Month: April 2013

Devious? Janet planning to avoid the gym. #TSJ

I took my time going out to Connect today as I had an appointment to look at a Condo then get my haircut so I figured on arriving near the end of Janet’s nap time. She was waiting for me in the living room with a cup of juice in one hand and a big grin on her face. Former resident, Clint, was there to meet with his “worker” so it was nice to see him. Janet was not showing any signs of needing a nap so we hung out for a while chatting to Clint and Jess reported she had had a good day so far. Lorne had her in the gym “for a long time” and Mary Lou did some speech with her. She ate a large breakfast and lunch and hadn’t argued about drinking yet. She did argue about nap time though. After all the updates and chit chat we headed to Janet’s room for a bio break and were talking there afterwards when Garrett stopped by to ask Janet if she was going to have a nap or help prep dinner. In one of the quickest and surest responses ever, Janet loudly said “help with dinner” and was wheeling out the door immediately.

Dinner tonight was the roast chicken that Janet helped to spice up yesterday and she was given the task of chopping some asparagus and some potatoes to go with it. Using a rocker knife she needed no help with the asparagus and a little downward pressure from me on the potatoes. She then set the table and was visibly pleased to be doing these things, repeatedly asking in a loud voice if there was anything else she could do. Not sure where all this energy was coming from but I’ll take it.

We had to wait a while for the chicken to cook so I read some Slow Dance to Janet and once again there were a lot of similarities to note and this time they centered around rehab and the importance of Physio Therapy. Towards the end of dinner Janet was given the choice of going to the gym or the coffee house down the road to listen to some music. Normally she would reject a social activity like the coffee house but when it was placed against going to the gym the decision was easy. As we headed to the car I mentioned to her that this is the second night in a row where she hasn’t had to go to the gym. Janet said “ya, it’s great!” So much for what we read earlier, or maybe she remembered the part about rest being just as important? Garrett took Derick and Humberto and new staff member Keri (new to Janet’s house) and Janet and I followed in our car. Unfortunately when we got to the coffee house it was closed as they only do the live music thing on the first Wednesday of each month. The others went for a drive to Kelowna and Janet and I drove around Lake Country a bit since we are still rather unfamiliar with it. We managed to get up high on the hill to the east of town where there was a nice view looking down to where even Janet could see Connect. We also explored the area near Wood Lake and were disappointed at how inaccessible the waterfront is there. Most of the beach is privately owned and the one public area is not wheelchair friendly at all. Made me appreciate all those walks to the beach last summer at KGH even more.

I thought Janet would crash early tonight since she had no nap and she did fade a little during our drive but once back at Connect she wanted to play a game on the iPad. She chose the math game and did amazingly well for the first fifteen minutes or so, actually the best she’s done with me. Maybe it was the lollypop she was enjoying while we played or maybe she’s just getting smarter in her old age. I was impressed. That brain exercise did use up the last of her energy for the day and she very willingly got ready for bed but not until she was able to bite that lollypop into oblivion. It was quite difficult for her but when she finally did it she smiled with satisfaction.

Thankful for an enjoyable time with Janet today and the spark she had. Praying for rest and healing tonight and a successful session in the pool tomorrow with lots of energy for the rest of her day.

Poker Queen. Janet cleans up at Poker Night. #TSJ

With the idea of trying to figure out why Janet complained of a sore throat the last two nights after taking her Dilantin, I stopped by for a chat with her doctor before going out to Connect today. Without seeing Janet and being able to examine her throat it’s hard to say for sure what’s going on but based on the fact Janet seems fine the rest of the time and is not bothered by trying to swallow any food or drink her doctor suggested trying to flush the capsules down with a good portion of water. When I reminded her how hard it is to get Janet to drink anything she suggested yogurt or something like that. Depending on what the capsules are coated with it is possible they would cause some irritation if not completely swallowed. The doctor was surprised to hear that the neurologist has not contacted me yet and will follow up on that as she feels it’s important Janet sees him soon.

Janet had just finished her sing along session with John and was having a bio break when I arrived. She smiled then started crying complaining that “I don’t belong here, there’s no way I’m going to go”. Realizing she was talking about going to the bathroom I told her it’s a good thing to try before nap time and I walked over to her desk and back. By the time I got back she was peeing and laughing about it. She was having a good day so far. Jess said she showered well and toileted well this morning then had a really good workout in the gym. Janet said it was fun singing with John, even singing the Titanic song. Glad I wasn’t there for that one. I had to lay down with her for a few minutes until she fell asleep then I went to talk to nurse Jen and Tez.

