there goes my record

 😢

My lifelong never-broken-a-bone-yet record. 

Not even when I crashed my motorbike decades ago.

I'd been having some back pain, thinking I'd strained a muscle again, but usually that gets better pretty quickly and this pain hadn't even lessened after a couple of weeks. 

No real OMG!! pain!  

Just severe discomfort.

 Losing a bit of sleep because I can't get comfortable sort of thing.

So off I went to the hospital, the one my daughter works at, and lay around for several hours while they asked my name and birthdate at least six times, drained me of blood, poked, prodded, x-rayed, you name it, they did it. Anyway, it was eventually decided that I simply had a more severe strain than usual, in the muscles between the ribs.

Off I went home, with instructions to take it easy, take anti-inflammatory tablets a couple of times a day, and stop lifting heavy things, no more vigorous sweeping of squished plums off my path etc. 

That's all good, I can lay around like the Queen of Sheba as well as anyone else.

Then the Dr rang me at home. Said after a closer examination of my x-rays, it looks like there just might possibly be a hairline crack near the end of the rib which hurts the most. He said it will take more than a couple of weeks rest to heal, probably closer to a month, since I'd already gone through two weeks of discomfort, and these things normally take around six weeks. 

So there it is, I'm no longer the unbreakable one. And I didn't even have to fall over to break crack something.

Comments

  1. Oh, you poor luv and you don't really know how you did it? Queen of Sheba, lol.

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    Replies
    1. Andrew; I haven't had any falls, just a few bumps into furniture, but I have done some heavy lifting/dragging in the past few weeks. We have one recycle bin here for four flats and that's always overflowing and way too heavy, ditto the green waste bin, which gets filled by a do-good neighbour who sweeps up leaves along the driveway and fills whichever green bin is closest. I almost couldn't move it and suspect that might have caused the damage. It's a very minor injury, but I'm aware now that my bones aren't as strong as they used to be.

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  2. My eyes say hi! The first layer broke, like, you know, back in the days when we fell on cheap carpet the first layer of your knee-skin went off. OUTCH. Nothing to see, but OUTCH.
    I got meds that did harm but I had Mum´s words in my ear: Healing takes time.
    Meanwhile my eyes took off and it took 3+ weeks to heal a bit.
    Rest, my dear.

    I broke my arm and had no idea. Put my whole weight on it to get up. Didn´t really help!
    After the pain you hopefully can laugh, too!

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    Replies
    1. Iris Flavia; you injured your eyes? I'm so sorry to hear that. I don't know what I would do without mine. I'm glad I have never broken anything major like an arm or leg.
      My pain is much less now that I have the proper medication.

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    2. I can see!!! I only need meds in winter for the day and always at night, often - all good, sorry this came out wrong!! My eyes are kinda ok.
      I had a friend who really did loose her eyesight - horrible (she´s alive, as far as I know, but broke contact, no more possible horror-stories! All good! She made her peace with her eyes even).
      Reckon living comes with accidents, my arm still bugs me, too. But is OK otherwise!

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  3. Ouch.
    I hope that you can convince the neighbours that it is time they stepped up and did some of the tasks that they have left for you.
    I have broken toes. And I once broke (deliberately) someone else's finger. He was groping and refused to remove his hands. When I broke his little finger he did. And stayed away.

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    Replies
    1. Elephant's Child; when it comes to tasks, a few of the immediate neighbours are useless. They will fill their bins, but not put them out for collection, so then they put their rubbish in whichever bin is closest and has the most available space. I have put in complaints and they have been told, but...Some don't even collect their mail, leaving the mailboxes overflowing with catalogues, junk mail and probably real mail that they should be taking in at least.
      I've had sprained toes, so I can imagine how broken ones feel, ouch, and I am VERY glad you broke the groper's finger.

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  4. Ohugh! My sincere commiserations. Broken ribs hurt! As my doc said as I broke one of mine (biking accident), almost any other bone, you can immobilize, but ribs, no way. Do please not lift heavy, laugh or sneeze for 6 weeks - preferably longer. And remember, if you have to cough, hold a rolled towel firmly to the broken ribs and cough. If you don't, you might catch pneumonia.
    I wish you a speedy healing and hope you are over the worst. You are!

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    Replies
    1. Charlotte; it is only one rib and only a hairline crack, but surprisingly painful nonetheless. I will try not to sneeze, but with hayfever that's often difficult. I'll definitely avoid lifting and now I have a legitimate excuse for not vacuuming too :) Thank you.

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  5. Bless your little pea-pickin' heart. A cracked rib has to be the worst. Let us know how the healing goes.

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    Replies
    1. Granny Annie; I'll let you all know when the pain goes away, that's for sure, you'll probably hear a "Yippee!" fly through the air. I had a much more comfortable night thanks to medications from the hospital and today the pain is only where the cracked rib is, not right across my back anymore, so that's progress :)

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  6. So sorry your record is no longer in tact. Bummer!!! A rib can be the worst for it gets a work out each time we breathe or move. Do take it easy and lift nothing heavier than a fork or spoon. At least you all ready have two of the 6 weeks out of the way. Be well soon.

