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

Mom and I met Janet and the gang at the pool this morning and for once Janet was all smiles and laughing before swimming. Somehow they had gotten to talking abut helicopters during the drive in and Curtis had everyone trying their best imitation of what a helicopter sounds like. Janet tried hers as we met her at the car but she was laughing too hard to do it. A fun way to start the day.

Janet excelled in the pool today setting a personal best for swimming on her tummy and for the first time ever, she was able to tread water. That was pretty funny as she insisted on using her arm and of course ended up spinning around in circles. She thought it was funny too and tried a few times without her arm just to see and was fairly successful. I think the wet suit helps with buoyancy and Janet clearly has a lot of confidence in the water now. We did some standing in the kiddie pool as well as some leg exercises including bringing both knees up to her chest while floating on her back with my support. In the KGH Rehab pool she was never able to push her right leg back out on it’s own, she always used the left leg to assist. Today Janet did it routinely without assistance. That was a very nice and encouraging surprise and is a move she needs to have in order to walk well. High five!

After swimming we met Courtney at Urban Fare for lunch with Janet having her usual and propelling herself through the store really well. She called her own nap time once we got home and awoke an hour later refreshed and able to help with dinner. I noticed a couple of times when I gave her instructions she wasn’t following them very well and I’m not sure why. Usually I can tell her to get two or three things from the fridge at once and it won’t be a problem, tonight she grabbed things I didn’t ask for and didn’t get things I did ask for. Maybe she was more tired than I thought. Over all she was helpful and managed a decent transfer into a dining chair when we were ready to eat.

My mom likes to have her dessert right after dinner and Janet and I usually wait until close to bedtime. Tonight Janet eagerly accepted the offer of ice cream right after dinner and that apparently fuelled her up nicely as when we got to the gym at Connect she set a personal best on the bike after claiming she was too tired to do very well. We wound down the evening by watching a little basketball while Janet had her meds then reading a chapter of Open that spawned some good conversation afterwards and instead of putting her to sleep seemed to wind her up a little. Oops.

Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep that gives Janet lots of energy for a productive Friday.

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

I half expected to find Janet napping when I got to Connect this afternoon but she was very much awake and was hanging out in her room saying she’d given up on TV. That’s good, the last thing I want her doing during the day is watching TV but I guess sometimes that’s the only option. She was pretty firm on not having a nap so after the daily debrief we set about to book our trip to Ottawa for Heather and Allan’s wedding. Janet helped me select flight times then she composed an email for a hotel reservation request. She did most of it typing and some voice to text which worked pretty good this time. Janet also sent a little email to Heather announcing we had booked the flights. That one she typed all alone. High five!

Brian dropped by for a long overdue chat with the highlight being he will talk to Tez to see if he is onboard with weaning Janet off of the transfer poles now that she is capable of getting out of her wheelchair without them. We are sure he will be. Janet seems a little nervous about it but Brian reminded her that if she wants to walk, getting up and down on her own will help where using a pole will not. I could tell that really hit home with her. Janet was engaged during our chat and commented after that Brian has a nice smile. Good thing he’s married.

Janet deferred dinner in order to get her bike ride in and that decision paid off with a personal best tying performance. Unfortunately I haven’t had Janet in the gym with enough energy to do any one legged biking except for a brief attempt a couple days ago. Hopefully we can do that before she comes home Friday as Tez wanted her doing that as much as possible to try and build strength.

Things were pretty quiet after dinner. Janet tried a little walking from her room and only made it into the hallway before complaining her legs hurt too much. She said she was OK standing and waiting for me to get the wheelchair but I wasn’t confident so I had her turn and walk so she could lean against the wall for the five seconds it would take me. Worked fine. Janet wanted her nails painted so I put on some YouTube and cleaned and painted her in a nice Merlot colour before getting ready for bed. The reading of Open lasted only a few pages tonight before Janet was snoring. She had a pretty good day and is really catching on to the iPad and working her way around Gmail. Her typing was solid today and she was hilarious speaking for the voice to text stuff we did and clearly is learning each time she does something. No longer is she forgetting things minutes afterward. Her long term memory is coming back too. While she was riding the bike, Stevie Wonder’s name was mentioned on the radio and Janet remembered she had gone to a concert of his back in her high school days. She was pretty proud of herself for remembering that.

Praying for a solid night of sleep and a fun day tomorrow with my mom visiting for the weekend.

