hydrotherapy

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

We are moving right along with our move and I almost brought Janet home this afternoon so I could keep packing but we also need to figure out the car situation and decided to use our time for that.

Jess brought Janet in to KGH early this afternoon where I met them and took Janet to her appointment with Julie the splint lady. For the past few weeks Janet has complained of a little pain in her hand when wearing the splint for long periods of time and we’ve noticed her arm tightening up a little over that same period and even more so now that the weather has cooled. Julie was very impressed with the state of Janet’s hand and wrist and offered two solutions towards making the splint more comfortable. One would be to adjust the splint to allow for a more bent hand position, the other a different strap that would place more pressure on Janet’s fingers giving her hand a more relaxed position. Julie agreed that an adjustment to the splint would be a step back so we did the strap option. Once installed, Janet’s hand and wrist were in good positions and she said it felt fine. By seven o’clock tonight she said it was starting to bother her so maybe we just need to pace this thing out a little better. Julie encouraged continuing to stretch Janet’s wrist and fingers as much as possible to enhance the work of the splint. Too bad we no longer have a hot tub as that’s where I got the best stretches for her.

Our visits to KGH often result in seeing someone that cared for Janet at some point and today we saw Chantelle and Kathy. Both worked as Physio Assistants back in the 4B days and Chantelle is the one who coached Janet during her first days propelling a wheelchair. They had lots of encouraging words for Janet and I and it was a blessing to run into them today. Hearing the things I tell Janet from other people gives those comments way more weight and Janet seems to get a kick out of people she has no memory of knowing so much about her. She’s finally starting to believe that there are/were lots of good people caring for her.

Janet agreed to do more car shopping with me on the way back to Connect. She’s getting tired of all this as am I but understands the reasoning behind doing this now. We cruised a Nissan lot but saw nothing close to what we need then returned to the Subaru lot we visited right at the beginning of our search. I remembered that visit begin rushed and me being disappointed that Janet couldn’t get into the car I thought was going to be a good one for us. This time I was hoping they had an older model on site as they were lower to the ground and I was very confident Janet could get in. I was right but the only car of that style they had was a 2002 and I don’t want to go that old. While we were there and had time we decided to try the newer model again just for kicks. Janet got into it easier than anything else we’ve tried that wasn’t a pure car and I don’t know how we misjudged it so poorly the first time. The car we tried was taken in on a trade just thirty minutes before we got there and was by far the most fun car I’ve driven during our hunt. We may have a deal tomorrow!

A very patient and tired Janet was happy we finally found something worthy and upon our return to Connect was hungry for dinner. It took a lot of convincing but I actually got her to go for a session on the Shuttle tonight and was happy with her performance. Despite the persistent neglect of her right leg it is getting stronger, at least for being able to push on the Shuttle. Sensing her tiredness and wanting her to be happy I gave her the night off from the Standing Frame and we enjoyed hanging out the Humberto, Wes and Kieran in the living room for an hour or so. Janet told me she liked hearing the “banter between all these people”. She will answer questions from people well but still won’t initiate a conversation but she is picking up on more of what people are talking about and keeping it in the right context.

The busy day caught up to Janet in a hurry and she asked to go to bed at 8:30. She did want me to read to her for a little while and responded well to some questions on what we read. Today was a fun and productive day with Janet. Praying for healing of her right hand and arm and for lots of energy for a fun day tomorrow.

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

After a busy day of preparing to move I got to Connect to find Janet lounging by the TV in the living room. She was eager to do something so my suggestion to go car shopping was readily accepted. Combine that with dinner out and a visit to the church before going back to Connect and she was all smiles.

I was too late to get a briefing on Janet’s day so far and all she could tell me was she just had a shower and doesn’t like having them so late in the day as her hair doesn’t dry fast. She also mentioned going outside with Garrett for exercise but wasn’t able to give me details.

Car shopping is proving as difficult as house hunting was. Janet is being very patient through this process and understands she needs to be there because if she can’t get in and out easily there’s no point in considering that car. We did find one SUV that she can get into but in reading online about it tonight there is quite a discrepancy between the gas mileage the salesperson told us the vehicle got and what the websites list. Not sure if that was an honest mistake or what. Still searching.

