Recovery

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

In major league baseball they call the last day of a series, Getaway Day, as the teams leave that city and travel to the next one. It was getaway day at our house today as Janet returned to Connect after an enjoyable Christmas break. I think we both felt the impending separation and were a little quiet because of it. Janet was nicely distracted by a Skype call with her mom this morning followed by one with Heather a little while later. Janet wisely cut that conversation short to go to the bathroom, something she has been reluctant to do on occasion with unpleasant results. I took the opportunity to give Janet a bath so she wouldn’t have to endure one at Connect tomorrow. The combination bath/shower worked well with Janet only complaining of cold in the last two minutes or so.

There was more football to watch today but neither of us were too interested. It felt more like we didn’t know what else to do. Janet did manage a very nice standing and walking session. Using my hand as a cane she walked about twelve feet to the patio door, grabbed the door knob and turned herself around then walked five feet to the couch. There, she held onto the back and side stepped her way back to her wheelchair. Half way through she complained of being exhausted but she persevered and flashed a little smile as she plopped back into her wheelchair. That was her longest walk in the house for sure and was accompanied today by some really strong moves in getting to a standing position from sitting without the use of a transfer pole or me. Janet is definitely strong enough to do this now and I plan on talking to Brian this week to see what he thinks about taking the poles away. At least I think its time to restrict their use to holding on while standing, not for getting up.

Janet helped make a very nice dinner for us tonight and we enjoyed it with a glass of wine as we fought off sadness, knowing she had to go back to Connect. The car ride out there was surprisingly fun. I managed to get Janet singing and laughing about the highlights of the Christmas break and she was in good spirits as we made our way to her room. She didn’t’ hesitate at all about going for a bike ride and gave me orders not to make it too hard. Apparently I did though and she got pretty grumpy during her ride. That all changed once she was done and we shared some of our Christmas chocolate. Once in bed I read some of Open to her and that brought laughter and lots of excited comments like, “I love this book”, and “its like you are right there with him”. Makes it a lot of fun to read and with Janet in a good mood it was easier to say goodnight.

Praying for a night of uninterrupted sleep, lots of energy and a positive attitude for tomorrow.

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

Janet and I enjoyed a pretty quiet day today, her last full day here before returning to Connect tomorrow after dinner. It’s been a great sixteen days and it will be difficult to say goodnight tomorrow and leave her at Connect. I know it’s still the best place for her to keep getting better and I guess I was spoiled having her at home for such a long stretch. It’s awesome to realize she can be home with no major challenges and that bodes well for the future.

I did manage to get Janet to do a little standing and walking today. Her balance was good and she made it more than half way from the table to the fridge, about ten feet, before declaring a bathroom break. I had her carry on afterwards and she was able to retrieve an orange out of the fridge with minimal assistance from me. We had a brief but nice visit from Courtney and watched a very exciting playoff football game before going to church. Janet said that was the most exciting game she’d ever seen and she was truly into it and Seattle wasn’t even playing. Love her.

In trying to foster more independence for Janet I intentionally left her wheelchair footrest in the car at church and asked her to propel herself from the car to our seats. She needed a little help on one sloped bit in the parking lot, other than that it was all her confidently rolling along. At the end of the service she executed her first unassisted standing transfer from pew to wheelchair. No help from me at all. High five!

Dinner and a movie was the evening plan again with Janet almost bailing on the movie we watched, Won’t Back Down, but was glad she stuck it out through the end and gave a loud cheer and a fist pump. Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep that restores Janet’s energy for a productive tomorrow.

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

Today was sleep in day as we had no set agenda at all and I planned on giving Janet full reign on how the day was spent. In preparation for working with Memory Coach Wendy, I helped Janet make a to do list for the day on her iPad and she then had to choose which item to tackle first and so on. She’s still resistant to the whole idea and at one point mentioned she wished she had been born sooner so she wouldn’t have to learn all this stuff.

The first task Janet chose was to reply to some emails she had been putting off. I thought I’d have to do much more assisting than I did and Janet was very persistent in typing her replies herself. She did reach a point where she said it was just too much for her so we tried the voice to text feature in Gmail. This was a really cool lesson for Janet as the words Gmail heard were not always what she thought she was saying so it forced her to speak slowly and really think about the pronunciation of each word. She could instantly see if she got it right or not. I think we’ll do this more just for fun.

