Music Therapy

This Girl is on Fire! A quote from Garrett, nothing to do with Alicia Keys. #TSJ

To my disappointment, Janet was waiting for me in the living room when I arrived at Connect a little before three today. I had told her last night I would be in AFTER her nap and that I wanted her to have her nap before I came to see her so we can do more together. She seemed to get that last night but had no concept of it today. Lorne said she flat out refused the nap even after nodding off in her wheelchair. I was a also a little disappointed she was not using the lounging function of her wheelchair so as to stretch her legs. Lorne did say he got Janet to the gym this morning along with a new volunteer, Joel, and they went through Janet’s complete workout. He said she was a little stiff which I found surprising but she had just had a shower and gets quite cold afterwards so probably tensed up because of that.

Janet didn’t argue with me about taking a nap and she slept right to five o’clock when we went out into the sun for happy hour. Dinner was late tonight so Bob offered to take Janet to the gym beforehand and she agreed based on being able to play poker after dinner. Unfortunately the gym was in full use when they got there so Janet had to wait till after dinner. Garrett took Janet for the second attempt at the gym and had a great workout with her bringing her back saying “this girl’s on fire tonight”. He sure had Janet laughing and had run her through all the family questions and was very impressed with her answers tonight. It’s not just me noticing the cognitive gains recently as sing along John mentioned an improvement in Janet’s memory today as well. I peaked in on a little of Garrett’s workout with Janet and he had her on her tummy laying flatter than I’ve seen in a long time and she was quite comfortable. Her left leg still wants to pop up when in that position so Garrett put a small weight on it to hold it down. Seemed to work. Back in the room the questioning continued with Janet answering quickly and correctly ninety percent of the time. She was even able to describe a little of her workout. I demonstrated to Garrett how much better Janet is standing these days and I was able to get her up to a point where I was barely hanging onto her and she stood for a good thirty seconds. That’s a long time for Janet and a huge improvement. She was even happy with it.

Missing poker because of the gym didn’t seem to phase Janet at all. There were so many positives coming out of the workout that she couldn’t help but be pleased and when offered the choice of watching the last of the poker, reading, watching TV or playing a game on the iPad, she chose the iPad. I guess she knew she was on a roll and wanted to keep it going. The first game involved reading sentences which were displayed on two lines of about six or seven words each. She did very well reading them as I pointed to each word and she followed. We moved onto the game where she has to identify the object pictured. There are a series of clues that can be given and tonight Janet got three or four pictures right with no clues at all and a lot correct with one clue that is spoken in a complete this sentence format and I was very impressed by how many she got that way. By far her best performance on that app. She asked to stop after twenty minutes or so and was ready for bed after quite a busy time this evening.

Praying for lots of rest that brings lots of energy for an active day tomorrow and for Janet to cooperate at nap time.

Chiming In. Janet talks a good story. #TSJ

Janet had been to the gym and was pretty much ready to go to the pool as I arrived at Connect this morning. I asked her what we were about to do and she couldn’t come up with the answer on her own but Jess said she got it during her morning routine. As we drove to KGH I sensed Janet’s energy level being a little low but she said she was fine.

The pool session went well with some good kicking and good standing. The “walking” was not as good this time and I really think one reason it was so good on Monday was Janet was in the water for an hour so was nice and warm and loose. Pool man Jim is away on vacation so I asked his relief, Jess (yes another one) if there were any people doing one hour sessions and could Janet join them. Turns out there is one person going for an hour at noon on Monday’s with the second half being just him in the water. Janet will join in starting Monday and we’ll go back to back sessions on Thursdays at noon as well. I’m excited about this as I think the pool is helping Janet a lot. I just hope pool lady Jess is on the ball and we can actually do this.

The City finally opened up the parking at Strathcona Beach to the public after holding it exclusively for Interior Health employees all winter. We parked there today so we could walk from swimming to singing. Stephani had Janet doing some cool things today including playing a hand chime which I thought had an amazing tone. Very pure and fun to make. Janet seemed to really enjoy that and I saw the concentration on her face as she tried chiming in on beat. You can see a little video of her playing by following me on Keek or Twitter, @larrylatour. She also played a shaker for one song. Her singing wasn’t the loudest ever but you could tell she was enjoying it all. Because of the change in the swimming schedule we’ll have to find another time for Stephani to do her thing but will try and fit it in somewhere as I think there is some benefit for Janet with more to come over time.