I filled Jen in on the sore throat thing and she agreed the water and yogurt would be good things to try. Tez was pleased with my report on Janet’s pool experiences and will come with us next Thursday to see for himself and give me some pointers on how to improve the routine. He says it’s important to work on the big things like kicking and floating and standing as opposed to little things like range of motion stuff. Just prior to speaking with Tez I got a surprise call from Dr. McCann’s office. There is a spot open next week where he could Botox Janet’s legs! I am still in the process of trying to reduce our Pharmacare premiums so I was worried that if we did the Botox now we might be paying too much if Pharmacare changes in our favor. I asked Tez for his opinion and he feels that although there is no guarantee Botox will work for Janet the window of opportunity for having success with it is closing so the sooner the better. Her actual appointment is July 10th and that is too long to wait by passing up next week’s chance. I called Pharmacare and they said they would reimburse any difference after the review of my application is complete. So Janet will go next Tuesday for another round of Botox in her legs and then the focus of her PT routines will be on stretching them as much as possible.

After her nap I told her the good news about the Botox and she immediately started to cry. Seems she remembers all the needles that treatment requires and does not want to go through that again. It took about a half hour to get her calmed down enough to have the scheduled Skype chat with her mom. Mary/Gaga was a big help in giving Janet a sense of relief about the Botox and as the evening wore on I had Janet share the positive news with everyone she saw so as to build it up as a good thing. By dinner time she could talk about it without crying.

Setting the table and helping to make mushroom gravy built Janet’s confidence tonight and her and Garrett seasoned a chicken for roasting tomorrow as well. That kept her focused for half an hour and feeling useful. Maybe she was too confident as both Garrett and I failed to convince her to go to the gym tonight. She caught on to the fact that if she agreed to play poker she wouldn’t have to go to the gym so that’s what she chose to do. And a good call it was. Janet has no clue how to play the game and with all the chatter going on around the table and a new dealer who didn’t really know what she was doing it was not the night to try and learn. But it was fun as I helped her along. Each time she won a hand she got a massive smile on her face and by the end of the night it was down to her and Brandon left in the game with Janet holding at least twice as many chips as him. Because of the time we agreed to play one hand all in and Brandon won so he got to chose from the prize box but Janet couldn’t have cared less as she was still playing with the colorful chips. She helped me put them away and I think she enjoyed stacking them in separate colors as much as she did playing the game. That was a fun and different experience for her.

With water and yogurt ready I gave Janet her Dilantin before she started her nightime routine thinking the longer before she lays down the better too. There were no problems tonight at all. She took the capsules first try each time and drank a good amount of water along with a few spoons full of yogurt. No complaints or coughing or anything.

Praying for a restful night and an active day tomorrow.

Madness Monday. Nice comeback by Janet. #TSJ

For the first time in a while we had to use an alarm to wake up this morning. I wanted to make sure we had lots of time to get to the KGH pool and wasn’t sure how Janet would be feeling today. I showered and got dressed then woke her up. She was not totally pleased with me but gathered herself and got on with it. I didn’t even have to nag her about drinking her water as she was sipping regularly as soon as I served it. Janet took her morning meds well and we were out the door on time.

In the nice warm water, Janet loosened up quickly and after a while got some decent leg kicking action going while I held her afloat. Her best skill in the pool today was standing by far. She was able to go up and down, using her left leg mostly, the farthest I’ve seen yet. I’m still not convinced we are doing things right but we make the best of it. Janet also excelled at floating on her back today. She’s either gaining more confidence in the water or more trust in me and allowing herself to relax more. At one point her head was back almost covering her ears with water and her eyes were closed and I barely had to support her. Not sure if there’s any physical therapy to be gained there but it was nice to see her so relaxed. She didn’t list to the right as much as last time either. No idea why.

Music Therapy with Stephani was next and Janet seemed pleased to see her and didn’t hesitate to get started. The best task I’ve seen so far from Stephani is when she has Janet play some sort of instrument. There are drums and shakers etc. and Janet really enjoys all of those and keeps a pretty strong beat going.