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    Replies
    1. Arkansas Patti; nothing heavier than a fork or spoon? That's very limiting, good thing I already sorted and cleared the bookshelves before I found out the rib was cracked. I can promise not to lift the bulk boxes of kitty litter and I'll have a neighbour get the heavier stuff like bottles of juice from the supermarket. He will put out the bins for me too, for a few weeks.

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  7. Oh no! Poor you. The trouble with ribs is that you can't even bandage or plaster them. I hope you heal in good time. Leave the bins to someone else for a while!

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    1. Sarah; thank you. I have a neighbour at the other end of the flats here who will help with the bins, but he will only move my regular household waste bin and the big recycling and green waste bins. He won't move other household waste bins belonging to immediate neighbours that are too lazy (and stoned) to do it themselves.

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  8. Ouch, ouch, ouch! Ribs are a 6 week healing time, so please take care of you to make sure it does heal up properly.

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    Replies
    1. messymimi; I already have two weeks done, so only four to go, but I will be careful for a bit longer than that, just to be sure.

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  9. I am so sorry. I've fractured too many ribs, and know completely whereof you speak. Of course you will take care not to aggravate the injury during the day; the big bit is sleeping at night. But sleeping improves a little and a little more every few nights. And then take care for several more weeks, since you are with the program any way, and come Valentine's Day you'll be perfect.

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    1. Joanne; it's very hard trying to not use that side, the rib is broken on the left side and I am right-handed, but do so many things left-handed. Knowing now how this feels, I am so very sorry for anyone who has broken as many bones as you or really anyone at all who has broken anything. If I had a sling I would put my left arm in it to remind me not to use it.

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  10. Oh! I'm sorry to learn this, River. You just make sure you do take things easy. Let Meg do the work!

    Just rest up...read and binge in a few good movies and/or series. Anything you feel that needs doing, can wait...and that's ad order, my dear! :)

    Take good care...

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    Replies
    1. Lee; I'd like to leave the work to Meg, but she is a bit too small to wield the vacuum cleaner or a broom, so the dust will just have to stay put until the end of January. I'm happy to obey any "no work" order :)

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  11. Oh my goodness, you poor thing. Sometimes we just don't have to do a great deal to crack a rib or any bone for that matter. Well at least you know what was causing your pain and discomfort.
    Rest well, the work will wait.
    Take care.

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    Replies
    1. Margaret D; thank you. I've been doing things like I was still 20 with never more than an ache to show for it, but an ache severe enough to keep me awake at night and last longer than a day or two rang a few alarm bells. I should have gone to the hospital sooner.

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  12. No wonder you were suffering, a broken anything reminds one every minute something is wrong. All good healing to you and feck those neighbours 10 ways to Sunday.

    XO
    WWW

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    Replies
    1. WWW; I should have realised something serious was going on when the ache was so bad and didn't go away. my fort thoughts were for kidney stones or an ulcer or something. Broken rib never crossed my mind. Guess I'm just an 'old bird' now, not a 'tough old bird' ha ha.

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  13. Rest up and get well soon! I don't know how painful it is as I've never broken a bone before but I guess it's gonna be super painful I'm so sorry that it happens to you ㅠㅠ

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    1. Kim Young; welcome to drifting. I was hoping to get through life with all bones intact, but now I know I'll have to slow down a bit and be more careful. It is a hairline crack, not a full break, but still very very painful.

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  14. Shoot! A bike fall! That can be nasty. Can you be patient?

    I usually fall face first after tripping on some invisible rock or such. I don't know which is worse. Take time and heal.

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    1. Susan Kane; the bike fall was when I was 17 and all I got from that was a mild headache. My younger daughter once tripped over a giant rock that she "just didn't see", and I don't know how that happened, the rock was almost as high as her knees, again, that was decades ago.
      I can TRY to be patient, ha ha.

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  15. Wishing you speedy recovery.
    Stay Safe and Coffee is on

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    1. Dora; I'd like a speedy recovery too, but the standard time for bone healing is six weeks. At least the pain is less now I have medication for it.

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  16. Oh, no! My first thought was... "She must be a REALLY vigorous sweeper!" My second thought was, "I hope she doesn't have to cough or sneeze!" I'm glad you know what the pain is now, and that you have some meds and recovery instructions. There's nothing like the pain of a broken bone!

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    Replies
    1. Val; I was putting in quite a lot of effort getting squished and dried on plums off the path, but there are so many other things that also could have caused this. Now I know how my girls felt in winters past when they would get bronchitis and crack a rib from coughing. I don't know how they managed to hide the pain, because I never knew about their ribs until they told me months later. If they'd been living at home still I would have noticed.

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  17. I don't know why I do not get an email from your comments, so I am responding here...Thank you for your nice words on my last post.

    Hope you heal quickly, you are one tough lady with a fracture like that.

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