Restoration of Canadian Scout Car Ford Lynx I, Mk.III No.1726

[lynx42]

But me first.

After 5 1/2 weeks in hospital, this time, (58 weeks in hospital in the 22 years since 1993), I am slowly returning to some sort of normal. I have done a few stray hours out in the shed so fingers crossed I can get out there a bit more often. One hour puts me back to bed for a while each time though. So I am taking it easy as I don't want a 9th major back op to be needed.

What did they find? Well, one of the screws was not torqued up correctly and that allowed movement. The result was that 6 of the 8 screws became loose in the bone and the L5-S1 area refractured. That was last February so I was living with a broken unstable back for 5 months. All 8 screws have now been replaced with thicker longer screws and more cross braces fitted as well. The torque checked again and again they tell me.

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Between each vertebrae there are dinky little screw jacks. These are just like a turn-buckle with both left and right hand threads. These are placed between the vertebrae and adjusted to align the spine. I am 1 ¼” taller now than I was before the op. Back to my before 1993 accident height. You can see them in the x-ray photos.

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Another cross brace was included to support the rods.

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I was given back 6 of the 8 screws, one cross brace and a couple of other fittings to display in the workshop to interested people. (BTW. Each blue coloured screw cost A$427.00. so there is about A$6,000 plus dollars of metal.)

The metal used is titanium and being non magnetic, MRI x-rays etc can be undertaken.

I go for physio twice each week and am wearing a shoulder to hip back brace. I also wear a leg brace to support my left foot which has suffered bad foot drop as a result of the damage to the nerves in my back. I am still on a walker but don’t use it inside.

Fingers crossed that this is the last of a long list of problems from an accident in 1993 when I suffered 5 prolapsed discs in my back and 2 in my neck.

So what is next? BACK INTO THE SHED AND GET THAT LYNX FINISHED.

Regards Rick.