May 23: The Rib Injury Reality Check — 18 Days Post-Wipeout

Today is May 23rd.

It’s been 18 days—almost 3 weeks—since I slammed my chest on May 5th and got diagnosed with a cracked rib on the 6th.

To be completely honest, I totally underestimated it at first.

I was like,

"Eh, it’s just a cracked rib. I’ll be back on the water in a week."

Boy, was I wrong.

The pain just wouldn’t go away.

Daily life is manageable, but twisting my body, taking deep breaths, rolling over in bed, or putting any muscle into a movement—basically every little thing—gives me this weird discomfort or a sharp sting.

Hitting the ocean wasn’t even a question.

Up until about 2 or 3 days ago, there was literally zero progress.

I was starting to get kinda anxious, thinking,

"Wait, is this thing actually gonna heal...?"

---

Half-Hearted Hope at the Doctor

I’ve been to the doctor twice now.

During my checkup, they told me:

"Just hold on a little longer. One day, it’ll suddenly start feeling way better out of nowhere."

Honestly, I was super skeptical.

Does it really change that fast?

But then yesterday, something weird happened.

Things actually started turning around.

Don’t get me wrong. It still hurts.

I’m definitely not 100% healed.

But there are moments now where I’m like,

"Wait... it definitely feels noticeably lighter today."

Of course, if I push my luck right now, I could easily relapse, so I can’t let my guard down.

Still, if it keeps going like this, I might be able to start moving around a bit by next week.

Finally, a little light at the end of the tunnel.

---

A Hard Lesson on Safety Gear

This injury really made me realize one major thing:

Safety gear is NOT a joke. It actually does its job.

On that day, I slammed my chest straight into the board.

On top of that, I usually wore my life jacket riding a bit high up on my torso.

I guess I was prioritizing comfort and staying cool over actual safety.

But looking at where I got hurt, if I had just worn it properly so it covered my ribs, the outcome might’ve been totally different.

Maybe it’s just hindsight.

But at the very least, I learned the hard way that gear actually matters.

The same goes for helmets.

The same goes for long sleeves.

As it gets hotter, it’s so easy to get lazy and think,

"Eh, I’ll pass today,"

or,

"It’s too much of a hassle."

But being stubborn over a minor inconvenience and then being sidelined for nearly 3 weeks with zero action?

That sucks way more.

---

The Ocean Doesn’t Give You a Second Chance

The ocean is amazing.

But since we’re playing with Mother Nature, you can never get too cocky.

Even if you think you’re fine, accidents happen in a split second.

And by then, it’s too late to regret it.

This downtime really forced me to sit back and re-evaluate all of that.

---

Next Time, Safety First

This isn’t a practice log.

But since it’s been a minute since my last post, I wanted to write this down for the record.

Next time I hit the water, I’m playing it smart.

I want to be able to enjoy this sport for a long, long time.

Safety first.

Time to step it up again, bit by bit.