blow to heart

[ethan2]

hi
i'm in a remote area of nicaragua. i was attacked. while on the ground and the attacker jumped up and landed on my left pectoral full force.
i am 61 years old. 5'8". 150 lb. the attacker was 28. 170 lbs.
i am having very shallow breathing. very difficult to lift anything, pain on left side while breathing. pain in middle chest when lying down.
pain in back and in the neck left side.
sharp pain when sneezing, hiccup, and cough.
i think my rib is broken but i am more concerned about possible damage to my heart.
advice/ and recommendation for this type of problem - the best test mri, cat scan, echocardiogram, ekg ???  
thanks in advance

[itdood]

I had broken ribs once.  Hard to breath.  It took about 6 months to get back to 100%.

But like everyone else said, see your doc.  We can't order tests for you!

[ireneo]

Seeing a doctor ASAP is most important right now. Yes, you could have a broken rib. But there could be some bruising to the heart as well. Only the doctor/hospital has the equipment to check for those things. Take care.

[CFS56]

From what I know about blows to the chest/heart, the danger is if the blow is timed exactly right it can actually cause your heart to stop beating.  That didn't happen so I would definitely be more concerned with the difficulty breathing and the rib injury.

[CFS56]

I am not a doctor so I can not advise you as to what tests you need but you need to be seen by an emergency dept asap.  With the difficulty breathing my first concern would be a broken rib puncturing your lung.