Update from Laurel:

Another emotional rollercoaster with Mom, but an exciting ride to be on with her. Cam got Mom settled in bed after I left and she quickly fell asleep for a well deserved nap. She appeared to be asleep when Raj and I returned a couple of hours later, but quickly opened her eyes as she heard us start to make noise. We did some more sitting exercises, and then headed to the beach. Mom seemed to perk up once we got into the sun, and again attracted an overly friendly duck. Once back inside, she was smiley when greeted by the return of Larry. He left to prepare dinner for everyone, and it was just me and Mom and the emotional rollercoaster that began. For some reason I got a little teary, which seemed to spur the waterworks from Mom. She settled down and we headed out into the dining hall for dinner, but by that time most of the patients had already ate and left and Mom didn’t seem too interested in being there, so we headed back to the room and waited for the nurse to start her feed. At one point I started talking about the wedding to Mom and went to show her some photos, and she immediately broke into tears. It seemed that this was one of the first times that she was realizing some of the things that she had missed out on…or at least her first time she was able to express her emotion about it. Of course a very difficult moment, but we are all reminding ourselves that the emotion is a sign of an increased level of awareness. Indeed, during Mom’s tears she seems very able to respond to questions and just overall extremely aware of everything. Mom calmed down and we read, watched a bit of a movie on a laptop, and waited for the night staff to put her back in bed. Unfortunately, the staff was slow to materialize, so I eventually decided I would pick her up and put her in bed myself. I could sense a little fear in Mom as I got ready to do this (I admit, very reasonable fear) but everything went smoothly and she settled back into bed nicely. Had a good stretch, listened to some music, and I had some nice peaceful time lying beside her in bed as I tried to wait for her to fall asleep. I eventually left her looking very comfy and hoping that she gets a nice and peaceful night’s sleep.

From somewhere near Chilliwack here’s Laurel’s update.

Mom’s mood seems a little lower today, with what seems to be a little agitation or something. However, I did get a few smiles and outloud laughs, particularly when remembering some funny memories with her. She was sleepy when I first arrived, but woke up fairly quickly. Had a good stretch and then she did really well when I had her sitting on the side of the bed and doing some exercises. Tried to get her to reach for one of two objects I held up, and I found it to be helpful to first draw her attention to each item being held up, as she seemed almost surprised when her attention was drawn to her right and she saw an object there. I used a lollipop to get her to stick her tongue out in various directions, and when I explained that this would help with her speech coming back she seemed quite willing to do it. We did some wheeling through the halls and stopped for a bit in the cafeteria. Tried to get her to match some of her flashcards, but she wasn’t seeming to get/do it. Spent some time with a magazine in front of a window, then returned to her room. I went through a few “mouth exercises” the speech therapist had left, which involved her using her finger to put pressure around her mouth. I again explained that this was good for her speech, and she seemed to think it was very weird but did follow what I was asking her to do. Cam arrived and is now having a good chat with her while she finishes her lunch in her room. Throughout the morning she has seemed increasingly uncomfortable in her chair, and has done a few yawns, so we have asked the nurse to get her back in bed for a rest as soon as they are able. Planning for a trip to the beach when we’re back this afternoon.

From Laurel

An emotional afternoon. But a good one. We returned to find Mom awake. Got her up sitting on the side of the bed for some more physio, which she seemed to do pretty well at. I even asked her to close her eyes for a few of the exercises and she did. At one point, Raj made a joke and before I started laughing myself, Mom actually laughed out loud. I don’t know when her laughing out loud first started, but it was the first time I saw it and it happened several times throughout the afternoon, for various reasons. So cool. Even involved some eye-rolling and head movement typical of Mom’s pre-incident laughs.

We spent a long time at the beach and had a good walk around the neighbourhood. Raj patiently got Mom to throw some rocks relatively far, and we were entertained by an overly friendly duck. Mom was smiling often. We returned to the ward and it was dinner time, so we had her in the dining room with the others. She was starting to look very uncomfortable and no longer smiling, so we headed back to her room about an hour later. Raj got her back into bed and for some reason she started crying, for a reason neither of us could understand. Later on, I was talking with her and telling her how much I’d missed her and she looked at me and full-on cried, sniffing and everything. It was a really sad, difficult moment, but I am also guessing that it was a great sign of her progress. And, a sign of “real” Mom, as I know she would be upset under these circumstances. So, good and bad, but probably a good thing in the longterm.

