 Poster: A snowHead
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Just back from a week of skiing in Val D'Isere,, which was fantastic, that is until I slipped on the last day in my ski boots and caught the corner of a sturdy shelf with full force on the back of my rib cage before hitting the floor. (apologies for the upset to those in the shop).
I was x-rayed by the medical centre and desoite the acute pain they say nothing to serious thankfully.
I am on codiene/ paracetamol/ ibuprofen which is dealing with the pain not to badly although I cant drive.
One of the ribs does "click" or "twang" now and again esp when getting into bed which smarts a bit to say the least.
The french docs advice is to rest and keep taking the pain killers.
Any thoughts on here as to best recovery practices, should I rest as much as possible, keep active within reason etc. I cant do much at the moment because of pain but I dont want to laze about neither if its going to slow recovery?
Cheers
S
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I would rest and keep taking the painkillers (seriously). There is little else that can be done for broken/bruised/cartilage rib issues.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Go to the uk docs and get a 2nd opinion
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When i broke mine, i started off doing nothing, until i sneezed... Now that was a whole new level of pain, followed by a trip to A&E.
The worry with broken ribs is if they puncture a lung, i guess you xrays show they don't so all it comes down to now is drugs.
I was told to take something every two hours for 4/6 weeks whether i felt discomfort or not and to alternate betwenn ibruprofen and paracetamol.
Now this will take you over the maximum recommended daily doses of both so should not be done without being advised to do so by a doctor which i am not!!
(But it does work and i was back skiing within a fortnight)
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I fractured my ribs and really there is nothing you can do apart from take pain killers (that's what the doc told me). It took about 4 weeks for them to stop hurting - sleeping was certainly challenging. That was 10 years ago and I still get discomfort if pressure is put on them.
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@scotabroad, take the pain killers, but what ever you do, make sure you don't overdose on the paracetamol. Eight a day is the absolute maximum. You can probably get away with taking motr ibuprofen than is normally recommended. My sister's friend was found dead after taking paracetamol for a cold. Too many Lemsips in one day was fatal for her, and there was evidence that she hadn't taken much more than the equivalent of 12 per day over about 4 days.
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@Hells Bells, ugh. Poor thing. Paracetamol should be a prescription only drug. Wildly toxic at just over usual dose.
@scotabroad, ibuprofen or equivalent, bit of rest, ime after about 2weeks the clicking stops and one day you'll wake up and after breakfast/coffee/whatever, suddenly realise you're pain free 
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Yeah, same thing happened me a couple of years ago. Last day, asking guy in ski shop about skis, he took me around the back to look at "the perfect skis" and bang, slipped and landed on my side with a pole underneath me which cracked a rib or two. Ouch! It hurt for weeks, but then suddenly it was gone.
Agree with the others about the drugs, take them regularly, but don't go over the recommended dose for paracetamol. I can't even take 8 a day - my max is 6 as I'm a titch.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Same thing. Fell down a trap door in a bar floor backwards, broke 5 or 6 ribs. Very painful. Don't forget to breath deeply despite the discomfort, as you want them to reset unconstricted. Nothing else you can do
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Don't forget to breath deeply despite the discomfort, as you want them to reset unconstricted.
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That's the advice of my doctor, in addition to the pain killers. Apparently, there's a small danger of pneumonia if the lungs are not fully inflated for long period of time.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Lots of deep breathing exercises. Plenty of painkillers. Expect it to be painful for a good few months.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Stop breathing. They'll be fixed in a fortnight.
Sorry!
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If you smoke - increase from 20 a day to at least 40 a day. Avoid Silk Cut, Menthol fags etc and go for Capstan, Senior Service or Woodbine!!!!
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You know it makes sense.
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Could get a second opinion, but probably as soon as possible.
When I got caught at the bottom of a ruck something went crack. A UK A&E dept had a look but didnt think there was a break and recommended pain killers and rest and not much else. A little later I was at a physio for something else and he took a look a reckoned a rib had popped out of the cartilage (which would explain why a rib on one side is raised more from the chest than its opposite number). Went back to see a consultant at the same hospital who said it wasnt that, but didnt (couldn't?) explain the bit poking up from the chest. Never sure if he was covering his own A&E. Not much can be done now about it.
Anything to do with the cartilage if thats what it was apparently had to be done at the time (and whatever it was I bet would have been painful).
In either case imagine most of the solution would have been the same - plenty of pills and arm in a sling for a while to minimise movement in the area and rest.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Got a second opinion from GP yesterday and he concurs with French doctor nothing too serious, so as most of you say above keep taking the tablets. I am trying to limit the codiene/ paracetamol as they make me seriously woozy to the point I am not driving with them. In combo with the Ibuprofen makes it all bearable. The "clicking" when it happens does make me want to throw up mind its a seriosuly weird/ painful expereince.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Glad it confirmed the first diagnosis as a second opinion that contradicts the first is not great place to be. I cant recall too many other things that hurt as much as when I hurt my ribs, just breathing (unfortunately a rather essential activity) was a struggle.
All the best with the recovery.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Thanks, on the mend now so a bit of patience from myself, one thing I would say is I had "slipped" disc a couple of years ago and that pain was another level above this one. That said there is so many variables its hard to compare to injuries i guess. 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@scotabroad,
Deep breathing exercises, pain relief and get advice if you become short of breath or feverish ( may indicate chest infection)
Pain last about 2 to 3 weeks
Jonathan Bell
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I was skiing 6 weeks - that was just when the next trip was booked - after mine btw and have no problems other than the more visible blood vessels that wrecked my application to Abercrombie and Fitch...
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Avoid watching anything very funny
although when you can't laugh, its amazing how funny things bevome
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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And how much your friends will try, and succeed in making you laugh...
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@scotabroad, how's your ribs now? Just picked up on this thread. I fractured my ribs same week as you in st Anton thanks to some tw@t that took me out from behind. My experience has been very similar to everyone else - sneezing was a nightmare. Sleeping still not ideal but much better than it was a few weeks ago. I stopped taking the painkillers about 3/4 weeks ago as was messing my system up.
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@scotabroad, just caught up with this . . . keep breathing, take Ibruprofen and if you develop a cough or a fever get to 'Emergency' ASAP.
You can grow to love that gentle 'crunch' as you breathe and move 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Masque, 8 weeks later so I would have thought there would have been a resolution one way or the other... 
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I did this a few years ago, impaled myself on a ski pole, hurt like hell. As per advice above it took about 6 weeks but no after effects at all. I had to get some more powerful pain killers as I was having breathing problems.
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