Tuesday, February 26, 2013

The Saga of the Icy Porch Continues

       All is not so well.  Sunday night I went to bed and sneezed -- and was attacked by this horrible pain in my ribs.  I won't go into all the details -- I'll just say I went to the doctor Monday morning, had my ribs x-rayed, came home, had lunch, took some of the midlevel pain medication the doctor had prescribed -- and it only felt worse.  So I ended up spending 5 hours in the emergency room.  Had cat scan, blood work, and all the usual things they do in the ER.  The doctor was one my mother had had in the same ER way back in the 90s -- really nice doc.  He even remembered me from my frequent nagging presence in the ER at that time.  I thought it might not be ribs at all but maybe a kidney stone because of the location of the pain (Fel, if you're reading this -- I can see you shuddering) . 
       But it's not.  I do have a fractured rib -- 11th rib -- plus some cartilage damage.    The doc (or maybe it was the nurse) said that wasn't one of the floating ribs, but it really is. according to the following Wikipedia excerpt.  Count downward on the image. They sent me home with stronger pain medication.  The problem is turning over in bed and getting in and out of bed.  I holler whenever I have to twist.  Plus coughing and even just clearing your throat and blowing your nose is almost impossible.  (Remember the old line "Does it hurt?"  "Only when I laugh"?  Actually. laughing does hurt, but that's not the only thing!)  And I have no idea why it didn't hurt more the first day and a half.  I suppose sneezing pulled the rib apart.
       The upshot is, I will be very unproductive for awhile because it's an understatement to say thatI don't feel at my best.  No intellectual posts that require a lot of focused thought, and I'll have to delay the publication of The Storm-Wing.  I'll probably barely feel like keeping up with my email.  Income tax has to take precedence, too.  I'm really disgusted.
From Gray's Anatomy (NOT the TV series)


From Wikipedia (article Human Rib Cage):
The upper seven true ribs(costae verae, vertebrosternal ribs, I-VII). are attached in the head to the sternum by means of costal cartilage. Due to their elasticity they allow movement when inhaling and exhaling.
The 8th, 9th, and 10th ribs are called false ribs (costae spuriae, vertebrochondral ribs, VIII-X), and join with the costal cartilages of the ribs above.[3]The 11th and 12th are also sometimes referred to as false ribs.
The 11th and 12th ribs are known as floating ribs (costae fluitantes, vertebral ribs, XI-XII), as they do not have any anterior connection to the sternum.
The spaces between the ribs are known as intercostal spaces; they contain the intercostal muscles, nerves, and arteries.

10 comments:

  1. Oy, hope you feel better soon. (And, yes, I did shudder at the thought, and then your comment made me chuckle which made me feel bad given the circumstances of the post.) I'm sure even resting is a pain right now, but I hope it heals and the pain subsides quickly. I've learned first-hand that the blog and the writing will be there when you return.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Fel! Don't feel bad for chuckling - I meant to be a tad humorous. No point going all tragic on everybody! And I'm a great believer in misery loves company! Yes, moving around in bed is the worst thing. You can't lift yourself up. I think I've mastered getting into bed, but getting out - oy, indeed!

      Delete
  2. Oh, Lorinda, I'm SO sorry! I was worried about you, as my mother I think mentioned fractured her ribs in a similar fall. And it was indeed painful. Just be sure you keep up metamucil or something if you're on pain meds...I've witnessed the "other" pain as well. Keep us updated. We don't mind hearing about daily ramblings even when there's nothing to write about:) keeps you connected and psychologically, that will be healing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL! I'm working on the aspect you suggest! Following up on my comment to Fel Wetzig, just now I got up from a much needed nap and this time I stuck my legs over the side, tried to roll to the right, and ended up plunking down on my knees beside the bed as if I were praying! Then I could push myself up using the wooden rail along the side of the bed frame. If I'm going to do that often, I need to put a pillow on the floor!

      Delete
  3. Oh goodness! Sorry to hear about your icy slip. I do hope you are able to rest well and recover soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Vanessa! Turning over in bed is getting a little easier, but putting out my trash and recycle for pickup this morning was about all I can do for the day! I'm so annoyed, because things were going really well before this happened!

      Delete
  4. Oh no! I hope you feel better soon and it heals up properly. It's so frustrating to be laid up--but often so necessary, in order to let the healing happen more quickly...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Kat! Yes, frustrating! I don't like taking pain meds so I didn't take any last night, but I may tonight. Actually, things are some better - I can get out of bed now without hollering and I actually sneezed yesterday evening and it only hurt briefly. Coughing is the worst thing, though, and I sure hope I don't get choked on anything.

      Delete
  5. What a great resource! Thanks and more power to you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Now, maybe I should consider you to be spamming me, but I'm willing to be indulgent where termites are concerned! I follow and am followed by several exterminators on Twitter (@TermiteWriter) and when I had to have a local exterminator come to get rid of some ants, he was fascinated by the fact I write science fiction about giant termites! So are you fascinated enough to buy one of my books? Links can be found in the sidebar. :-)

      Delete