I may have mentioned it here a while back. It was at the end of 2012.

Yes, I do have that scar, but it healed nicely (smearing on lots of vitamin E once it had sealed up).

Mine was a genetic disorder, where my aortic valve had only two leaves, rather than the normal three. Well, a stripe of calcium got the two stuck together and the valve no longer closed, which had the blood pumping back and forth for a bit, nearly killed me. fortunately, I was at work at the time and someone thought to call an ambulance.

Doc said my aorta had blown up like a balloon and had to be replaced (PVC plumbing). A genuine project and a half. My surgeon said he had never seen such clean arteries in such an old patient before (I wonder if that's believable...).

Anyway, all plastic parts with pacemaker, followed by six months of recovery, but I'm up and doing fine now, going to work and getting out to the library now and then for some serious writing.

Get better, Robert. We can't do this alone, ya know.