Could My Ribs Be Broken After A Whole Year?

Posted on March 24th, 2011 by Roy Shaw

Hello Everyone,

Back and Rib pain

This week I got a letter from a person who injured their back and ribs after they were thrown from their horse. They were seen by a Chiropractor but sounds as if they were never given an xray or diagnosed with broken ribs by xray, just a hunch. She asks, “can my ribs still be broken after a year and if not, what could be causing my pain to come back from time to time?”

Though I’m not a doctor and surely wouldn’t want to diagnose this, I will share some of my thoughts from a paramedics viewpoint.
The possibility that one or more of your ribs were broken is very likely, especially because it only takes a relatively small amount of pounds per square inch of pressure to fracture a rib.

You may have strained the intercostal muscles and even irritated some of the many nerves that run along the ribs.  All of which could cause a great deal of discomfort and when that effected rib is pushed on, twisted or bumped again, it could even cause a re-injury of the same fracture point or muscle or cartilage.
Sometimes it turns out worse when we don’t get a good solid diagnosis from a doctor, because we can only guess what could be causing the pain and discomfort. Others may think we’re not really injured and insist on regular activities that could re-injure or aggravate the same injury.

If after a year, you are still feeling pain, pops, “crunchy” sounds on certain movements, I would strongly suggest that you get into your family doctor and let them know when this happened(how long ago),  how it happened, how you were treated after it happened, any times where you may have twisted funny, landed wrong or re-bumped or re-injured the same painful area. I would imagine that they may want to take a series of xrays to get to the bottom of what’s causing the discomfort or pain.
I do think you’re justified in wanting to be seen. Pain is the way our bodies help us understand that something is not right and we should pay attention to it.

I hope this helps and I hope you get back to your normal functions without pain very soon!

Best Wishes,

Roy, RoyOnRescue.com
royonrescue@gmail.com

Tags: back pain, broken ribs, fall off horse with rib pain, fall with broken ribs, how long for ribs to heal, hurts when I breath, intercostal pain, painful ribs for over a year, rib pain, should I get an xray

Allergic Reaction and No Epi Pen!

Posted on March 8th, 2011 by Roy Shaw

I received another email from a person asking: “What are basic first aid measures for a serious allergic reaction if there is no epi pen available? I watched your training video in your library at ProFirstAid.com but I can’t seem to find an answer.”

Thanks for your answer,
C

Thanks for the question C. I thought this was a good question and a situation which no one wants to find themselves. So I decided to reply back and include it into the RoyOnRescue.com blog response. I hope it helps.

Here’s my reply:

Dear C,

Other than immediately calling EMS/911, if at all possible, let the person rest in position of comfort.
Some of the things that are indicated for first aid providers are:

1. Watch for signs and symptoms of severe allergic reactions like difficulty breathing, itching, hives, swelling, sore throat, anxiety.

2. Remove victim from anything that would aggravate or worsen the symptoms.

3. Give supportive care like rescue breathing, CPR, shock treatment etc when indicated.

4. If at all possible, identify what it is that gave the person their serious allergic reaction and avoid any further exposure to it.

This is not a prescription but simply something that I would do. I always like to have liquid diphenhydramine(Benadryl like antihistimine) on hand that can be taken as prescribed on the container or per doctors order. If I did not have a prescription for a “rescue inhaler” like albuterol or didn’t have an allergy response kit prescribed and filled from my doctor I would really emphasize doing so, and then keeping it up to date as the epi pen and other medications could expire and be useless.

Remember, recognizing the early signs of an allergic reaction and activating EMS/911 as soon as possible is critical. Time is of the essence. Oh! And if you think you may have an allergy, or have ever had a severe allergic reaction, you should be sure to contact your medical professional and get a filled prescription for an emergency allergic reaction kit, AKA: bee sting kit.

I hope this helps, and best wishes.

