Doctor Questions Flu

How long does take for rib pain to go away?

I'm feeling unwell with the flu. Had a very bad cough, which gave me sharp pains in the front and back of ribs. I've never felt pain like it before. The doctors said it could be pleurisy. Throughout the night, I woke up with a really bad cough and unbelievable pain in my ribs. I couldn't breathe in. I went to the clinic, they did blood work and put me on antibiotics and a string of painkiller. Cough only had gotten slightly better, but pain in my ribs is still there.

Female | 49 years old
Complaint duration: 18 nov
Medications: Clarithromycin 500mg a day 30/500 pain killers & ibuprofen
Conditions: None

1 Answer

Severe repetitive coughing can cause intercostal muscle tears and sometimes a fractured rib/s, pleuritis with splinting so have a chest x-ray to have a look at what might be the cause if any.