DonkeyShow

Were you at least wearing a helmet and shirt when you crashed?

Don't forget the sunscreen.

rosefarts

You can add a plate and screws to ribs, just like other bones.

The times I’ve seen this, the patient was really messed up. Intubated, chest tubes, massive trauma. Flail chest is no joke you know.

That reminds me of the time I saw a magician in Mexico. He said Uno, dos, and vanished without a tres.

Anyway, if you’re well enough to spout nonsense about the tetanus vaccine, then you’re well enough that you don’t need surgery to fix your ribs.

3alarmer

...you can strap them up, like with a tightly wrapped long ace elastic bandage. But it doesn't sound like yours is the sort of injury that would be helped by this.
I guess if none of your various cuts and scrapes are not infected at this point in time, you dodged that bullet.

As for the rest of what you're saying about your medical care experience, medical professionals can only offer opinion and advice.

What you actually do about your injuries is up to you. Even ribs that are only bruised can take a while to stop hurting with certain movements. There are a whole bunch of muscle and cartilage thingies that support the ribs, and connect them to your spine in back, so you can breathe and move freely. When you damage or compress that stuff, it doesn't always rebound like a rubber ball.

Sorry about your medical insurance situation. That a bad deal.

LarrySellerz

Yeah thats what I'm thinking. I literally could barely walk right after the injury but I still managed to ride like 3 miles into work after the crash so it couldn't have been that bad.

veganbikes

Every single doctor on the planet is out to get you and lie to you. I read on the back of a Papa Johns pizza box written in grease that doctors are actually paid by Ronald McDonald to slowly kill you with explosive nanoviruses that Big League Chew and Wesson Canola Oil created in their secret labs in Yuma, Arizona.

You
Unexpectedly
Might
Asplode

Seriously folks listen to your doctors, I am sure there are some bad ones out there, that is like saying some cars that don't have 4 doors. However most medical professionals are out to actually help you and make you better. You may not want to listen to them because sometimes they tell you things to improve your life you just aren't ready for but I can assure you most vaccines are quite important. My mother wouldn't have been my mother if there wasn't a Polio Vaccine (she had Polio as a child). I get it I dislike needles a lot but needles are way better than tetanus and for someone who is likely to get it such as the OP getting the vaccine is quite important. When you decide without listening to reason and medical facts to risk your life you can actually put a burden on everyone else and there is just no need for that. If you want to live as a hermit and never go out anywhere and interact with anyone then do what you please but if you are going to be a part of society do your part and not overburden the system because you couldn't be bothered to actually do something that could save your life.

Yes there are parts of medicine that aren't great especially some of the elective cosmetics and some of the drugs on the market but vaccines are different and an important part of our lives so we can continue cycling and enjoying life.

tomato coupe

I encountered the same thing when my arm was severed in an industrial accident. The doc wanted me to go to the hospital, and he keep ignoring my suggestion to just glue it back on. Incompetent and definitely soft.

veganbikes

Probably were trying to use the wrong glue. You have to use hot glue in those situations to properly cauterize the wound.

tomato coupe

Thanks for that tip. I knew this was the right place for sound medical advice.

LarrySellerz

Its not that he asked me if I had the vaccine, its that I was sent to him because my hand was bleeding profusely and I had damaged ribs, and instead of doing a thorough digital assessment of my rib alignment etc he did nothing, and simply said he wasn't equip to deal with my hand. After he was done hemming and hawing over my back, I waddled over to his sink and started cleaning my hand because I supposed someone should deal with the actual injury. With that in mind, when he suggested again to get the vaccine I was rolling my eyes, like who is this guy? How am I supposed to trust a masked doctor who says he isn't equip to clean my hand and instead pushes medical products at me? Frankly it was embarrassing, still gave top marks to the occupational health in their little post survey thing, because like I said to the doctor I don't want anyone's job to be in jeopardy.

Reinjured myself 7 days ago when turning too quickly zigzag climbing my hill and had to put my foot down suddenly to catch myself. Very minor thing but it set my healing back like a week. Sucks because I was trying to be as careful as possible by just not engaging with the elevation via excessive zigging and zagging.

tomato coupe

You should probably just avoid doctors in the future. They clearly have nothing to offer you.

Carbonfiberboy 

"Broken ribs" come in 2 varieties, broken, like the ends don't line up anymore, and cracked, like still holding together, but damaged. Which of those two you have makes a very big difference. The broken kind you can easily displace in another accident and get pneumothorax, which is totally not good. My guess is that you have the cracked kind or you'd be in some very severe pain, but . . .

I've cracked ribs skiing and kept skiing, just with no poles and no falling and no problems. If it only hurts when you laugh or cough, it's the cracked kind. Otherwise, beware. The doc should have done an Xray. And you should have gotten the vaccine, though at a pharmacy, not the doctor's office, for which there is quite a charge. Though the chances of you getting an infection from road rash must be extremely rare as I and many of my buddies have had it and not been revaccinated. Though of course it matters how long it's been since you last had the vaccine.

3alarmer

...I know that it probably won't help telling you this, but reinjuries are the surest path to some sot of chronic injury. Chronic injury and pain tend to wear you down, over the course of your working career, if you work with your body like I did. But I guess dialing it back isn't in the cards for you, so good luck with it.

LarrySellerz

Nah I already have a messed up back, and want to heal up as best as possible. I was scared off the bike and took time off work after the reinjury last wednesday because I didn't want to risk riding.

GhostRider62

Primary Care Physicians don't fix, they write scripts for drugs or labs.

The ER would have printed some cash off the CT scanner and cleaned up your boo-boo's

DonkeyShow

If a thread ever needed pics...

indyfabz

Let's hope it doesn't take a raging case of sepsis to teach the OP. Something like heart surgery is really expansive. Ask me how I know.

shelbyfv

You should take some time and familiarize yourself with insurance related to the ACA. How long before your dad will want to retire? You should be prepared.

indyfabz

It can't.

seypat

Might as well pull out the coat hanger, stick it in the fire and do it the right way.

indyfabz

Don't give him any ideas.

seypat

Larry is in Cali, correct? He needs to move to Hollywood and get a job as a sitcom writer. Dude can produce some hilarious stuff! No need for a background laugh track. Michael Richards got nothing on Larry.

seypat

3alarmer

indyfabz

I’ll see your Monty Python and raise you one SNL:

seypat

Let's see what the ages of the BF members are. Who remembers this classic?