Commitment

Janet, A Success Story. June 11. #TSJ

Nap time was late for Janet today. She called me at 2:40 to say she’d finished her workout and was going for a nap. There was no particular reason for being so late and she didn’t even do all of her gym activities, everything just took a long time to get done. There was an opportunity to go sailing this morning but Janet turned it down thinking she’d only have to do all her other stuff later in the day. When I explained its OK to do different things once in a while and not do every single regular activity, a light seemed to come on, so maybe next time she’ll say yes.

Janet was ready to get up when I arrived and she asked to get her bike ride over with. The walk to the gym was not Janet’s best but she did it then put in a really good bike ride. The walk back was better but she still seemed a little off so I let her hold my hand all the way to her room then down for dinner. Seeming a little off was an understatement after dinner. Janet’s chore of the day was to empty the sanitizer and put away the dishes. Last time she did this it went really well, tonight she got it done but under major protest and with a couple pretty good meltdowns. Not sure why, but it seemed like her confidence level was way down and her balance a little off. Her right leg action appeared to be coming much more from her hip than usual too. The freestyle walking trip to get her meds at the end of the evening was pretty good so I’m putting it all down to a bad day and hope that a more relaxed day tomorrow will rejuvenate her.

Since its Janet’s birthday next week and Humberto’s on Sunday the house is having a picnic for them in Vernon tomorrow. Janet doesn’t think it’ll be fun but I know Jess made a carrot cake for her so that at least is one good thing.

Praying that Janet has a solid night of healing sleep and wakes up tomorrow with a positive attitude and a willingness to fully participate in everything she’s asked to do.

Janet, A Success Story. June 10. #TSJ

Thankfully, Janet slept well last night and is no longer experiencing any ear pain. Her gym activities went well this morning and she was in good spirits when she called me while in the Standing Frame.

I tried to go to Connect a little later than usual but find it hard to do that and got there with Janet still napping. I lay down beside her and twenty minutes later she woke up looking at me and said “that was a nice idea”, followed by a bunch of mumbled words. When she really woke up a few seconds later she acknowledged she had been dreaming. I’ve asked Janet a few times during her recovery if she had dreamt at all and her answer has always been no. I’ve heard her talking in her sleep and am not sure if that’s connected so today will be noted as Janet’s first dream and I’m thrilled to report that it involved the entire family on a cruise somewhere sunny and warm, possibly Hawaii. There’s hope yet!

As soon as Janet was up she walked freestyle down to the kitchen to ask what her house chore was to be today. Chelsea assigned her dusting duties and Janet walked a lap of the living room with a feather duster as I coached her on where to stand in order to reach everything. She did a great job and was justifiably tired when she got back to her room. I’d say she was on her feet with no assistance for a good half hour. In light of that I helped her walk down to dinner going as fast as she could without tripping over herself. If I have to help her I’m going to make sure she’s going fast each time so she gets that rhythm going better. One negative about her freestyle walking right now is she pauses between steps too long sometimes and doesn’t believe me she’s wasting energy that way. It wouldn’t be so bad if she was putting equal weight on both legs but Janet still favours her left one significantly.

We practiced some reading before walking up to Games Night. Janet put in her best performance yet and actually said “it was kinda fun” after. Her Dilantin levels are in a really good range now and I credit that with some of her cognitive improvements.

Janet enjoyed the chapter of Unbreak My Heart that we read tonight and understood it very clearly and that makes it fun for me to read to her. Praying for another good night of rest and an active Wednesday.

Janet, A Success Story. June 9. #TSJ

There’s never a dull day with Janet. Today was supposed to be a little special in that Janet would be home for dinner after going to the doctor this afternoon. She was quite excited about coming home and we both thought the doctor visit would be one of relief as her ears were to be cleaned out. After getting all of her therapy sessions done by lunchtime, Janet had a quick nap which ended soon after I arrived to pick her up then we took off for the ear cleaning.

Since Janet walked so well the last time we were at the doctor and all we were doing was going home after, we left the wheelchair at Connect. Janet stepped nicely up a three inch curb as we walked into the doctor’s office. The flushing out of the right ear went really well, not so with the left. That was the one most plugged and Janet was in considerable pain as the doctor was shooting water in her ear so she stopped and instructed us to put oil in Janet’s ear for another three days to soften the wax then come back for more pressure washing.

