Enough said.
Janet, A Success Story. March 26. #TSJ
Enough said.
Music Therapy
Janet, A Success Story. March 25. #TSJ
Those of you who have been on this journey with us from the beginning will be familiar with the name Houdieno. It was coined by our soon to be son in law Allan when Janet was doing everything in her power to escape from her hospital bed. She of course was physically unable to do so but was determined to try. This blog site is named in honour of that fighting spirit. Janet continues to work hard and desires to be better in every way. She hasn’t displayed Houdieno like behaviour in quite some time, until today.
I called Janet a couple of times during the day and each time she reported she was not feeling that great and wasn’t doing much. When I arrived at Connect I was seriously considering taking her home until she is rid of this stomach bug. As I discussed things with Jess, Chelsea arrived saying she had just helped Janet get her shoes on and that she was going to go to the bathroom. Janet routinely gets herself from bed to bathroom and out again using her wheelchair. You regular readers will remember I’ve mentioned feeling as though Janet is close to taking an unassisted step but has so far chickened out when asked. I guess she just didn’t want anyone watching because that’s exactly what she tried to do in getting to the bathroom. Janet stood up using the transfer pole, let go of the pole, took what must’ve been a couple of unassisted steps, grabbed the bathroom door for support and lost her balance as it swung open on her. I came into the room and found her laying on her back on the floor kind of upset and kind of laughing saying she hurt herself but not really. Chelsea and Jess responded and we helped Janet up and she confirmed she felt fine. Once sitting in her wheelchair I couldn’t help but high five her! Yes it was dangerous and she could have been hurt but as I asked her later, “how do babies learn to walk?” She said “they try and then fall down”. I had to remind her that they then try again and keep trying but hopefully with a little supervision.
That was an exciting start to my time with Janet today and her willingness to try other things earned her the right to stay at Connect. I didn’t mention the home idea to her. She was still feeling a little sick and had only eaten a piece of toast all day so I was surprised when she accepted the idea of a popsicle. Janet had always given her kids banana popsicles when they were sick and Laurel had suggested it over the weekend. When we got to the store the first thing we saw were banana flavoured popsicles and Janet laughed at the irony. She enjoyed it immensely and it got her started on a reasonably active evening.
Just what Dr. Laurel ordered.
Exercise has been out of the picture for four days now so I worked Janet pretty hard to get her on the bike for a bit. She agreed to five minutes, I programmed it for twenty and she went fifteen. Well done! That took a lot out of her and she lay down on her bed for half an hour until dinner was ready. I had to kick start her a little bit and once at the table she enjoyed a small portion of pasta and participated in the conversation nicely. She was also showing signs of grumpiness towards me so I know she’s getting better.
After a post dinner rest Janet went upstairs to participate in games night but wasn’t very focused and only answered one question. I did get to watch this time and think its a great concept that needs a little tweaking and with some coaching Janet can do quite well at it. Good for her for going tonight.
That was all the energy she had though and was sound asleep by 9:30 after we read for a little bit. Praying for the end of this stomach virus and continued determination to walk.
Janet, A Success Story. March 24. #TSJ
What I thought would be a nice recovery day for Janet was actually another sick one for her, and me too. I got a little of her bug and needed a big sleep in before being able to be productive. Janet was up for her shower in the morning but that was it. No appetite, no energy but no throwing up or anything either. She was in good spirits when I arrived and we had good conversations during my visit and Janet didn’t seem very sick, she just didn’t want to eat or do much. We lay on her bed and watched Despicable Me and read, talked and listened to music. She was amazed at the animation in the movie and very impressed with the imagination of those that made it. It was a good distraction. Janet thinks she’ll be ok to eat something in the morning and I’m confident her Tuesday will be fine.
Praying for a quick return to health.
