In 2002 I broke a rib, and I never knew it. Well, I knew I’d hurt myself; I was pretty sick. I had bronchitis that developed into what I’m convinced in retrospect was pneumonia. I coughed and coughed for several days and then something in my back went snap. I still had to cough and cough, only each time I coughed it felt like I was being stabbed. It got so bad I had to brace my back against a wall just to be able to cough at all.
It was really bad.
I went to the emergency room (I don’t remember which hospital; I wish I did). The doctor gave me a cursory examination and moved me along. He didn’t order a chest x-ray, which would have determined for sure if I had pneumonia and would also have revealed that I had a broken rib. Because it was undetected that broken rib never healed properly and has bothered me intermittently ever since. Except, of course, I didn’t know that that’s what it was.
Confused yet? I know I am.
At least now I know what’s wrong. I don’t know what’s to be done about it. I don’t even know if anything can be done about it. But I hope something can be done. I’ve been in pain almost constantly for the last five days, and nearly so for a week and a half before that.
We’ll see. I will, of course, keep you appraised.
