I had a long sleep this night, but that wasn’t enough to make me feel whole. I hobbled to breakfast at Omar’s to do my e-mail (my wonderful Wi-Fi extender antenna had been ripped off during passage, so I have no internet aboard the boat) and meet Malcolm. We then drove to get a rental car for me, as Soper’s Hole is at the far end of Tortola and there are few facilities here. Then I drove carefully into town. The traffic was bad, there were two cruise ships at the docks and I spent close to half hour looking for a parking space that was within walking distance of the clinic. Once in the clinic I told them of my problem and was assigned to visit Dr. Buring, a Swedish expatriate doctor.
After a brief wait I went in for my consultation. After questioning and examination he determined that my back had bruising and contusions from the fall, but that nothing was broken. The pain, while acute, would go away as the sacral lumbar tissue healed. I did get a lumbar brace which is a godsend, as it allows me to move without the fear that some twinge from my back will have me fall to the ground. I got an injection of Voltaren, prescription for NSAIDs and painkillers and off I went.
While I have to rest initially, the prognosis is good and I scheduled a follow-up appointment for this coming Saturday. The biggest part for me was relief that it was nothing major which would require surgery. The rib bruising is going away and I can take deep breaths now and hardly notice the rib – another good sign.