Janet, A Success Story. March 23. #TSJ
If Janet was to habitually wake me up at 4am I would not be impressed. This morning it was more than welcomed as she wasn’t waking me to go to the bathroom or reach for the puke bucket, she wanted a glass of water. A sure sign she was getting better! We made the most of being awake by including a successful bathroom trip, a wash of the face and a re-tucking into bed. Before falling back to sleep she asked if it was time to get up and she would ask again at 6:30 then finally around 8:40 I let her. The rest had done her a lot of good and she happily got her water and took her meds before making a cup of coffee. She was more enthusiastic about it than her body would allow and after a half piece of toast and a few sips of coffee she was done.
Cheers!
Since we missed church last night we tried the eleven this morning and although Janet was reluctant at first it turned out to be a great experience. She stood during worship way longer than I expected and really connected to Wayne’s message, even going up to him on her own at the end of the service to tell him. Wayne lovingly prayed with her as Laurel and I stood back and watched God at work. Beautiful.
Seemingly scared to take in too much food, Janet managed half a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch but was more than willing to go for a nice long walk in the sunshine with Laurel and I. Before we left I felt Janet was very capable of walking to the bathroom and she did to Laurel’s amazement. It struck me then that maybe I haven’t described Janet’s walking abilities in as much detail as needed to paint a good picture in this blog so I will try and get some video to share with y’all this week. The fresh air and warmth of the sun during our walk around the surrounding neighbourhoods was rejuvenating I’m sure and set Janet up nicely for a much needed nap. She woke up a couple hours later calling me loud enough to hear her over the TV as Laurel and I watched basketball. Janet was eager to do the same and settled in on the couch until dinner, finally able to relax and enjoy Laurel’s company.
Tell me they don’t look alike.
Dinner was not the usual Janet sized portion but very respectable considering, and it was more than I ate as I started to feel some of her symptoms. They’ve subsided as I write and hopefully go away all together. We sadly dropped Laurel off at the airport on our way back to Connect with Janet feeling loved as a mom. She really wanted me to read for awhile once in bed and although what I read was fascinating, Janet was asleep less than half an hour in. No surprise.
Thanking Jesus for his bountiful blessings and praying that Janet is completely recovered tomorrow and able to fully participate in her day.
Janet, A Success Story. March 22. #TSJ
This day didn’t turn out the way Janet or I had hoped at all. Laurel arrived on time this morning, picked up by Jaq and Suzanne who were on their way to the coast. Unfortunately Janet had woken up at 6:30 feeling sick and spent the rest of the day on the toilet or with her head in a bucket. There are no signs of flu and I’m confident this is just some nasty little stomach thing that will go away by tomorrow. After quite a few naps Janet managed to keep down a half can of Fresca as well as her meds before going to bed a few minutes ago and is sleeping soundly as I write.
Praying for a full and fast recovery and a fun day tomorrow.
This was a false alarm but sums up Janet’s day.
Janet, A Success Story. March 21. #TSJ
Janet got off to an early and fast start today instead of sleeping in on her first day home. She woke up at 7:30 having to go to the bathroom. I’m noticing a bit of a trend in that direction lately as she seems more aware of the need to go. After a successful visit to the bathroom it was off to make breakfast. Janet managed on her own very nicely and we spent a sunny morning sending emails, text messages and phoning people. It was fun and its a good thing we were up early as we never would have gotten anything else done otherwise.
With some time before lunch we decided to go visit John at KGH with the intention of taking him outside for some fresh air. It was OK with his nurses and John but by the time he was ready it was lunch time for him and two other visitors had arrived and we could tell John was getting a little overwhelmed so we said goodbye with a promise of trying again soon.
Lunch was not the usual grilled cheese today as Janet accepted my suggestion of a turkey breast wrap. She helped build them and said grilled cheese was still her favourite but those were a nice change. We did a little setting up for our wine club meeting tonight before reading some The Artisan Soul at nap time.
