I may need to go to the Hospital but my parents wont take me! What do I do?

You should check with @Shilolo, but I believe the only thing they do for a cracked rib is tape you up. You should be able to get that taken care of at your doctor’s office.

It says you aren’t supposed to though..

Can you at least call your doctor and see if they think it sounds like you should go? If it hurts that badly, you need to get it checked out. I don’t know how old you are, but you need to make your Mum understand how bad you feel somehow. Can your Dad help???

From your question, it sounds like you go to the ER a lot, and it turns out to be nothing… Is that a true statement?

I looked at this page, which says that all that is done is some taping. However, it does say that you should see a doctor immediately, too. But if your parents won’t take you, perhaps you can do some taping yourself and take plenty of over-the-counter meds. Keep working on your mom. If you insist that something is wrong over the next few days, she’ll eventually see that you’re serious. If she doesn’t, see if another family member will take you.

I’m 16. It’s both my parents. They are just fed up with all this pain i get, but it’ not like I enjoy it either. plus, my dad kinda tries to avoid getting involved in these things.

Well it’s not an every day occurrence. I’ve gone maybe like 4 or 5 times….this year.

Call your regular doctor. Start there. People going to hospital for things that should be taken care of in a doctor’s office or immediate care clinic is the reason health costs are high.

The odds of doing enough damage to you your body by walking into the kitchen counter is pretty slim. Are you bruised?

You had three different kinds of accidental trauma to the same area in one day? Kitchen counter, bass and trumpet? Is there more going on than you’re sharing here?

@Sheriff_fan : This year as in 2010? Or within a year’s time? Still, that’s a lot for one year’s time. You’re probably assumed to be a hypochondriac at this point. I’m not saying this isn’t serious, but your parents just want to make sure there’s really a wolf before falling for your cries again.

@ pandoraBoxx: ok. the pain is just so much that it;s scary.

@MagsRags: i’m just a clumsy person

@ubersiren: opps! sorry last year. I forgot it was 2010 lol

It takes a lot of force to crack a rib, so I find it hard to believe that you did that with just a bump. However, if it is just a fracture, there is little that can be done. What is concerning is if there is severe pain because if you cracked a rib you might also have experienced internal damage. Which side of the body is it and where is the pain?

it is on the left. By the way. They really weren’t just bumps. again. I’m very clumsy, so they were more like rams. And you’re the second person i’ve heard say they are hard to crack, but I’ve read that they aren’t that had to do that, so now i’m confused.

I’m w/ @MagsRags on this one. Awfully coincidental injuries here.

@shilolo is a physician so you’re getting expert advice.

well what do you think it is then?

I cracked two ribs in 2004. It was truly very uncomfortable; I used tylenol and a walker just to navigate my first floor, where I had moved my bedroom. Taping is not an option. The ribs knit in six, long weeks.

I also got a builder in to put hospital quality grab bars in one shower.

Apparently I had fallen down four steps outside and knocked myself unconscious but had no memory of the fall.

@gailcalled: oh wow. I’m sorry to hear that. So do I tap or not. Now i’m confused :(

In my case it was “be careful, don’t drive, live with it and come back for another x-ray in 6 weeks.”

see i never got the first x-ray so that’s what i’m wondering about if i need one

@Sheriff_fan sometimes people who are being abused try to cover for the abuser by casting themselves as clumsy enough to injure themselves repeatedly. Not saying, just clarifying.

Anyway, the injuries happened two days ago, I assume bruising showed up that same day along with some pain. Has the pain been as intense as you’re describing this whole time or is this a recent change?

No offense, but do you need glasses? you hit the counters edge, wacked yourself with the bass and then hit yourself in the stomach with a trumpet? are you sure you do not need glasses? seriously, there is not much that can be done with cracked ribs, except tape them tightly. they have to heal on their own.

@magsRag: omg. no! unless being abused is having you’re parents not drive you to get x-rays that I’m the total opposite of that. If anything they are too overprotective.

