hydrotherapy

A Good Excuse. Janet waits for a nap. #TSJ

Once again Janet was in the living room at Connect when I arrived this afternoon. She had not had a nap and said she was waiting for me before having one. I told her I delayed my arrival today in hopes she would be well into her nap and I would join her for the last little bit. She laughed and I accepted her excuse as I wasn’t feeling that great this morning and welcomed the opportunity to lay down for a bit. Janet was quiet for maybe fifteen minutes but I sensed nowhere near sleeping, then wouldn’t stop talking. She demonstrated an arm exercise she had done in the gym earlier and talked a lot about swimming tomorrow and music therapy. I don’t think she’s getting worked up about either one, she just knows tomorrow is a busy day.

I let Janet get up from the right side of the bed for a change and after I helped get her right foot over the edge she used her abs to sit herself up. High five! It actually seemed easier for her than pushing with her arm on the left side but I really had to help get the leg over where as on the other side she can do it herself sometimes. Our first task was to have a Skype chat with Leslie. While we were waiting I went to get waters for us and Janet asked if she should say hi first or Leslie. I explained we weren’t calling until I got back but thought that was really good awareness to ask that. The conversation went well for the first fifteen minutes then Janet started to lose focus. We are excited that Leslie and Gavin are coming out to visit at the end of June as in person chats are always better than Skype.

Janet helped set the table for dinner tonight then ate a big bowl of pasta that Chris made. Pretty cool to see him standing at the stove making dinner. Could be Janet one day? Garrett and I convinced Janet to go to the gym for some leg stretches. She only had a minor breakdown regarding the gym tonight as I was able to commend her on the good workout Lorne gave her in the morning and how much better she’s doing her “standing” transfers today. It seems like giving her tangible evidence of why to do something weighs big for her. We also made it fun with Garrett challenging her to make her own way to the gym. She had a little break in her room then I sent her off. She immediately turned right out of her room as that’s the way she goes 99% of the time so after I corrected her on that she took off. I stayed back and spied on her as she slowly but surely made her way all the way to the gym. She never crashed into one wall and kept propelling herself with her foot and by using her hand on the wheelchair wheel. Something I constantly have to remind her about when I’m with her. She overshot the gym door as it’s on her right side so that was expected and then went in for a good stretch with Garrett.

After her workout, Brian, Garrett and I had a good chat about Janet’s Mondays. She is definitely not at her best on Mondays and I am concerned that the weekends at home are too much for her as Monday has turned into a catch up day. Now that she has swimming Monday mornings the routine has changed and if I can get her to bed in decent time Sunday night that may help. We agreed to have me take her home later on Fridays so she can get another gym session in before the weekend and I will try and do a little stretching at home with her. Janet continues to improve her conversation abilities and her overall awareness although her volume level was low for me today. Jess said she was talking well this morning.

We read some more Slow Dance before bed and Janet picked up right away on the description of the ladies dog getting all depressed when he saw a suitcase getting packed. Our dog has always behaved that way and Janet recognized that without help. We got some bittersweet news today. We knew it was coming but had hoped it wouldn’t be this soon, at least that’s how I feel. Fred will be moving to a Connect facility in Langley this Sunday. He has been a reliable source of laughter from day one at Connect and it has been a privilege to watch him progress. This is a good move for him but he will be missed. Praying for lots of rest tonight in preparation for a busy day tomorrow.

Reluctant Progress. The bad gym attitude returns. #TSJ

I arrived at Connect this afternoon surprised to see Janet hanging with Jess in the living room. She had turned down an offer to rest for a little while and was waiting to go upstairs to a birthday party for one of the other residents. Janet was able to tell me she had helped Jess make cabbage rolls this morning, had a shower and went to the gym. Lorne said he gave her a good arm and shoulder stretch and Jess said she helped just fine with the cooking. John came in to sing with Janet this afternoon and she said that was fun. Janet willingly went off with the Jess to the party and returned an hour later saying it was so so and not really her thing. Good she went though.

Nap time started late and ended late with Janet getting almost a couple hours of sleep before a late and short happy hour. Her speech was very good this evening as far as awareness and intelligence goes but the volume level was low most of the time. I was impressed with a lot of her comments and responses and wish she would stay at this level for longer periods of time. There are still moments of confusion that creep in quickly and leave quickly too. I want to say the trend is towards a higher level of awareness but those confused times bother me.