We decided to go home for a quick lunch which never turns out to be that quick. You’d think soup and a hot dog would be fast to make and eat and I guess a little over an hour from start to finish isn’t bad but it was 3:30 by the time Janet was done. That meant no nap as I wanted her back at Connect for a stretch before dinner. When she caught on to that idea she protested loudly and vigorously to the point of crying and being quite negative about it all. She thought she was spinning a good story in her favour but all she came up with was “I don’t like any of it”. I put the outburst down to her being tired and she slept a little as we drove back to Connect. To help her settle in I had her put away her laundry and help make the bed then Curtis came in with her dinner time meds. We had a good chat and Janet seemed to start to catch her second wind. Garrett joined us for a few minutes and got Janet laughing. When they left I asked her if she wanted to do dinner then gym or gym then dinner. She said dinner first so off we went. Janet made a sharp left out of her room and I reminded her the kitchen is right. She asked why I mentioned the kitchen so I told her she said she wanted to do dinner first. She sternly told me “no, I’m going to the gym now” and off she wheeled. I went down and told Curtis and he caught up to her and put her through a good workout.

Janet returned all smiley and bright and hungry, finishing off dinner with an orange in the living room with Chris and me followed by some jelly beans that were happily shared around. I was very impressed with how long Janet lasted today without a nap or her noontime dose of Ritalin. Today was the first day without that and she tolerated it with no problems that I saw but one day, especially today, is not a fair test. I’m not going to promote the lack of a nap either but it’s nice to know she can push through if needed. Bedtime came at a more reasonable 8:45 with no complaints from Janet at all.

Praying for a good night of rest with lots of energy for tomorrow and a continued building of Janet’s strength.

Poker Queen. Janet cleans up at Poker Night. #TSJ

With the idea of trying to figure out why Janet complained of a sore throat the last two nights after taking her Dilantin, I stopped by for a chat with her doctor before going out to Connect today. Without seeing Janet and being able to examine her throat it’s hard to say for sure what’s going on but based on the fact Janet seems fine the rest of the time and is not bothered by trying to swallow any food or drink her doctor suggested trying to flush the capsules down with a good portion of water. When I reminded her how hard it is to get Janet to drink anything she suggested yogurt or something like that. Depending on what the capsules are coated with it is possible they would cause some irritation if not completely swallowed. The doctor was surprised to hear that the neurologist has not contacted me yet and will follow up on that as she feels it’s important Janet sees him soon.

Janet had just finished her sing along session with John and was having a bio break when I arrived. She smiled then started crying complaining that “I don’t belong here, there’s no way I’m going to go”. Realizing she was talking about going to the bathroom I told her it’s a good thing to try before nap time and I walked over to her desk and back. By the time I got back she was peeing and laughing about it. She was having a good day so far. Jess said she showered well and toileted well this morning then had a really good workout in the gym. Janet said it was fun singing with John, even singing the Titanic song. Glad I wasn’t there for that one. I had to lay down with her for a few minutes until she fell asleep then I went to talk to nurse Jen and Tez.

I filled Jen in on the sore throat thing and she agreed the water and yogurt would be good things to try. Tez was pleased with my report on Janet’s pool experiences and will come with us next Thursday to see for himself and give me some pointers on how to improve the routine. He says it’s important to work on the big things like kicking and floating and standing as opposed to little things like range of motion stuff. Just prior to speaking with Tez I got a surprise call from Dr. McCann’s office. There is a spot open next week where he could Botox Janet’s legs! I am still in the process of trying to reduce our Pharmacare premiums so I was worried that if we did the Botox now we might be paying too much if Pharmacare changes in our favor. I asked Tez for his opinion and he feels that although there is no guarantee Botox will work for Janet the window of opportunity for having success with it is closing so the sooner the better. Her actual appointment is July 10th and that is too long to wait by passing up next week’s chance. I called Pharmacare and they said they would reimburse any difference after the review of my application is complete. So Janet will go next Tuesday for another round of Botox in her legs and then the focus of her PT routines will be on stretching them as much as possible.

