Recovery

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

Renovation Day 21. Things are really taking shape now as Randy has begun work on the countertops and almost completed the crown moulding. I put in a couple of vents for the wine cabinet and cut out some drywall where the washer used to be and removed the supply lines etc. Three weeks from today our stuff gets moved in!

Jess reports that Janet had a very busy morning and Janet confirmed that during our post nap time chat. She was very bright and chatty and once I got her tuned into the start of the day she was off and running. Breakfast, she was very proud that she had coffee, the gym, no comment, helping Jess bake cookies, fun and they look really yummy but they are for Halloween, grocery shopping with Jess and one of the other residents, lunch, she helped Big Country to eat his, once a mom, always a mom. Janet was asked to use the Standing Frame while helping with the cookies but refused so I told her she was doing that with me like it or not. Willie apparently came to the lunch table with his shirt saver on backwards and Janet found that to be very funny, still laughing about it as she told me.

After that great chat it was time for a bike ride and Janet did her best ever, making a mile in twenty five minutes. She actually smiled at the end and when I reminded her of that at bedtime she smiled again and said “I know”. There was no argument about doing the Standing Frame after the bike and part way through she pointed out to me that she was putting weight through her right leg. She was and again she smiled about it. Who is this woman?

The dinner table tonight was very lively as Kieran was talking up a storm about this that and everything. The rest of the table was playing along for the most part but clearly getting tired of it when Big Country in his very soft calm voice said “Kieran, shut up”. I’ve never heard such loud laughter from everyone and it lasted a long time, in fact Janet and I laughed about it again at bedtime. That shot earned Big Country a happy face lollypop.

Janet and I spent the rest of the evening on the couch watching “the worst football game” we’ve ever seen. Thankfully Seattle won but it was so ugly we switched to The Voice at eight o’clock and just checked the game from time to time. Janet clearly likes The Voice better than football and sang along to a couple of the songs. Kieran and Wes joined us for a bit and that was fun.

Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep and for today’s brightness to continue forever.

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

Renovation Day 20. A well deserved day off for Randy and a full day with Janet for me.

The plan going into today was for a group outing to an apple orchard and pumpkin patch this morning but the weather didn’t cooperate so Jess had Janet helping her in the kitchen. When I arrived, Janet was mixing the ingredients for some sugar cookies after already helping to make soup. Grating carrots is not easy for anyone and Janet got a real good arm workout doing that. Having reached her limit we went off and had a Skype chat with Mary/Gaga and that perked Janet back up. We were excited to learn that Mary/Gaga and Keith are going on a mini cruise to the Bahamas next week. Bon Voyage!

In an effort to get Janet’s energy level up a little I convinced her to go to the gym for a little Shuttle exercise. Not expecting much from her Botox-less legs she shocked me by getting thirteen inches of extension on her first set. That’s the most ever and I’ve no idea where it came from. Suzanne surprised us with a visit towards the end of the session and was able to see Janet in action. Quite a change since the summer when we last saw Suzanne. It was nice to chat and get caught up with her.

After lunch Janet agreed to Skype with Heather and for some reason thought something was wrong with Heather as soon as she saw her. All is well and we aren’t sure what Janet saw or felt there. Our evening plan was to meet Courtney for a belated birthday dinner so Janet had a little rest time before we left Connect for that. While she rested I watched a little football and later noted that with Janet picking all the games this week she so far only has two wrong. Nice work!

We met Courtney at Smack Dab and enjoyed a very nice dinner and conversation with her. Janet impressed us by how much she ate and shocked us by how much she drank. We shared a nice bottle of La Frenz Viognier and Janet had almost two whole glasses, chugging the last ounce in fear that I would take it from her. Funny and a little scary. Janet said afterwards that the evening with Courtney was fun and the highlight of the day.

It was kind of late again when we got back to Connect so it was pretty much take the meds and get ready for bed. Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep that brings lots of energy and strength for tomorrow.

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

Renovation Day 19 was a short one as I did some shopping at Home Depot and Randy left early to take his daughter to the airport for her mission trip to Haiti. We wish her well and will be interested to find out later if she gets to the town where our two sponsor children are. That would be cool.