@john: Lol. No I don’t need glasses. I have contacts. Again I’m just clumsy. Plus, who hasn’t run into a counter or something, eh? I just ran into it harder than normal

OK, just needed to ask.

How about the progression of the pain? Is today the same, better or worse than 2 days ago when it happened? And if it’s worse, how did you spend your day today?

it’s gettin worse and worse. Way more painful than 2 days ago. I had to go to school today, so I was walking around for most of it. So i’m sure that didn’t do me any good, eh?

I’m a nurse practitioner, but I specialize in OB/GYN – I don’t do primary care. I think @PandoraBoxx made a good suggestion, except I would ask your mom to call tonight. The office will have a doctor on call who can help you and your mom decide whether you need to get seen tonight or whether it’s OK to observe overnight. If the doc recommends observation, they’d probably also suggest prescription strength doses of ibuprofen and intermittent ice packs.

A cracked rib can be very miserable but has to heal on it’s own over time. What @shilolo was referring to is the small possibility of a portion of a cracked rib pressing on an internal organ and causing bleeding. That would be a serious problem that needed speedy attention. Hope I’m not putting words in your mouth, @shilolo!

If you are bruised like you say you are and there is pain when you breathe then you’ve probably just bruised the rib which is painful however there is nothing that can be done. Take some Tylenol and suck it up. Most parents will not let thier child suffer if they thought it was really serious. It sounds like you may have cried wolf too many times. I hope you feel better. Try icing the area and taking an over the counter pain med like Tylenol. Is it possible you’ve had growing pains in the past? I doubt you’ve cracked a rib. Speaking from experiance it takes one hell of a whack to crack. More than you’re going to get by hitting the bell against yourself. Cheers.

Also. Most counter tops sit at 34”. How tall are you?
I also see that you play hockey. How’s this season going for you? Could you have been highsticked above or below your rib pad?

I don’t like that people are saying you are being abused and how questions on this site do not have always reliable people to answer. I can tell you now that I am not giving you any hard medical advice but take tylonal, get paper towel and fill it with ice, gently and carefully keep it on you chest. Ice should keep awelling down so outside damage would be (hopefully) closer to minimal. to inside damage if you know your ribs well then feel around, if anything feels out of place, “squishier”, or harder have your parents feel it. ask them to just contact the doctor to see if it is normal. if the doctor thinks there may be a problem but your parents still dont take you, the best I can say is ice it more, or if it feels like an ache find heat to apply there. it would help if you could find anything to rap you chest with though if the doctor feels there is a problem. feel better :)

@wee1020 I did not say that @Sheriff_fan was being abused. I asked if there was anything more to the story than she had told us, and then told her why I had been concerned. It was a valid concern and would have changed the kind of advice she needed. I’m no longer concerned after “hearing” her answer.

I think the problem is that you’re too musically talented and playing too many instruments

You hurt yourself 3 times in the exact same spot? Hmm…Well, from what you’ve said, you get hurt a lot. You go to the ER a lot. Perhaps your parents just think you’re crying wolf. If the pain is totally unbearable, convince them to take you to the ER. If they refuse, call 911 and have an ambulance pick you up. But make sure it’s really necessary.

If someone is really accident-prone, there’s something going on there.

Do you have a school nurse that you can see?

How are you so clumsy and a hockey player? I was beat while growing up and it caused a lot more problems for me to overcome than just a few brusies. You either, A. Have something going on that you are not sharing or B. Not telling the truth.
Either way if you are seeking advice then you need to let the collective know the full story. One does not crack a rib from putting thier trumpet down. Not even from a snap. Also, unless you are about 50” tall you hitting a rib on a counter top does not sound all that possible. Whatever it is, I hope you find yourself feeling better soon. If you are having problems with your father or mother hitting you and would not like to share it with the forum then please feel free to privately message me on here. I’d be glad to share some stories with you.

To self trea or home treat that type of injury you should take a pain reliever such as Tylenol, and go to bed and stay there. I can’t imagine how you could be typing on the computer with a broken rib, so it is probably just a bad bruise.

