Month: September 2013

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #friend #sunny

I gave Janet a call around lunch time today to see how she was doing and she explained she had done all the usual things already including going to the gym. The way she said it implied she was a very good girl and shouldn’t have to go to the gym again. Nice try. It was fun to talk to her on the phone and I think she was happy to get the call. When I arrived in her room a few hours later she was anxious for the arrival of her friend Annette so didn’t nap at all. I got her up and we went outside to wait. I gave Janet a few options for how the evening could play out, all of course included a trip to the gym. She was not impressed but settled on a walk then dinner with Annette and a session on the Shuttle at eight or so.

Annette was running late so we went for a walk to check out a resort in the area that I thought might be ok to stay at while I’m homeless but it turned out to be pretty sketchy so I’ll keep looking. Janet was very excited when Annette arrived and we enjoyed a good conversation over a mediocre dinner at the local Greek restaurant. Janet and Annette have known each other for over thirty years now and have lots to talk about. Janet was bright and talkative the whole evening and is looking forward to visiting more tomorrow and hopefully having a better dinner.

There was no real protest from Janet when gym time rolled around and her Shuttle performance was solid. As it was getting a little late, I shortened her Standing Fame session and she was in bed and very sleepy by 10:15. That was a busy day for Janet with no real rest and she was pretty amped up to see Annette so the fast crash tonight was no surprise. Praying for a night of deep sleep and a productive day tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #fish #swimming

Today was getaway day for Cam and Gina so Janet started her get up routine a little sooner than she would’ve liked. Once up she was bright but reserved, anticipating the goodbyes about to happen. With promptness not being a Cam specialty Janet had plenty of time to finish breakfast before the tears started to flow. It was fun having Cam here and a real pleasure meeting Gina, we look forward to seeing them again soon.

It was back to the pool at KGH today after missing last week due to the stat holiday and Janet excelled in the first session. Her swimming was great with good turns in each direction and really fast at times. The emphasis today was on trying to get some action out of that right leg. We tried walking which was good from a balance perspective and although she was moving her right foot forward each step, the walk was still mostly a hop. Janet did lots of exercises that required her to move her right leg and the more she did them the more success she had. The second session was completely different as a result of Janet being the shortest one in the pool by far so the water was too deep to do walking or balancing so we focused on swimming. For the first time Janet executed a roll to her tummy followed by a roll onto her back all in one length of the pool. She actually seemed pleased with herself for once on that one. High five.

Lunch was in the sun on our patio followed by a short nap before Chelsea worked her magic with Janet’s hair. It’s amazing how fast Janet’s hair grows and now that its all the same length I think she’s cuter than ever. br />
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Just because she’s cute doesn’t excuse her from kitchen duty and Janet did a great job chopping onions and potatoes and setting the outside table for us as summer has returned thankfully. Janet had a brief Skype chat with Laurel then rode contentedly out to Connect. There was no arguing about doing the Shuttle but there was a lot if arguing about the amount of tension to be used. Janet ended up doing a decent workout followed by lots of good standing on her own which earned her a night off from the Standing Frame, that and the fact it was getting late.

So ends a good day and a good weekend for Janet. I continue to see cognitive improvements and am really praying for large scale physical improvements.

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The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #Seahawks #SEAvsCAR #chef #AGT

Today was a sunny and bright day outside as well as for Janet inside.

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With her nails painted and jersey on we hunkered down to watch the first real football game of the season right after breakfast and Janet was genuinely excited or at least interested in it. She paid close attention most of the first half and commented appropriately a few times when big plays were made or big mistakes were made. She also noted the Seahawks didn’t look too good in that first half. To her disappointment halftime meant exercise time and I asked her to do some standing in front if the mirror in our room. My goal with the standing right now is to get her putting as much weight through her right leg as possible and she did a good job today. I noticed when I instructed her to lean or come over to the right she would use primarily her upper body to do so. That wasn’t getting us the results I wanted so I placed my hands on her hips and told her to do the hula a little bit. That worked! You could see and feel weight being transferred to her right leg and the more she did it the closer to the floor her heal got. Being in front of the mirror enabled her to see herself and adjust her posture accordingly. We used the whole fifteen minutes of halftime then returned to the game. Cam joined us towards the end and good thing he did as that was when our offense got going and we won the game. Janet laughed at Cam and I as we reacted to the game and overall enjoyed the whole thing.

Football and fattening foods go together naturally but there isn’t much football food Janet will eat but she did agree to pancakes for lunch. That worked out great as she helped make the mix and even broke an egg by herself into a mug. Talented!

Janet had a little rest time this afternoon then we sat out on our balcony for happy hour and enjoyed the warm sun that we’ve missed dearly the last couple of days. Being all warm and relaxed I saw an opportunity for more standing and this time was even better than the first. Janet was more confident this time too. She played prep cook for dinner and did a great job chopping vegetables and feeding the dog. I love it when we have time to prepare a meal at her pace. She loves to contribute.

