I'm 8.5 weeks pregnant & have been extremely sick, which has resulted in me pulling rib muscles from throwing up so much. I was in the ER Friday & they said the pain was from the muscle separating from the rib bone and there isn't much I can do. I am still in horrible, horrible pain and a heating pad/Tylenol isn't helping all that much. I'm going to call my OB in the morning but anyone have any tips in the meantime?
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This happened to me, I was not pregnant though so I was on a high dose of ibuprofen (800 mg). It took months to feel normal again
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@lilyann: I was afraid of that. They told me 6 weeks. I can't imagine being in pain that long though! Tylenol does nothing.
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I'd look up some gentle trunk rotation stretches from the web. Maybe some where you are on your hands and knees as this is a fairly comfortable position when pregnant. Also focus on deep breathing
Rib injuries hurt a lot. But you also want to make sure the ribs are still moving ok which helps speed healing time. A lot of time is an intercostal muscle sprain (muscles between ribs) or back towards the spine at the facet where the rib meeets the spine. If that facet sort of shifts a tiny bit it can cause searing pain which wraps around your whole trunk. Throwing up or violently coughing can cause this. Gently mobilizing that region with the above stretches can help (although fair warning, the stretches will be uncomfortable) -
My midwife said there are times in pregnancy when motrin is ok, so maybe ask if you're in the clear? So much more useful than tylenol. And a warm bath with multiple cups of Epsom salts in it. Also remember to practice deep breathing even if it hurts. Lungs that don't get expanded enough because of pain get sick.
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