Ok guys, it's bragging time.

What sort of major ailments have you all overcame? Im talking big things here. No colds, flus, scrapes or anything like that. Im talking about cancer, hip replacements, broken femurs, comas, etc.

I had a Bone Marrow Transplant a little while back. Don't think it affected my cycling too bad.

spinal meningitis, age 14.

Nothing as serious as a bone marrow transplant, but I hurt my elbow late last summer, still have some mild problems with it. Worst pain I've ever experienced.

Knee replacement along with 5 other knee surgeries.

Don't get me started.

Broken collarbone, concussion - hit by a car while on a bike
Broken femur, foot, wrist, fubr'ed shin - hit by a car while on a motorcycle (that one took awhile)

a good few knee surgeries,
most recent is acl reconstruction (7 mths ago)
they confirmed a little wear/tear
hopefully a knee replacement will be very long ways away

I think the bone marrow transplant leads the league so far. I have a couple of friends who are 14 and nearly 20 years into theirs, both doing fine. Good luck with yours.
Best I can do is myasthenia gravis, diagnosed three years ago when i was 62. There's no cure, but luckily I've suffered mostly ocular symptoms so far (pronounced double vision). I can do pretty much anything I want, but cycling is hard because of the diplopia and lack of depth perception. More an annoyance than a worry so far. Worst part is a side effect of prednisone, an almost insatiable appetite. I can eat a normal, healthy breakfast at 7 a.m., and when I go by McDonald's at 7:45 I want to turn in and eat 11 Egg McMuffins...

L4 and L5 discectomy. Both discs were totally sequestrated. Permanent never damage. I have a 7 inch scar on my spine.

3 separated shoulders and 2 broken collarbones.

Canadian health care has been very good to me.

Cancer: at age 72. That was 5 years ago. Still riding 100 miles a week.
Spouse: Cancer at age 75. That was 7 years ago. She still rides almost 100 miles a week.
No chemo, no radiation.
Can't worry about it, we still got lotsa stuff to do!
Pedal on!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

Now that's inspiring. Keep it up!

I'm sure some of you have had it much worse than me. That said, at 41, I feel old. All my joints hurt, all the time.

Arthritis in my hands and fingers.
I've broken all of my fingers except my left thumb, most of my toes, and had some teeth knocked out (one of my front teeth is fake).
Damaged knees, meniscus problems (from skiing).
Busted up a foot real good, still short about 25% in flexibility in my right ankle.
Broke both hips the same time I busted my foot. The landing from a rock climbing fall was bad.
My right shoulder has dislocated several times (also rock climbing), and I have accompanying nerve damage in that shoulder.
Nerve damage in my hands and wrists from shooting way too many .45's over a 3 year period (well over 200k rounds).
And now I am recovering from surgery to repair an inguinal hernia.
Not to mention the face plant I did about 2 weeks ago on the hood of a car after a woman didn't see me at an intersection (she was at a stop sign, no traffic control devices for me in the direction I was riding), this resulted in the death of my Colnago MasterXLight frame, fork, and Campy shifters.

Last June 26th, I had surgery to repair the worst Hiatel Hernia my doctors had ever seen.

A Hiatel Hernia is when the contents of the stomach move into the chest cavity. I had all of my stomach, part of my colon and two feet of my small intestines crammed into the space my left lung is suppose to occupy. It was also pushing against my heart and giving me an irregular heart beat.

I road my bike in this condition for 2 years until I figured out that there was something wrong with me. I thought I was just in really bad shape and needed to work harder. Damm was I stupid.

On two occassions I had people jump out of their cars and run over to me where I was siting on my bike gasping for air and they asked me if I was having a heart attack.

The good news is that I have been riding again for a couple of months now and am much stronger and faster than before. Hills that use to max out heart rate don't even cause me to breath hard now. If feels great.

2000 A.D. - I had a Pituitary Gland tumor 3.5 centimeters, debulked transphenoidally. 3 years later it was back and I went thru 6 weeks or so of radiation.

Over the next 6 years all my glands shut down slowly, as my pituary gland had stopped working. Last year I almost died from adrenal gland failure. I had about a dozen episodes of low blood pressure and fainting. A couple times I passed out at really bad times, almost resulting in my demise. I'd go from feeling what was then normal to out in about 60 seconds. I thought it was low blood sugars so I was treating myself with juices which did no good, other than giving me something to throw up.

At the last hospital visit they determined I was an endocrinological wreck and set my up with an endocrinologist. He said I was the second worse patient he'd seen. He said I had severe hypo-thyroidism, severe adrenal insufficiency, and other problems.

After a number of new meds, I felt really good, (I'd been a zombie for several years) and began to do things again, like b-i-c-y-c-l-e. I ran out of one my my meds (HGH, yes HGH) due to a insurance co squabble, so I'm feeling OK not fan-frigging-tastic like I did last summer. I take pills and shots daily, just to get to a low level of normal.

All in all life is MUCH BETTER. I ride to work when I can, and ride a couple other times a week if time permits.

The prednisone will do that to ya. But hey, at least it killed all your inflammation for a while

Should I move this to 50+?

Plantar Faciitus in both feet, doesn't even compare to the people that over come cancer, bone marrow transplant, being hit by a car. However, I would not wish this on anyone, it is miserable.

That is great that you & your wife are kicking cancer's butt (figuratively). Both of you are amazing, riding 100 miles per week! Keep it up & good luck.

That is great that you & your wife are kicking cancer's butt (figuratively). Both of you are amazing, riding 100 miles per week! Keep it up & good luck.

Dang double post!

Fractured neck, back, both ankles, right leg, tore my gluteus maximum tendon, concussion (was hit by a car in Apr 09).

Is there a 70+ forum... preferably located somewhere near Miami Beach?

Then we could also complain about children who never visit.

Rotator Cuff in March 2008, just as the cycling season begins in North Carolina. Not too shaby though, I got back on the bikes in June and still had a good season.

Wow, I feel so inspired when i read some of these posts! keep up the rehab/hard work guys!

Lately, for me it has been a torn meniscus and ACL. That was fun. Oh and crashing the day you get cleared to ride does NOT sit well with the therapist/doc. Oh well.

Again, you guys rock!

Wife donated a kidney a few years back. I had arthritis as a child, doctors said I'd outgrow it but I refuse to grow up!


Her ten inch scar



47 and still going strong!

Just the face plant I did last week that still has my back in a mess.

Really looking forward to cancer :/