I took Janet home for lunch since we were so close and decided to let her nap there as well. She gave the usual mad battle against the nap with the usual two hour sleep to follow. I actually had to wake her so we could get to Connect in time for dinner. Janet seemed perfectly happy to be back there and was warmly greeted by everyone. Dinner was timed really well as Janet finished just as the basketball game was about to tip. What a great game it was! Janet missed halftime and the first twelve minutes of the second half as Curtis took her to the gym. We talked about going during the first half of the game and Janet laughed sometimes and got mad about it sometimes. Then when it came time to go she completely gave in and “happily” went. I suggested only a fifteen minute stretch but Curtis put her through a full workout and Janet never complained about it. She did say afterwards that it was “terrible” but she said it with a smile.

We watched the end of the game with Janet asking to stay and watch the trophy presentations afterwards so bedtime was later than usual. Her nightime routine went well until minutes after taking her Dilantin she once again tearfully complained of a sore tongue/throat. The pain subsided ten minutes later and she was relaxed and sleepy as I said goodnight. I will talk to nurse Jen and Janet’s doctor about this tomorrow as I have no idea what’s causing the discomfort.

Praying for a night of rest and healing, to know why Janet’s throat was sore and for an energetic day tomorrow.

Lack of Sun Day. Restless night gets the better of Janet. #TSJ

After a great day yesterday today was a downer right from the start. Janet went to sleep last night just before ten, happy with the day’s events and accomplishments. When I went to bed right around midnight, she was awake and couldn’t get back to sleep until after 2am and we have no idea why. She was giggly but in a way that suggested frustration, she was tired but unable to settle down for more than a few minutes at a time. Once, she was so determined to get up that she actually got herself about eighty percent sitting up in the middle of the bed. She was quite proud of herself but I convinced her to lay back down. She finally did fall asleep after I racked my brain to see if we had done anything out of the ordinary to trigger this restlessness. I can’t think of a thing.

Wanting to let her sleep but also wanting to go to church today I got up and started getting ready as best I could without waking Janet. She woke up around 9:30 and seemed ready for the day. Breakfast went well and out the door we went. Janet was dialed in during the service and I thought we’d have a pretty good day. Then we got home and the slide began. It was an ugly day here, cool, cloudy, rainy. These days never had a good affect on either of us and with both of us being tired the effect is greater. Lunch was delayed as I helped a gentleman get our bike rack that his sister bought from us into his car then even after choosing to have bacon and eggs Janet decided she doesn’t like eggs. She helped make herself a half a quesadilla and ate most of that but was losing energy fast. It was three o’clock by this time so down she went for a nap that I had to wake her from at 5:45 or things would just be going too late tonight. They did anyways.

Janet never had much energy today and her speech was poor for most of it. She did help with dinner and ate all she was given. There just wasn’t a lot coming back from her as I tried to talk to her or get her to do things. She did play ball with the dog so that was a good diversion for fifteen minutes. I struggled all day to get water into her and that may have played a role in all this. Her transfers were fine for the most part but not as strong as yesterday. We watched The Voice together this evening and she enjoyed that and reacted well to some of the contestants and laughed at the coaches when appropriate. Janet did share with me a frustration at not being able to remember things from earlier in the day. I asked her what we were doing after she finished her glass of water and she said “going to church”. When I told her we went this morning she got upset that she couldn’t remember that. I recapped the last two days with her and it seemed like she remembered some events from Saturday but nothing much from Sunday at all.

By the time I kissed her goodnight tonight it was after eleven, mostly because she was enjoying The Voice so we watch both episodes I had recorded then after all the routine nighttime stuff Janet complained and got quite upset that her throat was sore. She couldn’t tell me exactly what was going on but my feeling is she’s getting a cold. I tried water, no improvement, then a little honey, no improvement but enough of a reaction to calm down and go to sleep. She is snoring loudly now as I write this and hopefully stays that way till we have to get up to get ready for swimming.

Praying for healing and rest tonight and lots of energy to fully participate in tomorrow’s activities.

