Chest Pain

[frogieartist]

To start off with, I have copd and asthma and use a nebulizer and am on oxygen 24/7. I caught a cold bug about a week ago that caused me to do a lot of coughing. It was during one of these "spells" that I started getting a chest pain on the left side, . . . feels like a rib is pulled or bruised. I felt it happen, something gave or pushed out on my back side but pain travels all around to the front just below breast, but not to middle of chest. I'm already short of breath, so I can't tell if my symptons stay the same. It hurts a lot to cough - feels like something is going to tear loose from the inside. I do get a little relief with binding this area like a sprained ankle. I can take 2 Aleve and in 15 minutes, feel no pain unless I lean back. I know I need to go to ER, but have to wait on husband to get home from work. As much as this hurts, I don't feel it is life threatening - just yet. Any ideas as to what is going on here? Quick responses are going to be most beneficial.
THANKS SO MUCH ! ! ! ! ! !

[Davy9]

It could be as simple as a muscle pull/tear or as serious as a strained costal ligament or a rib fracture on the one side. If you take oral steroids they make the bones prone to fractures. It is late now so I expect that you've gone to the ER. Tell us what you learned.