Month: November 2013

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #Seahawks

Renovation Day 34. A day off for me as I spent the entire day with my beautiful wife. Randy was at the house for at least part of the day working on kitchen cabinets. Hopefully he took some family time as well.

Since the Seahawks were playing at the ridiculous time of 10am I was at Connect early to watch the game with Janet. She had just finished breakfast and was enjoying her coffee when I got there and when I told her it was almost game time she chugged back her coffee and wheeled into the living room. If only she’d inhale water like that. The game was over fairly early with Seattle dominating. I missed our first touchdown while talking to Curtis and Jess but Janet cheered and called me to come watch and I got the replay. It wasn’t that long ago that Janet would have to have been told what just happened, now she’s right on it.

With the game in hand and the house quiet, Jess and Curtis and I got Janet upstairs to the parallel bars for some sling walking. I truly believe Janet wants to walk one day and is starting to realize that isn’t going to magically happen. She worked very hard during this session, even to the point of sweating, and all the way through I could see determination on her face and less frustration. Hopefully we can make a real strong push over the next few weeks and build her confidence and strength.

Before lunch Janet had a nice Skype chat with Leslie as far as volume level goes. There was a moment where Janet confused Leslie with Heather as she always seems to have but she recovered nicely. Lunch was with Curtis, Jess, Humberto and Kieran so there was lots of chatter which is always good. A staff member in one of the other houses is a big Saskatchewan Roughriders fan so had a viewing party for their game this afternoon and Janet and I watched the last quarter with Chris, Mark and a few others. Some of the CFL rules are truly goofy but it was entertaining and Janet came within a field goal of winning some prizes in the Pool. That was a good warm up for the Grey Cup in a couple weeks.

After a little convincing Janet agreed to a bike ride. Once again stating she wouldn’t do very well and once again breaking her previous record. This is the first time she’s gone thirty minutes and she did so strongly while singing along to a number of different songs as they came on the radio. I’ve printed off the lyrics of some of them so her and John can sing them on Tuesday.

Throughout the day Janet had many opportunities to converse with other residents and staff and she did so often. I find myself really watching her as she interacts on her own and I feel a little like a parent watching a child grow up. Praying for a night of uninterrupted sleep and an increase in confidence in her physical abilities.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #Thai

Renovation Day 33. Randy spent the day grouting the backsplash in the kitchen, looks awesome, and priming the cabinets for painting. I finished installing lights and started changing plug outlets and switches after finally figuring out how to reconnect the doorbell. Sometimes the simplest things are the hardest.

I met Janet as she was stuck trying to get into her bathroom and was about to call for help. I love that she’s trying these things on her own. Janet is getting more comfortable using the iPhone and iPad and she called her mom to set up a Skype chat that went well. They hadn’t talked for a couple weeks as Mary/Gaga and Keith were in the Bahamas for a little vacation. Janet was happy to get caught up then agreed to a bike ride before going to church and blew me away when she started at 34RPM and stayed in that range for a good ten minutes. She finished with a personal best 1.6 mile ride in twenty five minutes. The timer was set for thirty minutes but I let her stop sooner since she’d beaten her record.

Church tonight was very cool as its baptism weekend at Trinity. We witnessed about fifteen mostly young people get baptized and share their stories. Some of the stories were quite moving and Janet enthusiastically cheered for each person after they got dunked. She really enjoyed the different format of the service tonight and stood for the longest time yet, even shifting weight a little onto the right leg at times. After another Home Depot run we went to try out a new to us restaurant and were very impressed. <a href="http://

20131107-002050.jpg“>Mon Thong served very yummy Vietnamese food that except for one slightly spicy dish was gobbled up by a hungry Janet. We returned to Connect for dessert and a surprise Skype chat with Laurel, Raj and Cam. Janet was very excited to talk to them even though it was almost bedtime and she thought it was nice of them to think of calling her.

Throughout my time with Janet today her right leg was in varying states of stiffness. Most of the time she was able to control it enough that it stayed on the wheelchair footrest. When she was cold and tired it dragged on the ground. I warned her that tomorrow we’d be doing the parallel bars and she’s not that excited about it so hopefully I can convince her to try. Praying for a night of uninterrupted sleep that brings increased strength and flexibility.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #renos

Renovation Day 32. Big day today! The bathroom and laundry area floors are in! That enabled Frank the plumber to install one of the new toilets and change out most of the poly B pipe in the house. I finished installing LED pot lights and have two flush mount fixtures to go and the lighting will be done except for accent lights in and around some cabinets. Dave the painter is finished except for base boards and some touch ups. Randy completed the backsplash in the kitchen and I must say Janet picked a good one!