Cam stopped by during a less alert time, but he got quite a few good smiles and even a very sarcastic eyebrow raise when he told Mom he was thinking about getting a mohawk again and said “I know how much you loved it last time.” We all laughed at her and she seemed to enjoy our response, doing a second eyebrow raise even bigger.

Overall, an awesome day with Mom. Clearly, Larry and The Team have been doing an awesome job this past month!

The Calgarians have taken over. Here is Laurel’s morning update.

My favourite visit already. I arrived with Larry this morning and we both almost walked right past Mom. She was sitting at a table in the dining hall with a bunch of other ladies, and she looked like she just fit right in. We went over to her and I was quickly feeling a little upset, as after Larry said hello and I went to say my good morning she looked completely stunned and out of it. As I had felt on previous trips, I really didn’t think she knew who I was. But, not for long. She seemed to be in a momentary “daze” (no blinking, staring straight ahead) as within seconds she snapped right out of it and looked at me with the biggest, greatest smile I have seen in a very, very long time. A completely new expression I had seen nothing close to on my previous trips. It was the first time I felt that there was no question as to whether or not she knew me, and she seemed so truly happy Larry and I were there. Got lots of hand holding and a continued smile. She looked so great. When Raj arrived a few hours later, he got a similar huge smile of recognition and clear happiness. It was really so cool.

Larry ran me through the basics of the new place, and then he was off for a weekend trip to Nanaimo. I stretched Mom out, and was happy to see she was much looser than I’d seen in the past few months. She was weighed and the nurse was very happy and surprised to see that she had gained a considerable amount. We then went for a “wheel” through the halls. Mom wheeled without stopping from the rehab ward through the cafeteria and all the way down to the entrance by Admitting. I think my hand providing direction gave her a bit of a push at times, but nonetheless she kept at it. At one point I asked her if she wanted to keep going, and she didn’t give me a nod but gave me a eye brow raise and tilt of the head, as if to say “duh, come on.” I got an interesting “i dunno” expression later on, as well.

Back in the room, I used her flashcards from the speech therapist and tried to have her point to the right one of two options. She got the first one right, but then proceeded to either not do anything or just grab the whichever one was on her left. I don’t think she always realized there was a picture on the right. She seemed distracted by discomfort from being in the chair, so Raj got her back in bed and we then tried to get her to choose the right coloured fish from two fishes being held up, and to then give the fish to Raj. She was always able to give the fish to Raj, but she kept grabbing to the left of the fish and missing (and only grabbing the fish on her left). One of the nurses stopped and watched, appearing very interested, and noted that her vision seemed very off. She wondered if it was affected by her getting tired and losing concentration, and suggested giving her a break when that starts. So we put the fish away and just chatted. Mom gave a laughing smile to several of Raj’s jokes, and smiled at a horrible dance move of mine. Was really fun to see.

She began a bit of a late lunch around 12:30, and is enjoying it in bed as she seemed quite tired and had been in her chair since early that morning. Looking forward to more visiting this afternoon!

Janet was sound asleep when I got back this afternoon and that gave me time to seek out her therapists for an update on today’s sessions.

Moira had Janet lay on her tummy for about twenty five minutes and said she tolerated it well and got good stretches out of both legs. Connie had Janet swallowing the thickened tea again and her times varied from four to eight seconds. An improvement. She also worked on matching images but not a lot of success there. Connie gave me a bunch of pictures to work with over the weekend. Janet did touch her nose then ear then chin on command sequentially. That’s big if she can do it consistently and build to more body parts. Nathan was a little unsure of himself with Janet in their OT session. He doesn’t know her and felt like she was blowing him off as getting her to do pointless silly things. I told him he was right and Janet needs a reason to do something or she is far less likely to do it. I give him points for recognizing that and he will think over the weekend of some more meaningful activities to do with Janet on Tuesday.

Janet opened her eyes a little when I was done talking to her people but I could tell she was still pretty groggy so I lay down beside her and we had a twenty minute power nap. She put her arm around me and closed her eyes and went to sleep right away and I closed mine but just kinda relaxed and waited for her to wake up. Nice moment.

After a little stretch we headed out to the beach and Janet made me laugh out loud as she put her hood up and zipped her jacket up tight as if it was the middle of winter. She looked so cute and even she had a big smile on her face. I had my car parked at the beach so I decided to see if I could get Janet into it in case I’m allowed to take her somewhere soon. It was pretty easy and she seemed pretty comfy. Not a huge reaction like I imagined but I think she knew where she was.

