Recovery

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

A milestone day for Janet today. I picked up her AFO on my way to Connect and after her nap we tried it on. It came with it’s own pair of very ugly shoes but for now they are the only ones the AFO fits in so we are stuck with them. Janet was nervous about putting the brace on but found it comfortable and once up said everything was OK. Curtis happened by just as she was getting ready to stand and I had him operate the camera so we could record Janet’s first steps. She was reluctant at first as the combination of shoes and brace made her leg heavier than normal. We challenged her to walk all the way down the hall for dinner and she did!


Watching the video it is obvious where Janet needs to improve, feet further apart, right foot farther ahead on each step amongst other things and I know Tez is aware of those things so it will be interesting to see what his plan is tomorrow.

Janet was adamant that there be no exercises tonight as she had done everything during the day then had the big long walk down the hall. I pressed a little but didn’t win and gave in to her wish to read. After a little debate Janet read a page and a half of Open tonight and I paused her after each paragraph to tell me about what she’d just read. Each time she started with “I don’t know” then proceeded to tell me a pretty good summary. Her memory is definitely improving and when I asked at bedtime what was happening tomorrow she quickly said we have a meeting at 10:30 with Greg. Bang on except it’s with Tez. High five anyways.

After reading about tennis we decided to watch some before bed and Janet did so intently giving me some good descriptors of the match we watched including an accurate observation that the women’s game is much slower than the men’s.

Janet has come so far in the last twenty months its hard to imagine sometimes, then there are milestone days like today. A long walk with medium assistance, intelligent conversation, accurate memory recall and that awesome smile. All twenty months to the day this all started and one year to the day when we spent long hours in the ER after Janet suffered a seizure and I wondered if she would ever got out of this. By the grace of God, the love and support of all of you and by her determination, she is.

Praying for a restful night and a productive tomorrow.

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

The Singing With John “concert” was at full volume when I got to Connect this afternoon with Janet smiling and singing one of the new songs we provided to John. He doesn’t know many of them and seemed a little overwhelmed but when you see and hear Janet singing them you just want to work with her. One song in particular, John even congratulated Janet on being in tune! Big Country joined in for a little bit and his voice is gaining strength along with Janet’s.

Jess reported that the day had been very busy so far with Janet getting in a good bike ride, a good stretching session and some laps walking around the parallel bars. On top of that, Tez spent some time with her doing some new exercises designed to strengthen her right leg and help Janet gain control of moving it forwards and backwards and to the side. Walking moves. We are skipping swimming this week in favour of a coaching session with Tez and the new AFO. Should be fun.

After putting away her laundry and helping to make her bed Janet agreed to an attempt at napping. She slept for about an hour and then was able to complete a good session on the Shuttle before dinner. Her overall leg strength is improving and more notably her right leg is gaining strength slowly. She worked hard to push the heavy weight I gave her and she did well. The increased strength is helping her transfers as well which was proved by the excellent one she did at the dinner table, earning her a round of applause from Big Country. As she was starting to get ready for bed she popped out of her wheelchair almost effortlessly to a standing position and looked at me with a big smile. I asked her what that was for and she said “I didn’t think I could do it”. Silly kid.

Janet read a little of Open to me tonight for a change. Just one paragraph but she nailed all twenty eight words, needing prompting on just one. That’s the best stretch of reading she’s done with me and she repeated it hours later. Nice. Reluctantly she agreed to a Standing Frame session before bed and tolerated it for forty five minutes. I can see where not being able to straighten her right leg is hindering her walking so anything we can do to stretch those hamstrings will help. Janet is not happy about being put back in the Standing Frame and wants to ask Tez on Thursday if its necessary. We both know what he’ll say but I think its good for her to ask.

It really was a busy day for Janet and even with the nap she was tired enough to call bedtime at 8:30 and by 9:30 with me reading to her she was asleep. Praying for a night of rejuvenating rest and a day full of energy tomorrow.

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

Janet and I met with her memory coach, Wendy, this afternoon to make sure I’m teaching Janet how to use her iPad the same way Wendy is and to make sure Janet is clear on what the goals are. I was relieved to learn I’ve been doing things pretty much the way Wendy wants other than giving Janet a few more steps than she’s probably ready for. Janet likes Wendy and seems to have resigned herself to learning this technology as its a fact of life now. Wendy’s technique is all about repetition in small steps and I think Janet will respond well.

Our next appointment was at Ortho Design with Birgit for a fitting of Janet’s AFO. Janet was nervous going into the appointment, fearing what she would be asked to do. There was no reason for her fear and the appointment went smoothly. I was expecting some magic to occur when Janet got the AFO on and stood up but was quickly shown that like learning the iPad, this will be a slow process.
AFO
Janet was scared as she attempted her first steps and for five minutes or so I was contemplating asking for a refund, then she found her rhythm and you could see the confidence build. With me playing the part of a cane she walked in a continuously improving manner for a good fifteen minutes covering a distance of about forty feet or so. With some coaching from Tez and a lot of practice as well as some nice loose hamstrings I’m confident Janet will make significant progress. Birgit is making some final tweaks to the AFO and I’ll pick it up Wednesday for Janet to start using for real.

Since she had done “everything” with Jess in the gym this morning and completed that nice long walk with Birgit, Janet was looking forward to a “quiet evening”. I went along with her request and after dinner we completed an iTunes playlist for her to use when singing with John who has been running out of material to use with her. They now have printed lyrics of twenty five songs and can play them on Janet’s iPad to help learn the tune. It took a while to build the playlist as Janet started singing along to each song I played for her and I just couldn’t stop her in the middle of them. She gets so much joy from singing.

