Aneurysm

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #LaurelandRaj #lunch #standing

As expected, Janet got up fairly early this morning knowing she could visit Laurel and Raj. Her night was somewhat restless with a good start and a not so good middle. The morning with Laurel and Raj was good though and Janet seemed quite bright and happy the whole time. Laurel went through some of the memorabilia we had found and shared a lot of it with Janet and that produced a lot of laughs. Laurel and Raj treated us to a nice lunch at Joey’s before they started their drive to the coast. Janet got quiet at the restaurant as the lack of sleep caught up with her. It was still a nice time and Janet ate well saying “that’s way better than what I get at school”. Connect has been referred to as school a lot lately and I guess that’s ok.

Once back at Connect a very tired Janet hung in there for our meeting with wheelchair guy. I think we’ve finally started the final bit of test driving and should have something to buy in the next few weeks after one more modification. Sounds like Janet has selected the color of the chair already, pink. She very willingly headed to bed for a nap right after the meeting and slept for a short while then was awake more than sleeping for the next hour. That gave her enough energy to say “let’s get done what I have to get done”. Meaning, lets go to the gym. With a much better attitude and me not distracted by my phone, Janet had a great Shuttle workout, followed by a good little standing session and some good stretching with Garrett. After dinner she said she wanted to do the Standing Frame so she could be done and she handled almost an hour in it nicely. That left us a little time for a walk and some YouTube before the tiredness crept back up on Janet.

Another solid day with signs of improvement. Praying for an active and productive tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #LaurelandRaj #home #purging #meltdown

Jess reports Janet had a very busy first part of her day, doing lots of work in the gym, Speech with Mary Lou and helping Jess make biscuits for tonight’s dinner. Tez mentioned he wants Janet’s work on the Shuttle to focus on her right leg as she really needs to build strength in it. She did the full workout as well as lots of sit to stand exercises. Janet said she didn’t help much with the biscuits but it sounds like Speech was incorporated into the process as she did say she read the recipe out loud. There hasn’t been much change in Janet’s volume level but the memory keeps improving even if she struggles to find the right words. Tonight she retold the story of the lunatics at the London Drugs parking lot on Monday correctly stating “we were only in there ten minutes…” then carrying on with a somewhat jumbled but accurate description of the encounter. Pretty impressive I think.

I snuck up on Janet as she wheeled from the living room and followed her to the kitchen sink and almost out the door to the patio after I got to Connect. She couldn’t quite get the door open herself but gave it a good try. We had a nice talk in the sun for a bit and since she had just gotten out of the Standing Frame decided to do a Shuttle session then hit the road for home as Laurel and Raj were coming in tonight for a brief visit. I didn’t get the sense that Janet was particularly tired prior to getting to the gym, that sure changed in a hurry though. My original thought was for her to have a rest, dinner, gym then go home. Should’ve stuck to that as Janet had enough of a meltdown in the gym to warrant a time out for an hour after Garrett managed a little stretching with her. She definitely was tired as she slept for almost an hour but I’ll take some blame for the meltdown for not being focused on her when she was on the Shuttle. I need to ignore my phone when working with her like that.

Janet made a nice recovery after her nap. She of course said she wouldn’t sleep and when I checked her after thirty minutes she was right out. We stopped at Save On and got a bunch of groceries on the way home then built our own sandwiches for dinner. I’m having to help Janet less and less with this sort of thing as long as we can take the time needed for her to figure things out. I’ve never had her try the squeeze bottle of mayo before but she quickly figured out how to open it, she just isn’t strong enough to do it completely. Before Laurel and Raj arrived we had time to sort through a few more boxes from under the stairs and these made Janet a little sad. Most were filled with stuff she was saving for the possibility of her opening her own pre school one day. She repeatedly said “I guess I’ll never be a pre school teacher again”. No tears but close and I really felt for her but I also know its really good she acknowledges things like that and it reminds me of the need to keep her contributing to our life and hers at Connect. She needs to feel useful.

Laurel and Raj arrived just after nine and we enjoyed a nice visit before bed. They are on their way to the coast for a wedding so we’ll see them for half the day tomorrow before its back to work for Janet. There were lots of positives today even with the little meltdown and Janet of course was very excited to see Laurel and Raj. Praying for lots of rest tonight and a fun day tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #workout #moving

I snuck into Janet’s room this afternoon and managed to not wake her as she enjoyed a well deserved afternoon nap. Her morning had been busy with the usual Tuesday routine followed by singing with John. Not quite as tiring as swimming but enough to warrant a nap. We had a nice chat when she woke up around 3:30 and then sat in the sun on the patio and talked some more. Janet’s memory is really improving and a good example of that today was when she spontaneously told me that Garrett was changing shifts so he’d be working days starting next week. She had been told that earlier in the day and it stuck. She pretty much always gets the day of the week right with me now and usually knows roughly what she is doing that day as well. Her attitude towards the gym has shifted from hating and fighting against going to disliking but going anyways and given the choice of when to go today she chose before dinner.