Yesterday I told the story of nurse Arlene buying our washer and dryer and my hopes that Janet could meet her, so when Arlene said she was coming by around three I made sure I had Janet here by then. She had just finished a Standing Frame session and was ready to go feeling a little unsure of what to expect from Arlene. We got to the house and I tested Janet on the placement of key kitchen items and had her move herself around as much as possible in between the piles of sawdust and tools. She did well and I didn’t notice any areas that will be too tight for her.

Arlene arrived on time and was overwhelmed to see Janet who greeted her with a big big smile that only Janet can show. They had a nice chat while Arlene’s friend and I loaded the machines onto his truck. ArleneJanet
I’m really glad Janet got to meet Arlene and see what a kind, caring and positive person she is and to recognize that people like her played a huge role in her recovery.

With some time to use before church we headed out to One Board Shop to see if there was a good winter Jacket for Janet. Already she is complaining about being cold even with her winter coat on so it was time to at least have a look. Janet spotted one she liked right away and it turned out to be the warmest one in the store. The only negative to it is I can’t get it on her with her splint on right now. It’ll be fine once the splint is shaped back to a more flat profile but right now it doesn’t work. Being warm is more important though.

Janet agreed to sit in a pew at church tonight for the first time and that enabled her to stand on her own for almost all of the first two songs as she could easily grab the back of the pew in front to help her get up. Very cool. Wayne’s message was thought provoking and Janet and I had a good discussion about prayer afterwards. Dinner was at a very noisy Red Robin as we just wanted something fast and cheep tonight. I think we’ll leave that place now until the patio opens again.

Jess has been dressing Janet with a t shirt under her regular shirt in hopes that would be warmer for Janet and it has been so tonight we stopped at Superstore to get some cheep t shirts for that purpose. As soon as Janet saw the Halloween candy she got all emotional and upset that we weren’t going to get to hand out candy this year. Barb and Gary kindly came to our rescue and we will be taking some candy over to their house so we can help them treat the little monsters Thursday night. Should be fun.We bought some candy and I made sure to get some Tootsie Rolls for Janet and showing no will power at all she ate three of them tonight. She did share though and I’ve taken the rest for Halloween.

We got back to Connect kind of late so we just watched a little TV while Janet took her meds then it was bedtime. Praying for lots of rest tonight and an energetic day tomorrow.

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

Renovation Day 18. I wasn’t much help to Randy today as I had a lot of running around to do. He continued to make the kitchen look more and more like a kitchen and plumber Frank came by to move things across the hall for the washing machine.

I picked Janet up at nine this morning to go to her appointment at the KGH Hand Clinic. Julie met with us as soon as we got there and spent an hour manipulating Janet’s splint so that it is comfortable for her and still doing some therapeutic good. Even though the Botox has worn off, Janet’s hand and wrist are doing fine with no retraction from the fingers at all. We are to keep stretching fingers and wrist as much as possible and hopefully the next round of Botox will have as good an impact as last time.

We made it back to Connect in time for Janet’s lunch and I left her with instructions to get to the gym as well. She did, and when I returned just before dinner time she was getting herself onto the toilet. Nice try, but not quite ready to do that all by herself yet. Since she’d done the Shuttle and Standing frame the bike was the only thing left and Janet had a good pre dinner pedal, going for twenty five minutes and making almost a mile.

There was a full table for dinner including Wes’s wife Roz and the chatter was really good. Janet commented after that Wes and Roz are nice people. They are. Wes can’t get over the fact that Janet eats more than him. She had seconds tonight as did Big Country whom Janet congratulated for doing so.

The evening was quiet again with the highlight being Janet opening a piece of mail from her mom and finding some old fashioned printed photographs taken at a recent family reunion in Ontario. Janet was able to read the enclosed hand written note and identify a lot of the people in the pictures. I was impressed and it was fun to share that with her. My highlight of the day came when a lady responded to my ad for the old washer and dryer. We talked on the phone a couple of times before she came to the house and I kept thinking I knew that voice. I never clued in when she said her name but I sure did when she got out of her car. She pointed at me saying “I know you…”. It was Arlene, one of Janet’s nurses from the 4B days and she was so excited to hear and see from pictures how well Janet is doing that we both had tears in our eyes. Janet of course doesn’t remember her at all but thought it was nice she cared so much. Arlene will be coming back to pick up the washer and dryer tomorrow and I hope it’s late enough in the day so I can have Janet here to meet her.