Next up was meal planning for the rest of the weekend then a trip to the grocery store. Janet flipped through the Slow Cooker recipe book and wants to try a Minestone Soup tomorrow. We tried an Italian Vegetable one the other day with Joel and Kiko and it turned out a little crunchy so hopefully lesson learned. Janet helped pick out vegetables at the store with me and was ready for a nap by the time we got home.

Our evening was quiet with Janet’s favourite pizza for dinner followed by some very necessary nail cutting and painting finishing off with the requisite movie. Tonight’s film was Midnight in Paris. One I know I’ve seen before and I think Janet too but it would have been pretty close to when she got sick and she didn’t remember it at all. It was a little ironic as she talked earlier about being born too late and the movie’s premise is about wanting to live in a past era. Janet thought it was funny and a little weird.

Praying for a solid night of sleep and lots of energy for tomorrow.

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

Janet had another Christmas present arrive this morning. It came in the form of a text message to me from Curtis at Connect reporting that swimming was cancelled for today. Janet was very happy as she insists she does not like going swimming. Truth is she doesn’t like all the preparation for it and the coldness and I understand that and she even admitted later that she would like it more if she could say what to do in the pool. As long as she doesn’t go straight for the hot tub I’m good with that.

Since we no longer had a fixed appointment to go to Janet was able to enjoy a leisurely and complete breakfast before we took off to take our Christmas tree to the chipper and drive out to Connect for a workout. Either Janet is a true celebrity or everyone at Connect is really bored these days because within minutes of me texting that we were in the gym we had Curtis, Garrett, Carly and three other residents in there with Janet being the only one really working out. That attention must have motivated her as she completed her toughest bike ride yet in a personal best tying fashion. Janet recognized that it was a hard ride and blamed me for setting it up that way but I reminded her she peddled her way through it very very well and she acknowledged that with a hint of a smile. Janet left the room and so did most everyone else to a lot of giggles for the following Janet has.

Our next stop was the parallel bars for some walking practice and getting into the elevator we were intercepted by Wendy, Janet’s memory coach. We had a good chat about her plans for Janet which are to work with her three or four days a week, sometimes twice a day for about thirty minutes at a time building Janet’s “future” memory and her “what did I just do” memory. The tools Janet will use are a calendar app on her iPad for the future stuff and a hard copy journal for the past. One short term goal will be to train Janet on the use of an iPhone as she can carry that around easier than a tablet. Janet is a little unsure of it all but Wendy promises it will be a long process with no pressure to hurry up and do something. Janet will learn at her own pace and I think she’ll surprise herself.

Curtis and I helped Janet with some side stepping along the parallel bars and Janet put in a fine effort. The Botox is definitely wearing off of her right leg and she must be noticing a change too as a couple times a day now she is asking me when are we going to see about the AFO. I notice sometimes now her balance and mechanics aren’t quite as good as they have been and I’m hoping that improves once she’s back into her routine at Connect.

After a very productive visit to Connect it was home for a late lunch then some chores. Janet wiped down the outside of all the cupboards and drawers she could reach then had a little power nap. She was a big help in prepping dinner tonight, getting things from the fridge and chopping. She wanted to watch another movie tonight and we chose Hugo. Janet said she didn’t understand even as I explained things as they happened. When I had her retell the story she got the vast majority of it right and decided she did actually understand it.

Praying for a night of uninterrupted and healing sleep that provides lots of energy and a positive attitude for tomorrow.

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

We are still in holiday mode here and our morning started late as seems to be usual but we had just the right amount of time to prepare for Joel and Kiko’s arrival for lunch. They are awesome friends and we are glad we could start off 2014 with them as our first guests. Janet was a little quiet during their visit again saying she didn’t know much about what we were talking about and didn’t know what else to discuss. I’m not liking this pattern and hope that with more exposure to guests in the house she will relax and be able to participate more. I think it’s still good that she listens to real conversation as opposed to always trying to tailor talk to her. Learning curve.

Janet was pretty zonked after Joel and Kiko left and had an almost two hour nap which allowed me to put away outside Christmas and get everything ready for her to help put away the inside stuff. That all took longer than anticipated but Janet was a big help with the tree decorations and she enjoyed the project.