With so much going on at the house today I didn’t get to Connect until after four and Janet was waiting in the living room. She remembered I might be late so she wasn’t worried. After catching up on the day she surprisingly agreed to a bike ride in which she tied her personal best. I thought for sure she’d break it and think the machine was unfair to her the last six minutes of her ride in not giving her as much distance as at first. Never the less Janet seemed pleased with her efforts and obviously got a cardio workout in the process.

Janet not only ate a big dinner tonight, she ate rather speedily and when I commented on that she thought I was weird. Usually she’s a pretty methodical eater and tonight her plate was clean in no time. There was room for apple pie and ice cream though. Yummy.

While filling out a questionnaire on Janet’s abilities to perform certain tasks we came across a question on managing finances. Janet was quite indignant that I think she can’t handle her money and repeatedly stated she could. Prior to getting sick Janet was an excellent money manager and I’ve assumed she would be completely incompetent in that area now. I might be wrong though. After a lengthy and intelligent conversation we agreed that I would let Janet know each time her CPPD payment is deposited and she will assist in determining how that money is designated. I’m curious to see how this goes and expect her to be able to take some responsibility for household decisions.

Our evening finished off with some TV and Janet was quite upset neither The Voice or X Factor was on but that left more time to chat with the other residents and staff. Janet was relatively quiet tonight and called her own bedtime just after nine. Praying for a night of uninterrupted sleep and complete healing of her right leg.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #walking

Renovation Day 31. Just a little shopping for me today as there were lots of Janet things going on. Randy and Dave were both busy all day and it looks to me like we’re close to finishing the painting and the kitchen appears close to where Randy can start building doors and drawers.

I met Janet and the gang at the pool this morning and found Janet to be in a good mood albeit not too excited to go swimming. After the cold water the last couple of weeks I can’t blame her for the loss of enthusiasm and am glad she still is willing to go. Thankfully the water was noticeably warmer today and Janet was comfortable after five minutes or so. Walking in this pool is still really challenging as her right leg just stiffens right up from the cold. Swimming on the other hand is spectacular as Janet realizes she can generate some warmth by moving around. During one length, she was swimming so fast on her back I actually couldn’t keep up to her and she shot past a group of people like a torpedo. She was smiling all the way too.

We visited our local Urban Fare for lunch after swimming and Janet polished off a massive and very tasty wrap before we stopped by the house to let the dog out and give Janet a peak. I wheeled her in with her eyes shut hoping to get her to the very yellow bedroom before she opened them but she couldn’t resist and opened them in the kitchen. She was very happy with what she saw, even the bedroom, saying “it’s so nice and bright and cheery”. That’s a great critique on a dull and almost snowy day so my color fears have been put to rest.

As soon as we got back to Connect we met with Tez at the parallel bars. Janet has tried various routines on this apparatus before and was quite vocal about not doing it again but we assured her this time would be different. And it was. A lot of what’s holding Janet back from standing and walking is a lack of confidence and a fear of falling. Tez put her in a sling that allows her to walk and fall safely. Kind of like a Jolly Jumper with less seat. Janet was really nervous at first but by the end of the session walked the length of the parallel bars pretty much on her own. Tez allowed her to fall a few times to prove she couldn’t really fall and I think Janet started to believe it a little. The plan over the next while is to focus on getting weight through her right leg in hopes it will relearn to do what it’s supposed to do. Tez is hopeful that using the leg as it normally would, i.e. walking, will facilitate that relearning. This is a big move forward and if Janet agrees to work hard at this and if her brain can rewire her right leg some more this could be a turning point in her physical recovery.

Wes was very proud that he ate more than Janet at dinner tonight as Janet was still full from lunch. She worked some of that off with a bike ride before watching The Voice to round out the day. This was the first results show and both of our picks survived. Praying for a restful and healing night that provides lots of energy and a positive attitude for tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #Yellow

Renovation Day 30. Things are happening quickly now. I bought the new toilets today as once the new bathroom floor is in on Friday they can be installed. More LED lights went in as well. Randy was able to cut the countertops today and it looks really good. Having that done enabled Janet and I to go shopping for backsplash tiles, something I hadn’t thought about before at all. The first store we went to Janet liked a design that was $30 a square foot. The salesperson was honest and suggested we look at Home Depot before buying so off we went. They’re starting to get to know me there and almost immediately Janet saw a design she liked with a sticker price of only $6.97. When we got to the check out it rang in as $4.20! Love it. Dave made a lot of progress with painting and we now have the first rooms done in Janet yellow. Here’s a look at the master bedroom and the new closet. Ignore the blinds, they’re being replaced.

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Janet hasn’t seen it yet and I’m hoping she still likes the color. It’s very yellow.