Roy

Liquid Antihistimine Benadryl

Tags: 911, airway, allergic reaction, allergic without epi pen, allergy, allergy emergency, antihistimines, Asthma, benadryl, Difficulty Breathing, diphenhydramine, EMS, no epi pen, severe allergic reaction, treatment for allergic reaction, what to do without an epi pen

Follow Up Comment to Chest Injuries and CPR

Posted on March 8th, 2011 by Roy Shaw

I received a question from a person who after watching the “Chest Injuries and CPR” video blog asked:

Dear Roy,
Reading your letter, I would agree if the injury is just soft tissue injury. However if a # is suspected, It would be dangerous to do CPR as the # might or will puncture the lungs and cause immediate death, if immediate intervention is not available.
Kindly comment.

Bent Steering Wheel From Drivers Body

Here is my response:

Hello,

Regarding your question about Chest Injuries and CPR. It’s important to make a distinguishing point whenever we talk about CPR. When a person is in need of CPR, it means that the person is in cardiac arrest. This is to say that they are unconscious, not moving, not breathing normally. If this is the case, they are presumably in cardiac arrest or in a state that justifies Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation.

If the person needs CPR, this means that they are clinically dead. If the victim does not receive CPR, they will simply graduate to permanent death otherwise known as biological death(permanent).

This is why, regardless of the chest injury, if the person is “dead” or in need of CPR, compressions are to be given per the American Heart Association guidelines even if the complications could include those of punctured lungs, lacerated organs, or bruised/punctured heart muscle. This would be based on the theory that a person in need of CPR is already dead and will not be harmed more even if there are negative side effects from providing chest compressions. If a person remains dead, surgery is not an option but if the person is resuscitated with CPR, and alive at the hospital, we have an opportunity to fix the injuries that may have been aggravated by doing CPR.
If however, the person is awake, is breathing normally and therefore does not appear to need CPR, it would be correct that chest compressions and CPR may complicate the already damaged chest and complicate the victims injuries. As soon as the victim becomes unconscious, is not breathing normally and now appears to need CPR, Emergency Services would be contacted and CPR would be initiated regardless of the injuries of the patient.

I appreciate the question and hope that this clarifies any confusion caused by the article. Please don’t hesitate to email me again if you would like to continue dialogue on this subject.

Best Wishes,

Roy Shaw, RoyOnRescue.com
royonrescue@gmail.com

Tags: Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation, chest injuries, CPR, follow up, royonrescue, should I do CPR if there's a chest injury

16 Year Old Dies Suddenly On Basketball Court!

Posted on March 4th, 2011 by Roy Shaw

In this episode, Roy talks about a terrible tragedy where a 16 year old athlete made the winning shot, was greeted by teammates on the basketball court and suddenly collapsed in sudden cardiac arrest. Later it is revealed that the young man had a not so un-common condition. Learn how to recognize symptoms surrounding this condition, how to respond to an emergency that arises from this condition and how to detect it before it may be too late.
Our hearts go out to the family and friends of this young man. May God bless and comfort them all.

RoyOnRescue Team
royonrescue@gmail.com

Tags: 16 year old basketball player dies, 16 year old cardiac arrest, 16 year old in fennville, aed, automated external defibrillation, basket ball player dies on court, boy dies of cardiac arrest, boy dies suddenly, cardio myopathy, defibrillation, died from cardio-myopathy, died from enlarged heart, enlarged heart, fennville basket ball player dies from cardiac arrest, fennville boy dies, how does an aed work?, ProCPR, procpr.org, ProFirstAid, ProFirstAid.com, roy, Roy Shaw, royonrescue, Sudden Cardiac Arrest, what is an aed

What’s an AED?

Posted on March 2nd, 2011 by Roy Shaw

In this episode of RoyOnRescue, I answer a question from a viewer who asked me to explain what an AED is. The area of cardiology is an extremely interesting subject and electrical therapies are really fun to explain but how to do it in a short amount of time? I thought I’d give it a try and explain how AED’s work and how they can help a heart beat normally again all in a fraction of the time I usually take to explain it. I hope it makes sense and sheds a bit of light on the life saving gift called an AED.

Be sure to keep the questions coming and send them to:
royonrescue@gmail.com

Best wishes and keep on rescuing!

Roy

Tags: about aed, aed, aed explanation, aed intro, aed training, how does an aed work?, ProCPR, ProFirstAid, what is an aed, what to do for head injury, what's an aed?