A good reason to do the trip early

Josh,

You have just experienced what I did when I had my Back operation. 7 weeks in hospital and 6 months of lifting nothing more than 5kgs really makes you of all the things you could miss out on if something bad happens.

Good to see you are back on deck, it seems a few EO members have been laid up with Pneumonia lately

Cheers Kev

Glad to hear your on the road to recovery Josh. Would have been anxious times for your young family, as well as you.

You have done so much with your young family at such a young age, (much of which you have shared with us here at ExplorOz) and obviously there is still so much more you want to do in the years ahead. Take care mate, and maybe you'll be back on the road sooner than planned. A good dose of the Aussie bush will see ya right :-)

Fred.

Hi Josh,
You're a very lucky guy to have been close to a cardio ward and received the appropriate treatment!
I felt the same as you when I had severe chest pains last year. No, it can't be the heart, I thought at the time, I've been going to a gym for over 40 years, eaten all the right stuff, don't smoke, don't drink too much, not overweight, reasonably fit, good health. No, the pain must be something else. 3 hours later, I was on the operating table, and 6 coronary bypasses later, sitting up in bed wondering what happened. I'm well on the road to recovery and now a member of the zipper club. Luckily, no heart damage, but it was completely out of the blue, and severe enough to bump someone else off the operating table at the time.
Ok, I'm 64, not 37, but was banking on lasting another 20 years before my luck runs out. No hurry, I reckoned, in doing all the things I wanted to; I'm retired, and I can do these things in my own good time.
That's all changed now; 6 months on, I'm almost back to normal fitness and have a good prognosis from my doc. But like you imply, life's too short to sit around. I'm now planning as much as I can to see more of this wonderful country and do some overseas trips.
Might see you out on the road!
Take it easy,
Gerry

oh, and I can't speak highly enough of Charlie Gairdiner Hospital (WA) for their level of care...

Glad to hear you are on the mend mate. Hope Tassie is treating you well otherwise.

Cheers
joff

Hi Josh,

Yes, it is a real wake up call when something like you have experienced happens isn't it. Good to know you are on the mend again now.

A few years ago my hubby (aged mid 50's and the man least likely)was sent for an angiogram after having what he thought was heartburn on a quite rigorous weekend hike and was found to have a 95% blockage in one artery, and a less serious one in another. (I had to insist on him seeing a doctor as he thought he was ok!)
He was in theatre later that day having open heart surgery and our day in Sydney turned into a week!

We decided very quickly to re assess our lives and priorities and started to think about retirement a few years earlier than planned. Like you we worried about just how much our lives would have to change.....could we still bushwalk, fish, paddle a canoe and do all the other activities we enjoy so much etc?
We went out and bought our first RV - a penguin Jayco camper - within three months and began to travel, having the necessary health checks when necessary.

The following year he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, had a radical prostatectomy and suffered all the complications and side effects possible!

Two wake up calls was enough.

We finished up at work and have enjoyed lots of travelling around this fantastic country. Life just seems to be getting better and more enjoyable and we live full, active and mostly healthy lives with regular health checks, a bit of medication, a good diet, plenty of exercise...lots of laughter and friends.

Travelling, meeting so many other people along the way who have had similar experiences just keeps reminding us how short our lives can be.
I agree wholeheartedly with your statement about not waiting too long as you may never get the chance.


Regards,

Heather G

Hi Josh

Glad to hear you are recovering.....this is the reason why at 37 we too are planning our trip around this great country of ours, you just don't know what is around the corner, but like you say, you have done the trip which I assume was with your family and those memories will last a life time for you and your family. I said to hubby we could save save save until we retire then sit down and say what have we done with our lives, where have we been, on the odd holiday now and then no big memories, no chances, just lived to pay off the mortgage! I think life is for living you get one life and only a few precious years with your kids before the teens hit, so enjoy each other whilst you can.......

On a happier note! if you have any recommendations I would be glad of your feedback!

Take care Karen

Over the last 6 years ,5 of my best mates have passed away. 4 through illness, one in a car accident in the USA. One of them was my best man at my wedding. All have left wives/partners behind and a few kids to carry on without them. Certainly makes you think about your own mortality that's for sure.
Every funeral I attend makes me wonder if my turn is coming soon!! Looks like all the blokes of our group are jinxed.
Took the family away for nine weeks last year as a taster for things to come.Now we use the van as often as possible.The wife and I work a four day week and I say no to any weekend overtime now and work can wait.
To put this into perspective, my best man died when I was 39.

Make the most of the days we have on this planet. Here for a good time,not a long time.