Dinner was at Gengie and was “yummy” according to Janet. Her chop stick skills are improving and this was by far the least messy sushi dinner I can remember. We stopped by Trinity to check out the Small Group kick off event. The goal was to connect with a small group that I could take Janet to during the week for social and spiritual gain. We ran into Heidi who invited Janet to join her at She Life, a group that meets Wednesday evenings at the church and will be discussing the book we are reading, Not a Fan. Janet accepted the invite quickly and seems quite excited to try the group out. I hope to be able to help with the Tech Team while Janet does her thing so it could be win win. Don’t tell Joel.

We made it back to Connect just before nine and Janet put away a bunch of her things I had brought out from the house then asked to get ready for bed so I could read to her a little. That was quite a different day together than typical and Janet seemed to enjoy it all. I wouldn’t want to keep her away from the gym or that busy too often but it was fun and we learned a lot and had nice chats with a few people. All good therapy.

Praying for a healing night of sleep and a positive day tomorrow.

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

Monday, not a favourite day of Janet’s as she knows its back to Connect and the gym and all that fun stuff. The morning was good, Janet slept well and woke up on Connect time, eight o’clock, as opposed to her more usual at home time of nine’ish. We had a nice relaxed morning together that included a little packing before going to the KGH pool.

Swimming went well with Janet doing lots of laps on her back, some on her tummy, and lots of “walking”. That part is still mostly hopping and her right leg was more buoyant than I’ve seen it before. Janet did get a good rhythm going for a little bit and some push down with that leg as long as I stood on her left foot to keep her from moving it too soon. On her own she was hopping like crazy. Janet complained to me a number of times that when she tries to use her right leg the left one moves too. Its great that she is aware of that and doesn’t seem too upset by it. On our way out of the pool we went via the Rehab nurses station where Janet received an enthusiastic welcome from Nicole and Emma along with a bunch of others. For once she seemed to really lap up the attention and smiled and laughed a lot. She blew Nicole’s mind by remembering her name but as I suspected Janet actually read her name off of her name tag. We’ll let Nicole think she remembered for now. The biggest smiles and true remembering came when we saw RJ. Janet even gave him a nice hug. I realized later that of all the nurses, RJ worked with Janet the longest as he was with her most of the time on 4B then followed her to Rehab not long after Janet transferred there. All that attention was a good confidence builder for Janet and made her feel good as it did the nurses to see how well she’s come along thanks in part to them.

After a quick lunch at home and a little more packing it was time to go do some errands before returning to Connect. The day had gone so fast that if it wasn’t for Barb and Gary coming over to say so long to Janet I would’ve forgot this was Janet’s last visit to this house. There was no big production as we left and Janet didn’t want a picture, too messy inside and too cold outside. So that was it and before she knew it we were back at Connect. The day had taken a toll on Janet and even though dinner was being served as we arrived, she asked to lay down for a bit. I practically had to force ably get her up at six o’clock but once up she ate a good dinner and chatted well with me and some of her fellow residents. With her being so tired I gave her the night off from the gym and she really appreciated that. There were some things to put away in her room, some parenting to do and the premier of The Voice to watch and Janet really wanted to watch that. Its fun to watch her watch the show and see her react to things she never would have reacted to even a month ago. She is much more in tune with things now.

Part of the no gym deal was an early to bed night so by 9:40 I was saying goodnight and praying for a deep and restful sleep for Janet and lots of energy for tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #Seahawks #SeavsJax #LastDay #WNTW

The last full day at San Michelle Rd for Janet.
San Michelle Rd.
I thought it might be more nostalgic than it was,I think I’m starting to feel the emotion more than Janet is. The first part of the day was the usual breakfast while watching the Green Bay vs Cincinnati football game and as soon as breakfast was done we switched gears and started packing. I was concerned Janet would not have enough to do and feel like she was contributing but managed to keep her busy until Skype time with Heather. I talked more than Janet did for once as I think she was a little overwhelmed by all the packing and stuff going on. Lunch took place as the Seahawks vs Jacksonville game started. Knowing this game should be a blow out for us I didn’t make special plans to watch the whole thing. We had it on in the background as we packed, Skyped with Leslie, packed, took a break and packed some more. We got a lot done today and by four o’clock Janet was ready for a nap and the Seahawks were winning easily.