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

Janet was chatting in the living room with Willie when I got to Connect just before lunch today. Nice to see her doing that even though she couldn’t see that well as she didn’t have her glasses on. She told me she couldn’t find them but as soon as we got to her room we saw them right on her beside table where I put them last night. Her splint was right where I left it too, meaning that’s the second day in a row she hasn’t worn it and that’s not cool.

After a quick lunch we took off to her AFO appointment. Janet said the appointment went about the way she expected and the lady was nice. I got the impression the lady didn’t really think Janet was ready for an AFO or to be seriously considering walking but maybe that’s just me. I didn’t relay that to Janet at all as she needs to stay as positive as possible and she is looking forward to wearing this brace in hopes it will keep her right leg more stable. We go back Monday afternoon to have it installed and I know if nothing else it will give Janet the confidence she needs to work a little harder in learning to walk.

We made one stop along the way home to finally get our address changed on our Id’s and Janet had a one hour nap as soon as we got there. Upon waking she had just enough time to brush her teeth and get ready for her dentist appointment. Things have really improved in that area and Janet only had one small cavity that will get filled at the end of the month. She was a little disappointed but considering how long her teeth were neglected for I think she’s doing fine and she brushes quite well now.

Back home for dinner we went and Janet was showing signs of being tired again but perked right up when some songs came on that she really likes. She started to sing along and there is nothing I know of on this earth more joyous than Janet singing with that huge smile on her face. I’ve said it before and it continues to impress me how powerful music is and don’t tell anyone but Janet’s singing is contagious as I even sang a little to teach her one of my favourite songs right now,The Giving Tree by Plain White T’s. Janet thought it was great that I sang. There may be hope.

Sadly, we had to get back to Connect for meds and a little exercise. Janet did not want to go and didn’t cheer up until we were half way there. She put in a good effort on a difficult bike ride that I actually had to make easier part way through and was too tired and it was too late after to do any walking so it was off to bed to read. Janet is really enjoying Open and looks forward to our time doing that. Hopefully some nights she won’t be so tired and I can get her to read a little herself.

Praying for a solid night of healing sleep that provides lots of energy for tomorrow’s activities.

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

Back to reality. Janet seemed quite comfortable and “at home” when I arrived at Connect late this afternoon. Proving her memory skills, the first thing she asked me was “did you go skiing?” When I told I was happily surprised she remembered that she said, “why wouldn’t I remember that?” Nice change from the Janet that couldn’t remember something from an hour ago.

Janet did forget to have a nap this afternoon and was showing signs of being tired but it was too late to nap so she opted for a bike ride instead. Once again I received orders not to make it so hard but being the meanie that I am I never said anything when she programmed the bike to do the same profile as last night and at a higher level. I told her I believed she would do better than last night and she did, tying her personal best but at the most difficult setting she’s tried.

The exercise built her appetite to where dinner was devoured in no time and after hanging out for a little while I asked Janet to practice some walking. She didn’t want to go upstairs to the parallel bars so I had her free stand for almost ten minutes in her room then walk the fifteen feet or so across the hall to Kieran’s door, turn around and walk back to her wheelchair that was beside her bed. The last ten feet were really taxing on her but she maintained as good a form as possible and was able to perform a very controlled landing back into her wheelchair. High five!

We joined Wes and Willie’s wife Val in the living room for a little TV and conversation. Janet tired quickly though and just wanted to get her pjs on and have me read more of Open to her. Because she went to bed so early I was able to read a full chapter to her and she was able to tell me the highlights of what we read despite being ready for sleep. Her memory really is improving and I have to be careful what I say around her now. When I first got to Connect today she told me that there was only one person working all day as Jess was sick. Janet described that person as being Curtis. Later on and in front of Janet, I asked Tiffany if Curtis was working alone all day and Janet got a little offended that I doubted her. That is a real sign of the former Janet returning. Nice!

Praying for a night of uninterrupted healing sleep that provides lots of energy for a busy day tomorrow.

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

In major league baseball they call the last day of a series, Getaway Day, as the teams leave that city and travel to the next one. It was getaway day at our house today as Janet returned to Connect after an enjoyable Christmas break. I think we both felt the impending separation and were a little quiet because of it. Janet was nicely distracted by a Skype call with her mom this morning followed by one with Heather a little while later. Janet wisely cut that conversation short to go to the bathroom, something she has been reluctant to do on occasion with unpleasant results. I took the opportunity to give Janet a bath so she wouldn’t have to endure one at Connect tomorrow. The combination bath/shower worked well with Janet only complaining of cold in the last two minutes or so.

