Mens Health, cause without it you can't build the things your passionate about.

Bicuspid valve?

Im a critical care nurse working in a cardiac intensive care unit. If you have any questions dont hesitate in reaching out. Although done very often they are large surgeries and still very high risk.

good pickup Mark, I'm glad your timing was good and you remain aboveground.
Thanks for the warning, being blokes I think we often need a kick in the pants or a strong reminder to get checked out for things. My eldest daughter is an optometrist, and I have a much healthier respect for eyes and what can be back consequences if they are not looked after. Next time you're in the shed grinding away without glasses on cause its just for a minute, this thread might be a reminder.
 
And same with Mark, many thanks Robbie for what you do, and the sh*t no doubt you have to put up with at times.
 

Geez Mark, your lucky to pull out of that without bad effects, not including the heart valve thing .
My sister who used to hike mountains, parachute, rock climbing etc was told she had a tube in her heart that just does a loop back to the heart, a birth defect she never knew about.. Short story long, they got surgeons in from UK and USA to perform the surgery, it was a 14hr operation and came thru it fine. She recalls when under the anesthetic she " remote viewed ' her best friend on hols on kangaroo Island, she could recall what her friend was wearing and where she was at a given time when they caught up for real... Very Strange .
I've never spent time in hospital except when I broke my nose at age 9. While working at GMH I got a spot weld spark fused into my eye, pain was intense . Had a slipped disk for over 2yrs till it somehow bounced back into place on it's own, that was painful too.

Hope everything goes well Mark, the older we get the more brittle we become !

Hi guys. Thanks so much for the kind and insightful words.
Thank goodness we are wired to carry on with life irregardless of the obstacles placed before us.
Worst part is that it will mean time off from working on the toys and I can’t go to Wakefield this coming week and probably into the new year 😢

Hi Guys
great subject you've embarked upon Mark...................... 100/100 to you
 
I've hinted similar notes in our Club Newsletter (MPHVC).  All of you who have commented in here deserve a "Thumbs-Up" as this "bloke's BS" needs to be addressed and highlighted.
What have we been paying tax for all our lives, if not to avail ourselves of Medicare of at least a minimal doc health check every 6 months?   
I dont think many Aussies realise how damn lucky we are to have free medical of every description, at our service 365 days per year! (You're left to die in the street in 1st world USA if you have no health insurance!)
Don't we owe it to ourselves and our loved ones, to live a long healthy life ?
We've all heard of that programme "A HUNDRED STUPID WAYS TO DIE" and so many must think; "that'll never happen to me"................  really ? (Cemeteries are full of victims with that attitude)
Well how do you think your friends and family will think of you, if you die too early because you ignored "The Signs" and shrugged it off, dying in your 30's to 70's when you could have enjoyed life even to the 90's ?
If COVID taught us anything, it taught me to get out on the road in one of my many Classics from the 70's with my wife and beautiful Golden Retriever, the second we were allowed !
The Bowl Cancer Bowel Test is a feather in our Gov-leaders cap, as much as I detest them for their excessive stupidity, but I had cause to question the test for reasons I wont torture you, and the doc immediately booked me in for a Colonoscopy.  However  actually getting it done was NINE MONTHS ! A very good reason to BOOK-IN ASAP even if it's just "an inkling" something's amiss. The queue is only gunna get longer. DO IT NOW !
fortunately, my C~ showed all was in order. I put it down to being married to a natural born chef in my gorgeous wife, who cooks healthy food "ad nauseum" if that were possible.  Lots of garlic, Onions, Olive Oil, tons of fresh Vegetables straight from our garden, and tons of Fruit from garden and markets. (Mediterranean Diet)
 
We must remind ourselves DAILY that we're here for a very short time, and dead forever, so why not look after ourselves so we can enjoy our family, friends and cars longer ?
 
