… but nothing appears to be broken. The official diagnosis is a bruised rib with severe muscle strain surrounding it. I am now sporting an extremely fashionable rib belt, pictured at left on someone who’s decidedly not me. (Purchase it at Amazon.com
Unfortunately, my doctor informs me that pain medication does nothing, and the only way to feel better is to wait until it feels better. Thank goodness it only cost me my $15 copay to get that information. I mean, jeez, I could have just sucked it up for 2 months for FREE, but NOW I get to do that AND it cost $15.
On a more cheerful note, I took advantage of my waiting time in the exam room while the x-ray was developing. I turned a latex glove into a cow. Astonishingly, I can’t find a photo of a glove creation anywhere online, so I feel like a bit of a pioneer in this respect. That’s me, always looking for the silver lining!
Thanks for the kind wishes!
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www.kristenkingfreelancing.com
Finalist in 2006 Writer’s Digest Best Writer’s Website Contest
Contents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King. All rights reserved.
Contents Copyright © 2006-2014 Kristen King
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A severe muscle strain and no painkillers? Yikes…I’d be going to the walk-in-the-doc to get some lol. Hope you’re feeling better soon!
Fashionable belts and glove cows, leave it to you to turn a bruised rib into a productive experience.
I wish you speedy healing!
Condolences. I cracked a rib a year ago by falling on a hidden sheet of ice.
It considerably complicates the sleeping process, and I managed to catch a chest cold the same week.
That’s when the fun truly began.
Still, you’ll have lots of time to write. Lots.
Mend quickly!
TC
Let me get this straight, Kristen. You thought you broke your rib by twisting too hard – then you find out you actually bruised your rib and strained the muscles around it – all by twisting too hard?! Did I miss something along the way – why were you twisting so hard?!
In any event, here’s to a smooth two months of recovery :)
Thanks for the positive spin, Deb. :]
Tom, you had a broken rib and a chest cold? Broken chestal bone + relentless coughing = mindblowing pain? You poor thing. Yeech!
Alicia, I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you. Aw, heck, I’ll spare you this time. I was at a stop light and decided to reach for something in the back seat. Instead of unbuckling my seatbelt and turning around the way a normal person would, I left the belt buckled and just twisted to reach what I needed. POP!
I actually had popped a rib out from where it hooks in to my spine, but my chiropractor popped it back in for me (he’s so nice). That didn’t help the bruising that had already occurred, though! Pickles thought it was hilarious.
kk
that belt photo is a little familiar, I’m currently wearing a magnetic version around my pelvis and low-back having done myself an injury on new years day
unfotunately, soft tissue injuries take longer to heal than broken bones, so it looks like we’re both in for an interesting start to then new year
ps: your story about the glove cow made me want to laugh, but I didn’t cos it would hurt too much
Ugh, I know exactly what you mean. Hubby kept making me laugh while we were waiting for the x-ray to come back, that jerk. He’s never that funny, and the one time it hurts to laugh… :]
kk
I’ve broken several ribs over the years. It only hurts when you breathe.
And you get that cool belt – hey, I never got one of those — I had a half a dozen ace bandages wrapped around me, making me look like the Mummy’s understudy.
You know what actually eases the pain? Corpse pose. I’m serious. Lie down (carefully, the lying down and getting up bit hurt a little) and do about twenty minutes in corpse pose 2x or 3x a day.
Feel better soon!
You’re a hoot, girl! Like Deb said, between the belt and the glove cow… hysterical!
It’s those non-broken things that seem to really get us. When I was in high school I stepped on a rusty nail while helping people building at my family’s church. YOW! I was on crutches for 2 months. It was horrible standing for any length of time, and I even had to sit in the shower!
Here’s to a speedy recovery. *Hugs*
(And gotta love those chiropractors. They’re amazing!)
girl, you look HOT rockin’ that thing.
*giggles at you*