You would think a two hour nap would set Janet up well for the rest of the day but she never seemed totally herself tonight. She was a little grumpy at dinner despite doing a good job helping to make it. As our guests arrived she perked up and was fine for most of the evening and said she had fun but seemed a little off to me. I thought she would quickly crash right afterwards but she wanted to clean up a little then have me read more before falling asleep.
There was not a lot of walking today for Janet but she was busy in many ways, interacting with lots of different people and I’m grateful we have so many friends willing to spend time with us. Praying for a big night of sleep and a fun weekend with Laurel who is now scheduled to fly in tomorrow morning.
Janet, A Success Story. March 20. #TSJ
First day of Spring? Tell that to the folks in Calgary, namely Laurel and Raj, who were supposed to drive to Kelowna today to visit us for the weekend. Blowing snow wisely kept them in Calgary much to our disappointment. I had promised Janet that as long as she worked hard during the day I would bring her home after dinner to maximize her visiting time. She held up her end of the bargain including a record setting bike ride followed by a Standing Frame session before dinner.
Eager to get home, Janet powered through dinner, got her meds and we were gone. Once settled she was happy to sit on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn and get all caught up on our singing competition shows. I did have her walk everywhere in the house when she needed to go somewhere so it wasn’t a totally work free night. Janet’s gait is unchanged but her stamina seems to be growing and she never once complained about having to walk anywhere, even to the bathroom at the end of the night. Her sit to stands from her wheelchair were very good today. Often I have to help keep her right leg close to her left one or she doesn’t seem able to activate it, not today. Hopefully that becomes a trend. While free standing Janet is commenting more that she feels like she’s falling even though she’s quite steady. I’m hoping that is from an increased body awareness and that soon she’ll be able to recognize when she’s standing straight and strong and when she’s not.
Janet is happy to be home and looking forward to the weekend and I’m praying that she maintains a positive attitude and continues to gain strength and confidence.
Janet, A Success Story. March 19. #TSJ
Jess put Janet through her paces this morning completing all her exercises before I arrived to take her to her doctor appointment. That made the rest of the day a bonus for Janet and she took full advantage of it.
This visit to the GP was for Janet’s first full physical since before her injury and she was a little nervous about it. She was all smiles afterward though saying “that went well”. It did, and she’s doing fine. There is some lab work to be done and we stopped on the way home to get her Dilantin levels checked. That is the med that changed dosage last week as Janet’s levels were too high. Today they are in the proper range but no explanation as to why someone who’s gained weight would need less of a drug than before. Oh well.
Once again Janet was pretty tired after a busy morning and happily flopped into our bed after lunch. She slept for a good two hours and when I went in to check on her she was sitting on the edge of the bed. Her reasoning was she had to go to the bathroom. She thought if she called me that she would get in trouble for not sleeping so she was just sitting there waiting for me. Seems Janet still has trouble interpreting elapsed time and hasn’t fully grasped the level of priority that going to the bathroom has.
With the sun beaming in we enjoyed a nice dinner together before I took the biggest risk I’ve taken with Janet yet. SheLife is on hiatus for a couple of weeks but the work to be done around the church never ends and I had made arrangements to help tonight. Janet was supposed to be watching the rest of The Sound of Music at Connect with Chelsea but those plans had to change due to staffing issues. That meant Janet had nothing to do at Connect and I didn’t want to give up my time at the church so I let Janet stay home alone for the two hours I would be away. I was way more nervous about it than she but I held myself to two phone calls to check on her and when I got home Janet was starting to wash the dishes after singing her way through the Carrie Underwood version of The Sound of Music. Turns out I had nothing to worry about.
Our return to Connect was a bit of a downer for Janet but after a bit of reading she was ready for sleep and is looking forward to Laurel and Raj visiting tomorrow, mostly so she can have a long weekend at home.
Praying that Janet has lots of energy, a positive attitude and a willingness to work hard tomorrow and every day.
