I had an upper respiratory infection several weeks ago and coughed so much that my ribs got really painful on one side, my left. I have recovered from the infection but my rib area still hurts bad. When I try to sit up from laying down, I get a really sharp pain. Actually that is even if I can lay down with the pain. Has anyone else had this problem and if so how long did it take to recover? I am a breastfeeding mother and I wonder what I can take to relieve the pain a little. I haven't been to the doctor, I plan to go soon, but right now my infant daughter is sleep and I don't want to go to the emergency room. Thanks!
Gaia’s Garden2009-09-04T23:25:23Z
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It sounds like you strained one of the intercostal muscles between the ribs. You can't take vicodin if your breastfeeding though. Try a heating pad, or one of those over the counter heat wraps. Hope you get feeling better.
The most likely cause is a strained or torn intercostal muscle; this happens often with vigorous coughing. It will heal on it's own but it takes time. There are other, less likely diagnoses as well: you may have separated the intercostal cartilage (which takes even longer to heal and can be quite painful), you may have developed costochondritis which is an inflammation of the cartilage, or you may have broken a rib during a coughing spell (yes, it is possible to break a rib just by coughing. It is not uncommon among mountain climbers who have very vigorous coughs at altitude). Even less common but still possible is a diaphragmatic hernia (a tear in the diaphragm -- given your symptoms that seems highly unlikely.)
In any of these scenarios, the treatment is virtually identical: stay well hydrated (staying hydrated is crucial to keeping normal airway secretions thin and easy to clear); pain medication so that you can take a deep breath (deep breathing, sighing, and coughing is essential to normal airway clearance. Without that you can almost guarantee a pneumonia); and rest. Chest wall injuries are painful and they take a long time to heal. I've broken my ribs twice and both times it took 3-4 weeks for the ribs to heal. The second time I was out of action even longer because I developed a pneumonia.
See your doctor as soon as they can get you in. You'll need a physical exam and a chest xray. You may have to go on formula feedings for the baby for a few weeks so you can take the meds necessary to heal. Discuss that with your doctor as well. Keep in mind that while you may not like the idea of formula feeding, it is probably better to do that for 3 weeks and heal up quickly than to be in pain for even longer, end up with a pneumonia, have to be put on antibiotics and end up needing to use formula feedings then anyway. Best wishes for you.
this happened to me last year .. and i went to the hospital they said i strained some of my ribs from coughing so hard . they gave me vicidon for the pain and it took about a month for it to completely go away