We tried throwing rocks again but this time all Janet would do is put the rock in her right hand. I discussed this with a few people today and all thought it was great she is aware of that hand and arm. We sat in the sun for a bit then headed in for dinner. Once again we sat with the guys and there was CFL football on and Janet was not the least bit interested so I went and got a lolly pop to see if I could get her to stick her tongue out. I wish I could have recorded this because I couldn’t believe her enthusiasm over a lolly pop. She wanted to devour the whole thing in one chomp. I can’t let it into her mouth in case she bites some off so I felt bad for her cause she really wanted it. She did get her tongue out for a few tastes with no funny faces at all. We’ll keep doing this as will Connie. I read a little of the second Anne to her as dinner wound down and she started to look uncomfortable. I asked her if she was and she nodded the biggest nod yet. I then asked her if she wanted to lay down and she nodded strong again so off to bed she went.

With Janet all relaxed in bed I decided to try some of the matching pictures with her. She was doing really well till I asked her to take the picture of the cat from me. The picture is of a cat sitting and facing you head on. No cat really sits or looks like that so I’m ok with her missing that one and told her so and reminded her we don’t like cats anyways and she smiled. Throughout this game I got lots of facial expressions from her that seem to be yeses and no’s. This is new and I’m interested to see if it continues.

After a good bedtime stretch I said goodnight to a relaxed and content seeming Janet. Praying for a restful night and an awake tomorrow with Laurel, Cam and Raj.

Janet was wide awake, dressed and had been looking at one of Molly`s magazines when I arrived this morning. She gave me a nice smile and seemed ready for the day. As I got started on stretching her Emma came in with her meds and reported that Janet had a rough morning. Emma found her crying just after seven this morning, actual tears flowing crying not the usual welling up but a full on release of tears. She felt bad for Janet but I think it`s kinda good and speaks to a heightened awareness. I got a smaller outburst near the end of the stretching session and Janet was seriously trying hard to say something. Earlier on she was pushing down on her pants at the hip as if trying to communicate a need to be changed or something. We couldn`t see anything wrong so I carried on with the stretching. Janet is definitely trying more and more to communicate.

I let her drive part way to physio as we had some time to spare and she drove fast and very determined about half the way there then I took over. I left her with Moria who was going to have Janet lay on her tummy. I left to run some errands in trust that the porter would get Janet to Speech and OT.

One of my errands was a meeting Kiko and I had with a music therapist. We were curious to see what he could bring to the table as far as enhancing Janet`s recovery and I liked what he had to say especially the part about wanting to work with the Speach Language Pathologist to make sure they are working towards the same goals. Kiko and I agreed to leave this idea for now and approach Connie with it when Janet has been given the all clear to stay in rehab for an extended time.

My other errand was to pick Nash up from the groomer and Emma had given the all clear to bring him in to see Janet. We arrived right at noon so the dining area was full and Nash played therapy dog to at least a dozen people before we got to Janet`s room. She was just getting changed and her lunch feed started so I held Nash back for a few minutes then let him loose to jump up on the bed. There wasn`t a huge reaction from Janet and Nash was too excited about the new surroundings to pay much attention to Janet but after a few seconds there was a smile of recognition as I brought Nash closer to her.

After he settled down Janet patted him for a good fifteen minutes or more and I could tell she knew it was him and not some random dog. As long as the staff is ok I will make an effort to get Nash in to see Janet on a regular basis.

I am very grateful for the progress being made and look forward to an active afternoon.

When I got back to the rehab ward I was told by one of the staff Janet had slept some and was likely still sleeping. I didn`t think so and sure enough she was in a little Houdieno mode playing with the release button on the right side bed rail. She smiled right away and we hung out for a bit as it just seemed nice to chill with her. Turns out she did snooze for maybe half an hour then her room mate got shipped out to Penticton so that created enough of a disturbance to prevent further sleep. Didn`t seem to bother Janet though and she stretched out really nice before we headed to the beach.

The sun felt really nice and despite the coolness Janet seemed to like being there. I threw a rock in the water and decided to see if she would do the same. The first rock I gave her she looked at for a bit and when I suggested she throw it in the water I could see the wheels turning and then she tried putting the rock in her right hand. My heart sank immediately but at the same time I was happy for her thinking of doing that. I didn`t tell her she couldn`t use that hand, I just let her try and get the rock in there which she couldn`t really do and that gave me a chance to explain the rules of the game and she could only use her left hand and so would I. She made a few good attempts but all her shots ended about a meter away. I then asked her to pass the rock to me and held out my hands a step or two in front of her. Her first shot went off my pinky and the second was right down the middle. High five! She made more attempts to put the rock in her right hand and I refrained from saying anything other than we have to use our left hands. In some ways I think it is great she knew she should be throwing with her right hand but I wonder what`s going on in her head about that right hand and arm. She had been playing with it a number of times the last couple days. I will discuss it with Moira and others tomorrow.