Before I sign off, i need to pass on this wonderfully unbelievable drug called PANTOPRAZOLE. Ten years ago, my 30 year stomach pain got so bad 24/7, I was almost suicidal. Countless doctors over 30 years, shoved cameras in every orrifice and drugged me up with the most expensive drugs and did every test known to medicine.............. ZILCH, NADA, NIENTE, RIEN !
Ten years ago I dragged myself into the local chemist on the point of collapse and begged for a different pain killer as the string I had tried were 100% useless.  The young Chemist fresh out of College asked me for the whole story.
He turned around and grabbed a box and said, "these are worth a try, and no prescription is required". The box read "SUVACID: FOR INDIGESTION". I thought he was taking the piss, as I 'd been eating like a sparrow, as EVERYTHING I ATE OR DRANK CAUSED ENDLESS PAIN, and I'd told him this. He saw the DISDAIN in my face and re-assured me !  I took 2 immediately and within 12 hours I felt like a "young dog with 2 dicks" ! ...........   and continued so for the last 10 years living blissfully, and taking only ONE Pantoprazole every 2-3 weeks albeit allowable daily !
 
My last "pearls of wisdom" is always get 2 or 3 opinions if your prognosis is serious ......... Always ask a Chemist .........
Not ALL doctors are dealing with a "full deck", which I would elaborate if requested !
 
Merry Christmas to one and all
Bernie
 

escfalcap
Hi guys. Thanks so much for the kind and insightful words.
Thank goodness we are wired to carry on with life irregardless of the obstacles placed before us.
Worst part is that it will mean time off from working on the toys and I can’t go to Wakefield this coming week and probably into the new year 😢

Hows things working out with this? have you spoke to your surgeon?

Best wishes Mark.
Hope you recover 100%. Merry Xmas and HMY for a safe 2022.
Bernie

Thanks for the wishes guys, And yes Deano there is a car shot or two. The guys nearly shot their loads when they saw the cars. It was quite funny. So they got some footage of me under the bonnet with a spanner doing F*&^ knows what. I know I'll laugh when I see it.
Mark

Hi All,
Been following the forum on and off over the past couple of months. Good to see the banter continuing.
 
Slowly working on the track car, doing only light tasks so the cardio rehab nurse doesn't wet herself.
Recovery has been slow but positive. Occasional bouts of double vision (would be cool if I was smoking something) and short of breath but apparently common with heart valve surgery.
 
For your info ABC 7:30 show aired the interview on Thursday 7th April. You can catch it on ABC iview.
The RS makes an appearance. Though don't ask me what I was doing under the bonnet!
Unfortunately we are on toward the end of the show (had to make way for Palmer, the sanctimonious turd)
 
On another note the RS was in with my auto electrician whilst I was laid up. The wiring (partly mine) was a bit of a mess and I figured, give it to him to finally finish the thing. Well when I drove it home wasn't I pleasantly surprised. Once warmed up I gave it a boot-full, and holly crap it went an' just kept on 'wenting'.
Before this, it kind of revved out when coming onto boost and forward propulsion ceased though revs didn't. I had always figured it was an actuator issue or the like? Phil Armour who is the Motec guru did the dyno tune and never noticed this?????
Anyway, my elec reckons it was probably a voltage drop somewhere, as some of the sensors run on fairly low voltage and there must have been a loss somewhere. Don't really care at the end of the day I'm just plain
 
The AP gear and the 5 stud alloy hubs that were long awaited finally arrived. Yet to fit up as the whole package is still 'heavy'.
Been working on the fuel system, and fabricating small ancillary bits. And yes Marty that bead roller is a gem!
 
Will look at posting a pic or two soon.
Mark

Well progress has been slow as I keep getting sidetracked. We made a planned trip to Echuca for the Southern 80. Been on my bucket list since my skiing days on the Hawkesbury river. Given my recent health hiccup I am not putting anything off.

Long story short I am restoring (yes another project) a previous race winner (1976) and seeing what the scene is like since I gave it away many moons ago. These turbo and blown big blocks (many Mercruisers) are absolutely phenomenal. No more V drives, they all run sterndrive legs.
My boat (last pic, as it was before resto) is a long lost Flightcraft Concorde SS. A pure race blueprinted hull, and again another Australian made boat which is no longer. Sound familiar?

I know this is a ford forum so I won’t persist in this vein
I will start a new thread on the track escort build once I get back (promise)
Mark

Hi Deano.
Well back in NSW and I've got to say I reckon Vic is a more progressive state. Just putting it out there
Your analogy is on the money, however Harada is definitely staying V drive!
Yep the unlimited guys doing around 180km/h is pretty wild to see. Especially as we used to ski or barefoot at less than half of that.
As for the skiing, a knee reconstruction many moons ago did not affect my skiing 1st time up but that was it for the rest of the day on the water, so I'm afraid that aside from a social ski I'll be pushin' the metal.
Mark