Important note

If by some unfortunate set of circumstances you find yourself in the hospital for an extended period of time here is some advice. Be nice to the nurses. Cooperate with them and do not cause them any problems. Be good to them and they will likely be good to you. It will make your stay a lot easier. 

Cast off

 

Only to be replaced by a lace up splint. 

Ice Fishing on Lake Winnipeg

My wife and I went for an overnight trip to Gimli, Manitoba in mid March 2024. We knew that there was ice fishing on Lake Manitoba but we had no idea how many ice huts there were! There were at least 30 in sight from the shore line.

The ice was clearly still thick enough to bear the weight of vehicles, as we saw a few trucks and vans driving the slippery "road" to and from their huts.

It looked like most if not all huts were on skids and were designed for easy placement and removal.

That evening, I had to have lake pickerel for supper, likely caught not far from the restaurant...

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Steve Boyko

Traingeekblog

Apple juice

Everyday I get apple juice. Sometimes twice a day. Sometimes I cannot keep up with it and it stacks up until I manage to drink it and clear it out. I got reminded of an Alan King bit I saw on tv decades ago. What follows is a greatly condensed version. For the record I do not mind apple juice.

“When I was in the hospital they gave me apple juice every morning, even after I told them I didn't like it. I had to get even. One morning, I poured the apple juice into the specimen tube. The nurse held it up and said, 'It's a little cloudy.' I took the tube from her and said, 'Let me run it through again,' and drank it. The nurse fainted.”

Kiss any sense of dignity goodbye

I have not yet been transferred to a rehab facility. I have been told there is nothing further they can do for me and the next phase is rehab. I am lying in a hospital bed with my two broken legs encased in braces, my left arm with the broken wrist still in a cast, and injured ribs.

I do not have much mobility. I can move my legs from side to side, wiggle my toes, move my feet, and barely lift my legs a half inch up for a few seconds. I am getting more sensation in my legs and I know I am getting better as the days go by. The upper half is fine. Rib pain has largely went away. Otherwise all I am doing is taking up space until I can be moved elsewhere.

The problem is that I need help with a lot of things. I have gained a little independence but used to need help with everything. I mean everything. I would get a meal dropped off and I used to need help with setting the meal. If I need to get cleaned up I get washed down on the bed while I am lying down and rolled on either side while your areas get washed. 

The worst is when you need to do certain other things. I have become somewhat proficient at sensing when I need a bedpan and using one. This is a skill I will cheerfully discard once this episode in my life is over. 

Being in this position has been demeaning, degrading, embarrassing, and at times humiliating. I learned to quickly roll with it and tossed any sense of dignity out the window long ago. I think every nurse on the ward has seen all of me at one time. Thankfully they have all been great.