Garrett and I had a very challenging time with Janet in the gym after dinner. He asked for my help so he could take Fred at the same time and Janet fought tooth and nail against going. We got her on the Shuttle and she did a so so workout there for me. From that performance I can safely say she hasn’t gained a bit of leg strength since the last time I went to the gym with her which was a month ago. Garrett assured me she’s done better recently and I’ve had her standing fairly well recently too. Hopefully the hydrotherapy will allow her hamstrings to relax while we wait for the Botox then she’ll be able to get the kind of leg extension that’ll enable her to build strength. I left her with Garrett for some leg stretching and he said that went very well. He sent Janet off from the gym on her own to see if she could find her way back. Unfortunately I went down to see how they were doing and found her half way to her room. I told her I’d go hide and she could try and find me. She found her room just fine but not me. I am a good hider. Just sayin.

In good spirits and talking really well Janet went down to poker night to share more Easter treats then proceeded to eat two oranges as her bedtime snack. We read more of Slow Dance and once again looked at each other numerous times and laughed a couple times at the similar events being described. Janet didn’t argue abut going to bed as I thought she might. She was not showing any real signs of fading even at nine o’clock but she happily did her nighttime routine and was pretty sleepy by the time I said goodnight.

Our video from the Easter services at Trinity continues to get an amazing response from those that have seen it. Thanks again for all the encouraging feedback. If you’d like to watch the entire Easter message and see how Wayne used our story and that of two other amazing people you can do so here.

Praying for rest and healing tonight, energy and brightness tomorrow with a good attitude towards getting stronger.

Tan Lines. Janet basking in her glory. #TSJ

Jess said Janet had reluctantly gone to bed for a nap around 1:30 and could be sleeping when I arrived just after two. I left her alone for a bit in hopes she was but when I tried sneaking into her room at three she was looking at me with a huge grin on her face and said she had not slept and was just listening to music. She described her day as OK and said she had done “nothing”, except have breakfast but that was only toast with jam. Garrett later confirmed that Janet said no to a shower and no to the gym this morning and had a decent sleep in. That seems to be common for Monday’s so it’ll be interesting to see how she does in the pool next week.

Janet started getting up from bed and I asked her what she was doing. She told me she had to go to the bathroom so once she was up I got her over to the toilet and away she went. Another good sign of improved awareness. We then headed for the patio and happy hour. Janet devoured an orange and drank her water while I read the comments on our video that so many of you sent our way. Janet is truly encouraged by the feedback even from those of you we’ve never met. In fact some of those comments have gotten the most reaction from her. She still struggles a little with thinking she didn’t look good or do good in the video but the more feedback I read her from all of you the better she feels about it all. Thank you!

Garrett and I convinced Janet to go to the gym before dinner and she returned from a good workout an hour later with a smile on her face. She did seem a little confused at times this evening. Giving silly answers to simple questions and not knowing some basic family questions. When we Skyped with Andrew after dinner she thought he was her brother and even told Garrett that later. Andrew asked Janet about the church video and Janet couldn’t remember what he was talking about even after a pretty good explanation. I played it for her after we talked to Andrew and it all came back to her minus the crying. Yay! She never seemed to be in a state of total confusion so I’m not overly concerned but I would like to get in and see the neurologist sooner rather than later.

The first of each month is weigh in day for everyone and Janet logged another gain. She wisely said “that’s a lot” when I asked her if she thought she weighed 412 pounds. She did guess 117 pounds which is not too far off. As long as I’ve known her she has feared being too big so she always looks a little concerned when I tell her she’s gained weight but I’ve given her an arbitrary goal and we’re not there yet so all is well. As part of reporting her weight to Garrett I had Janet take some Easter candy that Kiko kindly dropped off today to share with those that were hanging around. Janet smiled the whole time she was offering the treats and seemed genuinely happy to be doing it. It’s good to share.

Before bed, Janet asked if I would read some Slow Dance to her. We certainly aren’t moving through that book very fast and it’s too bad because what we read tonight had a lot of similarities to Janet’s experience. She even shot me a few knowing glances as I read. Again, more awareness. The bedtime routine went well and because Janet didn’t nap this afternoon the lights were out a little earlier than usual. All things considered Janet had a pretty good day and even has a little tan line starting on her chest. That’s why we live here folks.

Praying for a restful night that enables lots of healing and brings energy and awareness for a productive tomorrow.

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

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

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

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

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

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