On Sunday night the 11th of Jan I was checking my email one last time, it was about ten thirty. I saw one from Amazon saying the package I ordered had been delivered on or near my front porch. I thought a delivery on Sunday was a bit weird but I went to investigate. I looked around the front porch and didn't see anything so I decided to go down the steps and look in front. As I stepped down I instantly fell on ice and broke my back. I had to fight to breathe and I also had to drag myself up the steps and back inside the house. I yelled upstairs and finally got my wife to wake up and call 911.

So I really did a job on myself, I broke T7 through T11 and broke three ribs, don't remember which ones but they hurt like hell. I'm moving to Arizona and until then I won't look for any packages until spring.

Holy cow..sorry to hear (and see) about that. I did something similar about 5 years ago and only did two ribs, but it was the worst pain I have ever felt both at the time of the fall and later while I healed. There is nothing really to do with the ribs other than wait it out. Hopefully at least the weather in AZ will be better. I'm sure you'll get good advice from the medical pros. Get the good pain meds too....makes a huge difference. Absolutely no reason to be in pain when that can be medically managed.

Ouch ! Get well soon but take the time and let everything heal properly.......don't push it.

Get better and to AZ before the summer months - unless you want to spend your time indoors Just to rub salt in the wounds of those 'up' north....it was 80 degrees yesterdays - and sunny

ouch! How long were you down before you got the wife up?

Sue Amazon!!!!

Terry

ps best wishes for a complete recovery

Wow , very sorry to hear that , And yea , any time I slip on ice I always get thoughts of somewhere warmer also .

Thank God ya look young enough to recover fully and I wish you the best in your journey to wellness !

Thanks everyone for all of the well wishes. Jim, I was down in the front hallway for about three minutes before I got her to wake up but it seemed like an hour. I was having a hard time breathing so it was difficult to yell.

Anyhow, I am now able to go up and down the stairs by myself and I can move around the house without a walker. I can also shave and shower but I need my wife's help getting dressed. I have to wear this TLOS brace ( the one that looks like a barrel) for another month and a half then I'll go to PT for a month so I should be OK. I'm pretty independent, my wife would say hard headed, but I like to do as much as I can without help. Init, the gray hair makes me look older than I really am, I caught it from my wife. she's a carrier.

Again thank you all and I am serious about AZ, I hate Ice..

WOW.... Glad your on your way to recovery, Thank-God for Obama care, you take care of yourself. Glad to hear your moving, you live waayyy to close to D.C. Nobody should have to deal with that rat race.

Best wishes to you Topspin. There is just no warning when falling on ice. I have painful memories of hitting the pavement just walking to my car living in North Idaho, but never any injuries as serious as yours. Arizona or Nevada sound good!

That's great news your getting around better now. I have never been around much ice or snow in my life-but I did slip one time in St Louis getting out of my truck- ended up under the truck and hit my head on the pavement-it happen really quick. Take care of yourself and recover quick!

Fortunately I'm retired from the DOD so I don't have to screw with Obama care and I live in Leesburg which is sort of in the country and farther out than you think so I don't have to deal with DC and the Pentagon anymore either.

Oh No John, I just read your post and am speechless. Very sorry to hear about the fall and glad your wife was there to help.

Funny you mentioned Arizona, I arrived here today.. Good ole' Tucson again. Take care and wishing you a speedy recovery.

Thanks Rob. I definitely think I need a warmer climate. I may take a VB for pain as soon as I get off of this other stuff, I think the two together might be a bad combination. Right now I'm taking oxycontin but I'm cutting myself back a little each day since I don't like drugs.

John.

Sorry Top, but you'll be back up and flying again before you know it. Of course it could have been much worse, but with you being a real hard ass and old goat, I would dare say the ice, steps and side walk got the worst end of the deal.

Glad you're getting around again.
Frank

Yeah I kicked that steps butt with my back Frank, it won't try that again.

Inquiring minds want to know -- Was the package there? Not unsympathetic as I shattered four ribs in a motorcycle accident so know it hurts like hell. Just surprised no one has asked about the package yet.

BTW, Amazon has a deal with USPS to deliver on Sunday.

I thought it was Laser Ship, didn't know the USPS delivered anything on Sunday, but in any case the package was not there. It was combined with another order and was delivered the next day, my neighbor picked it up for me. All I had to do when I didn't see it on the front porch was just walk back into the house but no, I just had to go look, And yes, the ribs hurt worse than anything.

John, I am a Vietnam veteran and I wear a prosthetic leg. One cold day I was walking from my car to my office. The temps were at freezing, but the roads were just wet. Not thinking that I was parked on an upper level of the garage, I stepped on some black ice, which I thought was just water. I slipped and fell and some how I jerked my leg just right and my prosthesis went flying across the parking lot. As I was sitting on the ground, I looked up and a lady had just started driving past me when I fell. Her eyes were as big as saucers as she sat there with both feet on the brakes and frozen in shock.

I didn't know what to say, so I just said, "Good morning!" After the initial shock, she got out of her car and proceeded to retrieve my leg. As I was slipping back into my leg, she apologized and stated that she had first thought that I had broken my leg and torn it from my body. We had a great laugh, and I got a hell of a bruise on my butt.

So we all heal and get better.

Frank

First, thank you doesn't seem to be enough Frank, that was a high price and my respect for you just went through the roof.

That 's a great story, wish I could have seen the look on her face. That black ice really can fool you, I also thought it was just wet pavement. I feel a little better every day and I got myself off of those dam pain pills. I'll be flying again by summer.

John

We gave it some thought, I lived in Melbourne for ten years but that was a long time ago. I remember winter being very pleasant but summer was hot and humid. Haven't ruled out FL but we have family and friends on the west coast so we are still looking to go west. I grew up in Southern California but don't really want to live there anymore, taxes are too high. I know there is no state income tax in Florida but there is none in Nevada either. It's going to be a tough decision.

well we have had some cold weather here close to Houston but tomorrow suppose to be 75 degrees I believe

amd we have some hot humid summers

Sorry to hear about your injury Top Spin.
Don't forget to take all of the vitamin and mineral supplements that the medical establishment usually fails to tell their patients about...!
Last I checked, MDs have about as much training in nutrition as an 8th grade gym coach has.