I haven’t really written about this in any great depth - although I have mentioned it. Given that I’ve been off work today, and have an appointment at the Doctor’s first thing tomorrow, I thought it might be worth telling the tale.
One evening last week while cycling home from work, I was busy fiddling with my backpack, adjusting my helmet, and doing all the other things you tend to do in the first couple of hundred yards after starting out. While displaying a colossal lack of talent while not looking where I was going, I managed to ride into the gutter at the side of the road, at the perfect place where cars have dug a trench in the gutter. The laws of physics were not on my side - to stay upright on the bike, it had to be out of the gutter, and wasn’t about to leave it. Hello ground. At speed.
In the split second where everything unravelled, I thought about the collar bone and shoulder I damaged years ago - and did everything I could to protect it as I slammed into the ground. No crunch sound. No snapping sensations… I got up off the floor, picked the bike up, and although winded, appeared to be fine. It was only after getting up the next morning that I realised something might be wrong, but put it down to bruising.
Over the next few days, the pain didn’t go away - it got worse; culminating in yesterday morning’s trip to work. I’m guessing I slept on the broken rib (or ribs - I have no idea) strangely, and aggravated the injury. Enough to cause me to call W, to pick me up.
Today I have been sat at home, trying to do as little as possible. If I sit still, all is well. If I put stress on the left side of my body in any way, the pain returns. It’s amazing how many innocuous movements cause your ribs to become involved… crouching down, lifting your arm, pushing a door, pulling things…
So. Given that I’ve been carrying on regardless, and it’s been getting worse, I called the doctor first thing this morning, and managed to get an appointment first thing tomorrow morning. I imagine he’ll check for all the obvious things like a punctured lung, and then subscribe me pain killers (or tell me to go buy some over the counter drugs, and take it easy).
We shall see!