The Shuttle is working well for Janet and she had another strong workout on it this afternoon, some of her best sets to date. Garrett came in after a while and gave Janet a good stretch, something we need to do more consistently. Standing on her own for over three minutes, Janet did a great job shifting her weight between her right and left leg. She’s still quite nervous about falling but gaining confidence for sure.

Our after dinner walk was nice and sunny but with the temperature in the low twenties and a breeze blowing, Janet had goose bumps when we were out of the sun and with the shorter days its getting harder to stay in the sun. Might have to switch to before dinner walks soon.

It was Andrew’s birthday today so we had a little Skype chat with him. Janet talked very well and nicely updated Andrew on our house sale situation. The Standing Frame rounded out the night with Janet correctly announcing when it was time to get down.

Today was a solid day for Janet with good workouts, good conversations and clear signs of improvement. Praying for deep and healing sleep tonight and lots of energy for tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #swimming #walking #house4sale #standingframe

Janet felt her quality of sleep Sunday night was “terrible” but I think it was actually pretty good. She woke up a few times but seemed to go back to sleep quickly each time and when it came to getting up for real she was very bright. Knew my name, what day it was and most of what we were doing today.

Our morning went by at a nice pace and before we knew it we were driving to KGH for swimming. Janet had a strong day today and in her first session she swam on her back continuously for a good five minutes. I didn’t suggest in anyway that she do that, she just started, got a big smile on her face and kept going. Since she’s doing so well standing on her own out of water I was curious to see what she could do in the water. She surprised me by easily standing without using her arm to stabilize herself and she was able to “walk” for about fifteen feet with me well out of reach. Her walking was more like hopping as she was unable to get her right foot down to the bottom of the pool unless it was well behind her. She seemed pleased to be able to do this but is very aware and a little upset that her right leg doesn’t function the way she wants it to. The second session was not as exciting as the water was much deeper so the focus had to be on swimming and Janet was getting tired. She did manage some excellent rolls from back to tummy while swimming and felt pretty good about it too. As we were waiting for the change room, Moira came over to say that her daughter had seen Janet in Hope last weekend. We stopped for gas and a pee break on our way back from Nanaimo and Emma was doing similar. She had done a bring your kid to work thing with Moira way back when and remembered Janet. I told Janet she is pretty memorable but she wasn’t buying it.

We had to be out of our house this afternoon from two till five as the home inspection was taking place so after swimming we just had time to stop at the store and race home to get Nash before the inspector arrived. He was early of course so I got to meet him and Janet got to meet the buyer’s realtor as he came by to get the key for the inspector. They both seem to be very nice and if anything bothersome is found I’m sure we can work with them to resolve it.

Janet knew she had work to do at Connect so right after a late lunch she wanted to get to the gym to get it over with. Her Shuttle session was alright as I could tell she was getting tired not having had a nap. The Standing Frame was well tolerated and she even went over her target of forty five minutes without getting upset. After dinner we took Nash for a nice long walk and Janet faded rapidly after that, going to bed just before nine. She worked hard today, impressing me in the pool, willingly doing some of her workout routine and pushing through a busy day without a nap. Praying for a long night of deep sleep for Janet that gives her lots of energy for tomorrow’s activities.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #house4sale #hottub #nash #purging #showing #panting #rant

Janet had a much better sleep Saturday night and since it was Sunday today and we had nothing scheduled until the afternoon I let her totally sleep in to try and catch up on what she’d missed the two previous nights. She woke up on her own at almost ten and was looking refreshed.

After a leisurely breakfast it was time to get to work as there was a showing scheduled for two. After some minor clean up Janet started vacuuming. This time I only needed to get her started and position her a couple times otherwise she was good to go for the whole hardwood living area. Her comment once she was done, about twenty minutes later was, “I’m exhausted”. It is pretty hard work for her especially considering she has to propel her wheelchair as well as operate the vacuum. Good job!