I got Janet up in time for a brief visit from our friend Randy. He presented us with a pretty cool concept for our kitchen at the new house. It would be nice and open and easy to access and use for Janet and that’s the whole point. I will show Brian the plan and as long as he doesn’t see anything glaringly wrong from his OT perspective we’ll go ahead. I offered Janet wine with her last dinner here but she declined so that leaves more celebratory wine for when we move into the new place.

We managed a little more packing tonight before the final hot tub which lasted extra long as Janet was getting all worked up about her exercises at Connect being too hard and her not getting any better. We had a really good talk about it all and I was able to point out a lot of improvements that Janet actually agreed with which in itself is an improvement. Ice cream finished off the night along with an episode of What Not to Wear (Janet’s choice) that I actually found interesting as it was a behind the scenes episode. It wasn’t as interesting to Janet though as she was asleep before the final reveal.

My plan was to do some standing exercises with Janet today but we never got there at all and I noticed her right leg being a lot more relaxed this afternoon. I wonder if there is some benefit to resting a little more? During her standing transfers today her right foot was much flatter on the floor than yesterday too. It could be she felt warmer today or more rested I don’t’ know but I was a little relieved to see it.

Praying for a good night of healing rest and for lots of energy for tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #CarShopping #TrinityKelowna #Sunshine #XFactor

Today was a nicely laid back Saturday. There was no rush to do anything and except for going to church and Skypeing Mary/Gaga we made the day up as we went along. Janet slept well but not long enough really as she went to bed so late. Her morning was good though and the chat with her mom went well. Neither of us was in the mood to do any packing so out into the sunshine car shopping we went. I was looking forward to zeroing in on one particular make and model but it wasn’t to be so after driving eight different cars since we seriously started looking there is still no clear winner. We did enjoy a nice lunch outside at a Extreme Pita location and even though all the outside tables were full a family invited us to share theirs. Nice!

Home for a quick nap it was back out to church then back for dinner which included probably the last corn on the cog of the season. With one talent show ending of course another has begun and tonight instead of packing we got caught up on X Factor and are really glad we did. This has got to be the best audition I’ve ever seen on any of the shows. Am I right?

With the day off from exercising I noticed Janet’s right leg being very independent today. Her right arm seemed stiff too and she said she felt a little cold most of the day. In the hot tub I was able to get good stretches on everything but aside from that it was hard to keep her right foot on the wheelchair footrest and when standing to transfer, her right foot was no where near being flat on the floor. We’ll do some standing and other exercises tomorrow and see if that makes a difference. We’ll also do some packing. No choice. The clock is running out.

Praying for a good night of healing sleep and a bright day tomorrow, Janet’s last full day at this house.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ, #AGT, #boughtandsold

Today was the big day in real estate for us as we signed all the legal mumbo jumbo that confirmed the sale of our house and the purchase of the new one. Exciting stuff, especially watching the government rob us blind. Oh well. Janet did a great job staying awake and signing copy after copy. That was most of our afternoon and it came after a busy first part of the day for Janet. So busy she asked for a nap just before one o’clock. It must’ve been a good one because she sure lasted late tonight as we watched the finale of AGT. The guy we thought should win did and Janet was quite excited she picked another winner. Check him out here, amazing. I’m keeping this short today as it is really late and all is well in Janet world.

