basketball

Kicking In. A relaxing day as the Botox takes effect. #TSJ

A sleep in Saturday for sure as Janet opened her eyes at 7:30 then happily went back to sleep until 9:30. That set the pace for a relaxing day hanging out at home. She chose her traditional breakfast which we enjoyed together with no idea what we would do next. Fortunately Janet asked to watch TV while I went to shower and while searching for something to watch I noticed an NBA playoff game about to start. I thought they started Sunday so we scrambled to the computer to fill out our brackets in Raju’s annual Pool. We got our picks in just in time and Janet enjoyed the process making some good choices in winners but I think she has too many series going the full seven games. Anyways it’s something she enjoys doing and we had basketball on in the background all day.

The only scheduled event of the day was a Skype chat with Leslie that went well despite some technical challenges. Heather checked in with us later on and it was good for Janet to catch up with both of them. I’ve had to resurrect my role as physio therapist while Janet is at home so we can maximize the potential of the Botox and when I stretched her legs this afternoon I noticed an improvement right away. It was even more noticeable tonight as I was able to get her left leg down to almost where we used to be able to get it in the 4B days. Janet is not too happy that we are doing this stretching stuff at home but she was OK with lounging with her legs up in her wheelchair. Her standing for transfers was quite good today as well and I sense a little confidence coming back there. That increase in confidence saved her from a total meltdown after seeing some pictures of herself from her KGH days. I had just shown her photos from Raju and Laurel’s wedding and at the end of those there were a few unflattering pictures of Janet and she got a little upset but kind of accepted that she’s come a long way. She asked me to turn them off which I did and she was on the verge of really crying about it but held it off. A nice improvement.

Since the day started late, nap time was late too but Janet did have a brief one that allowed her to do a good job making a salad to go with dinner tonight and she really enjoyed watching The Voice together especially since I made popcorn for us. All in all it was a very relaxing day at home just making things up as we went along. One highlight for me came as we were doing the nightly rundown of the day and as I mentioned the first couple of things we did Janet chimed in with “and we picked our teams”. Love my sports junkie and nice to see a little short term memory action.

Praying for a restful night that brings lots of energy and awareness for 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.

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.

Button Race. A nice family day for Janet. #TSJ

Laurel and Raj went out to Connect to pick Janet up just before lunch today. Janet told me she was surprised to see them but didn’t cry. She was showered and had been to the gym so was off to a good start. Lunch was at Joey’s where Janet enjoyed some fish tacos and was quite alert and responsive throughout the meal. Once home it was pretty much nap time and for once she didn’t need much convincing.

After a good nap Laurel and I took Janet and Nash for a sunny and warm walk around the neighborhood then settled in for some March Madness and a good sushi dinner. Janet ate a lot, I was surprised by the amount, and even enjoyed a little wine with the meal. Her water intake for the day was the barely the minimum but I didn’t have to nag her quite so much. She seems to give in easier when others are around.

Overall Janet seemed pretty quiet again today with some really good moments thrown in just to let us know she’s still doing OK. Laurel and Raj showed us some pictures of their trip to the BVI and Janet enjoyed seeing the beautiful beaches and colorful water and insists that we move there. Oh no, that was me ten years ago. Still would be nice to visit but I don’t know about doing such a long trip with Janet like that. It took Laurel and Raj 28 hours door to door from Calgary, not sure Janet could tolerate that. She faded pretty fast tonight and agreed to get ready for bed at 8:45. One of our bedtime rituals is to have a race doing up buttons on Janet’s PJ tops. I start at the bottom and she starts at the top. Whoever does up theirs up the fastest wins. Tonight, for the first time, she beat me! Praying for a restful night that brings lots of energy for an active and fun day tomorrow.

Wet but not Wild. Janet’s 2nd dip in the pool. #TSJ

Jess had Janet pretty much set to go when I arrived at Connect this morning. Like Garrett, she is very good with Janet and I think they get along pretty well. Janet got a little upset about being put on the toilet before we left but that’s the rule, try and go before you go.