Praying for continued building of strength and a productive day tomorrow.

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

Renovation Day 17. I bought some lights and Randy got ready to build drawers. The place is looking great!

I was a little surprised to see Janet up when I got to Connect today. Often after swimming she’s pretty wiped but today she was quite cheery and energetic. Last night she was arguing a little about going swimming so I’m really glad she went today. Jess reported that there was some emotion on display at the pool but Janet didn’t relay anything about it to me and said that overall it was good. Just before I arrived she had asked Jess to get her into the Standing Frame so she “could get it over with”. I had her make “our” NFL picks for the week while she stood and we chatted with Jess for most of the rest of the time.

After a little break Janet agreed to get the Shuttle over with as well and she put in a very good performance. Her extension on each push is just over eleven inches now on both legs and her last set was using both legs to push five bands of tension which I think is close to eighty pounds. She’s getting there. Since Janet was in a good mood after the Shuttle I had her try some free standing and putting some weight on her right leg. She had a really good attitude about trying and overcame some of her confidence deficit to try taking a few steps forward. She was hanging on to me for that part of course and managed a couple of attempts without having a death grip on me. Baby steps.

Brian stopped by for a little chat as we left the gym and it was good to catch up with him. He seems pleased with Janet’s progress and will join us at the Botox appointment next week. That brought us to dinner time that started with just Janet and I and ended with Wes, Humberto and the new guy, Curtis. To avoid confusion with staff member Curtis I will refer to resident Curtis as Big Country as he is a twin of Bryant Reeves. I started calling him that as soon as we met and showed him a picture of Reeves in his Vancouver Grizzlies days. He thought it was funny for a few days but yesterday asked me to not call him that. I’m taking literary license and doing it here though and consider it a compliment anyways. The reason I mention all this is because Janet showed something tonight I’ve not seen since she got sick. Big Country has a very soft voice and had to call for assistance a number of times before he was heard. After he got the assistance he needed Janet wasn’t convinced he was OK so instead of leaving the table like we were about to she insisted on asking Big Country if he was OK. She asked him repeatedly in a very motherly tone with a smile on her face that showed genuine caring. It was beautiful.

With her exercises complete Janet chose to watch the World Series knowing we have to cheer for both teams so we were guaranteed a win. She made an excellent 180 degree transfer from her wheelchair to the couch barely hanging onto me and repeated it when the game was over. She also drank her entire bottle of water during the two hours we watched the game without me nagging her once. I found an easy to see Tic Tac Toe app for the iPad and Janet played that without assistance for a little while. She chose to get ready for bed then have me read to her. This time she stayed awake while I read and was able to dissect what she heard reasonably well.

Praying for a big sleep tonight and a day of learning and progress tomorrow.

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

Renovation Day 16. Randy continued work on the fireplace area cabinets and started some finishing touches on the kitchen island. We made decisions on location and size of drawers, cut out vents for the wine cabinet, prepared for the new floors and arranged for some plumbing work to be done. I also decided to not sand any more ceilings. Dirty job and too expensive to have someone else do it.

I managed to sneak up on Janet while she watched TV in the living room at Connect this afternoon. She’d had a busy day in the gym and around the house so was ready to go “look at something” with me. The something was a dining room light fixture and some glass for cabinets at the new house. I’ve never shopped for glass before and was expecting it to be complicated but it went very smoothly and we were out of the store in fifteen minutes after making a good choice. Light fixtures are always difficult but we got some good help and Janet narrowed the field really well and we went to the new house armed with a couple possibilities, one of which, I think we’ll buy. Janet was quite surprised by what she saw at the house. There’s been a lot of progress since she was last there and she’s quite excited. Not excited enough to give you a video tour yet but I’m working on her.

Before we left Connect I listed the things we were going to do and Janet was most excited about going out for dinner, so, with the shopping complete and the house inspected, off we went. We decided to go to Cactus Club as we hadn’t been there in a long time and wanted to use the gift card Joel and Kiko got us a long time ago. Thanks guys! I love taking Janet out even more now as she sits in regular chairs, doesn’t need a shirt saver and tries really hard to order her own food. I asked Janet which she liked best, the appy, the entrée, the wine or dessert. She quickly said dessert. No real surprise.