After her nap I told her the good news about the Botox and she immediately started to cry. Seems she remembers all the needles that treatment requires and does not want to go through that again. It took about a half hour to get her calmed down enough to have the scheduled Skype chat with her mom. Mary/Gaga was a big help in giving Janet a sense of relief about the Botox and as the evening wore on I had Janet share the positive news with everyone she saw so as to build it up as a good thing. By dinner time she could talk about it without crying.

Setting the table and helping to make mushroom gravy built Janet’s confidence tonight and her and Garrett seasoned a chicken for roasting tomorrow as well. That kept her focused for half an hour and feeling useful. Maybe she was too confident as both Garrett and I failed to convince her to go to the gym tonight. She caught on to the fact that if she agreed to play poker she wouldn’t have to go to the gym so that’s what she chose to do. And a good call it was. Janet has no clue how to play the game and with all the chatter going on around the table and a new dealer who didn’t really know what she was doing it was not the night to try and learn. But it was fun as I helped her along. Each time she won a hand she got a massive smile on her face and by the end of the night it was down to her and Brandon left in the game with Janet holding at least twice as many chips as him. Because of the time we agreed to play one hand all in and Brandon won so he got to chose from the prize box but Janet couldn’t have cared less as she was still playing with the colorful chips. She helped me put them away and I think she enjoyed stacking them in separate colors as much as she did playing the game. That was a fun and different experience for her.

With water and yogurt ready I gave Janet her Dilantin before she started her nightime routine thinking the longer before she lays down the better too. There were no problems tonight at all. She took the capsules first try each time and drank a good amount of water along with a few spoons full of yogurt. No complaints or coughing or anything.

Praying for a restful night and an active day tomorrow.

Madness Monday. Nice comeback by Janet. #TSJ

For the first time in a while we had to use an alarm to wake up this morning. I wanted to make sure we had lots of time to get to the KGH pool and wasn’t sure how Janet would be feeling today. I showered and got dressed then woke her up. She was not totally pleased with me but gathered herself and got on with it. I didn’t even have to nag her about drinking her water as she was sipping regularly as soon as I served it. Janet took her morning meds well and we were out the door on time.

In the nice warm water, Janet loosened up quickly and after a while got some decent leg kicking action going while I held her afloat. Her best skill in the pool today was standing by far. She was able to go up and down, using her left leg mostly, the farthest I’ve seen yet. I’m still not convinced we are doing things right but we make the best of it. Janet also excelled at floating on her back today. She’s either gaining more confidence in the water or more trust in me and allowing herself to relax more. At one point her head was back almost covering her ears with water and her eyes were closed and I barely had to support her. Not sure if there’s any physical therapy to be gained there but it was nice to see her so relaxed. She didn’t list to the right as much as last time either. No idea why.

Music Therapy with Stephani was next and Janet seemed pleased to see her and didn’t hesitate to get started. The best task I’ve seen so far from Stephani is when she has Janet play some sort of instrument. There are drums and shakers etc. and Janet really enjoys all of those and keeps a pretty strong beat going.

I took Janet home for lunch since we were so close and decided to let her nap there as well. She gave the usual mad battle against the nap with the usual two hour sleep to follow. I actually had to wake her so we could get to Connect in time for dinner. Janet seemed perfectly happy to be back there and was warmly greeted by everyone. Dinner was timed really well as Janet finished just as the basketball game was about to tip. What a great game it was! Janet missed halftime and the first twelve minutes of the second half as Curtis took her to the gym. We talked about going during the first half of the game and Janet laughed sometimes and got mad about it sometimes. Then when it came time to go she completely gave in and “happily” went. I suggested only a fifteen minute stretch but Curtis put her through a full workout and Janet never complained about it. She did say afterwards that it was “terrible” but she said it with a smile.