I was able to stretch Janet well in the hot tub after dinner and with her legs nice and straight in the leg extenders for her wheelchair we watched AGT before calling it a night. Like during the football game Janet had some insightful comments about some of the acts we saw. This was a solid day for Janet as she got a little exercise, a little sun, watched the Seahawks win and ate ice cream. What could be better? Praying that the snoring she is doing now continues through the night and she has a strong session in the pool tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #trinitykelowna #skype #oloffs #kaltire

Janet awoke refreshed and ready for the day this morning. She seemed to really enjoy breakfast with Cam and Gina and had a good Skype chat with Mary/Gaga right after that. Her answers to questions were not always correct but she was enthusiastic during the entire call.

I thought about doing some moving related chores with Janet before lunch until I noticed a tire looking pretty flat on our car. Thankfully it wasn’t raining like it did yesterday so we were able to go out, pump a little air into it and drive over to Kal Tire and have it fixed. For FREE, and in half an hour! While we waited we walked over to Rona to check out paint samples for the new house. That was a good test of the porter wheelchair and I’ve determined that I like the idea of having two chairs but this one is not ideal for Janet. It’s too high and the foot rests are too far apart.

After a quick lunch and a look at Cam’s new car it was nap time which resulted in about an hours rest time but no sleeping. It was enough rest to give Janet a big enough boost to enjoy the rest of the day which started with the service at Trinity. Janet got really excited about a book Wayne referenced in his message called Not a Fan, by Kyle Idleman and we are going to start reading it right away. We haven’t been reading anything lately except emails and such so it will be nice to get into a book again. From church we went straight to Sandi and Henrik’s for a nice meal and good conversation. We hadn’t seen them in a while and it was really nice to reconnect. Janet managed to sit in a real chair the whole time we were there and her porter chair proved inadequate in wet gravel and for bringing into the house after getting wet. You don’t know until you try.

It was pretty late when we got home but Janet still had energy, so over a cup of tea I got her nails painted for the first real football game of the season. Seattle vs Carolina. We’ll be watching over breakfast with jerseys on. Go ‘hawks!

Thanking Jesus for everything we’ve been blessed with, especially family and friends. Praying for complete healing.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #floor #sytycd

Garett and Karl report that Janet’s morning was very busy as she did the full routine in the gym plus the Standing Frame along with some Speech and a shower. She was ready to go when I arrived and remembered we were stopping along the way but couldn’t remember what for. It was to check out flooring options for our new house and gave us our first test of the porter wheelchair. I try never to judge anything after only one attempt so let’s just say I’ve yet to be impressed. There will be more opportunities tomorrow. Our visit to Nufloors was a success with our salesman scheduled to meet us at the new house Tuesday morning to get accurate measurements. He will bring the sample of the flooring Janet chose so we can see it in real light. Janet surprised me with what she decided on and showed some real thoughtfulness in her decision making. Her descriptions of all the samples we saw were accurate and insightful. I was very impressed and like the new wheelchair you’ll have to wait to learn what she chose.

Once we got settled at home we decided to start packing while we waited for Cam and Gina to return from wine touring. I had the pleasure of finally meeting Gina this morning and Janet was eagerly awaiting her chance. Two boxes later they arrived and the sizing up began. Just kidding. We’d heard so much about Gina we felt like we knew her already and she’s quickly fit right in. Pizzas were on the menu and Janet did her best job yet at chopping peppers and tomatoes. She was a little quiet during dinner but when asked said, “they are being loud enough”. In other words she was enjoying listening.

After a good stretch in the hot tub the evening concluded with SYTYCD and ice cream. A long and active day with Janet and she handled it very well for not having had a nap. The cognitive gains continue, please pray for her right leg to join the party.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #NFL #kickoff #wheelchair

It was an early start to the day for me as someone named Brian scheduled a wheelchair meeting at Connect for 9:00am. This meeting was actually long overdue so I’m glad we could finally have it even if it was on the early side. We went over Janet’s chair part by part so that the rep could put together a quote for the purchase of her very own ride. Hers will be a little more tricked out than the one she’s using now and Janet chose the color from quite a wide selection. I won’t disclose the color until her chair arrives in a few weeks. We also tested and will continue to test this weekend a “porter” wheelchair. This is a lightweight rather simple chair that folds up easily and could be used for shopping trips, dinner outings and church in place of her larger rigid chair. Having one of these would widen our options for a new car but Jared the wheelchair guy also showed us how easily the regular chair breaks down to fit into any car. Nice to have choices.