At home, all seemed relatively fine as we sat in the sun for a bit then walked across the grass to see the neighbour’s new deck. Yes, we risked stepping down the huge steps out to our patio and Janet did a solid job. She made it back up with some assistance and was quite pleased she was able to negotiate the steps so well. Janet said her ear hurt a little. She helped me make dinner and enjoyed eating it until her ear started to gradually bother her more and more. I put some oil in it hoping that might soothe the pain, nope. Tylenol didn’t help either nor did ice cream believe it or not. By the time we were driving past the airport on our way back to Connect Janet was actually crying with pain. My thoughts then were to grab her meds and take her to KGH but she then told me she was hearing crackling sounds in her ear. I assured her that was a good thing and when we got to Connect Chelsea came to the rescue. Janet’s doctor cautioned us not to use Q-tips as there is a risk of pushing the wax too far back into the ear. Fair enough but with Janet in pain something had to be done and Chelsea was confident she could get some wax out in order to relieve that pain. Armed with Q-tips and a special ear cleaning probe she went to work and fifteen minutes later Janet was pain free and able to hear better too. Well done Chelsea! The oil treatments will continue and Janet will still go for another round of pressure washing but for now at least it seems like the worst is over.

We did have a brief time to read before I left and Janet was tucked in comfortably with a smile on her face confident she’ll be able to sleep well. God continues to bless us with caring and skilled people and I pray that Janet has a pain free night and a productive Tuesday.

Janet, A Success Story. June 8. #TSJ

There was a lot of sitting around today for Janet, unfortunately, and I’m not sure how we could have avoided it. Breakfast was outside as it was just too nice not to and the only way out there for Janet is in her wheelchair. She stayed outside for a Skype chat with her mom that Janet says was “good and funny”.

I managed to get her doing something other than basking in the sun by suggesting we start the packing process for our trip to Heather and Allan’s wedding. That required her getting some things out of her closet which I suppose she could’ve done walking but I wanted this to be as much her doing it on her own as possible. She picked out some jewellery to wear with each outfit and we got a good sense of what we need to take. Job well done!

Back into the sun we went for lunch, so Janet was sitting again after a short walk on her own. The times she did walk today I kept myself as far from her as I could while staying in range to prevent a fall. Janet seems to walk more confidently when she can see me and moves towards me so I’m going to try and avoid walking beside her as much as I can. Before going for a walk we had a brief Skype chat with Heather to answer some questions that came up during our packing session. She appears to be hanging in there just fine. We almost made it to the beach on our walk but Janet complained of the wind so we turned back. There is nothing worse than a cold Janet.

A very kind Italian lady who lives in our complex cooks a big pasta and meatball dinner for everyone once a year and tonight was the night. Janet of course was less than excited about going but mostly enjoyed being there and talking to some neighbours about tennis and to another couple about Ontario. One of the benefits of living here is the sense of community and I’m glad we can be a part of it. Janet walked into the room tonight leaving her wheelchair parked outside and received lots of “wows” and “look at you” ‘s. Gotta be good for her.

Without any complaints we drove back to Connect and got Janet settled in after she presented Chris with a happy face lolly pop for his fortieth birthday today. That’s one thing I can ask Janet to do and she never hesitates. Praying for a restful night of sleep and a productive Monday.

Janet, A Success Story. June 7. #TSJ

Another independent morning for Janet as she made breakfast, typed an email herself and waited in the sunshine for me while I showered. I still get anxious about her when I leave her in situations like that. She is unable to get back into the house on her own from the patio and I worry a little about her needing to when I’m not available. I finished my shower as quickly as I could and went to check on her, she was singing away to the music I’d left on for her. I need to have more faith.

Its a good thing we were up at a reasonable hour because we had an early lunch date with John. He hasn’t been out for a meal in months and was raring to go as soon as we arrived at his care home. We wheeled the few blocks over to Joey Kelowna and sat outside for a nice leisurely lunch. I didn’t arrange the seating very well so Janet had a hard time hearing John but we managed. I think he really enjoyed getting out and we enjoyed listening to his stories.

With lunch done early Janet agreed to brave the mall as long as we shopped for me not her. She was a big help in colour selection as I actually found clothes that fit me and I managed to sneak a few things in for her too.