We made our escape before the showing along with Nash and stopped to get a few things at London Drugs before going to check out a neighborhood we are interested in. We parked in the VIP parking right by the doors and left all the windows down for Nash. As we approached the checkout area ten minutes later there was a page for the owner of a car with our license plate number. Customer Service told me they’d had a complaint about the dog “panting” in the car. I politely explained we had been in the store ten minutes and were on our way out, the dog is fine. Then we got in line to pay and were able to see out to our car. There was a women and a guy looking at it and they were both acting like they’d just seen a murder. He whipped out his phone and she came inside to Customer Service who pointed us out in the line up. Thanks. This lunatic approached us explaining she was the one who complained. Duh. Without going into detail, I didn’t handle this in a very Christ like way but I didn’t make it personal, I ended it telling her to mind her own business. Fully expecting to be assaulted when we got to our car I elected to not engage the freak on his phone and focus on getting Janet in the car and Nash a drink of water as normal. I’m not sure who he was talking to but he really wanted me hung. I hope it wasn’t 911 because if someone with a legitimate emergency couldn’t get through that would be a real crime. We had planned on grabbing some Wrap Zone while we were there but decided to get out before the Sheriff arrived so we headed for what would be a nice new neighborhood for us. Nash was happy to walk through Guisachan Park with us despite all his panting and even survived a walk of about three blocks around the neighborhood, panting all the way. One lady even slowed her car down to smile at him as he was panting. I kept hoping the do gooders had followed us but no luck.

We arrived back home at three thinking the folks looking at the house would be gone but they weren’t, so with Nash still panting we went for a little walk on our street. Cam called so we sat and chatted with him and watched for the people to leave, Nash panted the whole time and was really showing signs of relaxing. Finally, an hour after they had gotten there and almost two hours after their appointment time, the lookers left and we got to go home. Nash panted all around the house and yard as he could smell that someone had been there. Janet wanted to go for a swim but the water was too cold, so hot tub it was. We still hadn’t done much exercise this weekend so I was glad to get a good stretch on her legs and right shoulder. Nash hung out on the deck with us, panting most of the time.

Our PC finally died so I get to shop for a new computer. Janet has no interest in that at all so I brought up some boxes from under the stairs and had her sort through the stuff while I shopped. Most of what I brought up was old stuff from when the kids were in school and Janet did a great job sorting things into piles for each kid. Rather than us deciding what to keep and what to throw out, the kids can do that once we have it all sorted. I’m sure Cam will want to hang on to all his report cards. Nash laid on the floor beside us panting except when he was sleeping. He was only sleeping, not dead, we could tell because every few minutes he would open his eyes, lift his head and pant a little.

We enjoyed a nice dinner outside then did a little more purging before watching The Secret Millionaire. We used to watch this show together a lot and would often end up in tears after each episode. No tears tonight as I think Janet was a little too tired to really get into it. She’s having a little challenge getting to sleep right now but I’m confident it’ll be a good night. Nash is sleeping on the floor beside Janet, no longer panting, because he’s sleeping.

Praying for rest and healing. Praying for wisdom in dealing with lunatics and thanking God for everything He’s blessed us with.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #house4sale #realestate #trinitykelowna #Godatwork

It was another one of those restless nights for Janet Friday and when she woke around eight o’clock Saturday morning I could tell she wasn’t really awake despite her saying she was ready to get up. Minutes later she was snoring away and did so until 9:30. Once up she was very bright and had a good conversation with her mom on Skype after breakfast. I laced her fruit and yogurt with some Peg 3350 to help with the BM situation and it was very successful. Janet agreed that was a much better way to take the Peg than drinking it.

Getting up late made the wait for our realtor to arrive more bearable and Janet was noticeably excited when Les drove up a little ahead of schedule. The offer he brought with him was from the family that took a long second look at our house yesterday and we quickly came to an agreement with only the usual subjects. Janet was beaming as we accepted the offer and gave a big fist shake and a YES as Les left to get the documents to the other realtor. Now the work to find somewhere to live gets serious.

After lunch Janet and I went out into the yard to work as I had to cut the lawn to be ready for a showing tomorrow and Janet really wanted to help. Yes, we will still show the house even with the accepted offer as its not a done deal until the money’s in the bank. Janet cut back some flowers that had finished blooming while I cut the grass in the front then moved to the back with me and pulled a bunch of weeds. She didn’t think she helped much but every little bit helps. It is better if I can work alongside her though so maybe we’ll do some of that tomorrow. While we were working in the back we got a surprise visit from Jim and Nancy’s daughter Laura and her husband David. They presented us with a massive box of awesome cherries. It’s good to know people in the business. Thanks you guys!

Today is the 50th wedding anniversary of our neighbors Barb and Gary. Their six children and families are gathered here from around the country and Janet and I were able to join the celebration after a quick costume change. It was nice to finally meet the entire family and to see Barb even happier than usual. We couldn’t stay long but we did reassure Barb that when we move she’ll be one of the first to know our new address so she can keep delivering her delicious homemade bread.