I had a little time to spare before my dentist appointment and the staff were a little busy so I took Janet to the gym after our meeting. Jess explained the not needing to go to the gym last night mystery saying she’d told Janet if she did the yoga thing she wouldn’t have to do her stretching routine that morning. Makes sense and Janet agreed after hearing it from the source. Janet did a great job on the Shuttle this morning and is definitely slowly gaining strength. I left her in Jess’s capable hands and went off to improve my smile.

On my return Janet was dusting in the living room so I secretly watched her for a few minutes. I love how she was really concentrating on what she was supposed to do and looking for areas that needed cleaning. She probably wouldn’t pass a white glove test but she made a great effort and used good technique. A nap was out of the question as she was busy doing chores and next up was dinner prep. Grating carrots is hard work for me let alone Janet but again, lots of good concentration and effort but not the greatest technique. Chopping potatoes went really well and chopping peppers was much improved over previous attempts. Janet admitted that was hard work and she was tired afterwards.

While dinner was cooking we went for a little walk so I could get some dinner for myself and the fresh air gave Janet a nice energy boost. She enjoyed her dinner and never complained about going to the gym afterwards where she again had a solid session on the Shuttle. We then watched some real football while Janet was in the Standing Frame. The end of summer is always sad but the start of football season sort of makes up for it. Baltimore and Denver were playing and Janet remembered she used to cheer for Baltimore because of Michael Oher from the movie The Blind Side. He got injured and Baltimore lost badly but the parts of the game we watched were fun and a good warm up for watching the only team that matters Sunday morning. Go ‘hawks!

Praying for continued improvement in Janet’s strength, memory and awareness.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #joke #son #yoga

For once when I snuck into Janet’s room she didn’t wake up so I snuck right back out again and let her sleep. She’d had an active day so far starting with a shower which for most of us is a quick simple routine thing but for Janet its about an hour long procedure that does take some energy from her. After breakfast Jess took her to the gym and to a yoga session. Janet wasn’t able to tell me much about the yoga but was trying really hard to tell me about something different she’d done today. I got in too late for a report from Jess so will have to get the details in the morning. Janet’s chart shows that she went and thought it was ok and may go back. She was under the impression that since she’d done this extra thing that she wouldn’t have to go to the gym with me tonight. Wrong but I promised her a chat with Jess to clear that up.

Cam brought his mom some lunch and they had a nice visit before nap time. Janet is quite surprised at how much Cam has matured and laughs out loud when she thinks about how well he did with his summer job and the fact he’s about to start his last year of college. There’s a little sadness in the laugh as she realizes all her kids are grown up but there’s a healthy amount of pride as well.

Janet and I started our time together today with happy hour out on the patio. The sun had reappeared after a couple of good thunder storms and helped clear our heads. Tonight’s dinner was much improved over last night’s and Janet gobbled it up. On her request, we then headed for the gym. It’s still a struggle to get her to believe how much she’s improving and tonight she even was arguing just for the sake of arguing. Once she started on the Shuttle she gave a solid effort and did the same with the Standing Frame.

I used our YouTube time as some bonus Speech Therapy and asked her questions about each clip after we watched it. She impressed me with her comprehension especially one that proved she totally understood a joke. Really nice to know she isn’t just laughing along with a crowd.

Janet was very strong with her transfers tonight and overall was quite bright and fun to be around. Praying for lots of rest tonight and for a productive day tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #improving #cauliflower

Jess brought Janet into KGH this morning for the monthly chat with Dr. Miller. I met them there and after a few of the Rehab nurses said their hellos to my rock star wife we sat down with the doc. Janet continues to impress with her improved speech, memory and overall brightness. She very happily told him about our house purchase and was able to answer a lot of questions pertaining to recent history that seemed to impress Dr. Miller the most. He seemed surprised at some of the responses he got. Dr. Miller isn’t focused on Janet’s physical rehab but when Jess got Janet standing by herself for a couple minutes his face lit up and he really laid out all the positive things Janet has accomplished, hopefully boosting her confidence. It was a pleasurable meeting that even Janet agreed was worth while.

Janet returned to Connect with Jess in time for a quick lunch then singing with John. She was later able to describe the lunch she had and tell me that singing was fun. I’m not sure how much of a nap she had as she was wide awake and eager to get up when I walked in. Cam arrived a few minutes later and Janet really enjoyed him hanging out with her for a couple hours. We went for a nice walk and Janet gave Cam a little tour of Connect. Janet at one point had a had time remembering Cam’s name and called him Richard, Ricardo, Rick, Mike, Andrew and then very laughingly, Cauliflower. Brilliant. Dinner was a disappointment tonight but Janet made up for it with some fresh vegetables and an apple and she still had lots of strength for the Shuttle. Despite her dislike of “the whole thing” she is getting stronger on a weekly basis. Curtis did some sit to stand exercises with her and was able to adjust Janet’s grip on the pole to where she is forced to use her legs almost exclusively to stand up. You could see the difference immediately as Janet favored her left leg but with some coaching got some weight through the right one as well. She stood nice and tall in the Standing Frame tonight giving a really good stretch to those hamstrings.

