RIBS!!! Ugh, I have a pain in my ribs.
Last time I wrote I was contemplating my treatment plan. The clinical trial medication I was taking did not seem to be working as I was still culturing MAC. I had been hacking so intensely that that tears would stream down my face and I would gag and nearly puke. Joy...pure joy! After getting tons of fabulous advice from you, along with a lot of contemplation I decided to stop the clinical trial drug. Since then my coughing spells have decreased, but not completely ceased.
A few days ago I developed really intense pain on the right side of my chest. This was like, "Holy Crap! Why did somebody just stab me with a hot knife!" kind of pain. Apparently, when you have CF and you report this to your Pulmonologist he promptly makes you haul your butt in for a CT scan complete with IV contrast. That happened yesterday. We had to rule out a bunch of scary sounding stuff like pulmonary embolisms, pleural effusion, pleurisy and such. I have had pleurisy (inflammation/infection of the lining that surrounds the lungs) and I was convinced that this is what I was dealing with. However, the CT was clear of any of these major complications, even though my left upper lobe is ugly. Hugh sigh of relief. However, this means I'm dealing with a rib injury. I very likely tore the cartilage between my ribs. I did this about 15 years ago in the same area, so I've probably re injured it. Ouchie!!!
Not much can be done. Pain is pain is pain is pain. I can deal with pain. The most concerning thing is that I can't cough, do my Vest, work out or do any kind of airway clearance until the intensity of the pain dies down. I want to cough. I really do. I need to cough. I just can't cough right now. My impulse to avoid the pain outweighs my impulse to cough.
So this is one of those fun little "extra" things we experience with CF. I know others of you have experienced this type of thing. What have you done for airway clearance when this happens. Has anyone tried a rib belt or binding the ribs? Does it work? Any tips or tricks? Right now it's just 800mg of Motrin 3 times daily and rest.