Praying for lots of energy and brightness for a busy day tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #NotaFan #TNF #YMCA

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Janet today after our argument last night. I’d seen Curtis in the morning and told him about it and that I wasn’t sure if Janet would go swimming and when I arrived at Connect this afternoon Curtis told me not only did Janet go swimming but she really enjoyed it. Relieved at that news I went into her room and got a hello but not a huge smile. Seems her memory is getting better as she remembered “we were fighting last night”. Arguing is a better term and as soon as we apologized to each other the smile came as she told me swimming “wasn’t too bad”. That’s Janet speak for “I had fun”. There were quite a few residents that went to the pool at the YMCA so Janet’s fear of being the only girl was put to rest and the water was warm as was the room in general. I think one of the problems with the KGH pool is the water is so warm and there is always cool air blowing in the room and Janet is really sensitive to that. She explained how she was in the little pool and the hot tub and it was fun watching the little kids in the pool. I heard through the grapevine that she was treated a little like a queen while there as the guys all made a point of hanging out with her. I’m really happy she went and enjoyed the experience and will talk to Tez to see if going to a place like that can replace the KGH pool. I think the non clinical feel and being out in public are huge benefits for Janet.

It was Janet’s turn to help prep dinner and she worked very hard at chopping peppers for a salad. Progress is being made for sure but she still needs coaching. Dinner was ready before Janet was hungry so we went to the gym to get the Shuttle over with. Her attitude was definitely better today but this wasn’t her strongest performance. There was good action with the right leg and average results when using two and she had no interest in standing on her own. Janet’s right ankle seems a little weaker these last couple of days and it’s starting to seem like she’ll need some support there. Wasting no time after dinner, Janet was right into the Standing Frame while watching Kansas City beat Philadelphia on Thursday Night Football. Getting that done earlier than last night left us time to catch the last song of Music Night upstairs where Brian and Kevin jammed for everyone’s enjoyment. It’s really cool that they do that and if Janet wasn’t so hung up on getting her “work” done we wouldn’t been there for more. I read some Not a Fan to her before bed and she’s really finding the book interesting and intriguing. Janet is able to tell me about what we’ve read and express her thoughts on it in addition to reading short portions. Powerful stuff.

This was a much better day than yesterday and I’m thankful for that. I can sense a little emotion starting as Janet realizes this is her last weekend in our current home. We will be busy packing so there won’t be a lot of time to get all sentimental but I’m sure it’ll be a little sad for her on Monday. At the same time she is excited about the new house and the freedom it will give her. Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep and a productive day tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #mad #stubborn

Our time together today started out really well. Janet was doing her usual lay awake in bed routine when I arrived and after a little chat time she agreed to humor me by going car shopping. We certainly don’t need another project but can’t take two vehicles to the new house so it would be nice to find the right next car and get on with it. I’ve decided against a second wheelchair for Janet so that means our car has to accommodate her rigid one without folding rear seats or anything like that. The choices are very limited. Or so I thought. We stopped first at Kelowna Ford to ask about the Ford C-Max, which seemed very promising except no one in the Okanagan plans on selling them and there are only a handful in all of Canada. On a previous visit the salesperson figured the Escape was the car for us but deferred to my concern about height preventing Janet from getting in and out on her own. Today he stuck by his theory so we tried one. Shockingly Janet can get in and out no problem and of course there’s lots of room for the wheelchair. Since the Escape fits I think we now have to look at some other small SUVs before deciding. More shopping!

Dinner was ready as soon as we got back to Connect and following that we made the trek to the gym. Even though Janet agreed to go she put up a real fight against going on the Shuttle. Her stubborn side really came out and I wasn’t sure I was going to win the battle but did eventually. I really have a difficult time with her saying things like, “I’m going to quit” and “nothing is working” or “it doesn’t matter”. Fortunately I was able to talk her into doing it this time but later on I failed big time.

After the Shuttle always comes the standing frame and Janet’s attitude towards that was way better. Watching TV is about the only thing she can or wants to do while in the Standing Frame and tonight’s session ran into the first half hour of X Factor, a show Janet loves. Looking back I shouldn’t have let her watch as much of it as I did. It would’ve been way better to read or play some games. Earlier in the day it was agreed that Janet would go swimming with the other residents tomorrow morning and when I reminded her of that at bedtime we got into a very childish argument about it. Janet of course took the “no I’m not” role, and I the “yes you are” one. Unfortunately there weren’t too many more intelligent words spoken and for the first time I can remember, I left the room angry. I’m disappointed in how I handled the evening and need to remind myself what I tell Janet often, that she is there to work hard at getting better. Watching two hours of TV is not working at getting better and I need to keep her doing something productive.