Janet was waiting for me in the living room and we quickly took off to do the tile shopping. She was able to tell me a lot about her day so far which was full of the usual activities along with a “yucky” lunch. She chose sushi for dinner which we did right after the tile shopping then it was off to SHElife. The whole afternoon Janet was very conversant, remembering what we were shopping for and putting a lot of thought into her choices of tiles. I am glad she still has her Color Wizard skills. She remembered what she wanted to discuss at SHElife and confidently greeted Heidi as we got to her table. When I picked her up two and a half hours later Heidi said Janet had stood up during the worship set at the start of the evening. As the music started Janet tried getting up and with the assistance of her table mates she got up and stayed up for a little more than two songs. Janet told me later she enjoyed the evening and “was allowed to talk” and felt she had a really good discussion on a number if points. She was surprised to learn that a lot of others have the same questions and feelings she has. Good stuff.

To wind down the evening we watched the last half hour of X Factor and Janet actually remembered a couple of the contestants even though we haven’t watched for at least two weeks. She faded rapidly while getting ready for bed and was pretty much asleep right after our prayers. Praying for a restful night, lots of energy for tomorrow and lots more strength and control of her right leg.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #Botox

Renovation Day 29. Lots of painting and prepping for more painting. Since some of the ceilings are finished I was able to install some of the LED lights. Looking good.

Kieran had Janet counting reps for him as he tried to do some crunches in the living room when I arrived at Connect. He apparently thinks its cool Janet can count. Old news. Tez stopped by as we were chatting and arranged to spend time with Janet and I Thursday afternoon to develop a plan of attack for this latest Botox round. He mentioned the focus will be on standing and strengthening her right leg. Brian mentioned that Dr. McCann is using Janet as a case study during a dinner for Botox type professionals tonight. Janet’s positive response to Botox treatment has been impressive and its cool her story will be shared but I think she and I should’ve been invited to the dinner in honor of that. Don’t you?

Janet chose to read Not a Fan before dinner instead of going for a bike ride, a decision she later regretted. Once again we had a very interesting discussion on what we read and I think Janet will be able to participate well at SHElife tomorrow. While the final preparations for dinner were being made I noticed Janet using her increased social skills to talk to Wes and Kieran instead of staring blankly into space like she used to. She looked totally comfortable and at home sitting at the table in a real chair conversing with them about how much more she eats than Wes. She was teasing him and he was loving every minute of it. Janet’s conversational skills were put to further use after dinner when she struck up a half hearted argument about going for a bike ride. She gave in quickly and put in a very solid performance and agreed she does better before dinner so will try to do it that way more often.

Praying for rest, strength and confidence.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #joy

Renovation Day 28. Painting has begun! The ceiling in the living room, master bedroom and both bathrooms has been painted. The kitchen and den/second bedroom are scheduled for tomorrow. The wallpaper was removed from the main bathroom and right away it became clear as to why the previous owners installed that wallpaper. The walls underneath are painted pink! That means at one time that room had pink walls and a pink tile floor. Yikes!

I managed to sneak up on Janet this afternoon as she waited for me in the living room. We played a little game of tag circling the fireplace until I let her find me. She was in a great mood and since it was so nice and sunny out I thought it would be good to test her new jacket. Short trips to and from the car don’t really tell us how warm the jacket is keeping her but a long walk would for sure and I figured sunny and eight degrees was a pretty safe try.

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Surprisingly enough Janet complained her arms were cold after about ten minutes. She had a long sleeve sweater on so I am not sure how we can improve that. We’ll try again sometime soon and see if it continues.

Janet set another personal best on the bike today going a mile and a half in twenty five minutes. It’s so much fun watching her ride and enjoy it. Here’s an example.

Feeling good after her ride and with time to wait before dinner we decided to read some Not a Fan. Janet continues to impress me by how much she comprehends, is able to relate to and discuss and also to read. We had an awesome discussion about the chapter we read and each comment and question Janet had was right on point. Fun.

After dinner I asked Janet to practice standing and putting weight onto her right leg. That didn’t go so well tonight as Janet tired very quickly, I think somewhat due to a lack of confidence on this subject. The Botox has totally kicked in on her right arm and I’m seeing some change in her right leg in that she’s not flamingoing anymore. I think we’ll go see Julie to get the splint adjusted again soon.

Before watching The Voice we made our bet as to who we think is going to win. Janet picked a good one who performed tonight, my choice performs tomorrow and after seeing Janet’s pick I’m not so confident.

