Ye Olde Inn

Anyone have any idea why a fist-sized piece of my ribcage would break off and disappear leaving nothing behind but a gap?

Physically? You are on drugs

Metaphorically? Bitch!

I'd go to my nearest hospital for an x-ray, to find it, rather than it puncture something important.

Had a CT scan. The technicians told me not to worry about the missing rib, because they couldn't find it inside my abdomen. I don't have insurance, so they told me to then leave because I wasnt' dying.

This sounded so strange I didn't know if you were joking or something
How did you discover it was missing in the first place?

The front left portion of my ribs has always protruded a bit further than on my right. On the 24th I felt a felt sort of pressure in my chest, but couldn't figure out what had happened. A day later, I noticed that the larger portion had just vanished, leaving the extra skin that had grown over it empty like a balloon, and that when I felt my ribs, there was a gap.

... Odd to say the least. Hope you don't have problems in the future. If it's any consolation my ribs don't seem to be solid like the rest of my bones. I can compress my ribs and they bend inwards. Just don't let it bother you and you'll be fine, we hope.

IvenBach wrote:If it's any consolation my ribs don't seem to be solid like the rest of my bones. I can compress my ribs and they bend inwards.

That shouldn't be a consolation, because it's normal. It's the purpose of the ribcage to be flexible. For that thing... whatsitsname... breathing. Inward, outward, inward, outward. And for protection of the inner organs. If the ribcage was solid, it would break under a ridiculous amount of pressure. The ribs are attached to cartilage so that they can bend inwards.

This whole story reminds me of Big Bene's skeleton sculpting, but less healthy. It sounds as if you broke your rib and it sticks inward so you can't feel it, but I'm no physician I ain't, and the CT should have ascertained any given problem.

chaoticprime wrote:I don't have insurance

Man I hope the US will remedy that soon. Here we're obligated to have health insurance. Yes, it's expensive, but wow, if you ever really need it...

I think it was this: http://www.annalsthoracicsurgery.org/ar ... 8-9/images

Also, it was actually on the costal cartilage, not the actual ribs.