I got her set up for dinner in the dining area and we sat with the guys to watch a little of the football game. When things quietened down we video Skyped Andrew. It was a little hard to hear him as there was still a fair bit of ambient noise in the room and I can`t hold the iPad up to her ear and still get a shot of her for Andrew to see. Next call will have to be from her room.

By the time dinner was done it was get ready for bedtime. Once again I got a really good stretch out of Janet and she did well brushing her teeth and swabbing with the Nystatin. No sign of her new room mate by the time I left but I was told she was on her way down from 6 West. Praying for a restful night and an awake day tomorrow.

I thought you all should know that you can get your Christmas lights at Superstore now so you better hurry as it`s only EIGHTY ONE DAYS AWAY. WTWCT

I don`t know about this Ritalin stuff. Janet is too awake now. Kidding.

She was wide awake when I arrived and Blake told me she had been up since around seven, had a shower and Jessica was in to help her get dressed etc. Jessica said that Janet helped a lot with those getting ready for the day activities. Nothing new to me but I`m glad the pros are getting to see it all first hand. Janet stretched out really well this morning, not sure if it`s the Ritalin or the fact she had been up showering etc. I`ll take it either way.

Moira pretty much insisted Janet try the tilt table this morning as she feels it is a better back and hamstring stretch than the standing frame. I relented and am glad I did. I wasn`t going to stay but felt I had to see how this would go. The table Moira has is way better than the one on 4B and Janet handled the experience very well. She was up at 75 degrees for a good twenty five minutes and was able to do some arm stretches and play toss the bean bag and even hit a balloon to me a few times. All things she refused to do from the standing frame. It was fun hitting a balloon to her and having her hit it back, I didn`t really think she would do it.

From Physio it was straight over to see Connie for Speech. I thought I would stay to see how the swallowing went and Janet did better overall, with an average still in the six to eight second range but she seemed to tolerate the taste better and was more consistent in her swallowing speeds. Connie had her try to match objects with pictures and Janet got the cup right but wanted to play with the pen more than try and figure out where it goes. I really think Janet`s vision is hampering her performance with tests like this. All the therapists are aware of the vision challenges and I`m hoping Dr. McCann will come up with some strategy soon. Apparently the brain is very capable of correcting things like this so it may just be a matter of time. Moira and I tried covering Janet`s eyes one at a time to see if that improved her aim with the bean bags but there was no noticeable difference. Connie and I tried things with and without glasses and again no big change. On a positive note Connie asked Janet to show her one finger, she did, two, yes, three, yes, four, yes, five, yes. Repeat without Connie modeling it, no. Still good though. On a more positive note, Janet very clearly nodded her head yes to a question Connie asked her. It was still a very slight movement but we both saw it and I`m glad Connie did.

I had Janet drive back to her room for the short break before OT and we sat in the `sun window`for ten minutes. Janet showed no signs of slowing down so off to see Jessica we went. This session I did manage to stay away from and Jessica reported that Janet did very well reaching for items and placing them where Jessica asked her too. They also spent time working on Janet`s right arm. Nate helped out today as he will be Jessica on Friday and Tuesday as she is hanging out in Canmore for the long weekend.

Janet still wasn`t showing any signs of slowing down so I got her set up in the dining area for lunch. We sat with ninety year old Molly who kindly went to her room and got Janet some magazines as she sensed my boredom with the edition of O that Emma read with Janet yesterday. I got a few more head nods for yes and one shake for no while we read and chatted over lunch and Janet showed no signs of sleepiness. Lunch finally ended at two and I got Janet into bed telling her to have a nap but I`m not convinced she will and if she does it will likely prevent us from enjoying some outside time. We`ll see when I get back.

Thankful for Janet starting to answer questions and for the more relaxed muscles she seems to have today. Praying for an active afternoon.

Let`s start with a summary of the morning with Nancy. Physio went well with Moira working on Janet`s right arm and also getting her to do sitting and balancing exercises. Rob joined in again at one point to assist with some reaching. Janet stayed awake the whole time and it seemed like a good session. Next up was Speech and Connie gave Janet more swallowing tests which Nancy reports were around the five to eight second mark. Nancy didn`t feel it appropriate to stay for the whole session but reports that Janet stayed awake and Connie seemed pleased with Janet`s performance. After a tanning session and a five minute nap in the “sun window“it was time for OT. Jessica was very pleased with Janet this morning saying she seemed much more alert and responsive, following lots of commands and completing tasks today that she didn`t complete yesterday. Nice. Janet stayed awake the entire time which means she was awake from 8:45 to noon minus a five minute nap. Janet fooled everyone by staying up and having lunch in the dining area and finally going to bed around two. Wow.

