So I’ve been physically weakened for the entire month of September and I finally put the pieces of the puzzle together (thanks to my girlfriend, who is so good with diagnosing people that she really out to be some sort of Professional Diagnoser). I had gotten a bruised rib when I fell square on my back while crowdsurfing during Anberlin’s set at Baybeats.

The sensation was identical to what had happened when I fell off the stage at DXO at Deafcon 6 (or was it 7?)- your consciousness suddenly heightens, all the wind gets knocked out of you, and you become very aware of your heartbeat and breathing immediately after. It doesn’t hurt much at the point of the fall, although your sudden internal focus makes you tune out a little bit from the world around you (it’s kind of the opposite of getting high on pot, where you lose your internal focus and tune IN to the world around you). It’s a very interesting experience (both of them.)

The last time it happened, I was sore in my back, lower back and neck (which I had also hurt) for at least a month, but I was generally okay. This time though, things were a lot more interesting. I hadn’t been sleeping or eating properly, so my immune system was significantly weakened. As a result, I got moderate pnuemonia and a lung infection- both of which are actually fairly common consequences of bruising one’s ribs. Right smack in the middle of my A Level Prelims. Joy!

So I don’t actually have lung cancer or clogged up arteries or anything; the annoying and nagging discomfort and pain I feel everything I move or breathe is the result of a bruised rib. I objectively pressed and probed at them and realise that it’s the third rib on the left that’s giving me the bulk of the pain.