Janet, A Success Story. March 18. #TSJ
Today marked another visit with Dr. Miller at KGH and I met Janet and Jess there this morning. As usual, it was a very positive meeting with lots of affirming words sent Janet’s way from someone whom she will accept those words from more than she will from others. In summary, Janet continues to make notable progress cognitively and surprises Dr. Miller each time he sees her. He assured me that he will remain in the picture even after Janet comes home and that is good to know.
We took advantage of being at the hospital to pay John a visit and this time he was awake! He had just returned from his first shower in six weeks and was feeling very good about that. Janet shared some stories and teased him a little and if the weather holds we will try and take John outside on our next visit. He hasn’t done that since arriving at KGH.
More visiting took place on the way home for lunch and Janet was pretty tired after that busy morning so didn’t argue at all about a nap. In fact because she was home she actually smiled about it.
Knowing she had to do some exercise back at Connect Janet chose to ride the bike and agreed to do the Standing Frame after that. Her ride was excellent, almost setting a new distance record and for the first time rode without strapping her feet to the pedals. I’m hoping she is soon strong enough to use a simpler pedal which may mean we could get a bike for home. When we looked for a bike before, Janet needed a snowboard type binding to hold her foot on the pedal. That need may be disappearing.
The Standing Frame was made much more tolerable tonight as Chelsea put on The Sound of Music for Janet. As the first song started Janet jumped right in in full voice and drove Wes back to his room to hide from the “girly movie”. Here’s a little of what the last hour and a half of the evening sounded like. Janet will watch the second half tomorrow but I’ll spare you the video.
There was a little time left for reading before lights out and The Artisan Soul was very interesting tonight. I wished we had read it earlier in the evening as Janet had a lot to say about it but was too tired to really get into a conversation. Praying for a positive attitude and lots of energy for Wednesday.
Janet, A Success Story. March 17. #TSJ
Another roller coaster type of day from Janet. She had just rung for help in getting out of bed when I got to Connect. The sun was streaming through her window and the smile on her face matched that brightness. Even she said, “I’m in a better mood today”. We enjoyed talking to each other for over half an hour before going to the gym for a Shuttle session. Janet continues to get stronger, not necessarily with how much weight she can push but more along the lines of being able to push using a proper technique. I even caught her a few times bringing her right knee up towards her left one without prompting. High five!
It was Janet’s turn to set the dinner table tonight and she did so quickly without assistance giving herself time to sit in the sun for our first happy hour of the year. Faced with the prospect of some walking practice Janet’s mood shifted to that negative space she was in yesterday. Big Country heard her say she didn’t want to practice walking and chimed in right away with words of encouragement that Janet gave back to him with “what does it mean to you”. His response was perfect, “we are friends”. Janet didn’t have a comeback for that. She remained negative for almost an hour but our discussion was good in that she was talking instead of ranting and she was thinking things through. In the end she agreed to practice and we went up to the parallel bars where she could stand on the two scales. With minimum effort Janet was able to put pretty much equal weight on both legs and get a feel for what it is like to stand in a position that does that. She said she felt like she was falling and she was scared. Good feedback, and hopefully we can find a way of easing her fears. Walking down the hall from her room to the living room was really good with some strong moves from the right leg. After twenty minutes of rest I had her walk back and she did equally well. The break in between and realizing her exercises were done for the day snapped her out of her funk too.
While Janet was getting her meds one of the other residents asked if they could talk and pray with us as they were having some faith issues. Janet of course said yes and we spent forty five minutes talking, listing to music and praying with this person. Janet encouraged them as much as she could and enjoyed the experience saying “it was good we came back here when we did”. She is still a very caring person in spite of the things she says sometimes.
We had a good long reading session and by lights out time Janet was still wide awake. Well maybe not wide but awake enough to be a little upset that I was leaving. Tonight she expressed some sadness at her situation and I’m praying that doesn’t permeate her mind too much and she can focus on how much she has improved and keep working hard to improve more.
Janet, a Success Story 