After a nice little nap we headed off to church without the wheelchair. After getting out of the car and closing the door unassisted, Janet walked across the parking lot with my help then went by herself the one hundred plus feet to “our” door then demanded my help to walk down to our seats. Janet got lots of encouragement along the way from friends and even people we don’t know. I had to remind her that her story is out there and more people know about her and are cheering her on than she may realize. Walking out of church was similar and took longer as people stopped to chat and encourage and ask about the wedding. Even someone neither of us knows asked Janet if she was ready for the wedding. Kiko walked with us the last little ways to the car and for the first time got to see Janet walking freestyle and even opening the car door unassisted. She is always so encouraging and upbeat, it all made for a very positive evening.

Our time at home tonight was positive as well. We enjoyed some good sushi and the movie Son of God which spurred a good conversation afterwards with Janet feeling touched by the film and glad we saw it soon after church as it helped to see things acted out rather than just spoken about. I guess we were both so immersed in the movie we forgot Janet’s meds until she was tucked into bed. It crossed my mind once during the movie and I thought I’d prompt her during our ice cream break but forgot by then. Oh well.

Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep that helps to bring lots of energy and a sharp mind for tomorrow.

Janet, A Success Story. June 6. #TSJ

Janet’s bonus day at home wasn’t exactly all fun and frolic as she would’ve liked. After breakfast which Janet made all on her own and just before we left she emptied the drier and folded that laundry. She was home alone for that part as I had to retrieve the dog from the groomer. That was the only test we could do for Janet hanging out on her own as the rest of the day was jam packed.

We were out and about for a good two hours with Janet hanging in there nicely, especially at the grocery store. The sunshine made it much more enjoyable to be running around the places we were and Janet was able to go wheelchair free into our financial advisor’s office. He of course was thrilled and impressed to see Janet walking.

Since Janet helped pick out some of the food supplies she felt able to choose something other than grilled cheese for lunch and made herself a nice sandwich and sat in the sun to enjoy it. Trying to go wheelchair free at home is difficult as Janet isn’t strong enough to use the steps out to the patio. We may have to do some work on that.

Tonight was our Small Group meeting and we welcomed one more participant to the discussion. That made a big difference and two hours flew by quickly. Janet participated well despite one stretch where she zoned out a little. Like SheLife, its not really the content that gets Janet going but being able to join in a conversation.

I promised some kayaking pictures and here they are courtesy of Jess.

Ready?

Ready?


Fun?

Fun?

Survived!

Survived!

Praying for a fun Saturday.

Janet, A Success Story. June 5. #TSJ

Always able to surprise, Janet surprised again this morning by agreeing to go kayaking. She is registered with the CHRIS program who do adaptive hiking, biking and kayaking around the Okanagan. Janet was pressured into trying this somewhat and I’m glad she followed through. No surprise at all that she didn’t like it and doesn’t want to go again. I wasn’t able to be there and am awaiting pictures so you will have to settle for one of us and Big Country at the beach last night just before the pine cone fight.

Beasley Park, Wood Lake

Beasley Park, Wood Lake

Because of a number of appointments today and tomorrow Janet got to start her weekend today and instead of crossing off one appointment, another one was created. Janet has been complaining for a few weeks of a “plugged” left ear so we went to the doctor today. She has a lot of wax buildup in both ears and now has to go back Monday to get them flushed out. Good thing she mentioned it so we can remedy it before Ottawa.

I waited all day to get Janet home so we could watch the semi final tennis match between Genie Bouchard and Maria Sharapova. It was well worth the wait and Janet showed a much better awareness of what was happening than ever before. She could read the score easily each time I asked and she reacted appropriately to big plays as they happened. Fun to watch, Janet and the match.

The way the day was scheduled left no time for a nap so Janet was in bed asking me to read by 9:30 ish and was sleeping soundly by ten. Praying for a solid night of sleep and a productive Friday.

Janet, A Success Story. June 3. #TSJ

Janet was all done with her exercises by the time I got to Connect this afternoon. Jess told me the wheelchair was hardly used so Janet had done a lot of walking again. She slept like it, right until 4 o’clock! This does seem to be a better routine for her and if it can continue then I may delay my arrival as there’s no point to me being there while she’s sleeping.

We did get to sit in the sun for a while before dinner after a good walk from Janet’s room. There was no protesting Games Night tonight, possibly because Janet was too busy complaining about walking there. I had her walk freestyle from her room to the elevator, about 80 feet then helped her the first 50 feet to the Pool Room in hopes she would do the last bit herself. No way. She did participate very well in the various thinking games played and even volunteered to do the guessing on the Guess the Famous Person game. Hers was Superman and she got it pretty quick.