I arrived at 2:15 to find Janet in bed but very awake looking so I started making plans to go outside. I talked to Blake and she told me Janet had just gone to bed so I waited to see if she would nod off and sure enough in about fifteen minutes she was closing her eyes. For the first time I noticed her fighting sleep. Usually once those eye lids closed she was out, this afternoon she would close them then twenty seconds later open them, lift her head, smile, chill for a minute or two then close the eyes again. She fell truly asleep by 2:45 and stayed that way till after four. Kinda screwed up my plans for the afternoon but I did get to have a farewell chat with Nancy. I attribute this extended awakeness and the fighting of sleep to Dr. McCann starting Janet on Ritalin. He hopes to kick start some brain activity and so far I`d say it has. For Janet to be that bright and active that long is impressive. She gets a dose in the morning and another at noon. It should where off by late afternoon which seemed about right today. This one caught me by surprise a little but then I remembered a Hospitalist trying a steroid on Janet quite a while ago and it really seemed to get her onto the next level then so I will have to trust that these doctors know what they are doing.

When Janet finally woke up it was too late to go outside after stretching so we hung out in the dining area and I started her dinner and we chatted. During the stretch and then again during dinner Janet had one of her emotional outbursts with the one in her room accompanied by an attempt to talk. I told Blake and it seems like we are all just waiting to hear Janet`s voice. As six o`clock approached I realized I had to move my car or risk a parking ticket so I explained that to Janet and asked if that was alright. She nodded her head yes. Or at least maybe she did. It was quite subtle but she did it a few times so I`m saying yes and told Blake and asked her to watch for it next time she`s talking with her. Another point for Ritalin maybe.

Kiko dropped by for a visit for the latter part of the dinner feed. She said Janet responded much more abruptly and differently to music since she was last with her. Another point for Ritalin maybe.

After the best stretch in over a week I said goodnight to Janet who was looking pretty relaxed and tired. She has the same busy schedule like she had today and hopefully can build on today`s performance. We sort of met her new roommate but so far she`s no Linda. We`ll give her time though. I cancelled plans to bring Nash in based on the fact he was not having a good day. He should be fine tomorrow and we`ll see about setting up a meeting.

In regards to visits, now that we know what Janet`s days will be like I think it best we set the following hours. Monday to Friday, 3:30 to 8:00, weekends and holidays, 10:30 to 8:00. I feel, and the therapists feel, that it is best to try and create as normal a day as possible for Janet. That means out of bed when awake, busy days and restful nights. She still needs lots of sleep so eight o`clock quiet time is good, she will have her nighttime feed around then followed by lights out. Seems to be working so far. Please do text me prior to any planned visit in case there have been changes to Janet`s schedule and I will try and update the calendar posted on the blog as much as I can so you can all see where there are any gaps in her day that you could fill.

Praying for a restful night and for continued healing of Janet`s right arm and her legs as well as her ability to communicate.

We woke up to frost on the rooftops this morning and a spectacularly bright day. Janet was nice and warm though and looking too comfy sleeping in bed when I arrived. She had been dressed and her nurse, Blake, said she was awake when they came in the morning. I starting getting her going at 8:45 and she stretched out and woke up nicely. Nancy came in shortly after nine and Janet heard her long before she saw her and turned her head to try and see. More purposeful movement. Nancy and I took Janet down to physio and I left Nancy in charge for the rest of the morning. I warned Janet to stay awake and work hard as it was going to be a busy morning and I feel confident she would give it a good try.

We said so long to Janet’s roommate, Linda, this morning as she has been discharged to stay with family in Kelowna for a few weeks and then carry on to her sister’s in England before heading home to Cape Town. She has been a true blessing to have around these first few days and we sent her off with an assortment of Sandrine’s macaron. Thanks Sandrine! I have to also give a shout out to the Social Worker, Marlene, as she worked hard for Linda and appears to have gotten her upgraded on her flights to England and South Africa to first class. That means Linda will be able to completely lay down in a bed for the flights instead of trying to sit with her broken pelvis. Nicely done.

Praying for some fun in the sun this afternoon.