By the time we got back to Connect the wine had hit Janet and she was quite tired. I would’ve liked to have gotten her on the bike but there was no way that was happening and I think the outing and conversation we had was good therapy anyways. Praying for lots of rest tonight and a fun day tomorrow especially swimming.

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

Renovation Day 15. Randy is fighting a cold and working hard while I spend money. Bathroom sinks and faucets, washer and dryer, deposit on the flooring. I did recoup a little by selling two over the toilet cabinets. Yippee!

Nash and I arrived at Connect to find Janet just waking up from her nap. He’s starting to get a little too comfortable there as he wanders around without us now and tonight I had to shoo him off the bed so we could go home. He would’ve been quite happy to spend the night. In fairness, his days at home aren’t very fun with all the banging and crashing and dust flying. It’s tough being a dog.

Janet was very chatty this afternoon and we hung out on the bed talking for a good half hour. She’s getting pretty good at recapping her day to me, I still try and confirm with the staff but the instances of Janet being way off base are far less now. Today, according to her, she did the Shuttle, stretching, and Standing Frame before lunch in addition to going to the lab for some routine blood work. No wonder she napped.

I like it when Janet agrees to go to the gym before dinner like she did today. Her bike ride was, in her words, “easier than yesterday”. The stats were about the same so I’m glad she felt better about it and she now knows the time will be increased until she’s riding for thirty minutes comfortably before we make it harder to pedal. Her Standing Fame session this morning was quite long and there was too big a mess in the kitchen for her to do dishes so she got the evening off from physical things. That left the door open for some brain exercise. Curtis played tic tac toe and hangman with Janet the other day and was impressed with her skills claiming she beat him twice at tic tac toe. It didn’t take her long to beat me tonight and I love the enthusiasm with which she plays. Hangman was a little harder but still fun and combined with some reading made for a productive night.

The Voice concluded the battle rounds part of the show tonight and while watching we decided to make bets on who might win once the final teams are chosen. At stake is a DQ Blizzard so if anyone wants in on the action let me know. Praying for a night of uninterrupted sleep and lots of energy tomorrow.

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

Renovation Day 14. Lots of progress today, wiring for audio, building cabinetry near the fireplace, sanding texture off ceilings and removing a small wall to make room for the washer. We’ve decided to put the washer on one side of a small hallway and the dryer on the other so Janet can easily access both machines. All this because the manufacturers of laundry machines won’t make a front load washer with a right hand hinge. Thanks.

Janet was actually sleeping when I got to Connect this afternoon. Curtis reports she was in the gym this morning with him but nodding off a bit by lunch time so off for a nap she went. Nash and I went into her room about 3:30 and she was still sleeping. After she woke she even believed she had been sleeping and was feeling much better. Janet felt even better as we sat in the sun for happy hour with no jacket on. I guess she felt really good as she agreed to go to the gym before dinner without much of a debate.

I gave Janet the choice between Shuttle and bike as it was unclear which she had done with Curtis this morning. In hopes of keeping this as enjoyable as possible I gave her very loose targets for this ride and set the time for twenty minutes which is about how long a simple Shuttle workout takes. She surpassed the goal of 15rpm average easily by doing 18rpm without complaint and only an observation afterwards that “it was tiring”.

After dinner Garrett and Tiffany suggested Janet do the dishes while in the Standing Frame. I thought that was a great idea but of course Janet didn’t. Reluctantly and under protest Janet got into the Standing Frame and without the knee brace washed a sink full of dishes. There was lots of complaining about leg pain and “I can’t do anymore” but each complaint was followed by another plate washed rinsed and placed into the clean sink. For a first attempt Janet did very well. It may be hard to get her to do it again but hopefully she will as this forces her to put weight through both legs. The balance of her Standing Frame time was spent in the usual position and she tolerated that very well.

Janet complained a lot about her splint today and says her fingers hurt when straightened. I made an appointment for her to see Julie at the hand clinic Friday where I suspect she’ll adjust Janet’s splint to fit better.