Janet I enjoyed the worship experience at Trinity tonight and feel blessed to be part of that faith community. On the way home we did a drive by of a couple potential places to live, one a complete no go and the other a very exciting possibility but it has to get on the market first. Are you listening Brian? Sushi and a movie made up the rest of the night, don’t bother watching The Big Wedding, and I managed to get Janet into bed at a decent hour and the early indications are this should be a better nights sleep for her.

That was quite a day, not a lot of physical activity but a lot of mental exercise and Janet powered through it quite well. Every activity she engages in I see a real effort to do well and her desire to contribute was emphasized numerous times today. We have a busy bunch of weeks ahead of us and I think Janet will navigate them very well.

Trusting God that He is at work in our lives and has a plan, and praying for rest, healing and continued improvement for Janet.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #house4sale #realestate #cars

I pulled up to the patio off of Janet’s house at Connect, she was sitting out there waiting for me but didn’t clue in that it was me until Nash popped his head out the window at her. Big laughs and smiles.

Karl and Lorne had put Janet through her paces this morning and she was already for the weekend. Nash was very excited to see Karl and his buddy from last night, Humberto, who greeted Nash with a “hello friend”. Makes me rethink that therapy dog idea.

There were three showings of our house scheduled for this afternoon so we weren’t allowed to go home for quite a while. We did have an appointment at one of the Ford dealers in town and that as Janet even remembered was our first stop. We test drove a Fusion and a Focus. There is no comparison in driving experience between the two and apparently the same can be said about the riding experience. Janet noticed how much quieter and smoother the Fusion is. She can get in and out of both equally and her wheelchair can squeeze into the Focus but alas, not the Fusion. Maybe we need to look at a folding wheelchair.

Still with time to kill we stopped at Red Robin and sat outside sharing a salad for an hour. Nash waited patiently in the car as he had at the Ford dealership so we took him to the Mission Creek Greenway so he could run around a little. He wasn’t too interested though as it was pretty hot again today. We made one more car shopping stop before going home and that was at the Subaru dealer. I was disappointed there as the only car Janet could get in and out of is their version of the Focus minus the hatch space for the wheelchair. We’ll check out some others as we get time.

Home at 5:30 we later learned that we just missed a family that had been checking the place out. Apparently they stayed for over an hour and will be making an offer tomorrow. Pray its a good one.

With all the showings today the blinds had been open all day and since we don’t bother with air conditioning it was very hot inside and the sun was beating on both decks so Janet and I sat out front to cool down before Skypeing with Laurel. Janet wanted to hear from her as to when she’s “coming to town” and is excited that it’ll happen this coming Wednesday. Janet helped prep and build pizzas which I cooked on the BBQ. Turned out great and after watching AGT we went to bed where Janet continues to toss and turn as I write this.

Praying for rest tonight, a good offer on our house tomorrow and weekend of progress for Janet.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #standup #realestate #nash #vision

Another day of real estate games saw me having to bring Nash to Connect with me so people could look at the house in safety. He actually was a very good boy the whole evening and made a good friend in Humberto, one of the residents in Janet’s house.

Nash and I went into Janet’s room at the end of her nap time and she was surprised to see him and relieved to see me. Nash made himself at home on her bed while Janet and I chatted about the day so far. She of course had done the usual gym routine but wasn’t able to tell me about anything else. We decided to go for a walk with Nash and that was fun for all and not quite as hot as it has been so Nash handled it better. Janet did a good job of controlling him crossing streets and meeting other dogs. Nash even had a chance to meet a cat but could not have cared less. Good boy. We stopped at the beach for a bit and Janet impressed me by pointing out a duck swimming in the water about fifty meters away. She saw three others further to her right and I can’t remember her ever initiating a sighting of anything like that before. It was always someone asking her if she could see this or that. I have noticed an improvement in her vision and this confirms she is processing things better.

Given the choice, Janet elected to do the Shuttle before dinner and had another solid session. Her right leg to me is definitely stronger these last few days. That could be part of why she’s standing on her own so well. Three minutes thirty five seconds tonight without grabbing onto me once. She wanted to quit at two minutes but I convinced her she was still looking strong and she carried on. I’m loving this.

Knowing she had to do the Standing Frame Janet begrudgingly did so after dinner and to help her get through it Nash paid her a visit.

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She liked it for a few minutes then asked me to get him down even though he was quite comfortable.

The rest of the night was pretty quiet as Janet was tired after not sleeping well the night before and not much during nap time this afternoon. We looked for somewhere to rent close to Connect but are finding that as challenging as somewhere to buy for the long term. Patience.

