So about a month ago I got this horrible cough, finally went to Dr., she ordered chest xray and I got it bad in both lungs, went through 3 rounds of antibiotics and finally today, I'm starting to cough stuff up. Weird problem however after coughing so hard, i have a rib poking out at my sternum, I'm sure i tore the cartilage, any body got any ideas on how to make the sob stop hurting, I picked up an empty water heater this morning and thought i was gonna die.

Ask Doc Piddler.......and then do the opposite.....

Wrap yourself up ..and don't pick chit up...been there done that ....how did u like the coughing and it not doing ...anything .... Doc had me doing a inhaler a few days latter the steel wool in my lungs came lose like yours......ain't fresh air great !

Contact your physician immediately, you need a medical professional to evaluate what has happened. If you are over the age of fifty then your rib to sternum joint is probably ossified and that could be a break, which could do damage to your lung.

I get bronchitis often, as it clears up, the coughing is horrible.
I have done exactly what you did. It does not heal quickly, it just
gradually hurts less, then one day, you can't remember the last time it hurt.
But, it probably will stay susceptible to re-injury.
A certain job I do at work can fire it up, then it's sore for a few days.

Better get back in to see a Doc...

Hope you get better soon!

I would go to doctor. I hope you get well soon!!!

I just had a bout of pneumonia myself. Get well soon!

I busted a rib loose like that when I was a kid. 10 or so years later it broke loose again. Hurt like hell. Kept it wrapped and taped to stay in place and it rehealed. Been 40 some years and it's still good.

Just poke it back in😀...on second thought, better see a doc.

Pneumonia can kill ya. Go easy.

Somebody on the Fire will know what to do. Problem is in figuring which one is right.

Any of you guys who came down with pneumonia had the pneumococcal vaccine?

The vaccine looks to be the ticket.

Wish they'd had it when I caught walking pneumonia. I swear it took me a year to get over that.

I’d see a doc. If a rib pulls away from the cartilage at the sternum it can be a long slow healing process.

I never cease to be amazed at this place, never. LOLOL.

On the other hand, sure I do.
1) Get a fifth of Clear Springs, a small hickory stick, a box cutter (w/new blade to minimize chance of infection), a big roll of paper towels, a cold forged chisel, a 8 oz hammer, some Gorilla Tape and a staple gun.
2) Drink half the Clear Springs.
3) When you begin to regain consciousness use the hickory stick as a bite block and make a deep incision with the box cutter at the junction of the offending rib and sternum.
4) Peel skin and flesh back with your finger nails until the disjointed joint is clearly visible. Dob the blood flow time to time with one end of the paper towel roll to keep things accessable.
5) If ragged edges of cartilage are obstructing the reseating of the joint use the chisel and hammer to trim the excess. If the rib has just jumped the joint bang it back in place with the little hammer.
6) Dry the joint with the remaining clean end of the paper towel roll and quickly use proper lengths of Gorilla Tape to hold the joint together temporarily.
7) Fold flesh and skin back in place and use staple gun to stitch said material to rib and sternum.
8) Splash small amount of Clear Springs on surgical site to sterilize and drink the rest.
9) When you regain consciousness again Ubber yourself to the nearest Emergency Room and rant about how much money you saved by doing it yourself.
10) Fall on your knees and beg for Morphine IV and/or General Anesthesia because that's the only way you'll get that sob to stop hurting.

Thank me later.

That was excellent advise, I have an enlarged prostate. I would like to shootem’s advice to correct my prostate issue.

if it involves a ButtOut tool, I don't wanna know.

Better get lots of Bounty paper towels, they're the quicker picker upper.

A man who defends himself in court is almost as foolish as a man who doctors himself.

Almost, but not completely as foolish....... Get real medical help if its needed.

But maybe being smart enough to realize when its needed is where some people trip up?

Whatever you do stay away from pencils!

How can one ask that question here?

Doctor's mistakes are one of the leading causes of death (maybe the leading cause). I get a yearly physical (mainly for a PSA test) from my primary care Doctor, get no vaccines for anything and have a yearly check up from my cardiologist because of my high cholesterol level. The cardiologist just checks my blood pressure/heart rate and we talk, I don't take statin drugs because I can't tolerate them. Every year my primary care Doctor tries to talk me into taking a statin drug, the flu vaccine, the pneumonia vaccine and the shingles vaccine. I know when I need to go to the doctor but that is usually a visit to the emergency for an injury that requires stitches.

