Side of Ribs with That Bicycle Sandwich?

After yesterday’s bike crash, I’ve calmed down a little. But I’m still muttering alot of bad words. And I feel like I have been hit by a train. Everything hurts on my right side. I couldn’t sleep very well last night, despite having a few martinis at the Expert’s birthday dinner.  I thought the vodka would help. It helped me through some pain (mostly the emotional stuff and my repeated use of the bad words). But I woke up hurting about 30% worse.  My shoulder is also thrashed, along with my right hip.

So I went to get the chest x-rayed today, because I couldn’t really lift my arms or breathe without pain, and no real surprise… voila!

I’ve got a fractured rib. Yay. Broken rib, broken rib. Nanny nanny boo boo. You are so jealous, you are so jealous.

Someone pulls out in front of me on their bike, and I get a broken rib. 

Congratulations, Bob, what do we have here? Oh, it looks like another lesson to learn and that’s right–yet another setback! Congratulations!  You get to learn how to stick your chin up, yet again!

Thank you. Thank you again, you stupid, careless… I mean, okay, er… I mean, I was going sooooo fast… if I wasn’t going so fast… UGH!!!!!!!!!!! (Can you hear me pounding my fist on the table?)

Okay. Ah-hem (smoothing hair with hands, and adjusting my stained depression-ridden sweatpants).

Yes, this too shall pass. I will heal. (Coulda been worse, coulda been worse, be grateful). Time to work on mental toughness and nutrition. I finished 70.3 Augusta exactly 12 weeks after being cleared to run after breaking my foot.  I have overcome injuries, and I get to do it again.

Just keep moving forward. Right? Right.

Oh, and don’t cough. Whatever I do… I should not cough. 

That hurts ALOT.

22 Responses

  1. Soooo sorry to hear that this has happened to you. You can overcome this setback. I broke 3 ribs in January and went on to complete Ironman Texas in May. I was a little slower than I would have liked, but since I was unable to run at all for 4 weeks I was happy to finish. Good luck and KEEP MOVING FORWARD. ps..cycling was fairly painless.

  2. You poor girl. What a sh*tty thing to happen. That which does not kill us…yeah, yeah, yeah. It sucks. Hang in there. xo

  3. I feel your pain, pun intended! I broke four ribs in high school while swimming competitively in a powder puff football game, and then broke three more in a cab accident while trying to make it to an appointment for work. (One of) the sucky things about broken ribs is that you can’t really do anything about them. You can’t do anything to make them heal faster, you can’t wish them away, etc. You sort of just have to let them heal on their own schedule. Definitely don’t push yourself; rib injuries can be dangerous given how close they are to your lung. As tough as it will be to just rest a bit or focus on lower body work, you will get there! The toughest part is sleeping halfway sitting up with a pillow so you’re able to breathe better. Sending happy and positive vibes your way!

  5. I’m so sorry! A similar accident happened to a friend last year on that same trail. “on your left” was taken to mean, “turn left”. Fractured wrist. 2 months before her Ironman, and she made it!! You will, too!!!

  6. First, I am so sorry this happened. There have been many close calls with dippy cyclists not paying attention. Makes me more understanding (though not condoning) of motorist frustration. Second, hang in there and don’t stress it too much. I have fractured my ribs so many times they are permanently deformed. The last time was in September during a bike crash. I had some breathing issues afterwards but was in good enough shape to go crash the bike again less than three weeks later. (Just making a point.. I don’t actually recommend this course of action!) It will hurt for a bit but shouldn’t be too much of a setback. Give your body a chance to heal then challenge it and you might be surprised how quickly you are fully functional again. Good Luck!! Everyone is stronger than they imagine! 🙂

  7. I’m so sorry to hear about your rib – not fun at all, I broke ribs coughing so hard last year with pneumonia (yep, worked out too soon in recovering from the flu and pneumonia decided to visit with fury – grrr) I feel your pain and I’m so sorry : ( Just know you’ll be back in action pretty soon. My Dr had given me the ok to work out “as tolerated” so it didn’t hold me back too long, I took off 2 weeks b/c it hurt and I’m weird with meds and didn’t take any, and I needed to let my body get back on track post flu/pneumonia, too (and it was the holidays so that made it easy). You’ll probaby be back at it sooner than you think – you’ll feel it, but it won’t be terrible. I eased back in for 2 more weeks and then I was back at it pretty much normal (he said 4-6 weeks full recovery) My Dr said it was actually good to work out as it helps in the healing process as it causes small movement in the broken areas rubbing together and they actually heal back together better (I’m sure I’m not explaining it near as eloquently as he LOL!) Anywho, just letting you know there is hope that this won’t be a major setback : )

  8. booo!!! But this will make you tougher and more determined… and more to reflect back on as you cross that finish line at your first 140.6!!! = )

  14. Say it with me: “This too shall pass.” You’ve got time. Perhaps you should stick with some nice trainer rides for a few weeks. Take care!!! Gentle virtual <> :0)

  16. Oh, no! What can anyone say to make you feel better? Bright side – you have plenty of time to heal and you WILL heal and keep moving forward. Stay strong!

  17. Keep your head up..but not too far up..that may hurt. Just be glad it happened in December instead of the height of training season. (Always need to look for a bright spot). Get better.

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