Tom in Oregon has contributed to TTAG for years, usually recounting his hunting adventures, whether it’s in the great northwest, tracking dangerous game in South Africa, or on the floor of the Safari Club convention looking for a good double gun. We finally had the pleasure of meeting Tom in person a couple of years ago when he came down to Austin to attend a long range shooting class with Tyler Kee.

Tom left a comment under last night’s pocket dump post revealing that he recently suffered a stroke. We want to wish Tom all the best for a quick and full recovery. Tom’s an entertaining writer, an active member of the TTAG community and an all-around great guy. Get well soon, Tom.

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65 COMMENTS

  2. If Tom is half the character he seems to be from his writing, I am sure he’ll have this licked in no time.

    God speed your recovery Tom.

  4. Take the time to heal, rest and, if you have the energy, to write more of your hunting stories. I thoroughly enjoy them and hope to read more (and hope you get to experience many more).

  5. I laughed my ass off at the great Turkey story. Get well soon.

    And anybody that can do the yoga back flip shot can beat a stroke.

  6. Strokes range from deadly to very minor. I had one 11 years ago and fortunately it only affected my vision a little. I hope toms is a minor one.

  7. Shucks.
    If Tom has to eat hospital food on Thanksgiving, that would add insult to injury!

    The fact that he can still read and type is a good sign.

    Get well soon, Tom!

      • “Last time i was in the hospital the food was actually pretty damn good”

        In grade school, I really liked the school lunches. It baffled me the other kids hated it.

        It took a few years until I realized what a condemnation it was of my own mom’s cooking…

        • The week I spent in hospital a couple years ago (heart failure), the food was, to me, just like mess hall chow. Some was good, some sucked, and mostly there were left-overs!

        • Thanks to competition, hospital food has improved considerably. A patient can order food 24 hours a day like room service, and get everything from a burger to grilled salmon. Hospitals hire chefs to develop recipes and cook. The cafe at the local hospital is so good that people with no connection to the hospital come in just to eat there.

        • Geoff PR,

          In grade school, I really liked the school lunches. It baffled me the other kids hated it.

          Hah! I thought I was the only person who liked “hot lunch” and was baffled at why the other kids didn’t like it.

          And I was always begging the other children for their food. I was usually able to get a second helping (and sometimes even a third helping!) of vegetables, fruits, and rolls from other kids who did not want their serving. No one ever seemed to give away any portion of the main course. Nevertheless, I was happy to get extra anything.

          Then I discovered that I could work in the school lunch room (serving food or being the milk cashier) and have extra helpings of whatever was left over after the kitchen had served everyone. That was nirvana. I worked the school lunch room all through high school for that very reason.

  19. That sucks. Sorry to hear about it.

    Hospital stays always sick and are always depressing. I spent a few days in the hospital last month, a couple in the ICU, God did I hate that. The only good part is when you leave. I practically ran out of that place.

    Best wishes for a speedy recovery, Sir.

    • strych9,

      I have to take exception to your statement. I recently had a minor procedure that included a nurse anesthetist zonking me out for 40 minutes with propofol. That was the best 40 minute nap I ever had: I felt like a million dollars the rest of the day — in spite of only getting 6 hours of interrupted sleep the previous night.

    • “… a couple in the ICU, God did I hate that.”

      Diabetes complications, Strych?

      • Geoff,

        Yeah, mold made me super sick and depressed my insulin output. Put me into DKA and that causes you to lose potassium like crazy.

        So I had to go to the ICU and get potassium IV’s until my potassium was back up to normal. Doc’s totally freak over that kinda thing. So I was in the ICU on a heart monitor for awhile. Overkill? Yeah, but out of an abundance of caution.

        Can’t wait to get the bill…

  31. All these well wishes for Tom harken back to the MySpace days 🙂 Hope for as full a recovery as possible Tom!

  33. Hey Tom – don’t always believe what the doctors tell you. They told me I had six months to live, from kidney cancer. That was 2006! Keep fighting my friend!

  34. Well, that sucks. Welcome to the “New Brain Club.”

    Drop me a line if you want to compare notes. (Stroke, 4.5 years ago, now. Recovery is forever.) TTAG has coordinates. I ran into a colleague last summer, also post TBI — traumatic brain injury, his from car wreck. Comparing notes was remarkably helpful.

    There’s a few semi-obscure post-TBI protocols that aid “recovery” immensely: one particular statin at the max recommended sustained dose demonstrably contains damage & amps up healing, for example. As of four years ago, when I looked, the mechanism was still mostly speculative. Also the positive effects were approx linear with dosage, starting at about 1.5x the minimum typically prescribed for prevention. And the available studies all dealt with one, particular statin. So, if side-effects the standard of trying an alternative really didn’t apply. They’re different enough that you can have side-effects with one, and none with another, nobody knows why. So, possibly whatever makes That Special One goose up brain repair does not apply to the others. Substitutes might do nothing.

    There’s a case that for otherwise healthy folks the prophylactic effect of statins isn’t worth the known side-effects and potential caused problems. The stats on the post-TBI impacts of this statin protocol aren’t even a close case: just do it.

    Not advocating. The point is just that there’s a lot of obscure art out there, both in the science, and in navigating recovery.

  35. Tom: You are clearly a strong and determined individual. That’s 90% of the battle. Full speed ahead.

  39. Godspeed Tom. I hope, and will pray, that you are able to recover quickly and completely. I’m sure there are some tough days ahead but, based on the little bit I know of you from TTAG, I think you are up to the challenge. Get well soon.

  42. Esoteric Inanity’s advice is to put in for antelope in Wyoming soon. It will provide something to look forward to. Also, Hemingway and Orwell make for good reading. Until then, best wishes.

  46. Best wishes Tom – i am sure many readers here who aren’t an active part of the commenting community share the sentiment. I’ll join them in sending positive thoughts and prayers your way.

  47. I hope you’re doing okay man, and that you’re having a great thanksgiving. You’ve got this.

  49. ~your~ trigger finger has an above average chance of finding the applicable synapses.
    i look forward to hearing of a full recovery.

  52. Thanks a ton everyone. Really. I mean that.
    How else could I explain my recovery.
    Got home at 6 tonight. I have complete feeling and range of motion in my right arm.
    For what it’s worth, I eat healthy. I exercise 5 nights a week. I do yoga 3 nights a week.
    Nothing is gonna stop that random blood clot/clots.
    Apparently, I’ve had a few strokes. Didn’t feel any effects till it hit my right arm.

    I’m back. Writing up my last elk hunt.
    Again. Thanks to all for the prayers, positive vibes, thoughts, etc.
    I know they helped.
    I’m back in the groove.
    And Dan, thank you for the very kind words. You and Tyler were the kindest of us.
    I just got to enjoy the class!

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