@Sheriff_fan are you attention seeking in general?
you’re wasting your relationships if you are.

by the way, i don’t care what your answer is, but you should.

Um, @Sheriff_fan You said, ”)I’ve gone maybe like 4 or 5 times….this year.“_….Today is only January 5th of the year 2010.

Well, as they all said, not much you can do about a bruised or cracked rib. But, I hope you’ve learned a lesson about crying wolf.

you’re overreacting.

I would suggest that you see if your parents will make a doctor’s appointment for you. The doctor can then determine what may be causing your pain. Leave the emergency room for folks who have real emergencies, like my husband who recently developed a potassium level of 7.9 (normal is 3.5–5.0).

Here is some information on bruised or cracked ribs.

@Darwin Great Answer.

Are you bipolar or ADD? You seem to be a little high strung?

@Darwin If I may….what was wrong with your husband? And what kind of symptoms was he displaying and what causes that??

@Val123 The most common cause of hyperkalemia or high potassium is acute or chronic kidney failure (or skipping one’s dialysis appointment). There are typically no specific symptoms of hyperkalemia, which is what makes it so dangerous, because really high potassium levels are lethal. Sometimes people have symptoms associated with the disease process that leads to the hyperkalemia (like they stopped peeing and notice that, or sleepiness due to uremia), but often times not.

@shilolo Oh…thank you.

@Val123 and @shilolo – His problem was that because of his gastroparesis, his refusal to go to physical therapy, and his poor appetite, he managed to develop an intestinal obstruction. Being a former football player, ex-military, and ex-law enforcement, he didn’t tell me. As a result, in spite of dialysis, potassium was being re-absorbed from his intestinal contents.

He doesn’t pee any longer, so the sign I had to go by was muscle weakness and shortness of breath. And I still had to argue with him about going to the ER. Once there, though, they jumped him to the head of the line, pronounced him to be sick, and started an IV in the waiting room.

At first they were afraid he might need surgery but the obstruction turned out not to be attached. The solution was several extra bouts of dialysis, several enemas, and lots of laxatives, plus a good talking-to. I now also make him take his dose of Colace (he better let me know how things are going so I can stop it if I need to) and I am sneaking extra fiber into the little liquid he is allowed to drink.

Unlike some of his fellow patients, he never misses dialysis because I take him, and I am now larger that he is and more determined.

@Darwin Did it scare him enough that he’ll listen to you from now on?

I hope so. I doubt it.

Alright. So my mum took me to my doctor yesterday. Thankfully she says it’s mostly just on the cartilage and not really on the bone. She said we can get x-rays, but it wouldn’t be much help. Plus, I’ve already had 4 CTs LAST year (that is what I meant to say earlier. I forgot that it was the new year lol) and i don’t need more radiation. especially unneeded radiation. So, I told her some sites said to tape it and some said no, but she said she never heard of that, so she told me to tape it to act as a sling. So thanks for all your help.

Glad you came back to tell us how it worked out. I’d noticed you hadn’t been here in several days and was wondering. I hope you’re feeling better.

@Sheriff_fan

> Thankfully she says it’s mostly just on the cartilage and not really on the bone.

What is? What’s mostly just on the cartilage?

@Jeruba Yeah…I can’t imagine cartilage hurting!

That stuff that keeps your nose from falling off you face is mainly cartilage. A broken nose does hurt, a lot.

@gailcalled I know that, but (I’m thinking) it isn’t actually the cartilage that is hurting, just like it isn’t actually the bone that’s hurting when you break a bone. It’s everything around it. You can’t bruise cartilage, so we’re just trying to figure out the the OP is saying.

@Val123 Broken bones are painful in their own right, and not just because of ancillary injuries. For example, stress fractures or tiny fractures associated with twisting injuries hurt a lot, and are typically without associated muscle or tendon trauma.

@shilolo So do bones have nerve endings? I just assumed they didn’t.
Anyway, do you understand what the OP is saying about “mostly just on the cartilage”