I had big plans for this summer, I have been planning converting an interior back porch to what was going to be the best fly tying room ever. I had everything mapped out including aquariums, hatch charts, maps and not to forget all the furs, hairs, feathers and such. It would have been super cool!
Back in early May I visited a Dermatologist (happens to be a flyfisherman!) to have what I thought was two warts removed one from each thumb. The first was no problem but the second was “peculiar”, so he removed a portion of it and sent it out for identification. When I returned to his office for the results I was more interested in picking his brain about local trout streams and was totally unprepared to hear that I had…have a rare form of cancer. I will spare you all the long name. Winds up this is a rare cancer that has only 57 documented cases. About a week later I was ran through a battery of tests, scans and pokes because in 14% of the cases it metastisized into other portions of the body… mostly the lungs. I was super happy to hear that the results showed no other cancer but they would still have to amputate my left thumb at the first joint and do a axillary biopsy on my lymph nodes in my armpit. As all of this is playing out I happened to notice where the first wart the doctor removed had a small bump under the skin so I shared it with my surgeon and he thought that it was nothing but we should still biopsy it to be sure since I would be knocked out.
After I woke up from the surgery the doctor informed me that prelimary results showed that the biopsy on my other thumb showed the same cancer !!! What is the chances??? The good news was the biopsy on my lymph nodes showed no cancer. The bad news is I have to go back next week to have my right thumb fully amputated! So I will only have 2/3 on one side and zero on the other!! My first fear was that I would not be able to fly fish anymore so about 4 days after my surgery I took to a local stream with the family to have a picnic or so my wife thought! I had my 7 year old ready to retrieve and release any fish I might catch since I was all bandaged up. I mostly wanted to try out not using my thumbs to see if this whole amputation thing was going to ruin fly fishing. Well I think tying knots will be very challenging but all in all it is doable… wish I could say the same about fly tying! I do not think it will be possible at all. So there goes the fly tying room!
I wouldn’t be too quick to give up on the fly tying. I’ll bet you learn to use the remaining thumb more efficiently than you think …and also the remaining fingers in ways you can’t imagine now.
Though I don’t use a Nor-Vise I’m visualizing it as a vise that might lend itself as one that might have some advantages.
Sorry to hear the news, but glad to hear that there was no spreading! This means you will have the time to learn how to tie flies again. And you will be able to, it will require learning new ways to do things, but you will be able to. I wouldn’t throw out those plans for the room just yet.
Sorry to hear of the unfortunate news, but the good news is the cancer appears to be localized. Like Ducksterman said don’t be to quick in writing off fly tying. Where there is a will there is a way. I am sure you will find a work around and be an inspiration to others.
Wow, Bro. Kind of a bummer, but have no fear, and I second what the other guys already said. The Lord, He has His plan, but I’m sure he’ll let you tie flies and fish.
After all, He is partial to fishermen. You just gotta learn some new stuff. And it sounds like you’ll have a perty cool tyin’ room to learn in…ModocDan
Glad you caught it early.
Let the rest of us play also with tying flies without using our thumbs to see if we can help you stay in this passion of ours.
Let me know what patterns you need and I willl see if I can tie any of them.
There is a fellow I see fly fishing from time to time on my local water that has had his right arm amputed above the elbow. Some how he manages to tie knots with just one hand and his teeth. I’ve heard he is also a pretty good tyer… If there’s a will there’s a way. Best wishes on your recovery.
Sorry to hear about the bad news but it is also good they caught this in time. The prognosis sounds good.
I wouldn’t give up on fly tying yet. I had a friend in high school who was the catcher on our school’s baseball team. The summer of his junior year he lost his right thumb in an accident while working at a grain elevator. Everybody thought his days as catcher were over but we were all wrong. He worked at it and managed to be able to pick up the ball between his index finger and the place where his thumb used to be. Sometimes he dropped the ball but not too often. The greatest part was that when the other teams saw his hand for the first time they figured stealing base was going to be a cinch. They were quite shocked when he threw them out.
I am confident that you can be successful at tying. It might take some work but I think you will be successful and can go ahead with your tying room plans.
bjacks;
“Cancer” and I, if you’ve read some of my latest posts, are not on speaking terms anymore, either, as it appears I may soon lose more than a thumb.
So, obviously, your situation hits very close to home for me and I’m pulling for you far more than you’ll ever imagine.The fact your other cancer tests were negative is a God send so that’s wonderful news!
“Will you be able to tie flies, again?” That remains to be seen and how you look at your situation. “Can it be done”? Yes, it can. “Easily”? Well, I can only relate to you, what a very close friend of mine and fellow club member told me a few years back…
After losing his index finger and thumb, on his right hand and his ring and little fingers of his left hand, all in one logging accident, he at first though his tying AND fishing days were over with. I asked him, “What happened? How you get started again and get so good at tying, after the accident?”
“Well, Paul, it dawned on me, one day, that “I hadn’t had my BRAIN amputated”, so I started using THAT and the rest came naturally!”.