Uncle Monkey joined us via FaceTime for dinner tonight and it was good to see and hear him and to know all is well with the Oakville Aitons.

With Christmas put away we decided to watch a movie before bed. Janet selected the genre, children and family, and we agreed to try the first one that popped up, Parental Guidance. We were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed it and Janet laughed more than I can remember her laughing at any other movie. That was almost as much fun as her singing through a film and a great way to end the day.

Praying for a good night’s sleep and lots of energy, a positive attitude and good control of her body for swimming tomorrow.

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

This is an abbreviated New Years Eve version of our blog update. The day started with a very nice visit with Scott and Nora at our house. We are blessed to count them as friends. Randy stopped by after that to formally close the renovation project. We thank him immensely for a job very well done. Janet and I attended a New Years party at one of our neighbours homes this evening where we wisely celebrated the new year on Eastern time so we are home eating ice cream as I write this then saying goodnight.

We sincerely wish you all the very best for 2014 and thank you for your love and support. Praying for a year of complete recovery for Janet and for our story to help and inspire many others.

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

No matter how we plan it, our day always seems to start later than intended and that was the case today. We were late enough in getting up that it actually worked in Janet’s favour. I had an appointment downtown that I thought would be our first stop while running a bunch of errands today. There was no need for Janet to be at this appointment and since we were running late I decided to go on my own and leave her to enjoy her toast and coffee in peace. I was gone for twenty seven minutes and I think Janet was disappointed it wasn’t longer. She enjoyed being on her own and was happily sipping coffee, watching The Marilyn Denis Show after finishing her toast and putting the plate in the dishwasher. High five I guess. I’m not really ready to make a habit of this but it’s nice to know she feels confident being on her own.

When we finally did get to running our errands it was well past lunch time and Janet kept saying “so what” about lunch and refused to bother with any. I was concerned about that when we got to Connect for a gym session but she insisted she didn’t need any lunch and rolled right to it with Curtis and I. Garrett and Curtis seemed genuinely pleased to see Janet and eagerly assisted in the gym putting Janet through a full workout. Janet showed signs of being away from the gym for over a week and was noticeably slower on the bike but that was after lots of stretching and a good session on the Shuttle. It will be good to get her back into the groove next week.

Janet vetoed my suggestion for dinner and requested her favourite, pizza and salad. I agreed knowing she could help make that. She was on the ball in gathering ingredients from the fridge and gadgets from the cupboards and drawers and did a good job helping. Needless to say there wasn’t a crumb left on her plate at the end of dinner and the lack of a nap was starting to show as well. The house hadn’t been vacuumed since before Christmas and there was a pile of dishes to do so there was no time for rest yet. Janet accepted the job of vacuuming and did a decent job. She’s getting better at spotting dirt on the floor and even thought to vacuum the top of the coffee table and the shelf the toaster over sits on. High five.

With the house a lot cleaner it was time to clean Janet. Even she was complaining that her hair needed washing and she hates showers. I gave her a bath last week and today got a handheld shower head rigged in our bathroom so we could try that in hopes it would be faster and easier to wash her hair. It worked well but Janet complained of being cold so next time I think we’ll combine the two methods and see what happens.

The work was finally done and Janet was happy to sit down with a bowl of ice cream and watch a little TV before bed. She lasted long enough to finish the ice cream and that was about it. Praying for a night of deep, healing and uninterrupted sleep that provides lots of energy, a positive attitude and a willingness to participate fully in everything we do tomorrow.

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

A noticeably quieter day today as it is now just Janet and I at home for the rest of the holidays. We were up a little late last night and had to move through breakfast rather quickly in order to make it to church for eleven this morning. Janet has now graduated from needing a wheelchair designated pew so we sat in the second row and I parked her wheelchair in the lobby. Her transfer to the pew was one of her smoothest yet as I had her lined up well for some easy side stepping. Quite a number of people came by to say hi before the service and Janet is always amazed at how many people know her. Our friends Scott and Nora are in town from Chicago and Nora chatted with us for quite a while commenting that she reads the blog daily. Janet is always amazed to hear people say that and I love it when someone other than me tells her as I get to reinforce to her how many people care about her. That’s why you read this blog. Right? The socializing continued after the service as well with Janet enthusiastically greeting people as we came across them. Confidence is building?

