rib pain

[Jas0n]

well im almost 3 weeks post op and everything is going very well. I dont have very much pain in my sternum, nor incision and my back/upperbody/shoulders seem to be getting (slowly) back to normal. however, over the last couple of days i have developed a relatively sharp pain in my lower right ribs which seems odd to me. has anyone experienced this before??

i broke two LEFT ribs in march and the pain actually seems pretty similar. the odd thing seems that i really dont experience much pain where i expect it - in my sternum/collarbone area - and this new pain developed over the last couple of days and seems worst at night. some ideas: i do like to sleep on my right side, i wonder if this contributed to it (btw, is it a bad idea to sleep on my side even thought it does not hurt at all?? i can only sleep on my right side though (the side that is in pain, which i also noticed when i broke my ribs; i prefered to sleep on my broken ribs as it seemed to compress any movement), while my left side hurts terribly if i try to sleep on it. also, i drive a manual sports car which i resumed driving last week. it does not hurt to drive, but i wonder if shifting the tranny might have caused the pain. any ideas??? many thanks, as usual.

 

[geebee]

I guess my first reaction is that you are driving pretty early, especially with a stick. I am sure there are a lot of movements that might be a little too much right now as you are not fully healed.

Hard to say if that is what is causing the rib pain but I would definitely talk to your doctor about it. Did he give you the thumbs up to drive and does he know you drive a stick shift?

Sleeping on your side shouldn't be a problem. I am a side sleeper and went back to it at about 3 weeks.

 

[Jas0n]

he did give me the go ahead to start driving, though im not sure he knows i drive stick. after doing more and more research (i didnt realize the search function wouldnt search for "rib" as it is to short, thought it will search for "ribs"), i wonder if pleural effusion is at issue since the pain is worst with deep breaths. either way, i will be calling my cardiologist tommorow morning to see what he thinks. thank you for the prompt reply, btw.

 

[Ross]

Jason if it gets worse on inhalation, you might well be correct about effusion. Get the Doc in on it and be sure.

 

[Kate]

Hi Jason,
If it doesn't turn out to be a fluid issue, here's another possibility - I had severe pain on my right side lasting until about four weeks out and discovered that it was a rib that was misaligned when they closed me back up. I went to an osteopath who did some mild manipulation and it went away over night. Of course, my side had been hurting all along and yours sounds like it just started, but something to consider anyway. Best of luck! Kate

 

[Jas0n]

i find it odd that the pain would start 2.5 weeks in, but im waiting for my doc to get back; he was not in the office today, so i will hear from tommorow am. having broken my ribs before, it feels very similar. sharp pain in a very specific area. i can def understand something being misaligned, esp after all the uperbody pain/discomfort i and everyone goes through after ohs (and being stretch out like gumby on the table!!). odd is all i can say. i deal with the pain (actually, the vicodin would be unnecessary right now without the rib issues), but i would rather be safe than sorry. i guess we'll see tommorow. thanks for all the replies everyone!! as always, this forum is the single greatest resource for anyone contending with valve issues. thanks again.