One of our favourite sporting events is the Australian Open tennis and we watched some of that tonight for our TV time. That set things up really nice for a good long read of Open which mentioned some of the players that are now coaching in the Aussie Open and also a commercial that Andre Agassi shot in 1990 and we were able to watch on YouTube. A great way to bring the book even more to life.

This was a good day for Janet and once again I left her smiling and happy and looking forward to tomorrow. Praying for a solid night’s sleep and a productive Tuesday.

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

Janet woke me up this morning and before breakfast agreed to have a bath. We are getting that activity running better and keeping Janet warmer each time. Breakfast again was Janet’s choice and she went to her default toast and coffee. She then had a nice Skype chat with her mom before settling in for some football watching. We were not that into today’s games but did watch some and used halftime of the first game to walk around the couch again. Janet did even better today, moving in a more consistent rhythm and pushing her right foot a little farther forward.

We noticed that the US Figure Skating Championships were on and I know how much Janet likes skating so we watched the last hoot of it and she really enjoyed that. She commented on each skater with some genuine expertise and I hate to admit but showed as much enthusiasm for the skating as she does football. It was fun to watch with her and we look forward to the Olympics.There was an attempt at having a nap this afternoon which only resulted in maybe twenty minutes of sleep. Janet was tired but not tired enough I guess. I had her start to help me with dinner but she got distracted by the Golden Globes and ended up watching that while I cooked.

Complaing she was tired I encouraged her to ride the bike back at Connect and she did so valiantly and after a little dessert she hopped into bed so I could read to her. Expecting her to fall asleep rapidly I was instead presented with a very chatty and giggly Janet the entire hour that I read to her. She had lots to say about the story and I was concerned she’d have trouble falling asleep tonight but leaving her in a good mood at Connect is just as good as leaving her super tired so I said goodnight looking forward to tomorrow.

Praying for a deep and healing sleep and lots of energy for a busy tomorrow.

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

Before bringing Janet home for the weekend I spoke to nurse Jen about a medication Janet has been on for a long time that may not be necessary any longer. It is given with breakfast and usually mixed in with Janet’s fruit and yogurt. We agreed to not use it this weekend then alternate days at Connect with it for a couple of weeks to see how it goes. Janet has been complaining of having to have fruit and yogurt every morning so with the lack of medicine this morning she was finally allowed to go without. She thoroughly enjoyed her toast and coffee and that was all, except for a glass of water of course.

It was such a nice Spring like day here we couldn’t resist the chance at a walk before the Seahawks game started. It was windy in spots along our route but even then still warm enough for Janet to tolerate it. Mom enjoyed seeing the neighbourhood and meeting a few of our neighbours who were out in the sun too. We got back in time for pancakes and kickoff and enjoyed a good first half. I gave Janet the opportunity to get some exercise during halftime thinking she’d do a little standing and take a few steps. She ended up using the entire fifteen minutes to circumnavigate the couch including side stepping along the back one and a half times. It was an excellent performance and certainly her longest walking session to date. I’m now even more anxious to get that AFO on her on Monday.

New Orleans made a game out of it in the second half and Janet and I were on the edge of our seats right till the end. I actually thought she may have jinxed things when she said out loud that Seattle might lose this game. Yikes. It wasn’t the case thank goodness and Janet gave one of her patented fist pumps when the deal was done.

We won!

We won!

Right after the game we headed off to church with Courtney meeting us there. Janet propelled across the parking lot again but went a little too far left and started going downhill faster than she’d like. I was right there of course but she is still nervous about that kind of thing. She conquered that fear a little by guiding herself down to our seats on her own. Her transfers were solid tonight and she stood for a decent amount of time.

After chatting with a bunch of people and a bathroom break we all went to dinner at The Minstrel Cafe and enjoyed some good food, wine and music. It was too loud to talk much however but still fun and a pleasant way for my mom to end her visit here.
MomJanetCourtney
We are glad she was able to be here and see our new house and how much Janet has progressed and it’s always good for Janet to hangout with someone other than me and to hear their positive comments about her.

Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep that provides lots of energy for tomorrow.

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

Mom and I arrived at Connect just after lunch and found Janet waiting in the living room for us. She was in good spirits and willingly gave Mom the tour which inevitably stopped by the gym. Janet reported that she had done some stretching in the morning and that was all, Garrett confirmed that, so with some mild protesting I got Janet onto the Shuttle. I haven’t had her on that machine for a long time and was pleased to see that where we usually start from is now too easy for her. The amount she can push with one leg remains about the same as before and she continues to get good extension despite the lack of Botox right now. Janet gave it a good effort and I felt better about her leaving for the weekend having done some strengthening exercise.

We took a long way home trying to give my Mom a look around Kelowna a bit. Probably took a little too long as Janet actually agreed to a nap when we got home. She was refreshed after her nap and we all had a brief Skype chat with Brittney. The connection wasn’t the greatest but it was nice to see her and Ethan.

Making pizzas was next and again Janet wasn’t following directions very well. I asked her to turn on the oven, something she’s done many times with no help, and she seemed to have no clue what she was doing. I got a little mad at her and intentionally didn’t ask her to do much more after that other than stir fry her chicken, which she did a good job of. She also built a good pizza for herself and ate really well but was quiet and a little distant.

With no real plan for the evening we decided to watch Mama Mia as Janet insisted she’d never seen it and I was intent on proving her wrong. As soon as she heard the opening music she remembered and was singing along. Her command of the lyrics to those songs is not great so her singing was a lot more reserved tonight but she enjoyed the movie and the quiet evening.

Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep that provided lots of energy for a productive day tomorrow. Go ‘hawks!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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