There was more football to watch today but neither of us were too interested. It felt more like we didn’t know what else to do. Janet did manage a very nice standing and walking session. Using my hand as a cane she walked about twelve feet to the patio door, grabbed the door knob and turned herself around then walked five feet to the couch. There, she held onto the back and side stepped her way back to her wheelchair. Half way through she complained of being exhausted but she persevered and flashed a little smile as she plopped back into her wheelchair. That was her longest walk in the house for sure and was accompanied today by some really strong moves in getting to a standing position from sitting without the use of a transfer pole or me. Janet is definitely strong enough to do this now and I plan on talking to Brian this week to see what he thinks about taking the poles away. At least I think its time to restrict their use to holding on while standing, not for getting up.

Janet helped make a very nice dinner for us tonight and we enjoyed it with a glass of wine as we fought off sadness, knowing she had to go back to Connect. The car ride out there was surprisingly fun. I managed to get Janet singing and laughing about the highlights of the Christmas break and she was in good spirits as we made our way to her room. She didn’t’ hesitate at all about going for a bike ride and gave me orders not to make it too hard. Apparently I did though and she got pretty grumpy during her ride. That all changed once she was done and we shared some of our Christmas chocolate. Once in bed I read some of Open to her and that brought laughter and lots of excited comments like, “I love this book”, and “its like you are right there with him”. Makes it a lot of fun to read and with Janet in a good mood it was easier to say goodnight.

Praying for a night of uninterrupted sleep, lots of energy and a positive attitude for tomorrow.

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

Janet and I enjoyed a pretty quiet day today, her last full day here before returning to Connect tomorrow after dinner. It’s been a great sixteen days and it will be difficult to say goodnight tomorrow and leave her at Connect. I know it’s still the best place for her to keep getting better and I guess I was spoiled having her at home for such a long stretch. It’s awesome to realize she can be home with no major challenges and that bodes well for the future.

I did manage to get Janet to do a little standing and walking today. Her balance was good and she made it more than half way from the table to the fridge, about ten feet, before declaring a bathroom break. I had her carry on afterwards and she was able to retrieve an orange out of the fridge with minimal assistance from me. We had a brief but nice visit from Courtney and watched a very exciting playoff football game before going to church. Janet said that was the most exciting game she’d ever seen and she was truly into it and Seattle wasn’t even playing. Love her.

In trying to foster more independence for Janet I intentionally left her wheelchair footrest in the car at church and asked her to propel herself from the car to our seats. She needed a little help on one sloped bit in the parking lot, other than that it was all her confidently rolling along. At the end of the service she executed her first unassisted standing transfer from pew to wheelchair. No help from me at all. High five!

Dinner and a movie was the evening plan again with Janet almost bailing on the movie we watched, Won’t Back Down, but was glad she stuck it out through the end and gave a loud cheer and a fist pump. Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep that restores Janet’s energy for a productive tomorrow.

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

Today was sleep in day as we had no set agenda at all and I planned on giving Janet full reign on how the day was spent. In preparation for working with Memory Coach Wendy, I helped Janet make a to do list for the day on her iPad and she then had to choose which item to tackle first and so on. She’s still resistant to the whole idea and at one point mentioned she wished she had been born sooner so she wouldn’t have to learn all this stuff.

The first task Janet chose was to reply to some emails she had been putting off. I thought I’d have to do much more assisting than I did and Janet was very persistent in typing her replies herself. She did reach a point where she said it was just too much for her so we tried the voice to text feature in Gmail. This was a really cool lesson for Janet as the words Gmail heard were not always what she thought she was saying so it forced her to speak slowly and really think about the pronunciation of each word. She could instantly see if she got it right or not. I think we’ll do this more just for fun.

Next up was meal planning for the rest of the weekend then a trip to the grocery store. Janet flipped through the Slow Cooker recipe book and wants to try a Minestone Soup tomorrow. We tried an Italian Vegetable one the other day with Joel and Kiko and it turned out a little crunchy so hopefully lesson learned. Janet helped pick out vegetables at the store with me and was ready for a nap by the time we got home.

Our evening was quiet with Janet’s favourite pizza for dinner followed by some very necessary nail cutting and painting finishing off with the requisite movie. Tonight’s film was Midnight in Paris. One I know I’ve seen before and I think Janet too but it would have been pretty close to when she got sick and she didn’t remember it at all. It was a little ironic as she talked earlier about being born too late and the movie’s premise is about wanting to live in a past era. Janet thought it was funny and a little weird.