With her exercises complete the rest of the night was Janet’s. She chose for me to read some Not a Fan to her first and I had her read some too. She continues to improve her reading skills nicely. We just got through a chapter and it was time to watch The Voice. Although we can’t focus as intently on the show like we would watching it at home I think its great that others join us for parts of it and Janet seems to enjoy the conversations that take place in and around the living room. She is getting to be more outgoing in engaging with other residents, visitors and staff.

Praying for a deep and healing sleep that brings lots of energy and confidence to tomorrow’s activities.

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

Renovation Day 13 was a quiet one. I ripped up a little more of the former pink tile floor leaving the last of it until just before the new floor goes in. Tomorrow I get to sand the last of the texture off the second bedroom ceiling. I can hardly wait.

Janet had just finished lunch and was waiting for me when I got to Connect. It was a beautiful sunny day here so I suggested a walk and Janet agreed saying that others were going for a walk too. We ended up going for a nice long walk with Willie and his wife Val. Towards the end, Janet was complaining of being cold even though it was fourteen degrees and she had her winter coat on. I guess we need to shop for a warmer coat.

We got back inside for a Skype chat with Mary/Gaga that went well then Janet had a brief nap. I know it was brief because I laid down with her just to remind myself what a bed feels like. Once up, we sat in the kitchen and chatted with Jess and Sydney. Janet was a little quiet but enjoyed the time and drank her Fresca surprisingly quickly.

The rest of the evening was very quiet as I gave Janet the day off from the gym. We watched football while visiting with various people that came in and out of the living room and I had Janet read a little on the iPad. She is getting so much better at that its very exciting. When Janet started to fade around 8:30 we headed off to get ready for bed. Each night for a while now I’ve been trying to get Janet to lift her left leg while standing so I can slip off her socks and or pants. She has tried unsuccessfully saying “it won’t work”. Tonight, seconds after saying those exact words, she did it! She was hanging onto the stripper pole for dear life and only held her leg up for one second but that is the first time with me she’s been able to do that. True to form she played it all down but I could see in her eyes she was pleased with herself.

Praying for restoration of the use of her right arm and hand and continued building of strength.

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

Renovation Day 12. I had so much fun breaking up the lovely pink tile in the bathrooms yesterday I decided to rip up the floor that the tiles we glued to today. More fun for me. Randy continues to make good progress in the kitchen and I think we are almost ready for a video tour update. Stay tuned.

The whole time I was with Janet yesterday I teased her about going to sledge hockey today in hopes that if I said it enough she might actually go. Lo and behold, she did go! Just to watch though, which is fine as she still got out with a group of people and that’s good. She created some excitement on the way out of the arena as she was propelling herself and got going too fast and tumbled out of her wheelchair. The only thing hurt was her pride and she actually told me the story almost word for word as Garrett did when I arrived at Connect. The staff were very attentive to her and I didn’t notice any ill effects at all.

That outing prevented Janet from getting to the gym this morning so she agreed to do The Shuttle before church. Her performance was satisfactory. To me, her right leg seems to not have gained any strength since I last worked with her over a week ago but she is getting significantly more extension from her pushes so that’s good. Janet had a decent Skype chat with Heather and a good phone conversation with Cam and Gina. I think it’s soon time for her to learn to initiate or answer phone and Skype calls herself as the prearranged ones or requests that come through me seem to annoy her most of the time. Spontaneous or self initiated would be better.

For as long as we’ve been attending Trinity Janet has nine times out of ten just wanted to leave right after the service. The last few weeks she has agreed to exit via the front row so we can say hi to people and tonight she was the one that asked if we could do that. She was able to talk to a number of people, some of whom she said she didn’t really know but it was nice talking to them anyways. I’m really glad Janet is starting to seek people out and hope it continues.

Back at Connect Janet went into the Standing Frame while our pizza cooked. In honour of Gina’s family we watched a little of the baseball game and cheered for Boston. Janet said she had a good lunch then proceeded to eat four slices of pizza for dinner! All she could do after that was watch a little more TV on the couch with me then fall asleep with her head on my shoulder. I let her sleep like that for a little while before attempting to get her back in her wheelchair and when I finally woke her up she came to pretty well and got herself ready for bed as usual.

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