Simple. A simply enjoyable day. #TSJ

I’m starting to really enjoy Saturdays, especially ones where we have no set agenda. This one started nice and slow with both of us waking up at 7:15 and agreeing it was way too early so back to sleep we went. Well Janet went at least and I hung out beside her just relaxing until she stirred again just after 8:30. That was a little more reasonable so we started the morning routine and by the time breakfast was done it was past 10:30. Janet was cheery and chatty throughout and chose to help me make a pot of chili afterwards that we could let simmer all day and enjoy it whenever we wanted tonight while we watched basketball.

Janet did a good job chopping a couple of very irritating onions, had a little trouble with the peppers as they seem to have tough skins for her to break and was happy to stir things together. This was Janet’s fist attempt at using our new One Touch can opener and she had immediate success after a very brief demonstration. I’m really happy that worked as it’s one more thing she can do on her own.

With the chili cooking we moved to trying on pants and things Janet had elected to keep during the purge but we weren’t sure if they fit. Most didn’t so it looks like a shopping trip is in the works. Sticking with an unintentional Mexican food theme we had quesadillas for lunch, something Janet could participate in the making of. I need to find a way for her to grate cheese. She can’t seem to push hard enough against the grater we have. Suggestions?

Nap time came a little late as we took a long time eating lunch and listening to music but after getting up Janet was nicely refreshed and patiently sat in the sun while I cut and painted her nails. Jess told me the other day that they aren’t allowed to cut toe nails in case they break some skin. That’s a new one on me but I’m happy doing it anyways. We went with bright yellow today in honor of the Spring sunshine and to help cheer on Michigan in their basketball game against Syracuse. It worked!

Today was a nice simple, relaxed, fun and productive day. Janet did very well with her standing transfers, the best yet, with some really strong pushes once I got her most of the way up. Which is not near all the way up of course, but all the way for her. It seems a little like we are starting all this over again and in some ways we are. I think previously, I was able to lift her to a straighter position and therefore thought she was standing more on her own. I now realize she wasn’t doing much of the work then but now I’m starting her off then waiting for that push from her before making any further move. Sometimes it doesn’t come right away and I have to sit her down and try again but more often than not she gives a very definite push and raises herself up noticeably to where I’m mostly just balancing her rather than holding her up. That only lasts a second or two of course but I think she’s learning each time she does it and is gaining a little confidence. Overall I think she gained a lot of confidence today as she accomplished many small but important tasks.

Praying for a restful night and lots of energy tomorrow.

Farewell Fred. Cake, pizza then a much needed workout. #TSJ

As expected, Janet was partying the afternoon away as I arrived at Connect today. A large crowd turned out to wish Fred well on his move to Connect Langley. Janet had helped Jess make a cake for the event and it was being devoured when I walked in. I surprised Janet a little as she was quite focused on her cake but also enjoying the festivities. Her and Fred got along really well right from day one at Connect and we will miss him.

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After the party I gave Janet the choice of going to the gym or having a nap. She chose nap and actually had one for over an hour. It was pizza night at Connect which seemed like it would be a lot of fun. Unfortunately, someone tried making the pizza dough from scratch and that caused a little stress during prep time which prevented anyone from helping which to me is half the fun of at home pizza. By the time it was ready everyone thought it was delicious and Janet even asked for seconds. A first.

Having had a little time to digest Janet reluctantly agreed to go to the gym. It was more like she knew I wasn’t backing down this time. A new staff member, Tiffany, joined us to try and get to know Janet a little better. She got to see pretty much every mood Janet can have. I promised Janet this session would not be long or particularly difficult but I don’t think she was convinced. After an excellent sliding board transfer onto the table mat we started some leg stretches. I haven’t done this with Janet for a long time which made it good for Tiffany as we reviewed the instructional videos on the computer before starting anything. I was disappointed with how stiff Janet was but don’t think that’s her norm as no one has commented on her tightening up anymore recently. Janet had a little breakdown on the Shuttle but actually performed quite well on it. If we could get those hamstrings to relax she’d be on her way.

That was not the greatest workout ever but at least we got her in there before the weekend and I was able to use that experience to help her with standing transfers tonight. She managed one at home tonight where I really could feel her using her legs most of the time. They still are mostly lifts as opposed to transfers but its something for her to work on.

