faith

Janet, A Success Story. March 7. #TSJ

Road trip day! Janet was up in time to have a bath this morning after what she said was a so, so sleep. I beg to differ after the day she put in. We got on the road early to avoid any stress about missing the ferry at Horseshoe Bay and left the Okanagan sunshine expecting to hit rain before too long. It never happened really. I fully expected Janet to fall asleep an hour into the drive but she was chatty and bright the entire four plus hours. Stopping twice for bathroom breaks and once for gas/lunch and we were in North Vancouver with a little time to spare. I suggested we drop by and see Nancy briefly and Janet was all over it. We parked in Nancy’s driveway and I helped Janet walk the twenty feet to the front door. There is only one step leading to the front door but it’s a little high and Janet didn’t want to try it so I knocked and stood waiting with Janet. Shannon answered, surprised, called her mom who came to the door with a huge smile of surprise. Janet was excited to see her and we had a nice little chat sitting on a bench before walking back to the car. As we drove to the ferry Janet said, “Nancy’s really nice, we are lucky to have her as a friend”. Indeed.

We found a comfy spot to sit on the ferry and settled in with Janet finally showing signs of needing sleep. She napped for maybe ten minutes only and spent the rest of the time chatting and watching the various kids seated around us. It was a pleasant trip and as we recapped the drive I just had to praise Janet on how impressed I was with her identifying Merritt as we drove by, Hope and Chilliwack as we drove through and recognizing a lot of other things along the way. This is a very different Janet from our last road trip.

Neither of us was hungry on the ferry but Janet was as we neared Nanaimo so we ordered a pizza to pick up and take to Mom’s. Janet must’ve been hungry as she out ate me three pieces to two! That pretty much did her in and she was in bed soundly sleeping by ten o’clock, fourteen hours after getting up and with only a ten minute nap. A so so sleep last night? No way.

Praying that Janet has a solid night of sleep and has just as much energy for Saturday as she had today. Praying for a safe and enjoyable trip to Port Alberni to see the cousins.

Janet, a Success Story. March 6. #TSJ

I really wasn’t sure about the new title for this blog site but Janet, through her hard work today, has legitimized it for me. When I called her to see how her day was going she very proudly told me she walked all the way from the gym to her room using a cane. That is over 100 feet! Jess held her a little from behind and the rest was all Janet. I’m super glad she told me in such a positive manner too! She actually realizes this is a huge accomplishment.

By the time I got to Connect Janet was watching Ellen in the living room with Wes and Humberto. I had brought her a sketch book and pencil but she wasn’t interested at that moment saying, “I was a good drawer but I used my right hand then”. Valid point, we’ll try some other time.

After dinner I gave Janet the option of a bike ride or walking combined with the Standing Frame and she chose walking. We didn’t have a cane so I stood in for that, I’ve asked Tez if we should buy one now, and Janet made it all the way from her room to the living room, about 70 feet. She was pretty tired by the end of that walk and was using my arm as a cane pretty heavily but there were moments along the way where she took strong steps with little pressure on me. Janet was nice and straight and tall in the Standing Frame and kept a very close eye on the time to make sure she didn’t spend one minute more than she had to.

With a very successful day behind her and facing a long drive to Nanaimo tomorrow I surprised Janet with an invitation to come home tonight. Her face lit right up and if she didn’t need to put a jacket on I think she would’ve gone straight out the door. It was bedtime when we got home and there was no arguing about it at all. Janet smiled and seemed to totally relax as she hit the pillow in our bed saying, “this is so much better than the other place”. I explained that she had earned this visit home by working really hard today and she said she’d do that more if coming home was the reward. Hmmm.

Praying for a night of uninterrupted sleep and a fun and safe trip to Nanaimo tomorrow.

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

Another day, another milestone. We had Janet’s team meeting this morning at Connect and in amongst the usual progress reports we discussed the transition home. That’s right, home. Sometime before the 24th of December Janet will be living at home full time! Exciting and scary. Exciting in so many ways, scary in that we have no idea what being at home full time looks like at this point. Janet continues to make progress and will likely do so over the next nine months or more and that makes it hard to plan for the amount and type of care she will need at home. The good part is there is a nine month window with which to work out all the details. For now, the focus is still on getting more activation from Janet’s right leg with an eye towards walking with/without a cane by June. The other goals set out in the meeting were to improve Janet’s reading and hand writing, improve her knowledge of the medications she takes and to gain independence in taking them. Janet was a full participant in today’s meeting and asserted herself well. High five!

