Year: 2024

  • EPISODE 1008: CONVALESCING — DOING HARD TIME BUT COULD be FAR WoRSE



    NOte:  Some readers may miss my daily story.  Some may think I am unwelll.
    True.   had knee surgery De. 12.  Surgery went well.  Recovery has not been

    all sweetness and light.  No time to write.  I spend my time doing physical exercises to reduce pain and hasten recovery.  Bumpy road with little sleep.  Hate the pain.


    alan




    So here  I am one month after knee surgery with one of the
    Queensway hospital physio persons.   Her name is Eva and her body must be made off 
    rubber .  My body is not made of rubber.  It is made of old bone broken nerve connections.   When I was young a Junkman cruised our streets yelling “Rags, bones and bottles”…if he was around here today Marjorie might boost me on with alll the other junk.
    I could not resist.   Why would she do that?  Her work load is enormous.  She does everything including my socks, shoes and more delicate things. All because of those
    two little words…”I do.”

    “ If you do the exercises three times a day you will walk again”, Alan .” says Eva.
    (note the word “if”)

    In other words I am responsible for my own recovery.  Not so sure I’m up to the task.
    Since entering the hospital on December 12, 2023  my muscles have weakened.Seem to have gone looking
    for a better body.  That says a lot for loyalty.  Muscles like good bodies Not my body
    They are only around for the good times

    Today, January 20, 20 4, I need a walker to move from room to room.  
    Today it took me 24 minutes to put on my underwearl and
     pants with Marjorie’s help loosening sock tops from baby toes. 

    Today my life is circumscribed by a 15 x15 foot room.   No grand vistas of the 
    Fifth line of  Erim tpwmship.  Like our cat, Chelsea Bun, I perch beside the windows
    and watch the sqirrels revel in their freedom.

    Today,,,”CUT THE SELF-PITY, ALAN!”, my mind screams. 
     ‘YOU LIVE WELL
    ONLY PROBLEM YOU FACE IS A LOST KNEECAP”

    Today there are people sleeping in door ways…over heat vents wrapped in
    vermen laden sleeping bags.  No care givers.  No income.  No rainbow at the end 
    of  the road.  Only escape for some is an overdose on opioids.

    HOW MY TIME IS SPENT

    So I spend a lot of time counting lame Canadians.   people like me or far
    worse than me.There are lots of them pushing their walkers in roof clad malls
    as we will do wen the pain eases.

    We have four walkers.  one for the first floor, one for the second floor and a
    hey duty machine for city streets.. and one for spare parts.  All bought from our
    local Salvation Army Departmntt store. Two of them have fake headlights thanks to 
    the advice from Caroline Laughton who whispered “You will need portable urinals.”
    So Marjorie bought four (two for regular need and two for emergency need).
    I remembered my brother’s advice …”Never pass a washroom … do so at your own 
    peril.”

    ‘ENOUGH, ALAN…MORE THN ENOUGH

    alan skeoch
    Jan. 22, 2024

    bryce…HOW BAD IS CURRENT COVID?  Recovered?

  • Live From The Field

    ‘HAVE A GRAT DAY

    alan skeoch 

    January 9, 2024


    No!  I am not having a grea! day!

    prison cell,[ain irregular, cannot read or write, no sleep, no work, dieting, hospital visiting, blood taken often using garden hose and wrench

  • EPISODE 1003 bkacksmith workbench

    EPIEODE 1003    bkacksmith workbench


    alan skeoch
    January 7, 2024

    IT has been 38 days that I have been tiotally housebound due to knee surgery.  Today we made a brief escape to photograph a few of our blacksmith items for  set dresser, Jacklynn Shoub.

    A dark grim day,  




  • EPISODE 1002 SHORT VERSION OF EMERGENCY WARD “DELICATE ADVICE”

    EPISODE  1002   SHORT VERSION OF EMERGENCY WARD “DELICATE ADVICE”


    alan skeoch
    January 4, 2024





     “PANIC! MARJORIE WE NEED TO GOT TOTHE HOSPITAL, THE
    ;KNEE IS SWELLING UP”  

    1) Arrived at hospital at 4 a.m. Friday 
    December 29, 2023.   

    2)  Doctor arrived 7.30 a.m.  “Infected, must be opened
    up and cleansed, New dressing….must act fast.”

    3 Sinking feeling…infection  My brain reeled,  To reopen my knee?New Years weekend.

    4)  “Not here…go now to hospital that did original surgery “

    5) Centre of Toronto.  But we did it.   Emergency assessment by another
    doctor. “We do not think it is infected,” moment of gasping relief did not last long

    6) “You have a blood clot,   very dangerous’’’

    7  what does that mean?  “33 To 66 days under hospital care.  Very delicate,,danger that clot goes to heart,  blocks passage of blood.”

    8_) “Ultatsound  technicians are shared by 3 hospitals,,,hard to book 
    Christmas week but we will try?   could be 6 to 8 hour wait time.” ultrasound done
    as technician happened to be in building,..luck

    9) Emergency ward filling beyond capacity,  Standing  room only.  A lot of desperate people included 6 police escorting a tall man who ws cuffed.   We waited and waited,

    10   Time was a blurr. until  Saturday night when a doctor said my name
    and led me to a cubicle.  Dark, Feeling of impending doom.
    THEN
     “Mr. Skeoch there’s no sign of infection nor is there 
    evidence of  blood clot.  You are free to gol”

    11) “Can I shake your hand doctor?”

    12)  I wonder if any reader of this sequence will ever understand how
    it feels to have
    the Sword of Damocles hung over our heads for those three days.

    13)  All in all I remain confident that our Emergency Rooms are amazing…
    but we were beat,,,three judgments were made,,,the third was best,
    The swelling of the knee joint went down slightly

    alan and marjorie skeoch
    January 4m 2024

    postscript: 

    afterDec. 12 surgery… For ten days our son Andrew plunged blood thinner into
    my stomach with a syringe.
    why? To avoid blood clots