Handicapped or Challeneged Anglers

[Guest]

I have lost the sight in my left eye due to an arterial occlusion last fall. That's essentially a stroke in the eye. It took quiet a while to adjust to the situation and I still have a few problems with focus and depth perception (not a good thing at closing time). Was just wondering if any of my fellow members or guests have any disadvantages and how they overcome them.......

[Guest]

I thought you were kidding about your eye.My younger brother got his eye put out while hammering some nails into a board 15 years ago,and now has a glass eye,he does have to limit his night driving,but it hasn't slowed him down much,he still fishes,works on cars,rides a motorcycle,chases women etc..

I myself have 2 herniated disc in my back that hurts everyday,I also work at least 40 hours a week,and fish or hunt almost every weekend.An operation on my back could be complicated they tell me, so I live with the pain,and try to go on with life.I also see other people in worse shape than I am, and it makes me realize how lucky I am that I can still get around.

Sometime soon we will get you to come up here(Cincy)and go smallmouth fishing with us.

The spare room is all ready.

P.S. Chris don't even think about backing out...

Talk to you later

S.H. & Leaky Waders

[Guest]

I'm ready Pops...you guys just let me know when!!!! Gonna tie a bunch of Dahlbergs just for the occassion!!!!!

[Steeldrifter 0]

BIG D i dont know if i would say its a disabilaty or not but it would help with fly or any kinda fishing if i could use it again. Back about 10 years ago (in my early 20's) i used to frequent a local bar that had a mechanical bull ....well after a few to many one night i ended up breaking my left index finger on it. Being the hard head that i am i never went to a doc or put a splint on it so it healed with a "bend" in it and i would say i lost about 50-75% of the feeling in it. It was hard to reel or tie flies or work on cars at first but that was ten years ago and now i dont even think about it. Its still the same usless finger but i have become so used to not using it that i really wouldnt' even miss it if it was not even on my hand. I fish/tie flies/build cars/work with my hands for a living and have gotton used to it.

 

Steeldrifter

 

P.S since it wont really straiten out all the way it is really usfull for "shooting line"....

[Guest]

Let me begin by saying I know what it's like to be 'disabled' - here's why.

 

From the dawn of my ability to comprehend, I lived with my father's ailments. He was born blind in one eye, which didn't keep him from thumbing South to work on fishing boats or whatever else he did when he quit school; joining the Army, becoming a Combat Engineer and Intelligence Officer during the Korean Campaign; being shot; working on top of the Empire State Building; driving LTL and over-the-road truck for local companies; installing high pressure industrial heating systems; being the official foul scorer for the Boston Celtics (back when they were a real basketball team), and, all his life, being one of the finest, nit-picky fussiest, anal retentive do-it-right-the-first-time-or-don’t-do-it-at-all craftsmen I’ve ever known, regardless of whether it involved heating systems, masonry construction, site utility work or carpentry (his real love, fine interior finish) – at which point, in his early Fifties, his work career ceased.

 

One of the most quick-witted, fast-on-his-feet thinking, strongest, incredibly intelligent bastards I’ve ever known in my life.

 

There’s relevance to all that. At some point early in his life, his back was injured to the degree it would ultimately debilitate him. He suffered some kind of extreme pain every day he lived, every single day I knew him.

 

As I’ve typed this, I’ve come to realize there isn’t a point to detailing my recollections of growing up with my father, which would become chapters, if not a book. Also, regardless of my own infirmities, there is always someone else who’s in worse shape than I and I don’t really have any room to bitch. My own personal assaches are just that - acquired over time, more aggravating as time goes on, and not going to get better, so why bitch.

 

There's another point I wanted to make: Every so often, I have a chance to take a blind friend of mine fishing. Not often enough for either of us, but...at least he appreciates the times we can go.

[Guest]

Well I guess I'll add my story to this.

 

I'm only 24 years old and I have already had two shoulder surgeries called a Bankart surgery I found the official definition "The posterior Bankart lesion is an injury that involves pain, dysfunction and instability to the shoulder. The most common symptoms in these patients were of pain, weakness and mechanical symptoms which included clicking, catching and clunking"

 

I am left handed and have one surgery in each shoulder. The first being my right shoulder which was "worse" at the time which required a 6" incision. The second was almost exactly one year later and was on my left shoulder and because I am left handed the surgeon opted to do that arthroscopicly so it would heal faster. Each surgery consisted of about a 9 month recovery and physical therapy time. During the 9 months I basically could not do much of anything with that arm and took around 2 months before I could even lift a soup can with that arm.

 

My last surgery was about 3 years ago, but now my left(casting) shoulder has begun showing signs of the exact same condition and I am in a very great deal of pain. When it began giving me trouble a few months back I decided I was not going through that ordeal again but it was progressively gotten worse. Now when I'm fly fishing I have to take several extended breaks because of the pain.

 

Now I am forced to consider going through all of this again for the 3rd time. The thing about this whole situation that really pisses me off is that I have never actually "done" anything to my shoulders. Here is what the medical report says about it:

 

"All of the patients had posterior Bankart lesions that were reported by a specific traumatic event. 18 patients reported falling on an outstretched arm, 5 reported a direct blow to the shoulder, and 4 reported a subluxation event."

 

Even my surgeon told my there is no reason why my shoulders are doing this and actually said it is a "medical mystery"

 

So if I decide to go with this, I will probably miss out on fishing next year. I should get enough strength up soon enough to really concentrate on tying more which I guess is a plus of the whole situation.

[Guest]

So if I bothered tellin' ya both my shoulders need surgery b'cuz of the same thing - would it make you feel any better?

 

My guy said to me "It's your choice - see how long you can go before we have to do surgery." But, he indicated BOTH instances were doable within Arthroscopic boundaries.

[Guest]

No that doesn't make me feel a bit better

 

Yea that is what my surgeon told me about my left shoulder but in the medical study I quoted 8% of the surgeries that were done Arthroscopicly failed! I must have fallen within that 8%. My right shoulder that was done with the big incision has been doing fine. They actually found more wrong with my right shoulder once they opened me up(has a misshaped bone that needed some grinding) and the MRI's did not show those problems. So they would have missed that stuff it they had done it Arthroscopicly. I haven't decided what I'm gonna do either and went several years before I gave the go ahead with my first surgeries. All I can say is that the pain does get worse as time goes and no matter how much you think "it's gonna get better", it never will! Probably better off starting the road to recovery ASAP, just my opinion.

[Steeldrifter 0]

WOW guys guess what ...i think it must have something to do with fly casting that hurts the shoulder ...because my right shoulder has a "popping/grinding" in it for about the last 3 years. If i put my left hand on my right shoulder and rotate my right arm in a circle you can feel it pop and grind ....always wondered what was cuasing that!

 

I hope it dosent get bad enough that i'll have to have anything done to it.

[Guest]

I lost my left leg below the knee duye to a serious infection last year and have learned to walk pretty well with the prosthesis. Unfortunately I'm now having the problems with the right foot (I'm a diabetic and have a condition known as Charcot foot). I have to wear a big graphite boot until they do some corrective surgery on it in December. The bottom of the boot is curved to make walking easier. That makes standing harder though. I've been finding that while fly fishing i've had to take more rests and quit a bit sooner because wearing the boot makes things uncomfortable, especially in the lower back. I'm not going to stop fishing though....

 

Mark Delaney

[Steeldrifter 0]

chemproof2001 thats very inspiring to hear you say that...glad to hear you still are able to enjoy fly fishing!