Today was a fun day with a very cheery Janet who continues to improve before my eyes. Praying for strengthening of her right leg and restoration of the use of her right arm and hand.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #Seahawks

Renovation Day 27. A day off for Randy and a few hours of vacuuming drywall dust for me. Painting starts tomorrow! Here’s a few pictures of what things look like today. There will be big changes this week.
Kitchen20131103West

Kitchen20131103North

Kitchen20131103South

When I got to Connect I just had time to help Janet out of the bathroom then into her jersey to watch the Seahawks game. I made a comment while helping her sit on the couch that this shouldn’t be much of a game but we’ll watch a little anyways. My thoughts were Seattle would win easily, boy was I wrong. Janet continues to improve her football knowledge and despite the shaky performance of our team it was fun watching with her and we were both relieved with the win.

After sitting for most of the game Janet agreed to a bike ride and enjoyed it as much as possible by singing along to a few of the songs on the radio. She admitted to Heather during a Skype chat that she likes the bike and it get her “hair going”. As long as she enjoys it.

The majority of the evening was spent reading Not a Fan which generated some interesting observations from Janet. It was hard to read to her tonight as she sat with her eyes closed most of the time and I had to ask her what I just said often to make sure she was still with me. She was and retained a lot more of the story than I expected. I think that id we can read the chapters to be discussed at SHElife the day before she should be in a good position to contribute.

The Botox is already kicking in on Janet’s right hand and wrist as I was able to stretch her fingers out with virtually no pain and same with the wrist. The effects on the right leg should become apparent in the next couple of days especially if she keeps working hard.

Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep that provides lots of energy and a positive attitude for tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #Roadtrip

Renovation Day 26. I thought today would be the start of clean up time but it turned out to be more mess making. I decided to remove the vanity in the main bathroom so Dave the painter can work easier and Randy continued sanding his drywall work. I’m very glad I never went into that business before. Messy. We also discovered another decision I need Janet’s help with. Backsplashes. I never thought about it until Randy mentioned it today so shopping we go again.

My arrival at Connect once again coincided with Janet’s nap time and she was awake when I snuck in. She had been on a big adventure the first past of the day as Jess drove Wes to his house in Armstrong and took Janet along with her. Janet said Wes and Roz have a beautiful home and they had lunch there including a big piece of pie. She thought the whole trip was fun and when I asked her at the end of the night what the best part of the day was, it was the trip to Wes and Roz’s house.

It was quickly back to reality and a bike ride at the Connect gym. Janet set another personal best today and seems to be taking to the bike really well. Since she was on a road trip earlier we’ll have to call this the day off as there was only time for the bike ride before going to church. Janet once again sat in a pew with me and stood a couple different times during this service. We decided to try a local Lake Country restaurant called Routes Grill for dinner tonight and it was pretty good.Janet ate a huge portion continuing her theme for the day as Jess said she ate lots of pancakes for breakfast then had a huge lunch at Wes’s house. She is a growing girl after all.

With an ice cream treat and her meds we sat down and watched a little TV as Janet quickly ran out of steam again. It makes it a lot easier to say good night to her when I know she’s really tired and should fall asleep right away and that’s certainly been the case lately.

Praying for a long night of deep sleep and an increase in strength and control of her right leg.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #Sleep

Renovation Day 25. Same old story today with an adjustment to the appliance delivery date. Dave the painter stopped by today and in discussion with him it was decided to keep the appliances away until November 15 to give him time to finish and the flooring guys to get most of their work done too. Makes sense.

Janet was napping when I got to Connect this afternoon and after I snuck in she went back to sleep for well over an hour which I didn’t mind as I got to lay on a bed for something different to do. Once up it was bike ride time with Janet repeating her claim of not going to do well. She tied her personal best and powered through without complaining. Garrett reported that he had her in the gym earlier for a Shuttle session and a really intense stretching routine. Janet also did the Standing Frame earlier so I took it easy on her tonight with one exception. I really want her to gain more control of her right leg and expect improvement once the Botox clicks in. Maybe knowing she got Botoxed helped as there was improvement already tonight. I had Janet standing at the stripper pole and lifting her right foot off the ground as high as she could then pushing back to the floor as much as she could. She thought it was silly and impossible but she did quite well. She was even able to lift her left foot and put some weight onto her right leg while doing so. Of course she was hanging onto the pole for dear life the whole time but still it’s a good start.

After dinner I brought out some leftover Halloween candy as did Kieran and the table had a candy feast for dessert. I protected Janet’s Tootsie Rolls so she defaulted to her second favourite, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

We watched a little of the BC, Calgary football game in hopes they would show the halftime show in which our friend Rachel was performing.

No luck, but heres a picture from Twitter. Can you see her? Janet then wanted to get ready for bed so I could read to her. She lasted about a page and was snoring.

Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep and more control of her right leg.