Cracked ribs?

[beatfeet]

Tuesday one week ago today, I slipped on the deck hitting the railing making hard contact with my upper abdomen lower rib area on the right side. It knocked the air out of me. I admit I did not want to pay an ER deductible, so put off going in to doctor for a week. I am a coumadin patient so I know that was not a smart move. One week later, yesterday, I go to the doctors office, they throw me in an ambulance (talk about over kill, I have lived with this for a week) they did an ultra sound to make sure I was not bleeding in my chest cavity. No visible signs of blood. Took a chest xray, no visible signs of a cracked rib, but the doctor felt that though he could not see a fracture on the xray, I very likely have a cracked rib. I am on pain pills now, and very tender? He also said I could have a CT scan to rule out further bleeding, but in his opinion being my INR is 2.6 I would have bled out already if that was the case. 2 questions    1. Is it common for an xray of the rib to miss a fracture?
2. Should I have had the CT scan done for is their still I possiblity I could be bleeding and where missing what is really going on? I hurt, but no fever and or bruising or lightheadedness.  Just hurt.

                                          Thank you for your reply ... Mark

[Suebirch]

HI, I had my gallbladder removed in May 07 and I was told I had stones that were big and would not pass. They wanted to remove it before it did attemp to pass. Well it seemed like the surgery went well, but die to excessive pain I did stay overnight in the hospital for pain control. About a week after my surgery, we had a big storm so I was outside trying to get my plants in from the yard. Well as I was doing this I was barefoot and went running into the garage and the next thing I know my legs went up into the air and down I went on my right side. Since then, I have had excrusitating pain in my right ribs that just wont go away. I have had several, and I mean several, ER visits for pain management. After a million times to my regular doctor, who was at a loss, I finally decided enough is enough and started going to a pain management clinic. Well they have tried Streriod epideral injections in my spine, injections between the ribs, both very painful, lidoderm pathes, pain meds(which they wont give me anymore unless I go into the ER, Lyrica (the side effects are awful and doesnt help any) flexeril and Naproxen.

I am so sick of being in pain and I have been told I have nerve damage and pulled muscles around the ribs from the fall. Now I went on another site on here and I was given some advise from a med student. Here is just some of what he said to me: "My guess would be that when you took that fall shortly after your surgery, you may have accidentally irritated the healing site of surgery and perhaps it did not heal quite right internally and some of the nerves from that area are being stimulated somehow, like being pinched or stretched."

It all seems to really make sense. I am currently through the pain clinic attending physical therapy and I am going to bring this information and more I have searched into them. I was also given a website that shows the gallbladder and the ribs and how closely they are all related. Here is the website if anyone is interested in looking at:


http://www.easttroy.k12.wi.us/hs/dept/science/bottum/Adv%20Biology/digestive/danatomy/images/Gall_bladder.gif


  I just wish I could get a correct diagnosis and on the right pain medication so I can deal with my pain and function more properly.I have had many scans, Upper GI,x-rays, plus tons of blood tests and no answer. I finally gave in and went into the ER today because I was actually in tears I couldnt stand it anymore. I also called my pain clinic to tell them that the steriod epideral I had is not working and that it gave me hives on Sunday. They called me back to tell me that the steroid medicine can take up to 7 days and to continue to take my other meds. This is the second time I have had this epideral and it didnt work the first time so they figured they would do it again. The pain during the procedure hurt really bad, and since these two didnt work I will not do another. I have my second physical therapy tomorrow and I am sure that it will be a big waste of my time again. The pain clinic doctors are talking that if the epiderals dont work then they are talking about putting in an implanted devise. (Not sure if it is the internal tens unit type thing or the medication one) Since the tens unit does not help on the outside, I dont see how it can help if they implant it in me. I dont want to go through any invasive surgery for nothing. I want results and so far it has almost been a year and I just want some relief.

I have also been told that they did not see a fracture on the x-rays, but did not rule of that it still could be a fracture. Ok, if it was a fracture it should have helaed by now, since it has been 10 months and STILL in excrustiating pain that feels like someone has a knife in me and stabbing me.

[Jaybay]

1.  Yes.  It also depends on who is reading the x-ray and how much of a hurry they're in.  When fractures are very slight, as yours appears to be, they can be difficult to interpret on film.  A friend of mine got hit on a freeway while riding his motorcycle at night.  (It was the 4-wheeled vehicle driver's fault - he just HAD to cross 3 lanes of high-speed traffic to make an exit.)  The friend gets an x-ray done at the hospital and they send him home.  Twelve hours later, they call him saying to get back to the hospital NOW - he had broken his neck.  Slapped him in a halo for the next 3 months.  Some weekend radiology crew that place has, huh?

2.  Since your doctor didn't appear to make an issue out of the CT scan, I'd listen to him.  From what you write, he doesn't appear to think it's very important, and that's a pretty expensive test.  Don't you hate it when they leave things up in the air?  :-)