We got home just in time for dessert after saying goodby to Fred. Janet gave him two happy face lollypops as he played bingo with a bunch of people in the neighboring house. That happens every Friday night and combined with the pizza makes for a compelling reason to have Janet stay Fridays. We’ll see. Janet’s nighttime routine went really well and she settled into her own bed quite willingly. There was one funny moment of confusion just before dessert. Janet was playing ball with Nash and as I was about to feed him I asked her to tell him to sit. I spelled out the word sit so the command could come from her instead of me. She spoke loudly and firmly to him but said “come on Cameron, S I T now, come on, S I T”. She even laughed out loud when she realized what she’d said. I’d be worried about it but she often got Cam and Nash mixed up before getting sick. All is well.

Praying for lots of rest tonight and a productive day tomorrow.

Endurance. Janet gets through a busy day. #TSJ

Jess had Janet all set to go this morning and Janet seemed quite enthusiastic about the day ahead. We arrived at the KGH pool in plenty of time, in fact while we were waiting after getting changed Janet complained that we were “doing nothing”. She agreed it was better to be early than scrambling around at the last minute and I reminded her the pool won’t wait for us. Right on time, Jim arrived and into the water we went.

The sensation of floating still brings a smile to Janet’s face and a calm feeling to her in general. She’s happy to try all the exercises I’ve been given for her although I think she’d be OK with just floating around in the warm water for as long as she wanted. We started on her back trying to get the legs kicking with me supporting her instead of the inner tube. Janet started slow but got it going alright after a few minutes. With the inner tube she really got her left leg going crazy. The most range and fastest movement I’ve seen from it ever. Unfortunately the right leg was nowhere close to keeping up but I could see and feel her trying. We tried a couple variations of standing exercises and Janet did well intermittently with both. I need more coaching on those for sure. For something new, I had Janet try floating on her tummy. She didn’t mind being in that position but I found it hard to keep her face out of the water while keeping her legs in a place where she could try kicking or straightening them. Again, more coaching needed or at least a pool noodle. Overall today’s session was better than last week but the thirty minutes seemed like five. Very glad we are going twice a week starting Monday.

On our way out of KGH we did our now usual lap through rehab saying hi to a couple of familiar nurses and having a nice chat with Connie. Janet is trying really hard to have meaningful conversations with people but still echoes and has trouble remembering short term things. The effort to converse is way better though and that played well into being ready for Music Therapy with Stephani. Conveniently she lives only a few blocks from the hospital so we arrived there in plenty of time as well and Janet and her got started right away. I sat out of the room they were working in but I could hear everything and could tell Janet was enjoying it. There is a little more purpose to Stephani’s session than with John and I think today was a good first go at it. I was concerned Janet would be tired or hungry but she was just fine and sounded pretty good at times.

First day music therapy

First day music therapy


Next up was a much needed haircut with Chelsea after a quick stop at the dentist to make an appointment for Janet. She had not been to that office since the day of her aneurysm and thankfully does not remember the place at all. She was warmly welcomed by Collette and Colin, both of whom make it as much fun as possible to go to the dentist. By the time we arrived at the salon Chelsea was ready for Janet who gave her a nice big smile after I carried her into the shop. Apparently Janet has a history of falling asleep during haircuts and today was no exception. About ten minutes in with Chelsea working on the back of Janet’s head, I noticed her eyes closed, only for a minute or so until the blow drier came out, but she was nodding off. Janet powered through and allowed Chelsea to set her up for a pretty nice look in the future as her hair grows in just a little more. Janet was pleased with the results and we headed home for a late lunch.

It was well past nap time and we were just eating lunch but Janet was doing fine. She even had a reasonable Skype chat with her mom afterwards, talking fairly loud at times. Before we knew it it was time to get back to Connect and when we arrived Janet elected to put away laundry and make her bed instead of eat like everyone else was. She did a good job helping make the bed but needed a fair amount of cuing to find the right drawers for her clothes. I’ll put that down to the long day without a nap. She managed a good dinner and a little chat with Bob and Dwight then at 7:30 said she was ready for bed. Her nighttime routine went better than this morning as she knew not to brush her hair with the toothbrush and got the toothpaste open herself and did a really good job rinsing her mouth and taking her meds.

Lights out came early after a busy but fun day. Janet seemed pleased with her day, questioning how well she did but acknowledging she did a lot. Praying for a good rest tonight and a strong workout in the gym tomorrow and fun at Fred’s going away party.

