How long to dive after cut?

[Diver Lori]

I'm sorry for continuing the hi-jack, but I guess I'll just be the bad guy in this thread.



It is back-a$$ward thinking like this that has us in the position we are in, instead of working to fix this glaring problem we have with health care in this country. Let me explain so even you can understand:

- He has broken rib(s). Even the OP knows that and apparently he is not a doctor since he went to see one multiple times.
- It hurts and suck for his near future dive plans, but there is no doctor that is going to do anything different than to tell him to take it easy so it can heal.

Your solution for his plight of missing a dive trip is to do some UNNECESSARY medical procedure THAT COSTS MONEY to tell us what we already know. Wonder why health care costs what it does? Can you add that up?

To the OP:

Rest as much as you can and best of luck on making the trip

Willem

The poster you are quoting was making a legitimate observation ie. being fearful of the public option, you on the otherhand have attacked, insulted, and demeaned same poster.

 

[willembad]

Fearful of what? That an option that would cover thousands and thousands more people won't let you waste money with UNNECESSARY procedures?

That was my point!

Willem

 

[InTheDrink]

One of the biggest nuisances about broken ribs is that there is no good way to immobilize them, and immobility is the key to rapid bone healing. In the old days, they used to tape ribs, but what happened was that people got pneumonia in that lung, because it wasn't expanding and clearing secretions properly. So we no longer do that, but the result is that it takes some time to get the ribs to heal.

Yeah, everything requires movement of your ribs. Unfortunately. Laughing, coughing, sneezing and yawning isn't all that fun. Maybe or maybe not strange but some of my ribs are definitely healing at a completely different rate to others. Puzzled by that.

Always, the biggest risk with rib fractures is injury to the underlying chest structures. Displaced rib fractures create sharp edges and points that can be driven into the pleura or lung, causing pneumothorax (or lung collapse). The highest risk of this occurring is with the original injury, but with multiple or badly displaced fractures, this can occur with motion subsequent to the original incident. The more time that has elapsed from the injury, the lower the risk of this type of thing, as scarring and some callus formation occurs.

Ditto - this is the kind of thing I'm worried about. Worried I might have part of a rib floating around inside. I can feel callus formation on some but others are too deep to actually feel bone. If that makes sense.

Minimally or nondisplaced rib fractures are mostly a nuisance, assuming again that there was no underlying lung or mediastinal injury. There is some concern about increased risk of DCS in areas of injury and scar, due to decreased blood supply, but it is certainly not a reliably predictable problem, and I personally do not consider it an issue for myself when I dive, despite having had multiple fractures and surgery in the past.

Rightly or wrongly not so worried about the DCS side of things (touch wood).

A more reasonable worry is whether the pain of the injury will permit normal function -- for example, climbing a boat ladder in rough water, or getting back on a RIB (something I've actually broken ribs DOING). There may be workarounds for such things, and it might be reasonable to discuss the situation with the dive operator, if you decide to make the trip.

very good point - I had thought about some of it didn't occur to me that getting back on a zodiac might be a problem. Will ping the op and see what the deal is. They've got Panga's which I'm guessing are similar to zodiac's. I hate getting back into them at the best of times. Not sure how viable it would be at the moment, or at least not repeatedly.

I'm guessing that once under water the ribs should be less painful than on land - the water, wetsuit and weightlessness should provide some kind of support.

Thanks for your input. I'll let you know the outcome.

John

 

[Chugwhump]

Please keep us up to date John.
There is always something to learn from the misfortune of others, unfortunately.
Obviously broken ribs possibly moving around are not a laughing matter.....
(Stop...DO NOT LAUGH).
Chug

 

[InTheDrink]

So I got my referral to the local private hospital but probably not going to go now.

I went to the pool dive session on Thursday to try out my ribs and they're fine. A lot of healing seemed to happen on a recent trip to a conference in the mountains in Utah. No doubt it was just a 'time' thing but they seemed to heal in a hurry during the course of that week. Mountain air? Doubtful, who knows. Anyhow I feel lots better.

I gave myself a fairly vigorous work out in the pool including hoisting myself out and everything held together so I'm good to go and can't really see the value of seeing a doctor at this point (especially as it will cost my $$$). Next time I'll probably know what to do better but here's hoping there will be no more next time...

Have fun everyone and thanks for your input, Lynne especially, who calmed me during my most panicky moments navigating the kafkaesque nightmare that is health providers be they public or private.

J

 

[TSandM]

You're welcome! Glad it all finally came together. Even ribs eventually heal, thank goodness.