mn90403

Thanks for the good report. Any gold from there is good right now.

I can sneeze now with little pain so I'm doing pretty good for 10 days later.

My doctor saw a second small umbilical hernia that I had never felt. He told me just what you were told. If it is not a bother, then let that one go. I think it good advice for me for now. By the time I had my procedure I wasn't really feeling any pain. I had been walking all over the hills getting nuggets just a couple of days before the procedure. It was just suggested I do it while in the best of health rather than something go wrong with it. I had asked my surgeon who does many of these each year about the mesh and he said it was better to repair with the incision and mesh rather than arthroscopically. I'll see him for the follow up on Monday. Before I had the procedure done I asked another prospecting friend about hernias and he said he had one 'redone' and 6 years later he could still feel it. That doctor told him it was scar tissue and not the mesh that was the problem.

I've had a couple of sneezes and that is not fun! haha

Ah, detectors are just flying off the shelves for Digger Dave!

I remember your reverence for the dog who had passed so many years ago. You paid tribute. I appreciate your natural understanding very much. It makes me know there is a connection between such things.

Adam, Thanks. I've been given those suggestions and today I took it lightly and limited my time. I don't want to stretch the mesh too soon. The family is not here to surprise me with things to do so I'm taking it easy.

Norvic, Thanks for the perspective. We all have our challenges and given a chance to compare situations it shows me and the rest of us what to expect. Being as this is my first surgery it supplies the mind with information not previously considered. I'm hoping this thread will allow more stories to be shared which will provide experience, strength and hope to move on to the next steps. Mitchel

Today was my first go at detecting after left inguinal hernia surgery last Friday (5 days). I had to get my fix and see my favorite beach. The first challenge was to put on my rubber boots. I could get my right boot on normally but when it came to the left sock it was not possible or wise to bend my leg and twist it at the angle I normally would. Once the sock was on I could jam my foot in pretty much ok. My idea was to 'cherry pick' but conditions really weren't good enough to have many choices of what to dig. I walked and walked (with no pain) but there just weren't many targets on the way out. Conditions weren't very good at the bottom of the slope. On the way back there were more targets and the uneven slope made me start feeling some tingles from the incision and the repair site. Digging was comfortable with the left hand only with my arm scoop. Bending and pulling at the sand was restricted so that I didn't over-do-it. I don't use a foot/shovel scoop. Using two hands caused pain that I wanted to avoid. In the end I had 1 quarter, 1 dime about 5 pennies, 5 pieced of trash and a really deep (18") aluminum can bottom in my collection. That was good enough. So, my questions are: "What did you do for your rehab to get back to your digging?" "Do you have any cautions or horror stories to share?" I'm not ready for a nugget trip based upon what I learned today. That could be too challenging until I have more healing time.

Into the future! 3023

Dave, What is that big 'rock' on the back of the quad? Gold? Mitchel

It is closed now but here is a bit of history. I couldn't find another thread on it but if there is just add this to it.

I hope the Pro wasn't a back breaker!

A coil scraper type of detectorist may get different results because there would be less air between the coil and ground. Maybe the target needs to be reburied to get true depth difference in your test? If you are waving above a target, then it would show how 'forgiving' a coil would be if your swing was 'off' and still find the target. This in part is the old statistics argument. If you give me a set of results then I can prove multiple conclusions. Where do you hold your coils when you noise cancel?

This was our discussion about it before: I remember when the regulations you cite came out and I think we came to the conclusion that if you go onto a mining claim and take meteorites then that is taking from the claim owner and is not allowed. If you collect meteorites from open land then it is ok according to the regulation. Barry would be my authority on the matter as he has studied the Barringer case. I don't know if there have been any updates and also don't know if one state is significantly different from Arizona where Meteor Crater is located.

If you attend the club meetings I go to in the Los Angeles area you will know it is not the same. Clubs are losing members because of age and no buzz about good ground. Relics and the beaches are different. Younger detectorists there competing with us old guys.

Just like a new model of a car. It has to contribute to the bottom line. You have your design and technology waiting to satisfy a known market.

Simon, For all of the reasons you have listed (including cost) and others reasons from Steve, jasong and other contributors, it has added up to detectors used by OLD PEOPLE! Where is the new generation of YOUNG DETECTORISTS in the gold fields? Most of what I hear from forum members is that it is difficult for them to get their kids, grandkids and younger folks interested in nugget hunting. There are too many other things to do. Now they are trying to kill the gas engines which get us way out there so an era is coming to an end it seems.

What exactly would this AxiomZ marketing brochure have to tell you so that you know it is an improvement over what we have? Could a marketing department put bells and whistles on a similar performance detector and get us (you) to buy it and not call it out for being not enough improvement for the bucks laid out? Our patches have been decimated and you can always say that nothing gets it all but that doesn't bring back what has already been taken either. The expectation that a new detector is going to pay for itself going back to old patches is a high hurdle to jump. New patches are hard to find but those are still the most rewarding for a detectorist looking to make a buck.

There is a little bit of a different market channel offered in the U.S. from the GPAA. I don't know how successful it has been but a few years back if you paid for a Lifetime Membership they gave a GM 1000 as a bonus. There were some other combinations of this leading up to the present. Now if you buy an Axiom you get a Lifetime Membership ... or at least it was. I don't know what the relative number of units are or the number of members of GPAA but it is a channel of potential significance. Most of the people in that club and many of the others I belong to haven't upgraded their detectors in years.

My situation is minor compared to what you've been dealing with. Congratulations and we'll both keep on digging just as soon as we want.

I wonder what ML's boxed and ready to ship from Malaysia price is with that exchange rate of what they pay? They don't really have to take delivery of all of the product in Australia, do they?

I knew it was coming for about a month. I don't know exactly what I did to do it but I don't think it was metal detecting. It could have been. This is the first time I've been cut on so the pain is different that any previous break or strain. What was the nature of your surgery?

I had hernia surgery yesterday!