To further demonstrate her progress Janet stood at the kitchen counter after the meeting and made herself a grilled cheese sandwich. She had minimal help from Jess in the process and even managed to turn herself around so she could grill the sandwich once she had built it.
JanetStandingGrilledCheese
As soon as lunch was done we took off to KGH to visit John. He seemed tired and not quite his positive self today but was happy to see us. Please keep him in your prayers. As is common with hospital visits Janet was in celebrity mode. First up was Jane her Occupational Therapist from 4B. Janet didn’t remember her but was excited to tell Jane how well she is doing. Jane made a very clear point to Janet how thrilled she was to see her and how far she has progressed also saying it’s important and exciting for those that work with patients like Janet to see the progress after such a long time. All good for Janet to hear. Up on 4 East we saw Emma, Janet’s first nurse in Rehab. Same sort of feedback and encouragement from her and again, Janet was proudly reporting on her progress. Love it.

That was a very busy first part of the day and Janet was out like a light as soon as we got home. I had to wake her once I had dinner ready just in time to eat and get to SheLife. It took her a while to get her energy back and I was a little concerned with how she’d manage the session. Heidi excitedly informed that Janet prayed out loud tonight for the first time and everyone at her table could hear her too. Janet said it went well but she isn’t understanding any of what the video segments are supposed to be teaching. That’s OK because the social aspect is far more important for her anyways, proven by how her ability to participate has increased. Janet agreed and added “they all really like me being there” in an almost Sally Field at the Oscars kind of way. Cute.

This marks the end of The Team Save Janet Report as we aren’t in “save” mode any longer. The “team” still exists I guess but really only figuratively. Tomorrow, I hope to have re named this blog site to something that reflects Janet’s determination, hard work, perseverance and inspirational qualities as we work our way towards coming home. If you have any suggestions, I’m all ears, or eyes.

Praying for a solid night of sleep and a productive Thursday and thanking Jesus for His many blessings.

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

Talking on the phone with Janet at lunch time today she mentioned she had been up at the parallel bars. I asked her how that went, expecting the usual, “terrible”. Instead she surprised me with “fairly well”. In fact, according to Jess and Tez, it went “quite well”. Janet said she was in the sling and walked around the bars a few times while holding onto the bar. In fact, she did eight laps of the parallel bars using a cane! Why she didn’t tell me that I don’t know and when I congratulated her she was her usual self in saying, “it’s no big deal”. Yes it is.

The only exercise Janet hadn’t done prior to nap time was the Standing Frame and she chose to get in it soon after I arrived. She is standing straighter than ever these days and putting a little more weight through her right leg.

Dinner time was a little quiet with Kieran not around but still fun and Janet had a decent Skype chat with Andrew afterwards. The big event of the evening was baking granola bars with Chelsea. Janet’s table is responsible for bringing snacks to SheLife tomorrow so Chelsea offered to help Janet bake something. Janet seemed a little tired half way into it but contributed well and had the whole house wondering what the yummy smell was. We’ll find out tomorrow if they taste any good.

After some YouTube and reading Janet fell asleep earlier than usual closing out a successful day for her. Praying for a night of deep and restorative sleep allowing for a productive tomorrow.

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

I called Janet while she was having lunch today and she was a little bothered by the intrusion. Seems Wendy had been calling her numerous times throughout the day as a means to practicing answering the phone and Janet was a little fed up. On the bright side she is increasingly competent at answering and is down to about two swipe attempts before successfully unlocking the phone each time. There seems to be some resistance to memorizing her phone number although she did blurt out her old North Vancouver number for me today.

Janet was napping as I snuck into her room and stayed that way for an additional forty five minutes. Instead of lying around chatting, she woke up and immediately asked to go to the bathroom and that is a very good thing. She was quite pleased she had completed all her exercises earlier in the day so we had lots of time to talk and find a new book to read. Thanks to a suggestion from the audience we are reading Come On People, by Bill Cosby. So far it is much more in Janet’s wheelhouse and has generated a couple of chuckles and some parenting memories already.