Another good day for Janet with obvious signs of improvement. She is starting to complain about her splint occasionally and I’m not sure if the Botox is wearing off or what but we’ll check it out with Julie soon. Praying for lots of energy for tomorrow’s activities.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #nolongerhomeless #Connect #purging

Another good night of sleep for Janet and a decent start to the day eating breakfast in the sun. The day was made even brighter when we received a text from our realtor that the sellers had finally accepted our offer! Janet was relieved and excited and the news definitely gave her a lift as it did me. If you are curious about where we may be moving to (not a done deal until we have the keys) here’s a link to the MLS listing. Possession day is October 6 which means I need a place to live for at least five days, maybe more, depending on how much work we decide to do on the new place before moving in. If any Kelowna types have suggestions as to where is a good place for me and a little dog, let me know.

Before starting the purge of Cam’s room Janet had a brief Skype chat with Laurel. That one went better than yesterday’s but still not nearly as good as Saturday with Mary/Gaga. Wish we could capture that energy and keep it in her. We got a really good start on Cam’s room today and Janet helped a lot with the bagging of stuff once it was identified. She got lots of good laughs looking at the clothes that used to fit Cam eighty pounds ago.

There was no arguing about nap time after lunch today and Janet slept well for an hour and a half. For only the second time in my memory Janet asked to sit inside after we’d been out on our deck for a while. Too hot she said. Surprising, but it was warm today. That made for a nice time on the patio at Joey Kelowna for dinner with Cam. A little thunder shower rolled through during our meal and for a minute or so Janet got dripped on. She had the presence of mind to hold a napkin over her head until our server came over with a tray to cover her while another server closed the awning. Pretty funny.

Janet was resigned to doing the Shuttle and Standing Frame once we got back to Connect tonight and she did very well with both. Usually in the Standing Fame we have to watch something really lame on TV but tonight there was a James Bond movie on, Die Another Day, and Janet surprisingly liked it. I think she enjoyed the fast pace, really fake fighting scenes and Halle Berry Ok that last part might have been me.

Praying for lots of energy for a busy day tomorrow and thanking Jesus for the great weekend together.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #homeless #moving #yard

After what I believe was a great night of sleep for Janet I expected our morning and the day to be stellar. The day probably was but I think Janet might have overslept as she took a while to kick it into gear. She didn’t have much to say to Heather during a Skype chat with her which was a huge contrast to yesterday with her mom. Janet spent a lot of time on the toilet this morning which may explain some of the lack of energy. Yesterday was the day off so today was back to work and the first task was vacuuming. The last experience at this was very good and Janet improved on it today although she still said its really hard. That little workout seemed to wake her up a bit and she accepted an invite to work outside. Janet was a big help in pruning some rose bushes and pulling dead stuff out of some of the garden areas. Saved my back a lot by having her gather and put stuff in the bin plus it was great to be out in the sun which is where we had lunch while Janet got even more tanned.

After a good nap Janet and I played real estate dealers again. Our counter counter offer was countered so we countered again and are still waiting for a response. Turns out the lady who owns and lives in the home we are after has an out of town daughter that is controlling the real estate transaction and she, in the words of her realtor, is being “a hard nose”. That’s being polite. I’m trying not to let my anger rule the situation but may walk away if her response is negative. God is trying to teach me something through this and I thought maybe it was to love my enemies so our last offer showed a lot of love. We’ll see if that was the intended lesson.

Even though the sun is setting too early these days it made for a beautiful dinner tonight before we drove out to pick up Cam at the airport. He’s here for the week before heading back to school in Calgary and Janet and I are excited to have him home. The house will not be lacking in energy this week. I had intended on taking Janet to Connect for a workout prior to picking up Cam but there would not have been room in the car for her wheelchair and Cam’s bags. Janet escaped that one much to her pleasure.

To close out the night we did some star gazing from the hot tub, this time with glasses on. “It makes a huge difference”, said a smiling Janet. I gave her the prerequisite stretch then it was into the leg extenders for ice cream while watching a podcast from Elevation Church. This morning Janet’s right leg was doing its own thing a lot and she was having trouble keeping her foot on the footrest. After standing on her own for a few minutes her foot stayed there easily and for a long time. We had a good long talk about the benefits of exercise and I hope she’s starting to get it. At bedtime her standing was great and she was able to more confidently put a little weight on that right leg. I think the hot tub and leg extenders help a lot.

Praying that janet gets a deep and healing sleep that provides lots of energy for a productive day tomorrow. Also praying for resolution to our real estate situation.