On the drive to KGH Janet was reasonably talkative but a little on the quiet side and seemed concerned about something. She said she was fine but she just seemed a little off to me. Thanks to Jess’s foresight we were at the pool with lots of time to spare. This session was not as good as the first one as Janet just didn’t seem to have the energy she’s capable of having. I found it hard to get her positioned well enough to float on her own as she kept listing to the right pretty severely. With that in mind I tried some standing exercises with her first and that went really well especially with the left leg. Eventually Janet warmed up and loosened up enough to make her own way one length of the pool floating on her back. Definitely not in Olympic record time but a first is a first. That was the highlight for sure and we’ll just have to keep working on the other stuff. The good news is Janet was approved to use the pool twice a week now. Mondays and Thursdays starting April 8th. The Monday session is at 10am so I’ll just keep Janet home Sunday nights now, go to the pool then be at Connect by lunchtime. Although her performance wasn’t as strong today she still had fun and that’s something we can build from. We had a nice chat with Moira and Rob on the way in and Janet got a nice hug from Rehab nurse Jason on the way out. Made her smile big.

We did a little grocery shop on the way home and it was nice to have Janet in the store with me and have her be able to help and she likes to contribute. At home and after lunch she protested quite vigorously about having a nap but I’m bigger than her so I won and she slept loudly for an hour and a half and said she felt good afterwards. She certainly has no shortage of an appetite as she polished off the dinner that was waiting for her at Connect even after eating a big lunch. Bob and Fred joined us for an evening of March Madness before Janet finally tired out just before nine.

Today was a good day but noticeably quieter than the last few. Janet’s speech was good as far as the words spoken but her volume level was low all day. Hopefully a good night of rest will recharge her for the weekend. Laurel and Raj are here and will pick Janet up tomorrow and take her out for lunch before bringing her home for the weekend. Janet is really looking forward to that.

Praying for lots of rest, healing and recharging for a fun weekend.

Just Hanging Out. A nice sunny Saturday. #TSJ

Janet and I awoke to the sun streaming into the bedroom and just after Nash barked needlessly at some dog a block away. It was still nice to see the sun and the smile on Janet’s face as she is not as bothered by the dog as I am. She ordered bacon and eggs for breakfast and started with a bowl of yogurt and fresh strawberries and even drank her water without fussing. Without definite plans for the morning the choice was hers as to what we would do. A walk was tempting but it was too cold outside despite it looking like summer. Janet somehow remembered me mentioning cleaning out the rest of her closet and that’s what she chose to do. To make it more fun I hauled things out to the family room where we could enjoy the sun and have the basketball games on in the background. Janet made some good decisions and laughed at a few of the clothes we found. Lots went into donation bags and the last step we have is to try on pants and such to see if they fit her still. Most women seem to have shoe collections, Janet is definitely a shirt person, we even found some with the tags still on them.

At lunch Janet ate the neatest and cleanest I’ve seen yet. I had to help her with he last bit of soup only and I don’t think she dropped more than one crumb of her sandwich. Impressive. All day she did very well in the toileting department, and just before finishing her session before nap time she totally broke down. It was the fastest crash I’ve seen from her and I had to console her like a baby once she was in bed. Within ten minutes she was asleep and woke up almost two hours later bright and ready to go.

My former boss, Gordon, from CedarCreek, popped by for a glass of wine and a little visit and although Janet didn’t really know him well she enjoyed the chat. It could’ve been the 2011 Platinum Viognier we opened but I think it was just nice to sit in the sun and talk to another adult.

Dinner was kept simple tonight so we could watch basketball. Janet did a good job chopping onion and tried really hard to grate cheese but doesn’t seem able or to want to push down hard on things. She’s got the strength to do it just not the technique. Something to work on. My favorite basketball team lost their game tonight so I was sad but a nice ice cream dessert with Janet fixed that and I tucked her into bed shortly before ten after a pretty good day of just hanging out at home.

Praying for rest and healing, especially for the spasticity in her legs to go away.

Lights, Camera,… Janet’s first video shoot. #TSJ

A showered and smiling Janet greeted me as I walked into Connect this morning. She knew we were going out to do something and guessed it was watch basketball. A good guess as that was in the plan for later but first up was a video shoot for the Easter service at Trinity. Lorne said she was off to a good start, drinking her water before and after breakfast but had a little cry during her shower. She said she forgot to ask about the bath so I reminded her to try that next time.

We arrived at Trinity and Jody, Kiko and Rebecca were just finishing setting up for the shoot. The idea behind this is for Janet and I to give about a ninety second glimpse at our story so far as Wayne teaches on three “walls” or “barriers” we can all hit in life. There are two other video stories in the sermon, one on Finances, one on Grief and then ours on Health. The underlying theme in each is the fact that there is still hope.

