Can An Air Bubble In Chest Feel Like A Broken Rib?

I am 57 years old and recently recovered from Bronchitis. I think I broke a few ribs coughing. Today I sneezed and something popped on my left side where I thought I had a broken rib. It hurt so bad that I ran to the local doc and he did a chest Xray. He showed me that there was an air bubble in that spot that hurt, but that didn t mean I didn t have any broken ribs, because the Xray in his office don t show the details in rib fractures unless they were really severe. He wanted to put me in the hospital, but I didn t go. I thought that maybe I could move around more and maybe loosen the bubble where it would move on. I am in extreme pain, but he gave me some pain meds for now. He mentioned some syndrome that he thought I might have because of the transition time of my bowels. I have a slight redundant bowel and was just diagnosed with Lympocitic (S) Colitis. I m going to see my gastroenterologist on Tuesday and will bring with me the Xrays I had taken today that show the air bubble. Do you think I made a mistake on waiting? I also have a low grade fever. Can an air bubble feel like a broken rib?? Thanks for any help, Patricia