We watched the end of the game with Janet asking to stay and watch the trophy presentations afterwards so bedtime was later than usual. Her nightime routine went well until minutes after taking her Dilantin she once again tearfully complained of a sore tongue/throat. The pain subsided ten minutes later and she was relaxed and sleepy as I said goodnight. I will talk to nurse Jen and Janet’s doctor about this tomorrow as I have no idea what’s causing the discomfort.

Praying for a night of rest and healing, to know why Janet’s throat was sore and for an energetic day tomorrow.

Endurance. Janet gets through a busy day. #TSJ

Jess had Janet all set to go this morning and Janet seemed quite enthusiastic about the day ahead. We arrived at the KGH pool in plenty of time, in fact while we were waiting after getting changed Janet complained that we were “doing nothing”. She agreed it was better to be early than scrambling around at the last minute and I reminded her the pool won’t wait for us. Right on time, Jim arrived and into the water we went.

The sensation of floating still brings a smile to Janet’s face and a calm feeling to her in general. She’s happy to try all the exercises I’ve been given for her although I think she’d be OK with just floating around in the warm water for as long as she wanted. We started on her back trying to get the legs kicking with me supporting her instead of the inner tube. Janet started slow but got it going alright after a few minutes. With the inner tube she really got her left leg going crazy. The most range and fastest movement I’ve seen from it ever. Unfortunately the right leg was nowhere close to keeping up but I could see and feel her trying. We tried a couple variations of standing exercises and Janet did well intermittently with both. I need more coaching on those for sure. For something new, I had Janet try floating on her tummy. She didn’t mind being in that position but I found it hard to keep her face out of the water while keeping her legs in a place where she could try kicking or straightening them. Again, more coaching needed or at least a pool noodle. Overall today’s session was better than last week but the thirty minutes seemed like five. Very glad we are going twice a week starting Monday.

On our way out of KGH we did our now usual lap through rehab saying hi to a couple of familiar nurses and having a nice chat with Connie. Janet is trying really hard to have meaningful conversations with people but still echoes and has trouble remembering short term things. The effort to converse is way better though and that played well into being ready for Music Therapy with Stephani. Conveniently she lives only a few blocks from the hospital so we arrived there in plenty of time as well and Janet and her got started right away. I sat out of the room they were working in but I could hear everything and could tell Janet was enjoying it. There is a little more purpose to Stephani’s session than with John and I think today was a good first go at it. I was concerned Janet would be tired or hungry but she was just fine and sounded pretty good at times.

First day music therapy

First day music therapy


Next up was a much needed haircut with Chelsea after a quick stop at the dentist to make an appointment for Janet. She had not been to that office since the day of her aneurysm and thankfully does not remember the place at all. She was warmly welcomed by Collette and Colin, both of whom make it as much fun as possible to go to the dentist. By the time we arrived at the salon Chelsea was ready for Janet who gave her a nice big smile after I carried her into the shop. Apparently Janet has a history of falling asleep during haircuts and today was no exception. About ten minutes in with Chelsea working on the back of Janet’s head, I noticed her eyes closed, only for a minute or so until the blow drier came out, but she was nodding off. Janet powered through and allowed Chelsea to set her up for a pretty nice look in the future as her hair grows in just a little more. Janet was pleased with the results and we headed home for a late lunch.

It was well past nap time and we were just eating lunch but Janet was doing fine. She even had a reasonable Skype chat with her mom afterwards, talking fairly loud at times. Before we knew it it was time to get back to Connect and when we arrived Janet elected to put away laundry and make her bed instead of eat like everyone else was. She did a good job helping make the bed but needed a fair amount of cuing to find the right drawers for her clothes. I’ll put that down to the long day without a nap. She managed a good dinner and a little chat with Bob and Dwight then at 7:30 said she was ready for bed. Her nighttime routine went better than this morning as she knew not to brush her hair with the toothbrush and got the toothpaste open herself and did a really good job rinsing her mouth and taking her meds.

Lights out came early after a busy but fun day. Janet seemed pleased with her day, questioning how well she did but acknowledging she did a lot. Praying for a good rest tonight and a strong workout in the gym tomorrow and fun at Fred’s going away party.