A Good Excuse. Janet waits for a nap. #TSJ

Once again Janet was in the living room at Connect when I arrived this afternoon. She had not had a nap and said she was waiting for me before having one. I told her I delayed my arrival today in hopes she would be well into her nap and I would join her for the last little bit. She laughed and I accepted her excuse as I wasn’t feeling that great this morning and welcomed the opportunity to lay down for a bit. Janet was quiet for maybe fifteen minutes but I sensed nowhere near sleeping, then wouldn’t stop talking. She demonstrated an arm exercise she had done in the gym earlier and talked a lot about swimming tomorrow and music therapy. I don’t think she’s getting worked up about either one, she just knows tomorrow is a busy day.

I let Janet get up from the right side of the bed for a change and after I helped get her right foot over the edge she used her abs to sit herself up. High five! It actually seemed easier for her than pushing with her arm on the left side but I really had to help get the leg over where as on the other side she can do it herself sometimes. Our first task was to have a Skype chat with Leslie. While we were waiting I went to get waters for us and Janet asked if she should say hi first or Leslie. I explained we weren’t calling until I got back but thought that was really good awareness to ask that. The conversation went well for the first fifteen minutes then Janet started to lose focus. We are excited that Leslie and Gavin are coming out to visit at the end of June as in person chats are always better than Skype.

Janet helped set the table for dinner tonight then ate a big bowl of pasta that Chris made. Pretty cool to see him standing at the stove making dinner. Could be Janet one day? Garrett and I convinced Janet to go to the gym for some leg stretches. She only had a minor breakdown regarding the gym tonight as I was able to commend her on the good workout Lorne gave her in the morning and how much better she’s doing her “standing” transfers today. It seems like giving her tangible evidence of why to do something weighs big for her. We also made it fun with Garrett challenging her to make her own way to the gym. She had a little break in her room then I sent her off. She immediately turned right out of her room as that’s the way she goes 99% of the time so after I corrected her on that she took off. I stayed back and spied on her as she slowly but surely made her way all the way to the gym. She never crashed into one wall and kept propelling herself with her foot and by using her hand on the wheelchair wheel. Something I constantly have to remind her about when I’m with her. She overshot the gym door as it’s on her right side so that was expected and then went in for a good stretch with Garrett.

After her workout, Brian, Garrett and I had a good chat about Janet’s Mondays. She is definitely not at her best on Mondays and I am concerned that the weekends at home are too much for her as Monday has turned into a catch up day. Now that she has swimming Monday mornings the routine has changed and if I can get her to bed in decent time Sunday night that may help. We agreed to have me take her home later on Fridays so she can get another gym session in before the weekend and I will try and do a little stretching at home with her. Janet continues to improve her conversation abilities and her overall awareness although her volume level was low for me today. Jess said she was talking well this morning.

We read some more Slow Dance before bed and Janet picked up right away on the description of the ladies dog getting all depressed when he saw a suitcase getting packed. Our dog has always behaved that way and Janet recognized that without help. We got some bittersweet news today. We knew it was coming but had hoped it wouldn’t be this soon, at least that’s how I feel. Fred will be moving to a Connect facility in Langley this Sunday. He has been a reliable source of laughter from day one at Connect and it has been a privilege to watch him progress. This is a good move for him but he will be missed. Praying for lots of rest tonight in preparation for a busy day tomorrow.

Reluctant Progress. The bad gym attitude returns. #TSJ

I arrived at Connect this afternoon surprised to see Janet hanging with Jess in the living room. She had turned down an offer to rest for a little while and was waiting to go upstairs to a birthday party for one of the other residents. Janet was able to tell me she had helped Jess make cabbage rolls this morning, had a shower and went to the gym. Lorne said he gave her a good arm and shoulder stretch and Jess said she helped just fine with the cooking. John came in to sing with Janet this afternoon and she said that was fun. Janet willingly went off with the Jess to the party and returned an hour later saying it was so so and not really her thing. Good she went though.

Nap time started late and ended late with Janet getting almost a couple hours of sleep before a late and short happy hour. Her speech was very good this evening as far as awareness and intelligence goes but the volume level was low most of the time. I was impressed with a lot of her comments and responses and wish she would stay at this level for longer periods of time. There are still moments of confusion that creep in quickly and leave quickly too. I want to say the trend is towards a higher level of awareness but those confused times bother me.