Praying for a good nights rest for Janet and continued strength building.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #realestategames #house4sale #standup

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Within twenty hours of the For Sale sign going up on our front lawn we got word of an offer being readied. I gave Connect a heads up that I’d be taking Janet home for the evening and when I arrived she was waiting in the living room all smiles and ready. No one had told Janet why she was going home today and when I asked her she very smartly and correctly said “the lady that looked at the house wants it”. Brilliant!

Janet’s day had been a full one and she pointed out that she’d already done an hour in the Standing Frame, meaning she wasn’t doing any more. We had time to stop at the grocery store on the way home and Janet was a good helper again especially in loading stuff onto the conveyor for checkout. We got home in time for a Fresca before Les arrived with the offer. Janet enjoyed the discussion around the subjects and dollar amounts and I’m really glad she could be a part of it all. She did another great job signing her name and initials. We went back and forth a few times on the dollars and as of this writing we don’t have a deal. There are two showings scheduled for tomorrow, so here’s hoping.

After the initial offer presentation it was time to make dinner. Janet did a great job cutting up some green beans for us and wiping and setting the table outside so we could enjoy the nice warm evening. We had agreed to stay around the house as long as we could in order to play the real estate game as long as possible so we watched SYTYCD before driving back to Connect arriving at 9:45. I thought maybe Janet would be too tired for a trip to the gym but she agreed to go as she acknowledged she was only ready for bed if meant not going on the Shuttle. Once again she did a great job but blew me away with her standing afterwards. This time I watched the clock and for two minutes twenty seconds Janet stood without assistance. She even managed to sway a little from one side to the other to try and get more weight on her right leg. I had to talk to her the entire time and remind her she wasn’t going to fall and this time she did the best corrections she’s done with the fewest attempts at grabbing me. Very exciting.

Her efforts in the gym were enough to make her agree it was bedtime and just before eleven I said goodnight Janet and she said goodnight George. Oh well. I’m thankful for the time we got to spend at home tonight and for the incredible progress Janet has made. Praying for rest, healing and a day of more firsts tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out. #tsj #memory #standup #recovery

Janet greeted me in the living room of Connect this afternoon as she was half sleeping and half watching The View. She told me of her busy morning in the gym and how “terrible” it was then informed me that my haircut looked good. I often need to prompt her to notice things like that or even to ask me what I had done before coming out to see her so it was really nice to have her notice the hair. Brian joined us for a chat to catch up on things as he’d been away on a fishing trip. It was nice to hear his stories and see the picture of him with a large salmon he “caught”.

Our chatting session went through nap time so Janet and I went for a hot sunny walk around the neighborhood. She stayed very chatty throughout and I noticed was seeing things better too. We then had a few minutes before dinner to answer some emails. Janet typed one completely on her own to her mom and did a great job reading another back to me. I had her follow a pen that I pointed at each word and she got at least eighty percent of them. Of course she felt she did poorly but that’s not the case.

After dinner Janet and I had an hour long discussion on the importance of keeping on working hard while she’s at Connect. It started with her not wanting to go to the gym for the second time in a day. We covered every angle imaginable as to why it was important to do so and as we were talking about her time in the hospital the fog lifted a little. Janet started describing to me one of the rooms she was in at the hospital. She couldn’t tell me which hospital it was or what ward it was on or anything but from what she said I think it was her first room in Rehab at KGH. As she described it I could see her envisioning it and am confident she wasn’t making it up. The place she described had a hall with rooms that had four people in them but she was in a room with two people, her and another lady. I asked questions that wouldn’t put words in her mouth so am really confident she actually remembers that place and I plan on taking her to that room on Monday to see if she remembers it more. When her flashback was over she was no longer angry or upset about going to the gym and gave an outstanding effort on the Shuttle. Knowing she didn’t want to do the Standing Frame I had her stand on her own after getting off the Shuttle and with Garrett and Bob watching she stood for well over two minutes without grabbing me once. I’m not sure if the extra eyes made her try harder or if her confidence level has grown that much but it was very exciting and a huge improvement.

Because her morning had been so busy Janet never got to shower during the day so off she went for a bedtime shower. She wasn’t too happy about it at first, thinking she’d be cold but she was smiley and warm upon her return and enjoyed watching YouTube clips of Fat Albert before bed. That show came up in our dinner conversation some how so we had to check it out. We were both impressed at the many voices Bill Cosby did for that show.

I’m impressed with Janet today and am praying that she recognizes how well she’s doing and can resolve to keep working hard.