After the standard grilled cheese lunch and once the Seahawks game was well underway Janet had a good Skype chat with her mom. She was able to offer some good detail from memory and added more with a little prompting.

Things started catching up with Janet later this afternoon and she actually fell asleep on the chaise lounge during the football game. It was only for fifteen minutes or so and needed. She woke with enough energy to get through the rest of the day nicely but only wanted to watch TV. I did get her to practice a few sit to stands from her wheelchair and she continues to improve with those but I am noticing a little less control of the right leg and wonder if we are seeing the Botox wearing off. It’s about that time, if not past it. Could also be the lack of exercise compared to normal. Never the less, her transfers are improving.

Our evening entertainment tonight was the classic movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s. No idea why we decided to watch it other than Audrey Hepburn was gorgeous. We found some of the story lines strange but overall enjoyed it and Janet got to bed at a decent hour all set for a good night of sleep. Praying for full and complete healing.

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

Janet had no thoughts of Christmas this morning and rose with anticipation in hopes of spending as much time with Heather as possible before she started her long journey home. The morning was relaxed and centred around the breakfast table. Janet is getting pretty good at making her own coffee and has almost mastered the toaster oven but I need to buy smaller jars of peanut butter as she’s having trouble getting to the bottom of the gigantic one we have now.

By the time most people were having lunch we decided to go for a drive up to Big White. Heather had never seen it and Janet didn’t remember seeing it and I would love to find a way for her to enjoy the snow up there with me someday.
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We planned on having lunch at Santé, which is in the White Crystal Inn and I’m glad we did. The Big White concierge told me we could take Janet up the Gondola to the village but I was very skeptical of that so we drove up to the hotel in case there was some parking there. The front desk staff were very helpful and let us into the private parking garage, gave us a key to a washroom for Janet and made us feel very welcome. Lunch was good and served to us by a girl that recognized us from, Gengie, the sushi place we go to a lot. Celebrity Janet. We were able to get Janet out for a quick look around the village. Of course she got a little cold and I think a lot of that is in her head. She enjoyed seeing it all and I had fun pushing her around in the snow. We didn’t get to check out the tubing area but Janet agreed she would go back so we can do that next time.
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There was only time for a little more visiting at home before filling Heather up with sushi at Gengie before taking her to the airport. Janet did very well with her chopsticks tonight and hardly spilled anything. Janet really wanted to go inside the airport to say goodbye to Heather knowing she cries the most of all the kids. She did and to my surprise Janet held herself together remarkably well. I can’t explain the lack of outward emotion as Janet definitely feels it on the inside. Oh well, it saves on Kleenex.

Janet was very tired by the time we got home but was determined to watch a movie. On Heather’s recommendation we watched Love Actually with me thinking we’d seen it a long time ago. Not so, and Janet found her second wind and enjoyed the movie even though there were so many different stories going on it was hard for her to follow. I’m learning to narrate a little during the film and ask her questions from time to time and that seems to help her.

I’m confident Janet will sleep well tonight and am praying she does so and has lots of energy for tomorrow. We are grateful for the time we got to spend with family over the Christmas break, it truly was fun. Heather, you were a huge help, especially in the kitchen, and we pray for a safe trip home for you knowing we will see you soon.

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

Janet faced disappointment as soon as she woke up this morning. The first words out of her mouth were “its Christmas today!” She must’ve been dreaming or something and as I broke the bad news to her she reluctantly accepted it.

The morning was spent hanging with Heather and Cam before dropping Cam at the airport. Once again, no tears, maybe she’s saving them all for Heather. Since Connect is so close to the airport it seemed natural to combine that trip with a visit to the gym. Janet seemed to understand the importance of doing so but was less than enthusiastic about it. The place was pretty quiet so with a little hello to Humberto it was right onto the bike. Janet did very well considering she hasn’t been on the thing for a week. I think we will make a few visits next week so she can get right back into it for real the week after.

Heather and I offered Janet lunch out but she wanted her grilled cheese at home so that’s what we did followed by a long nap that was clearly needed. Janet was nicely recharged after that and we all enjoyed a very yummy dinner at the Yellow House along with some nice live music from Julie Masi. Janet did not sing along to any of it but enjoyed the tunes, company and food. Thanks for the treat Heather!

We all chose dessert at home and watched a little TV as Janet faded after an enjoyable and successful day. Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep and for a fun day tomorrow.