Garrett and I had a very challenging time with Janet in the gym after dinner. He asked for my help so he could take Fred at the same time and Janet fought tooth and nail against going. We got her on the Shuttle and she did a so so workout there for me. From that performance I can safely say she hasn’t gained a bit of leg strength since the last time I went to the gym with her which was a month ago. Garrett assured me she’s done better recently and I’ve had her standing fairly well recently too. Hopefully the hydrotherapy will allow her hamstrings to relax while we wait for the Botox then she’ll be able to get the kind of leg extension that’ll enable her to build strength. I left her with Garrett for some leg stretching and he said that went very well. He sent Janet off from the gym on her own to see if she could find her way back. Unfortunately I went down to see how they were doing and found her half way to her room. I told her I’d go hide and she could try and find me. She found her room just fine but not me. I am a good hider. Just sayin.

In good spirits and talking really well Janet went down to poker night to share more Easter treats then proceeded to eat two oranges as her bedtime snack. We read more of Slow Dance and once again looked at each other numerous times and laughed a couple times at the similar events being described. Janet didn’t argue abut going to bed as I thought she might. She was not showing any real signs of fading even at nine o’clock but she happily did her nighttime routine and was pretty sleepy by the time I said goodnight.

Our video from the Easter services at Trinity continues to get an amazing response from those that have seen it. Thanks again for all the encouraging feedback. If you’d like to watch the entire Easter message and see how Wayne used our story and that of two other amazing people you can do so here.

Praying for rest and healing tonight, energy and brightness tomorrow with a good attitude towards getting stronger.

Tan Lines. Janet basking in her glory. #TSJ

Jess said Janet had reluctantly gone to bed for a nap around 1:30 and could be sleeping when I arrived just after two. I left her alone for a bit in hopes she was but when I tried sneaking into her room at three she was looking at me with a huge grin on her face and said she had not slept and was just listening to music. She described her day as OK and said she had done “nothing”, except have breakfast but that was only toast with jam. Garrett later confirmed that Janet said no to a shower and no to the gym this morning and had a decent sleep in. That seems to be common for Monday’s so it’ll be interesting to see how she does in the pool next week.

Janet started getting up from bed and I asked her what she was doing. She told me she had to go to the bathroom so once she was up I got her over to the toilet and away she went. Another good sign of improved awareness. We then headed for the patio and happy hour. Janet devoured an orange and drank her water while I read the comments on our video that so many of you sent our way. Janet is truly encouraged by the feedback even from those of you we’ve never met. In fact some of those comments have gotten the most reaction from her. She still struggles a little with thinking she didn’t look good or do good in the video but the more feedback I read her from all of you the better she feels about it all. Thank you!

Garrett and I convinced Janet to go to the gym before dinner and she returned from a good workout an hour later with a smile on her face. She did seem a little confused at times this evening. Giving silly answers to simple questions and not knowing some basic family questions. When we Skyped with Andrew after dinner she thought he was her brother and even told Garrett that later. Andrew asked Janet about the church video and Janet couldn’t remember what he was talking about even after a pretty good explanation. I played it for her after we talked to Andrew and it all came back to her minus the crying. Yay! She never seemed to be in a state of total confusion so I’m not overly concerned but I would like to get in and see the neurologist sooner rather than later.

The first of each month is weigh in day for everyone and Janet logged another gain. She wisely said “that’s a lot” when I asked her if she thought she weighed 412 pounds. She did guess 117 pounds which is not too far off. As long as I’ve known her she has feared being too big so she always looks a little concerned when I tell her she’s gained weight but I’ve given her an arbitrary goal and we’re not there yet so all is well. As part of reporting her weight to Garrett I had Janet take some Easter candy that Kiko kindly dropped off today to share with those that were hanging around. Janet smiled the whole time she was offering the treats and seemed genuinely happy to be doing it. It’s good to share.

Before bed, Janet asked if I would read some Slow Dance to her. We certainly aren’t moving through that book very fast and it’s too bad because what we read tonight had a lot of similarities to Janet’s experience. She even shot me a few knowing glances as I read. Again, more awareness. The bedtime routine went well and because Janet didn’t nap this afternoon the lights were out a little earlier than usual. All things considered Janet had a pretty good day and even has a little tan line starting on her chest. That’s why we live here folks.

Praying for a restful night that enables lots of healing and brings energy and awareness for a productive tomorrow.