The first part of the shoot was for some cut away shots so no talking needed and that was a nice way to ease into things. All Janet had to do was sit under the lights and look cute.

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After a quick location change it was time for the talking bits. Thankfully for me Kiko set up a TelePrompTer which made my part much easier. Janet had trouble reading it though so I fed her the lines one at a time until she could say each one on her own. She wasn’t as loud as I had hoped but Jody said he could work with it and may add subtitles for the sake of clarity. The whole shoot was done in an hour and a half and Jody will now work his magic to make it all look and sound good.

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Janet had fun doing the video today and held her energy very well. As with all stars the groupies are always hovering nearby. Twyla and Wendy came out to see Janet in between shots and with a little prompting Janet remembered their names. She was genuinely pleased to see them and that added to the positive experience this was. I’m a little surprised at how well Janet is talking about what happened to her and I don’t think it’s because she doesn’t get it. I’m hoping by talking about it she’ll gain confidence to keep working hard at getting better.

Stars also hang out in restaurants so rather than go home for lunch we headed back to Original Joe’s, this time with Kiko and Rebecca. Janet enjoyed that as well and was very ready for a nap when we got home. Because nap time was later than normal, dinner was a little late. I had wanted her to help make pizzas but to save time I did most of it while she drank her water and watched basketball. Janet did build her own pizza after I had all the toppings ready and this was probably her best one yet. Looked better than mine!

Janet kept insisting she didn’t want to get ready for bed as the clock ticked past nine so I let her stay up to watch the end of the basketball game. That made it after ten before the lights went out so hopefully she doesn’t sleep too long tomorrow and we can get a few things done in the morning. Praying for rest and healing and for lots of energy tomorrow.

First Better Than Second. A day at home. #TSJ

The energy Janet had at last night’s dinner party carried over into this morning as she woke up way earlier than I expected. 7:30! I was fine with that as I was sort of up anyways in case I was able to connect with a friend who’s traveling in China right now. That didn’t work out but Janet and I got off to a good and early start.

Over a long breakfast we sorted through her massive mess of recipes in advance of our possible move. A lot of her collection were pages ripped from magazines that had never been looked at since the first time so it was easy to throw a lot of stuff out. I let her call the shots on all the books so we are keeping way more than I would have but we also found some recipes I had been looking for recently and some we had totally forgotten about. We now have a collection that can be organized and used as opposed to just taking up space. Janet was surprisingly determined to get this job done passing on a couple opportunities to take a break or do something else.

Between cookbook purging and all the usual morning tasks, noon arrived quickly and with obvious signs of a weather change I convinced Janet we should go for a walk then or we may not get a chance. It was not as nice as it was yesterday but still felt good to get some fresh air. Janet did a great job of “driving” Nash, having to reign him in on his leash a few times. Our lunchtime entertainment was some NCAA basketball then Janet was clearly ready for a nap.

Once again nap time was interrupted by the barking dog but only once and I think Janet had a good rest but as the day wore on I could see she wasn’t going to have the stamina she did yesterday. She was up in time to watch a pretty impressive hail storm outside that quickly made the pool cover white. It was fun to watch the transition and interesting to watch Janet take it all in. She was kind of groggy the rest of the evening, needing help to eat dinner and not talking very well. There was a nice burst of energy when she chose to make a play list of songs to sing with John. I was surprised she wanted to do that and as we sat at the computer with a glass of pop she smiled and sang along to quite a few songs that I will put on her iPod for John to play with her. Of course she had enough energy to eat some ice cream before bed but just barely as she was asleep before I laid her down once we had her pj’s on.

I suspect it took a while for the late night yesterday to catch up with her and I hope that is what’s behind the fast fade over the second half of the day. Praying for a solid night’s sleep that provides lots of energy for an active day tomorrow.

New Janet? Big change from yesterday. #TSJ

Apparently all the sleep Janet has been getting lately is paying off. Hopefully the reduction in Dilantin is helping too. I say this because the Janet I hung out with this afternoon is much improved from the one I saw over the last week or so. Jess told me Janet was laying down when I got to Connect and she had chosen to nap before I came to visit as she wanted to hang out with me. She had been down for an hour so I left her for another hour then went in to wake her so we could Skype Cam. Janet immediately started laughing about how she wasn’t sleeping and was expecting me. I could tell right away that she was way brighter than yesterday. Her voice was loud and the words she was using were real words that I could understand. It sometimes took her a few tries to get the right words but there was no Klingon present.