For a the longest time, I didn’t know what he meant by that. Now, seeing the beautiful flies he ties, or, watching him lay out 70+ feet of line, even playing a fish on the reel, when we fish together…I’ve come to know exactly what he meant.
Good luck, my friend and best wishes for a speedy recovery. ANYTHING, in life, IS possible if you don’t give up!
bjacks,
You are certainly in my prayers, and please remember this…In your loss, you will gain strength to offset it. Part of God’s plan for us as I see it. Remain determined & you will tie again. I might suggest that you post in fly tying asking how others have dealt with “setbacks”. As a VietNam Army medic & then at Walter Reed Army Hospital, I learned that there is NO limit on what the human spirit & faith can accomplish. You CAN & WILL tie again!
Mike
bjacks,
i am very sorry to hear of your illness. i cant say i know what your going through but i can tell you if you put your mind to it ,you can tie flies and enjoy this sport of ours. i am 47 as of midnight tonight lol and i’ve had parkinsons for 5 years now. i have thumbs but at times its like i have 10 thumbs! at times it looks like im shaking up a batch of martinis instead of tying some wooly buggers. i still tie and sometimes they look alright though most of the time not. just ask the guys who have received them in swaps! the thing is i still enjoy trying and the dumb fish here in mississippi seem not to mind how they look. i ask you to please build your tying room. you will find a way to beat this. you will be able to tie. you will fish again. years from now you will be glad you did. my prayers are with you.
Smile and kiss your wife, then, take your seven year old up in your arms and thank Christ you are still here to do all that. As survivor myself, I can tell you that you have dodged one huge bullet. When things settle down, you will recall hearing that bullet scream by your temple. At that moment, being able to tye knots or flies will be light years from your thoughts…trust me and congratulations. You may not know it or believe it yet, but you are a lucky man.
I feel really ashamed of myself right now. I have been wallowing in self-pity for two weeks now because of the type of lymphoma I will have for the rest of my life. After it is treated with radiation, it will come back in 4-6 years. This is my second time around and I was bummed out, but it will not take my thumbs. It will not take your knowledge and love for fly fishing and fly tying. Please do not give up your tying room. Fly fishing is not about winning, but to walk away from this with a victory is something to be proud of. No fight is your own when you are in the hearts of friends and loved ones. Best wishes.
I hate to hear about your situation and wish you the best.
I will add a piece of unsolicited advice: never accept the first opinion on something this important, and get a second opinion. The disparity in the ability to deal with cancer from one medical center to the specialty places is great. It could be that you go to a supercenter and they can do something else for you, like surgery and radiation. Having the second thumb amputated is radical, and presuming you are right hand dominant, will affect long term quality of life. I’m not knocking your doctors, they may be great, but I’d survey the options before I submitted to something that radical.
Where are you getting treatment for your lymphoma? Have you ever heard of M.D. Anderson Medical center in Houston, TX?
I have a friend here in GA that had lymphoma, and he did not like his local options. After conducting research, he got to Anderson and went through tough and extensive treatment. They caught his fairly early and he responded well to treatment, and his long term prognosis is great.
The bottom line is that the expertise and quality of care is not constant throughout the country.
I am recovering from Guillian Barre Syndrome, which is a particularly nasty condition in which your immune system attacks your nervous system. I had to learn to walk again and am just now returning to somewhat normal.
Keep a positive attitude and refuse to let your condition keep you from doing anything you want to do. I built a fly rod for my son while my hands were almost completely numb. (see Rainshadow GBS in the rod building section). Believe me, if you want to do it, you will find a way.
I agree. My father lost the thumb and forefinger on his left hand to a hunting accident in 1946. He was just about to turn 15. The doctor that saved his hand had just recently returned from the Army in Europe where he was a surgeon in afield hospital during the war. The wound resulted from a 16 gauge shot gun so dad’s hand was badly mangled. The skills the surgeon gained during the war were used to keep my dad from having the hand amputated.
My dad is left handed and you should see him hunt, fish, write, drive and tie knots with the three fingers he has remaining on that left hand. Oh, I for got, he is a retired precision machinist, welder and sales rep for a huge maintenance welding company. he is the deadliest shot I have ever seen, including my time in the military.
I have a really neat ceramic bobbin I will send you if you want it. It has a big, flat brass disk ant the base of the neck that should be easy for you to grip. I am willing to bet that someone on this board can help design or modify a Matarelli type whip finisher that you could use.
The key is never give up. Never give in. The saying is true that where there is a will, there is a way. I know you will find a way to do these things if you just keep on trying.
I am praying for you. Please let me know if there is any thing else I can do to help. The bobbin is yours if you want it. Just PM me your address.
I have a Matarelli style whip finisher by Dr. Slick. It’s got a big handle on it that makes it easier for this old woman to use:roll::p. I just tried it using only the fingers, and not my thumb, and while it would take a little practice, it is certainly workable. If one is not available where you are, let me know, and I have a couple places here that I know of that stock them.