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.

Music to My Ears. More singing for Janet. #TSJ

Today, Janet, Mary Lou and I met with a music therapist, Stephanie. I’ve long been searching for an accredited MTA that could work with Janet and thanks to Brian and friends we found a possibility. The timing as far as Janet goes could not be better as she seems to have fully rebounded from her Dilantin overdose and is offering much more in the way of starting conversations and expressing her opinions. Stephanie outlined how she would work with Janet and although similar to what John does she has a more clinical approach and will aim for the same goals Mary Lou has for Janet. Namely, increasing the volume of Janet’s voice and improving her ability to find and use appropriate words. The meeting went well and Janet seemed to like Stephanie so dependent on what exactly she proposes I think we’ll give it a go. Janet will still do the sing along stuff with John as every little bit helps and Janet has fun with him.

I convinced Janet to have a nap after the meeting and she did so for over an hour and a half giving her good energy for the rest of the day. She had a good Skype chat with Leslie and is excited about the possibility of her and Gavin coming out for a visit at the end of June. In fact she could hardly stop talking about it every time she was asked a question about her family which seemed to happen a lot today. I grilled her after she woke up from her nap then Garrett and Connie started in on her after her nighttime gym session.Janet is much more confident in her answers now and needs less prompting to get them correct.

We sat outside for happy hour again and Janet was very chatty and maybe even a little restless as she kept working her left leg to move her chair back and forth. Once she moved ahead while drinking her water, hit the patio railing and spilled a bunch of water all over herself. She thought that was very funny and it was. Connie was in the house this evening after her trip to England. We had a nice chat with her about her trip and Janet was really glad to have her back and enjoyed hearing about her trip.

It took a lot of convincing to get Janet to go to the gym with Garrett tonight but eventually she relented and of course came back all smiles and somewhat accepting that it was good for her. Garrett is very good with Janet and we are blessed to have him working with her. He reported that Janet did well with her stretches tonight even getting onto her tummy herself and staying there for three minutes or so with no discomfort. Previously it was a huge struggle to get her onto her tummy and she always seemed in a little pain while she was there. This is a nice improvement that Janet credits to “doing it lots of times”. High five!

To help her wind down and enjoy the rest of the evening I got her a cup of tea and we watched some Ellen on YouTube. Janet laughed out loud at a couple of the clips and was genuinely touched by one of the sappy ones we watched. That’s the most reaction I’ve gotten from her watching YouTube and speaks to her continued rise in brightness.

This was another encouraging day with Janet. She was strong on all her transfers today, she talked well 90% of the time I was with her, participated well in the meeting with Stephanie and Mary Lou excitedly reported that “Janet is back and then some” in regards to her speech therapy. It had been a tough few weeks for Mary Lou when Janet was going through the Dilantin overdose so it was nice to see her all fired up again today.

Praying for a night of deep rest and healing that brings lots of energy for tomorrow.

Thirsty? Not Janet. #TSJ

Just to see how things were going and to make sure Janet was OK to sing with John today I called in to Connect this morning. Jess reported Janet seemed brighter and was talking well right from when she got up. Everything seemed like it was a go.

I intentionally stayed away to let Janet have her sing along time then a nap and she was sound asleep when I arrived and stayed that way till around four. She was a little bit out of it when she woke up but came around fairly quickly and well enough to have a decent Skype chat with Leslie. The first one with her in three weeks and I could tell Janet had stepped up her game as soon as the connection was made. She still has difficulty lasting more than twenty minutes but that increased focus is good for her.

As usual this was Janet’s night to help prep dinner and her first task was shredding cabbage. Really hard for me to do never mind her so she moved on to measuring and adding spices then Garrett took her down to help with some laundry and said she did really well, measuring detergent and loading the machines. One of those crazy things she loves to do. We had time to Skype with Mary/Gaga before dinner was ready and Janet managed to talk fairly well and blew her mom and Keith lots of kisses at the end. Janet ate a good dinner and has shown no signs of a diminished appetite at all but the battle continues in the drinking department. She took a few good gulps right after she got up from her nap but I had to nag her constantly after that and got limited results. Jess said it was the same way the first half of the day with her and Lorne. They would ask, remind and insist, each time getting a mostly negative response. When it’s explained to her how important it is she seems to listen and understand but won’t follow through.