To work off her dinner but not repeat exercises already done I had Janet do some walking. We started near her bedside and made it about twenty five feet out and down the hall before she asked to turn around. The return trip was tough at times but she fought through and made it back. Janet’s steps were OK for the most part, I pray she tries to trust that right leg more. It’s really impeding her progress.

Still faced with a part filled jar of pennies on her desk Janet agreed to count some so we could roll them up. Her math skills are strong as are her reading comprehension. She had worked by herself on a number of Mary Lou’s worksheets and let me mark them. This batch is noticeably harder than the previous one and Janet’s scores reflected that. Most of her struggles seemed to be her vision as anything to her right was begin completely ignored. I think Janet has improved dramatically since her last eye exam so I’ll get her in for another more accurate one soon.

Connect will be a lot quieter starting tomorrow as Kieran in transferring temporarily to a facility in Kamloops. We all had chocolate cake tonight to wish him well and Janet encouraged him and gave him a big hug as we said goodnight. As much as we tease Kieran, he will be missed.

Praying for a restful night of sleep for Janet that provided ample energy for a productive Tuesday.

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

Janet had a good start to today, waking with lots of energy after a good long sleep. She managed her own breakfast this morning and was quite chatty and excited about the day ahead. Our neighbour, Bonnie, came over to watch the Olympic figure skating with Janet as she had been in Mexico during the games. Janet enjoyed watching a speeded up version of what she’d already seen and was able to remember some of the performances. It was an awful lot of skating to filter through in a couple of hours but nice to visit and watch with Bonnie.

I got Janet up and walking a little before and after lunch. She complained of soreness in her left leg which I can only attribute to her over using it. We had a good long talk about that and I also had Janet stand in front of a large mirror so she could see how crooked she stands even though she thinks she’s straight. Her steps were good today but her confidence level remains the same, lowish. If Janet believed she could use her right leg more she would. Anyone know a good sports psychology book? Janet relates to sports and might be inspired by something along those lines.

After scanning a few pictures and a quick nap it was time to bake our cannelloni and watch the Oscars. Both were a little disappointing on my end and Janet agreed with me on the cannelloni but enjoyed the Oscars. That was a lot of TV watching today, something I hope we don’t repeat too often. We had the most wintery drive of the season back to Connect tonight and had time to do a little reading. We are through eleven chapters of Long Walk to Freedom and I think that’s it for Janet. It is too dry a read for her so I am looking for suggestions. Something personal, quick paced and funny.

Praying that Janet has lots of energy tomorrow and a willingness to work hard at whatever she’s asked to do.

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

Today was pretty relaxing for Janet. I made her breakfast for her, she started helping me make cannelloni then had to break for a Skype chat with her mom. I had to run to the store and she asked to watch The Sound of Music while I was gone. Bad call on my part as once she started watching there was no stopping her. I must find a way to harness that joy and positiveness she exudes when singing along to something like that. I made lunch and she continued to watch and sing. I did get her to walk from the table to the couch after lunch and then back for a bathroom break later. She did well and hopefully we can do more tomorrow.

After getting some minor help in the kitchen I noticed Janet was in need of a nap which she happily took for an hour or so. After another good transfer from wheelchair to seat at church Janet stood and sang for a long time and loved watching people get baptized tonight. I pray that she will want to make that commitment one day.

We brought home Greek food for dinner and watched Nebraska. Janet was entranced throughout and took practically the whole movie to eat her dinner. It wasn’t quite worthy of a Janet fist pump at the end but it sure got a big smile after some giggles during and an appreciation of the very “real” characters in the film. We highly recommend.

Thanking Jesus for blessing me with time to spend with Janet.

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

Around lunchtime today I called Janet and on the second ring she answered all by herself! She was about to have lunch so didn’t want to talk much but she sounded great and it was really cool to be able to call her like that. I did it again just as I was leaving to pick her up and this time she answered right away saying she was going to sleep. Good thing I called. I held back for an hour then went to Connect, loaded her up for the weekend and headed to KGH to see John.