Praying for a solid night of sleep and lots of energy for tomorrow.

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

Janet had another Christmas present arrive this morning. It came in the form of a text message to me from Curtis at Connect reporting that swimming was cancelled for today. Janet was very happy as she insists she does not like going swimming. Truth is she doesn’t like all the preparation for it and the coldness and I understand that and she even admitted later that she would like it more if she could say what to do in the pool. As long as she doesn’t go straight for the hot tub I’m good with that.

Since we no longer had a fixed appointment to go to Janet was able to enjoy a leisurely and complete breakfast before we took off to take our Christmas tree to the chipper and drive out to Connect for a workout. Either Janet is a true celebrity or everyone at Connect is really bored these days because within minutes of me texting that we were in the gym we had Curtis, Garrett, Carly and three other residents in there with Janet being the only one really working out. That attention must have motivated her as she completed her toughest bike ride yet in a personal best tying fashion. Janet recognized that it was a hard ride and blamed me for setting it up that way but I reminded her she peddled her way through it very very well and she acknowledged that with a hint of a smile. Janet left the room and so did most everyone else to a lot of giggles for the following Janet has.

Our next stop was the parallel bars for some walking practice and getting into the elevator we were intercepted by Wendy, Janet’s memory coach. We had a good chat about her plans for Janet which are to work with her three or four days a week, sometimes twice a day for about thirty minutes at a time building Janet’s “future” memory and her “what did I just do” memory. The tools Janet will use are a calendar app on her iPad for the future stuff and a hard copy journal for the past. One short term goal will be to train Janet on the use of an iPhone as she can carry that around easier than a tablet. Janet is a little unsure of it all but Wendy promises it will be a long process with no pressure to hurry up and do something. Janet will learn at her own pace and I think she’ll surprise herself.

Curtis and I helped Janet with some side stepping along the parallel bars and Janet put in a fine effort. The Botox is definitely wearing off of her right leg and she must be noticing a change too as a couple times a day now she is asking me when are we going to see about the AFO. I notice sometimes now her balance and mechanics aren’t quite as good as they have been and I’m hoping that improves once she’s back into her routine at Connect.

After a very productive visit to Connect it was home for a late lunch then some chores. Janet wiped down the outside of all the cupboards and drawers she could reach then had a little power nap. She was a big help in prepping dinner tonight, getting things from the fridge and chopping. She wanted to watch another movie tonight and we chose Hugo. Janet said she didn’t understand even as I explained things as they happened. When I had her retell the story she got the vast majority of it right and decided she did actually understand it.

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

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

We are still in holiday mode here and our morning started late as seems to be usual but we had just the right amount of time to prepare for Joel and Kiko’s arrival for lunch. They are awesome friends and we are glad we could start off 2014 with them as our first guests. Janet was a little quiet during their visit again saying she didn’t know much about what we were talking about and didn’t know what else to discuss. I’m not liking this pattern and hope that with more exposure to guests in the house she will relax and be able to participate more. I think it’s still good that she listens to real conversation as opposed to always trying to tailor talk to her. Learning curve.

Janet was pretty zonked after Joel and Kiko left and had an almost two hour nap which allowed me to put away outside Christmas and get everything ready for her to help put away the inside stuff. That all took longer than anticipated but Janet was a big help with the tree decorations and she enjoyed the project.

Uncle Monkey joined us via FaceTime for dinner tonight and it was good to see and hear him and to know all is well with the Oakville Aitons.

With Christmas put away we decided to watch a movie before bed. Janet selected the genre, children and family, and we agreed to try the first one that popped up, Parental Guidance. We were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed it and Janet laughed more than I can remember her laughing at any other movie. That was almost as much fun as her singing through a film and a great way to end the day.

Praying for a good night’s sleep and lots of energy, a positive attitude and good control of her body for swimming tomorrow.

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

This is an abbreviated New Years Eve version of our blog update. The day started with a very nice visit with Scott and Nora at our house. We are blessed to count them as friends. Randy stopped by after that to formally close the renovation project. We thank him immensely for a job very well done. Janet and I attended a New Years party at one of our neighbours homes this evening where we wisely celebrated the new year on Eastern time so we are home eating ice cream as I write this then saying goodnight.

We sincerely wish you all the very best for 2014 and thank you for your love and support. Praying for a year of complete recovery for Janet and for our story to help and inspire many others.

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