Louis! I am so sorry to hear this! It sounds just awful. Please take care of yourself and heal quickly! Oh, and, stay off the ice!

For the last decade I found that I had lost my feeling of invulnerability when getting on the bike - and for me, this thread goes some way toward invoking more caution for my other taken-for-granted simple acts of movement. I'm sorry to hear of the extent of your injuries, Louis - I hope the bones/cracks knit well and you can start your training up soon.

Mortality hurts! Just remember that "when the going gets tough-the tough do drugs"! Hope your soon good to go.

I think you need a little feline therapy.

I have had broken ribs and they are not fun. I have managed to avoid fractured vertebrae so far. I hope that you heal well and soon.

Pat

We're all invulnerable, until we're not.

Get well soon, Louis. Treasure that down time to read (maybe even about cycling), watch those movies you've heard and thought about . . . carry on until it all gets better.

Ice takes you down so fast. One minute you are upright, nanosecond later, you're wondering what the heck just happened. Heal fast Louis.

You reminded me I haven't had a fall yet this winter. Now I'm almost afraid to go outside.

The bike will be waiting and riding is supposed to be Fun, right? So, give your body plenty of time to heal and rehab.

Whoa!

Louis, that is not good news! Here's wishing to you a speedy and painless recovery.

Get well soon Louis! And indeed, let's all "be careful out there."

Well said and a silver lining to this gray cloud. I have stacks of VCR tapes dating back to the 1980's that I keep for such a "down time."

Wow - so sorry for your accident, and glad it wasn't much worse (could have been a head/neck injury). Hope you heal soon. Yes, these injuries are a shock when we still feel 29, but they can happen at any age.

Louis, I'm so sorry to hear about your fall. I know it is so easy to do and so hard to get over. Please take care of yourself and get well soon. Hope you and yours have a Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year.

*%#& Gravity!

Here's hoping you're feeling 100% soon.

Thanks for the well wishes, everyone.

Lucky for me, my wife has been helping me with things like dressing and undressing, showering, etc., etc. The pain medication is working slightly...but the buzz is wonnnnderfull.

The folks at the hospital told me to be sure to cough and breathe deeply as often as possible to ward off any lung infection, collapse lungs, or pneumonia which they seemed to be quite concerned about. I think my 'bicyclists lungs' are to my advantage in that regard.

It's nice to have so many BF friends. Thanks.

Louis

Maybe you should consider moving... To Phoenix. No ice there.

No ice here in Phx, but I've still managed to break ribs twice: once rattan sword-fighting with someone younger and faster, and once from a fall on the bike. I almost couldn't read your post!

I hope you heal quickly.

Get well soon!

Louis - Sorry to hear about this. Broke a rib once playing football as a child - few things hurt more than that.

Kick his butt, L.

Ouch! Heal quickly. You need to be ready for another ride on the towpath next year!
Maybe you could invest in some of this for the future

Ouch! Sorry to hear about your fall Louis. Hope you heal quickly and completely sir! Gotta see you on a ride in 6 months or so, so rest up and heal up!

The nicest present my wife ever gave me was after I fell (off a soccer ball) and needed my leg screwed back together. She decided that since I couldn't ride (or walk) for a few months that I shouldn't eat more than I was burning. Not adding the twenty pounds that I would have added had I eaten "normally" really helped speed my return to hiking and biking.

I hope you have a speedy recovery.

Our gentleman friend also called you out Kurt. Next summer's ride should be interesting.

"I plan on riding again with Allegheny Jet and Kerlenbach, but this time crushing their souls on the climbs.

Then it's off to New York to play second base for the Yankees.

Next up...at 5'6'' I'll play center for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Finally, I'll become an Astronaut.

Yeah that's the ticket." - Louis

Heal well, and soon.

What a bummer Louis! I feel so bad for you.

When I was 8 months pregnant a common cold turned into pneumonia. I ended up injuring my ribcage from the constant cough.

"The folks at the hospital told me to be sure to cough and breathe deeply as often as possible to ward off any lung infection, collapse lungs, or pneumonia which they seemed to be quite concerned about. I think my 'bicyclists lungs' are to my advantage in that regard"

^ That makes me think that even a common head cold could become a bigger problem. You may want to start taking loads of Vitamin C, and Cold-Eeze zinc supplements daily, as a prevention.

Best wishes for a complete recovery!