Not much more painful than a rib injury. Most of the time there is nothing you can do but let it heal but in this case, you should probably go see a doc.

Avoid black pepper at all costs.

Doctor's mistakes are one of the leading causes of death (maybe the leading cause). I get a yearly physical (mainly for a PSA test) from my primary care Doctor, get no vaccines for anything and have a yearly check up from my cardiologist because of my high cholesterol level. The cardiologist just checks my blood pressure/heart rate and we talk, I don't take statin drugs because I can't tolerate them. Every year my primary care Doctor tries to talk me into taking a statin drug, the flu vaccine, the pneumonia vaccine and the shingles vaccine. I know when I need to go to the doctor but that is usually a visit to the emergency for an injury that requires stitches.
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Statin drugs would have keep me away from a triple bypass. A whole lot of discomfort I'll tell you. Couple of friends complained about statins, me I just tell them STFU and show them my chest and leg.

Yeah. The average life span for men has essentially doubled in the US in the past 100 years because of lowyers.

Im sick of so many women dying in childbirth now days, and all the kids dying of whooping cough, dysentary, smallpox, polio, measles, tetanus, appendicitis, diphtheria, mumps, diarrhea, diabetes, allergies, and men dying of impa
cted teeth, sinus infections, gangrene, infected pimples, .....

I like my doctor but it took a little bit for us to get on the same page. I had to finally remind her that none of us get out of this alive.

In my experience, Rooster has this right. Due to several sports injuries and some foolhardy moves while hunting or working, the rib separations/displacements have been big hurt for quite a while, and there is nothing much to be done except wrap and don't aggravate. Although no bouts for a few years, pneumonia was a regular visitor for a while and know it can be life-threatening stuff - so do the antibiotic routine as directed and rest as much as possible. Don't hesitate to extend the antibiotic course if you do not clear up completely. Some docs like to apply prednisone simultaneously if pulmonary functions are badly compromised.

If a doc has not seen your rib issue, a visit would be the best move - just to be sure. That said, the two biggest (by far) injuries/threats in my life were both caused by doctors.

Personal experience here - see a doctor.

In May I fell and broke 7 ribs, rwo of them were broken in two places. At the time of the fall I knew I had broken some but I was just taking Ibuprofen and putting up with the pain, on day three after the fall my brother stopped in, he took one look at me and said - "you are going to the emergency room".
They X-rayed me and found I had a lacerated kidney, and the kidneys were being to fail because of the creatinine buildup in them, also I was developing pneumonia from not being able to breath deeply enough due to the broken ribs.
I was Life-Flighted to the nearest hospital that was able to handle major trauma and a week later I was beginning to feel better.

p.s. - they no longer tape ribs because it impairs the breathing which in turn can cause pneumonia - now it is just be careful until they heal up.

drover

Even bruised ribs take a minimum of a month to not hurt like hell every time you move wrong or even breathe, for that matter.

And 75 years ago you would have been history. Glad you werent born too early in history.

Thank you. Although some folks complain about how it is not like the "good old days" in many cases that is a good thing.

drover

Had pneumonia twice. Nothing to mess with. Stay on top of it and see your doc.

"all the kids dying of whooping cough, dysentary, smallpox, polio, measles, tetanus, appendicitis, diphtheria, mumps, diarrhea, diabetes, allergies, and men dying of impacted teeth, sinus infections, gangrene, infected pimples"

Are you talking about the USA or the whole world? I never heard of any kids dying of anything you mentioned before the forced vaccinations we have now. I took the polio vaccine twice (because I was terrified of ending up in an "iron lung"), was vaccinated twice for small pox and had a few tetanus shots over the years after some injuries. I never heard of a man who died of any of the things you mention ever in my 75 years. My paternal Grandfather had diabetes late in his life and took insulin shots but died of undetected prostate cancer at 89. Most of my ancestors lived to be in their 80's back when the life expectancy was 35 or so and a couple of them lived to be over 100. They just worked hard and ate healthy food. Most of the of the generation of my parents, aunts and uncles died from poor health caused by nicotine addiction, mostly cancer and lung disease (no heart attacks) . Both my parents and almost all of my Aunts and Uncles started smoking back when all the movie stars smoked and Doctors were making cigarette commercials.