Our Skype conversation with Cam went really well as he was able to tell Janet about his sports successes and discuss his school plans for the next few months. Janet was tuned in and engaged the whole time needing very little help from me. It was very nice to witness.

Keeping the momentum going I asked Janet if she wanted to go to the gym before dinner or after. She of course said neither but with only a little reasoning she agreed to go before. Rikki took her and Janet returned smiling and saying she had a good workout. Rikki hadn’t worked with Janet for a while and was excited about the improvement she sees. She gave a glowing report which was really encouraging for me to hear and I’m sure Janet benefited from hearing the positive news as well.

Dinner was ready, so down to the kitchen we went and Janet obediently drank her cup of water before eating. Who is this person? With a little prompting she even talked to Fred, especially after he guessed I was fifty and Janet was forty. New best friend.

Our evening Skype call to Andrew was not quite to level of the one with Cam but still pretty good. I can tell Janet is processing information better now, maybe not retaining it any more but in the moment she seems to understand things better. She was wearing out after talking with Andrew and wanted to watch a little TV before bed. She actually told me at eight o’clock that she wanted to stop the TV and go to bed. Very responsible.

Today’s Janet really brightened my day and restored my hope that she can deal with this Dilantin crap. This Janet is the one that can work hard at getting better and make progress and I pray she is here to stay. Praying also for a restful and healing night with lots of energy for tomorrow’s tasks and learning opportunities.

OD? Janet does not have a cold. #TSJ

I called Connect fist thing this morning and Janet was in the shower. Good sign. Jess called me after the shower to say Janet was awake when she peeked in her room around eight and agreed to have a shower. Another good sign. While Jess was talking to me Janet was eating a piece of toast. Good sign number three and enough for me to think Janet was certainly no worse than yesterday. Jess said nothing unusual was reported from overnight and Janet seemed fine.

An hour or so later I called nurse Jen for her take and she said she didn’t notice any big change in Janet and acknowledged that I see way more of her so would notice things better. All was well as far as she is concerned. We talked a little about my concern with the Dilantin levels and she suggested I bump up Janet’s doctor appointment to as soon as possible. We agreed to discuss things in more detail when I got in this afternoon.

Janet was in bed when I arrived, having been there for a couple of hours. She was awake and greeted me with a little smile. There was good color to her face and her eyes were nice and sparkly. Her speech was decent and she agreed to get up and have some lunch. Jess told me Janet refused lunch from her and hadn’t felt like doing any of her usual activities. She wheeled down to the kitchen and chose to have some roasted red pepper soup which she ate with only a little help from me at the end. Jen came down to chat just as Janet was finishing and we went back to Janet’s room so we would have a better chance of hearing Janet. Her speech remained decent to my disappointment as I wanted Jen to hear the Klingon. She had done a little research into Dilantin as I had and we agreed there are some signs of Janet’s levels being too high or the presence of some side effects. I will take Janet to the lab tomorrow to test those levels and then discuss them with the GP Wednesday morning. Jen assured me she sees nothing to be overly concerned about and said Janet for sure does not have a cold. She cautioned that sometimes side effects appear at the outset of using a drug and then they diminish as your body adjusts. Solid point. I’ve been there.

Still with some energy Janet wanted to watch some TV. Luckily there was a repeat of a pretty good NCAA basketball game on and we enjoyed watching that with Fred and Karl. We especially enjoyed teasing Clint who would come in and try to diss the game of basketball and promote his favorite game of hockey. He stood no chance. Some of the jabs thrown brought a smile to Janet’s face. Another good sign.

Dinner was chili and Caesar salad and Janet did a great job eating everything dished to her. I was impressed with how long she was staying awake for and never saw any signs of fading until half an hour after dinner. She helped wash some dishes, rejected the offer of a tootsie roll for dessert and started her rapid decent to sleep. After brushing her teeth and getting her PJs on she was asleep before I could cover her up. Seriously. She was so soundly asleep that she never flinched as I got my jacket out of the wardrobe, which is very noisy, said a prayer and kissed her goodnight. Didn’t move a muscle except those needed to breath.

A definite improvement over yesterday but I am ever more convinced that her Dilantin levels are too high or it just isn’t the right drug for her. Praying that the sleep she was in when I left continues through the night and she is ready for a productive day tomorrow. Thanking Jesus for the accomplishments of today and the people that are caring for Janet.