last time out last year i lost the lower unit on my outdrive and when i say "lost" i mean it seems like something in there let go and it took out the lower case ,everything is gone on the lower except the flange where it bolts to the upper thats still there with the bolts .we didnt hit anything and were in 33 feet of water i was going slow not even up on a plane yet and it was like the boat went into neutral and had to go through the shame of a wave runner towing us back to the dock so can i get a new lower with a new shaft and bolt it on ? or do i have to have the whole drive gone through im worried that water got up into the upper after this happened so im not sure where to go with this thanks in advance

I'd prolly have it gone through...if something in the lower locked up that hard then it may have damaged some gears and bearings in the upper. If you didn't flush it out and let water sit in it then that could be a problem too.