled off a bike and it left me struggling for a week or so.
I am wincing just reading your story. Huge huge sympathy. I can crack a rib just by leaning over the sofa to get something from the floor so can't begin to imagine what it must feel like with seven 😱 you poor thing. Do you have help when you go home? It's a waiting game for ribs. I hope you have good pain management sorted. Horrendous. You poor thing.
Oh, so sorry. I’ve heard how painful rib fractures are. I will say, after my fractures I halted any plans of pred tapering for a good while. My best to you.
thanks all. appreciate the good wishes and the encouragement. it's going to be a rough 4-6 weeks but i'll do what i have to. thanks again !! (typing with one hand so no caps..lol)
Thinking of you, that sounds seriously painful. You don’t happen to live in Edinburgh do you? Potholes here are like minny craters. Puts me off getting back on my bike. Take care.
sorry to hear about the setback. i have learned from my cuts and bruises to slow down a notch. Pred is a slow process and like you i want to get up and do stuff. It is a reminder to focus on our health and i know i want to go ride my bike and go sailing but being down to 7 has really been an awakening to my body energy. So i live with the side affects and try to occupy my day with a little safe exercise and mind challenges. hope those ribs heal quicker than mine. thanks to all for posting it is encouraging to the psychy .
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