After a good walk back to her room Chelsea informed us there was a rainbow outside so Janet got even more walking in to see that. There’s something about rainbows that seems to get everyone excites no matter their age.

Enjoying the view.

Enjoying the view.


Janet practiced some reading before I read to her tonight. She’s seeing words better but still needs a lot of coaching to move her head to the right to make sure she sees the entire line. The good news about all that is Janet really wants to read well so is quite willing to practice.

Praying for a restful night and an energetic Wednesday.

Janet, A Success Story. June 2. #TSJ

Janet was back to “work” in a hurry today. She had all of her physical therapies completed by lunchtime and seemed OK with it all. Usually when that happens I’ll hear some complaint about how “terrible” or “hard” it all was but when I called her today she was all giggly sitting out in the sunshine after lunch.

It was obvious to me when I got out to Connect that Janet had worked hard her first part of the day as she never woke when I went into her room and stayed sleeping for another twenty minutes. Still no complaining when she woke up and with a hint of eagerness she walked down to the dining area to set the table. The complaining started soon after. I’ve been having Janet do as much without her wheelchair as possible and there is a lot of walking involved in setting a table. As she got tired, the whining started, but she persevered and was rewarded with a bit of Happy Hour in the sun that included a Skype chat with Heather. The conversation went well considering all Janet wants to talk about is the wedding.

We hung out in Janet’s room most of the rest of the night with Janet practicing reading, writing an email and listening to some music. Heather had shared the song she will be walking down the aisle to and Janet asked if I remembered what songs we used at our wedding. I was confident I knew the walk in song, Have I Told You Lately That I Love You, but not the first dance one, Only Know I Do. Thankfully Laurel was on the ball and gave us that one. Janet still likes them both and sang along knowing a lot of the words.

The walking Janet did tonight was of mixed quality with the really good stuff happening at the end, which is a relief as some of her earlier stuff was not pretty. I think maybe she was a little tired from the morning and took a while to warm up. Wearing her sandals, I can see her toes and am a little concerned how the right ones curl up when she’s walking. Janet can’t move them herself much so we may need to find a way of keeping them stretched out if Tez thinks its a problem.

Janet’s speech and memory were outstanding tonight and she gave me probably her best summary of her day ever, nailing everything up to and including dinner. Interesting how the most recent stuff she couldn’t come up with. Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep and a bright Tuesday.

Janet, A Success Story. June 1. #TSJ

This morning was more mellow than Saturday morning and Janet was able to get through breakfast well before the weekly Skype chat with her mom. In fact, we were able to watch Genie Bouchard win her fourth round match at the French Open before the mom call and Janet was pleased to be able to do so. She’s a fan.

From what I heard of the conversation with Mary/Gaga it went well and Janet even ended the call properly on her iPad, something I’ve been trying to teach her for a long time. After some suntanning time we drove out to see John and go for a walk with him. Janet noted he seemed a little down compared to last time so we left him with a promise to take him for lunch next Saturday in hopes that gives him something to look forward to. We were then able to eat our lunch outside before Janet’s nap time. Have to get her tanned up for the wedding you know.

After her nap we walked up to check out the pool. I wasn’t able to convince Janet to swim but she was all over going for a hot tub. As you can see in the picture the first step in is a doozy with the four others not much better. Janet made it in OK but getting out was no fun at all. I was over confident in what Janet is able to do and attempted to assist her in walking out. She just doesn’t have the strength to tackle large steps like that and if one of our neighbours wasn’t there to help me get Janet out, we might still be there. I’ll be carrying her out from now on. The pool steps are not as large so hopefully Janet can manage those ones better.
Janet Hot Tub

Janet’s conversation skills are certainly improving as evidenced by her striking up a chat with the lady in the hot tub (the one that ended up helping us) and then by having an excellent Skype chat with Andrew. Her speech and recall were outstanding today. There weren’t too many walking opportunities but she did make it up and down our ramp a few times.

Our arrival back at Connect tonight was later than usual as we lingered over dinner, America’s Got Talent, and ice cream before making the trek. Janet says she doesn’t mind it when she gets there its more the thought of having to go back that bugs her. This is a short week for her though as she gets to come home Thursday and stay for the weekend on account of a few appointments Thursday and Friday. She’s happy about that.

Praying for a restful night of sleep, lots of energy all week and a willingness to work hard.

LarryJanet Hot Tub