Has anyone had a ruptured spleen? Or just a bad ribcage injury? Can you tell me the symptoms? Last week I fell and hit the edge of my dresser with the lower left side of my back. I had immediate and pretty severe pain, and I also had some pain on the front of my ribcage (about where my spleen is located). Though the pain was intense, it got better each day for a week and I was regaining range of motion. I made the mistake of exercising at the gym yesterday and maybe it was too soon, because today I'm in pain again. I didn't do any intense workout, just biked, but still. Then today I sneezed and now the pain is pretty severe again. I think tomorrow I'll have to get an Xray to see what I'm dealing with but in the meantime I've been reading online and that's a dangerous thing. I've been reading about ruptured spleen and how easy it is to do that, so I'd just like to hear from some who have experienced either a rib cage injury or a ruptured spleen. What does each feel like, and how do I tell the difference? And how long do said injuries take to heal?
Rib Cage Injury - Ruptured Spleen?
- Thread starter reneerox
- Start date
Hi Botanica13. I had a ruptured spleen back in Feb 2009. The really bizzare thing is that I did not injure myself before hand. I was just sitting in a chair getting ready to watch a movie when I started feeling pain in my right side and in my stomach area. I got up and walked around a bit and then tried to lie down for a few minutes. The pain intensified when I tried to lie down. I thought maybe I was having a heart attack. I told my husband to call 911 - I just knew something weird was going on. In the ambulance they treated me for a heart attack - but once I got to the ER - the EKG was normal etc. I was taken to X-ray 6 times before they discovered my spleen was ruptured. In the meantime I was bleeding out and my blood pressure was 64/40. I was rushed to the operating room and by the grace of God, I am here today after 6 pints of blood were put back into my body. (Thanks to all who donate blood!!)
I had been having blood count problems for over a year before this happened. As spleens don't normally rupture without some kind of injury - the only thing I can think of was injuring the spleen while boogie-boarding months before. I think I had a slow leak in the spleen for about a year. That's my opinion. Docs say it "is possible". Anyway - now I am dealing with high platelets because my spleen has been removed. Even though you don't need a spleen. At 53 years of age - I guess I have to hang up my boogie board!!! Hope you have had your x-ray by now. Let me know how you make out! Anyone out there dealing with high platelets. Mine are 1327. I am supposed to start hydroxearu (sp?) today. Any info on side effects would be appreciated!!!
I had been having blood count problems for over a year before this happened. As spleens don't normally rupture without some kind of injury - the only thing I can think of was injuring the spleen while boogie-boarding months before. I think I had a slow leak in the spleen for about a year. That's my opinion. Docs say it "is possible". Anyway - now I am dealing with high platelets because my spleen has been removed. Even though you don't need a spleen. At 53 years of age - I guess I have to hang up my boogie board!!! Hope you have had your x-ray by now. Let me know how you make out! Anyone out there dealing with high platelets. Mine are 1327. I am supposed to start hydroxearu (sp?) today. Any info on side effects would be appreciated!!!just based upon your description,it would be much more 'likely" just given where our organs are normally located that you just could have actually hit you L kidney and not so much the spleen? the spleen is more to the front of our body while that kidney just IS located in our back. and usually with most people and their overall understanding of its location, its much higher than most people think. see if you can at least track down a full anatomical look somewhere at just where the kidneys are actually located in comparrison to where that 'hit" is located. i just think the chances are much higher that the kidney may have possibly been 'bruised" than any real impact getting to that spleen in the anterior ya know what i mean?
this could also just be a bruised lower back ribcage too. i would really just see your primary doc about this to ensure that everything is okay in there. you just never really know whats up inside til you get things evaled. he could possibly send you for at least a CT(or MRI, but more spendy) since the organs generally just do not show real well upon plain x rays. if there is ANY level of actual bleed anywhere, it would be picked up upon a CT scan. do you have any pain in that back area when urinating at all? can you actually see the bruising from the hit on the outside? what about pain upon palpation,light pressing of the front area where you stated you are feeling that pain as well? anything? what about when pressing into the back area too?
anything that would be possible to have going on in there right now would depend much more on just what you actually hit and how hard it pushed in to your body. thank god it was not the corner, i do think THAT could have been much much worse considering. right now you just really need to do the better safe than sorry type thing. it could just be a bruising to the back ribcage or could involve much more ya know? but getting to your doc as soon as you can at this point really is kind of important. hopefully its nothing serious, but things DO need to be evaled just to find that out right now. good luck and please keep us posted botanica. FB
this could also just be a bruised lower back ribcage too. i would really just see your primary doc about this to ensure that everything is okay in there. you just never really know whats up inside til you get things evaled. he could possibly send you for at least a CT(or MRI, but more spendy) since the organs generally just do not show real well upon plain x rays. if there is ANY level of actual bleed anywhere, it would be picked up upon a CT scan. do you have any pain in that back area when urinating at all? can you actually see the bruising from the hit on the outside? what about pain upon palpation,light pressing of the front area where you stated you are feeling that pain as well? anything? what about when pressing into the back area too?
anything that would be possible to have going on in there right now would depend much more on just what you actually hit and how hard it pushed in to your body. thank god it was not the corner, i do think THAT could have been much much worse considering. right now you just really need to do the better safe than sorry type thing. it could just be a bruising to the back ribcage or could involve much more ya know? but getting to your doc as soon as you can at this point really is kind of important. hopefully its nothing serious, but things DO need to be evaled just to find that out right now. good luck and please keep us posted botanica. FB
I have this friend that works with me and he had issues similar as yours.
He got diagnosed with ruptured spleen and he had to be operated. Spleen problems can be very dangerous if they are not diagnosed on time. One of my brothers had alcohol problem and his spleen was all bad. He ended up in the hospital, and thank to God he is doing good now.
Am am wondering if my friend heals good now, what are the possibilities for him to capture some form of spleen disease, like mono or something? Thanks
He got diagnosed with ruptured spleen and he had to be operated. Spleen problems can be very dangerous if they are not diagnosed on time. One of my brothers had alcohol problem and his spleen was all bad. He ended up in the hospital, and thank to God he is doing good now.
Am am wondering if my friend heals good now, what are the possibilities for him to capture some form of spleen disease, like mono or something? Thanks