Anyone have a Stroke... and back to Pool?

Kickin' Chicken said:
the jury (medicos) are still out on me - whether or not I recently experienced a TIA (mini stroke). Lost vision in one eye for just 5-6 min one day in Aug and was hospitalized for a few days while they did a lot of testing and "observation". No definitive answers and are continuing testing even now.

Complicating matters for me is a long history of severe neuro Lyme disease (effing ticks) that has resulted in years of inflammation and lots of related problems incl needing an aortic valve replacement 2 years ago.

I did have an afib event but they couldn't put me on the blood thinners because of other issues. Will be getting a cardio loop recorder installed next week to monitor.

Of course all of this crap effects pool play but like everything else that we need to do or really want to do, you just keep moving forward on them, best you can.

Approx 12 years ago when visiting my oldest son & family in Palm Beach, I found a pool joint on Okeechobee and I got to talking with the guy behind the counter. Nice fellow who said he was a former FL 9b champ, said he was good friend with Dennis Searing who I also visited on this trip at his shop in Wellington.

This guy said he was knocked out of high level play by a stroke and he showed me a device he had made to stabilize his bridge hand that was badly affected. This allows him to keep playing the game he loves. :thumbup:

Reminds me of my first ever meeting with Scotty Simonetti who I drew at SBE some years ago. For those who don't know him (like me then) Scott is an open level player who got a terrible infection that cost him an arm and one lower leg. When I first saw him just before our match I thought how nice to see someone so dedicated that he had a special prosthetic made for playing pool. I was also wondering who I might draw in the next round. Well, of course, there was no next round for me; Scott pretty much shot my liver out and this whole experience inspired me to write a story about it which I called "Unarmed And Dangerous". And btw, his magnificent prosthetic was made by the late great cuemake, Paul Fanelli.

For me the takeaway from all of this is that if you live long enough something is gonna try to get in your way. I think most humans are wired to make the best of their situations. Not all, but most. :smile:

best,
brian kc
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Awesome post, thanks. If we live long enough, something will happen eventually as we all know.
 
I've had some friends that had strokes and after theraphy and rehab they couldn't wait to get back to playing pool at what level they could. I commend them for that. {die-hard pool players}. Mine was a little different. I had a (stroke of the eye). Never heard of it, nor have some friends of mine. I was at a tournament in Fort Walton,Fl. in 2007 at the Starcade billiards. I had beaten Rich Howard and waiting to play my next opponent (Pablo Matheau). I'm sure I misspelled his name. Right after that match I had a weird feeling about me. There was something different with my sight. I couldn't see out of my left eye. I put my hand over my right eye and couldn't see anything. When I started my match I was missing balls by 6 or 8 inches. I think Rick said, why did't you shoot like that when you played me. It took me about 3 years before I could used to playing that way. I just had to accept and go on. I sympathize with others that had it worst.
 
MyImmortal said:
Tor Lowry receives many applicants for his '14 Days - The Great Pool Experiment' program each year from players who have had a stroke and have varying levels of disability. I am ever amazed at the strength and determination of those who love pool so much, they will endure whatever it takes to get back to the game. Tor has successfully helped multiple stroke victims learn the easiest way, given their specific issues, to get back to the game. And, I have seen one person for whom "getting back to pool," ended up being their greatest form of stroke rehabilitation. I was in a wheelchair for nearly two years, fighting to even stand on my own again. Tor helped me learn how getting back to pool could help me, most especially with strength, stamina, and regaining lost cognitive skills. Having also seen many veterans, some who lost limbs in combat, fight through it all to come back to pool even stronger, I would encourage anybody to consider returning to pool and to be determined to learn ways to overcome what they may think is impossible, most particularly, those for whom pool was a major part of their life.
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Great post and great for you to get back into pool!
 
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