John was awake this time and we were able to have a nice visit. He is looking and feeling a little better and enjoyed teasing Janet who was very compassionate and all on her own wished him a speedy recovery and a hope that he returns to sing with her soon. There is a real connection between the two of them and we are blessed to have John in our lives. As we made our way out of the hospital we ran into nurse Arlene headed off on a break. Janet didn’t remember her but Arlene took the time to really speak some love to Janet and assure her what an inspiration she is. I love it when others tell Janet truths like that.

Janet helped make dinner and we settled in to watch the first two episodes of The Voice. It is amazing to me how much Janet takes in and correctly processes things now. It wasn’t long ago that TV watching took place with no interaction at all, now Janet sings along, comments on performers, laughs and genuinely understands what’s going on. She is truly disappointed she has to wait a week to watch more.

Looking forward to a great weekend and praying for lots of energy and a positive attitude.

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

Curtis put Janet through an intense workout this morning in which he says Janet did well. Her version of the story is a little different of course but overall I think she feels better about it than usual. Wendy helped Janet with using her iPhone and found Janet to be a little nervous about doing things fast enough. I called Janet a few times today and she said she saw and heard the phone ringing but couldn’t answer in time and didn’t totally remember how. We practiced tonight and I think with a lot more repetition she’ll get there.

Having done all her exercises except the Standing Frame it was a pretty relaxing evening for Janet and that worked out well as one of the staff members tonight was a nurse who cared for Janet back in the 4B days. Amanda remembered us right away. Not unexpectedly, Janet has no recollection of her. I vaguely remember Amanda but it took me a while and I’m a little disappointed in myself for that as from what Amanda said she was right there from the beginning in 4B and fairly often even though she’s a Casual. We had a very long and interesting chat with her after dinner that Janet really enjoyed and contributed to. Still no recall of those days for her though.

Janet did her Standing Frame routine while we visited with Willie’s wife Val. It is their 44th wedding anniversary today! Impressive! After responding to a few emails and listening to me read for over half an hour Janet agreed it was sleep time. Praying for a fast recovery for John and a solid night of sleep for Janet that allows her a productive Friday.

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

Interior Health is in the midst of a project aimed at identifying what information a stroke patient and or their family needs and when would be best to provide that information. Today the lady in charge of Acquired Brain Injury for the Okanagan and a fourth year Social Worker student were at Connect to get feedback from those willing to share. Janet and I attended and I was very impressed with how involved Janet got in the discussion. The line of questioning, I thought was rather ridiculous as they asked about day one through seven of a stroke incident. Not one of the patients in the room remembers day one through seven and Janet doesn’t remember month one through month seven so what the heck. Janet very clearly explained that to them and also commented on what she feels she needs now and heading into the future. She surprised me by saying she has flashes of memory from something in a hospital but doesn’t know what it is. This is the biggest example of her taking ownership of her situation that I’ve seen. High five!

Garrett took Janet to the gym right after the meeting and did some stretching then I assisted with some Shuttle work. Janet is certainly at a higher energy level in the morning than she is at night and even said so herself. After a light lunch we took off to KGH to visit John. Unfortunately for us he was sound asleep when we got there but we had a nice visit with Chantelle, one of Janet’s former PT’s who’s now working the ward that John is on. I took Janet over to 4B where she spent such a long time and gave her a good look at her old room to see if there was any memory there at all. Her answer was no and she didn’t remember Jacque, the head nurse either but we had a nice visit with her anyways.

Janet had the privilege of spending a little time at home today which consisted of a short nap followed by a home made dinner then it was off to SheLife. Janet was very prepared for tonight’s session as Heidi had wisely emailed a couple of questions for everyone to try and answer. I was able to help Janet with them and then have her try and remember her answers a couple times each day leading up to tonight. Heidi says Janet shared a lot tonight and Janet seemed pleased with herself afterward. Tonight was also different in that I didn’t stay and help with the Tech Team. It was our Strata’s AGM and I felt it was important to be there so I left Janet at Trinity and went to the meeting. It felt a little weird but I knew she was in good hands and I think she liked the increased sense of independence. She’s also very much accepted the idea of having her own phone and is quite excited to receive calls. If you wish to have Janet’s number please email her your request and I’ll have her send it to you. Be patient when you call, you won’t always get an answer and it may be good to call back a minute or so after your first attempt. The best times to call most days are between 9am and 10am, noon and 2pm and 6 and 9pm.

Praying for a solid night of rest and an energetic Thursday.