I know how ya feel mate. Just 5 months ago, had a good scare. Had been having some pain and a little strange feeling around heart for some time, but doctors couldnt find anything wrong. Put it down to strained muscle. Then one night the heart went berserk,pain, rapid beat, sweating, shaking, blacking out. Off to the sick bay, spent the night, had 3 ECGs done, a echocardiogram, chest x rays, blood tests, and hooked up to about a million machines and on oxygen all night and half next day. Was very scary, i didnt like any of it. Anyway 5 months later, still havent had a beer, eating habits have changed alot and try to exercise more. Doctors still cant tell me whats wrong, getting very frustrating. All this and im only 26 years old, lived a very healthy and physical life prior to my 20's, but still worked hard and never tired easy. Now i can hardly do an hours work without being stuffed. All the doctor said was stop drinking beer and coke. Did that but im still no better.

Like the others above I am pleased you are on the mend and getting ready for more trips.

Here is one for the books and please if any of you "BLOKES" think "ITS NOTHING" think again and go and see your doctor even for a small heart pain or weird feeling.

For months I had been fainting about once a fortnight and back again without any pain or reason. Then one day (30 Sep 08) sitting right here I said to my wife "I feel strange again". About 30 seconds later I came around and she said my whole body seemed to shut down. No breathing nor pulse. But I felt fine. Absolutely NO AFTER AFFECTS!!!! (that's #1)

But we called the ambos this time. They came and did all their tests and because of my age (their words) they took me to the hospital. I was at the end of a line in the corridor when I went again (that's #2) . They all got a surprise when my wife called them back form their mates and told them. They moved me to the front of the line. I was good again. I went again (that's #3) and woke up in recovery with them about to hit me with that zapper thing. Luckily they stopped. Phils off to ICU and they plug all these things on me and "Nothing" is the response. No one could believe it. Some old character (OLDER THAN ME came up with an idea and suggested it was an electrical breakdown in the heart. Well after two more episodes (That's #4 and #5) they had be on a table 7AM next day and stuck this little computer in my chest. Every now and then I feel if fire off when a pulse fails to make the heart pump. I wonder if it will keep going in the grave. Tick tick tick Scary hey!

Apparently its hereditary and it appears that's what got my Father and older brother. But they did not have this technology back then.

To top if off on the 22nd December 08 I get told I have an inoperable cancer - a Lymphoma - cancer in the blood. I am now on chemo and waiting to see what the outcome is. Maybe a bone marrow may help but even that they cannot say yet. Merry Christmas Phil

Bloody scary but its good to know I will get to the Cape. Planning is continuing. The boys have upgraded to the bigger 4.2TD's and its going to be the best trip ever.

I am so so lucky.

Phil

Hi Josh what a shock its only a few weeks ago you where in the porta boat having a great time at moulting lagoon, hope everything is ok, that is why i retired early, i reckon i have a window between 60 and 70 years of age to enjoy traveling around this great country. it happened as a shock to us as well i had chest pains and was sent for a stress test, they stopped the test half way through and admitted me to emergancy, where i was on a cardio machine for 5 days, they tried to jump my heart back into rythem with the paddles it was un succesful so now i am on warfrin for the rest of my life, to stop me from having strokes, anyway enough of that bull bleep , just acouple of weeks and i will be down in SA ( flinders ranges ) planning my trip up through the centre. Good to see your okey cheers uptotenyearsroundoz

I'm glad you are all still alive to enjoy tripping, but you don't always get much of a warning.
About 18 months ago, I had a few feelings of disorientation over a couple of weeks. Thought nothing of it.
I woke up 7 weeks later.
I had developed a Staph bacteria infection that had a chew on my heart valves.
I had a stroke, 2 heart attacks, one heart valve replaced with a little piggy one, and one valve repaired. My chest was cracked open 4 times (valve job, stop post op bleeding,infection, clean up after infection and remove blood clots from the heart), kidney failure, emergency hernia operation, collapsed lung, and was breathing through a plastic tube in the side of my neck.
All from an infection from a scratch.
I was back at work 3 weeks after hospital, and now seem fine.
I had no blocked arteries, no high cholesterol, no warning at all.
It's worth checking out any weird feelings.
And men, have your prostate checked. It doesn't make you gay just by going to the doctor.
Cheers

Josh,

Good to hear you you are on the mend.
Take care.

What a story Josh! Glad to hear your on the road to recovery. My partner and I (28 years of age) head off in two weeks time to spend 12 months (or more) travelling around Oz. Actually it's our last day at work today!

We've learnt through others (unfortunately or fortunately) that life is too short so we told work we were leaving, rented out the house, gave the dogs to the parent in laws, sold the cars and invested in a troopie and camper!

Many people are very envious of us and we just say why not? Just go do it!