Garrett took Janet to the gym after dinner and had a really good workout with her saying she did really well getting herself onto her tummy and back again. There was no indication of pain anywhere and no tears. Yay. I was surprised how long she lasted in the gym as her workout ended when she is usually tucked into bed. Still having some energy she snacked on an apple with Fred and me as he savored his big win at poker tonight. I’m trying to convince Janet to play sometime but the gym is better for her.

Quite a nice improvement in Janet today again. She is no longer arguing about the afternoon nap, she didn’t complain of any unusual pain today, she ate well and talked well at times but there were still frequent moments of Klingon. Both John and Jess reported that the sing along session was a lot of fun. Janet was not any louder but was very smiley as she sang away. Jess caught her singing Who Let the Dogs Out on the toilet afterwards. I finally spoke to her doctor and she will send a referral to see Dr. Adams the neurologist as soon as possible and I’ll take Janet in to the GP Thursday after swimming. Hopefully we can get some solid answers to the Dilantin questions and Janet’s overall condition soon. With her improving so much now I fear we won’t know what was wrong on the weekend but I’m glad to see her brightening up.

Praying for a night of deep rest and healing that brings lots of energy for tomorrow.

Surprise Ending. Janet finishes strong. #TSJ

By the time I was half way through my visit with Janet today I was prepared to write about another day where she took a step back. Our visit started off with her eating pieces of cantaloupe while watching TV in the living room. Lorne told me she didn’t want any lunch today hence the fruit snack. Janet told me she didn’t have time for a nap yet and reluctantly went to her room with me to try. No dice, as there was a lot of noise outside her room with Derrick moving in and Clint getting ready to move out. Every time I felt like Janet was nodding off she would open her eyes and smile at me like she was playing a game. Her day had been busy but not too busy for a nap. Jess had her in the gym and said it wasn’t Janet’s best effort ever. The singing session with John was cancelled again as he is still sick so actually Janet had lots of time to nap. It was very obvious the rest of the day that she felt the effects.

I got her up and ready for the scheduled Skype chat with her mom. Janet was talking much better than a couple weeks ago but not as good as yesterday with Cam. She still demonstrated an increased ability to recall short term memory stuff and relate to the topic of the conversation. We called Laurel right afterwards, Janet’s volume was turned down a notch and she wasn’t quite as engaged but still came up with good answers to questions and enjoyed the chat.

Tuesday is Janet’s day to help prep dinner for everyone. Tonight’s menu was salmon, quinoa and asparagus. Garrett coached Janet through opening the packages of salmon and placing them on baking sheets. Janet poured and spread teriyaki sauce on them then chopped some peppers and cucumber to add to the quinoa she had measured into a pot. Despite being visibly tired Janet did a good job with everything needing help with the peppers but not the cucumber. She thought it was fun to chop and measure things. She ate a relatively small portion for dinner and I attribute that to her tiredness.

The plan after dinner was for Janet to go to the gym with Curtis once he’d had his dinner. While we waited we looked at Nancy’s pictures from Africa on Facebook and Janet put away her laundry. Another task Janet strangely gets pleasure from. She got more and more tired as time passed saying she’d rather just go to bed early tonight. Curtis came in and I asked Janet one more time if she wanted to try the gym for half an hour. To my shock and awe she said yes and off she went. I’ve been speaking to Janet a lot about the need to keep working at getting better and so have others and I think it’s starting to sink in a little. There is no other explanation for her decision to go to the gym tonight. It would have been so easy to give into the tiredness and go to bed. I was really happy with her choice and we had a good talk about it when she got back forty five minutes later. She didn’t have the big smile on her face like last night but was able to understand she had done some good for herself.

So ended a decent day for Janet, not a full step back from yesterday, just a notch down and with a good strong finish. Praying for a good night of rest that provides lots of energy for tomorrow.