Praying for a positive day tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #Standup #Smart #Confident

As I drove to Connect this afternoon I was trying to analyze Janet’s progress lately. I was having trouble remembering any recent milestones or notable changes and was a little concerned. Janet proved me wrong within minutes of my arrival. She had been “sleeping” for almost an hour so I went in and of course she was wide awake and wanting to get up. In the spirit of promoting independence I stood back and let her go. Not only did she get to a sitting position quickly she motioned as if to get up and walk over to get her sandals. Confirming thats what she wanted to do I told her to go ahead. With a push from her left arm on the bed and a lean forward over her knees, she stood up without using the stripper pole! I had heard of this happening but never witnessed it until today. Janet was very happy with herself for doing that but upset she couldn’t walk to get her sandals. One thing at a time. The independence continued in the bathroom with Janet soloing in brake application, foot rest removal, standing and sitting etc. The only help she needed was in pulling down and then up her pants. Its kind of fun to observe and coach as opposed to aiding all the time and I can tell Janet is gaining confidence in doing these things.

Jess and I talked a little about Janet’s independence and she mentioned how she had caught Janet wheeled up to her desk looking at her Speech workbook all on her own. Janet had done the same today with the book we are reading saying she tried reading by herself but couldn’t make sense of it. Her “just get it done” attitude towards the gym continues and she did a great job on the Shuttle and had a good stretch with Curtis. With a few minutes to wait for dinner we read some Not a Fan and Janet continues to be intrigued by it and we had a good discussion about what we’ve read.

The dinner table was lively thanks to Kieran and Janet was cooperative in getting into the Standing Frame afterwards. I’ve noticed the last couple of days being able to get Janet really straight and her tolerance has increased. Usually as Botox wears off her tolerance diminishes too but not now it seems. Maybe we’re making some progress on those hamstrings?

We hadn’t played any iPad games for a while and since it was thunder storming outside I decided to see what she could do. Was I surprised! Janet has improved so much in naming pictures of things and in her math skills I could hardly believe it and I could see the confidence in her face as she answered question after question. She still needs a verbal clue for a lot of the pictures but she used to need every clue possible. With the math games she was almost perfect and was great at tapping and dragging on the iPad as well. Fun!

The evening ended with some YouTube laughs and Janet doing a very independent bedtime routine. I feel blessed to have hung out with her today and pray for continued progress.

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

Our first night of “camping” went quite well and Janet awoke at a decent time feeling like she slept reasonably. She says she never heard any of the thunder last night but I sure did. We eased through the morning reading and planning out the week ahead before getting ready for swimming at KGH.

Janet’s pool sessions today were solid but not outstanding and she continues to show the most enjoyment in just swimming around. Something she’s getting very good at. Her right leg was in a very floaty mood today which caused Janet to hop a lot as opposed to walking. Her willingness to try hasn’t diminished and I can tell she’s getting stronger, I just hope her control of that leg increases a lot and soon.

In a good mood and not showing signs of tiring, Janet had lunch then helped me with some packing. She found the packing to be fun and challenging and sad at the end because she knew we were then heading back to Connect. I think part of her resistance this time was knowing there’s lots going on at home and not wanting to miss out. We also went back to Connect earlier than usual today to try and give Janet more time to settle back in in the hope she’ll sleep better and have lots of energy for Tuesday. After an initial little meltdown and a good effort on the Shuttle Janet had a pretty good evening. We even got in a nice little after dinner walk followed by some really straight Standing Frame work. As I said goodnight to Janet she told me she’d be showering in the morning and having to do her exercises all over again. She wasn’t happy about those things but I’m glad she can see ahead to the fact she’ll be doing them.

Praying for lots of energy tomorrow.