Recovery

Free Falling. An oops from Janet, a solid response from Connect. #TSJ

I met Janet today in our usual meeting place, the living room. She laughed when I came in and said “I always seem to meet you here”. That is true pretty much everyday and I like seeing her smiling face as soon as I walk in the room. Jess was there too and reported Janet had a busy day with a trip to the gym, Speech with Mary Lou and best of all, making cupcakes with Jess. One of the residents from the house above Janet’s is moving out tomorrow and there was a party for her tonight so Jess and Janet made some chocolate cupcakes and Janet seemed quite excited about that. She was not excited about going to the party though.

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon so I took Janet outside to get some rays and fresh air. Unfortunately there was just enough of a cool breeze to be annoying and we couldn’t find a place to escape it but we had a nice walk around the complex anyways. There was a sunny spot in the living room so we hung out there for a while before taking a bathroom break. Janet was on the toilet for a few minutes with nothing happening so as usual I asked her if she wanted more time. She said yes, I walked toward her desk and heard a loud crash. I ran back to the bathroom and she was on the floor beside the toilet crying. I pressed her alarm button and tried to calm her while waiting for help. Jess came seconds later and called the troops. We didn’t want to move Janet without being sure she was OK so we waited for Tez who took charge and determined Janet was alright and he and I moved her back up to sitting on the toilet. By the looks of things she scared herself more than anything and has a couple little cuts on her right cheek bone and a small scrape on her right knee. She told us she was trying to reach for something when she fell but couldn’t remember what she was reaching for. The Connect team responded quickly and professionally and Janet was well cared for.

Tez took advantage of the opportunity to observe me using a standing transfer with Janet from the toilet to the wheelchair. I thought Janet did very well especially after her scare. She calmed down a lot after we got her out into the room and Tez checked her over again to make doubly sure she was OK and also took time to check the spasticity in her legs. I asked him about Botox and he thought it would be well worth a try and suggested I contact Dr. McCann to get that ball rolling as well as the hydrotherapy idea. Here’s hoping.

Janet didn’t argue at all about laying down for a rest after all that but did manage to express her fear of going to the farewell party tonight again. Not sure what she was so afraid of and figured she’d come around when it was time to go.

After a short nap Janet was happy to lay in bed and chat for a while. She was quite happy and not showing any ill effects from her toppling. We went down for dinner and noticed most of the guys were having a pot roast and veggies. That reminded Janet of beef stew so Garrett made her some chili with a little pasta and that worked out fine. I watched Janet go over her med booklet with Garrett just before eating and noticed some improvement since yesterday. Back in her room after dinner she wanted to “read something interesting on the iPad”‘ her new thing, so I asked her what’s interesting to her. She said “you”. So we Googled me with Janet typing my name with some help and we found a few things out there about me. One of the results was the Janet After 100 Days video and I realized she has never seem it. I was surprised at her reaction, she watched intently, laughing in spots and shaking her head in others. Overall she agreed she has come along way and asked “what was wrong with me then?” and “how did you have the stamina to do all that for so long?” I half expected her to get all emotional watching herself but she seemed quite intrigued by it all and has no recollection of any of it.

Just before seven, Jess came by to see if Janet would come up to the farewell party. She didn’t hesitate at all in agreeing and had a nice smile on her face the whole time she was there. She was warmly welcomed by a lot of people and the cupcakes her and Jess made were a huge hit. Connie was there and had a nice chat with Janet and I saying she’d be back next Wednesday to watch Janet at dinner time. It was really nice to see a lot of off duty staff there to say farewell to Ellie, even Brian showed up.

20130221-222944.jpg I’m really glad Janet made the effort to go to the party and I think we can now get her to the ladies night they have there on Thursdays. It would be really good for her.

Not quite ready for bed after the party Janet wanted to watch a little TV. We watched the last few minutes of the hockey game with Chris and that was actually kinda fun. All tucked in with her falls mats in place Janet is looking forward to coming home for the weekend and I’m looking forward to having her here. Praying for a restful night and a hard working morning before a fun weekend at home.

Independence Day. Janet gaining responsibility #TSJ

I was not surprised to hear that Janet made it through last night without falling out of or escaping from her bed. She continues to chuckle at the thought so I think if she ever does wind up on the floor it truly would be an accident. I also sense a little pride coming from her for being able to sleep with no rails.

Lorne reported that Janet’s first half of the day was quite busy. They had a good session in the gym and he very happily told me Janet asked to go to the bathroom twice for him and was successful both times. That continued with me for the rest of the day as Janet continues to improve in that category. Mary Lou saw Janet for Speech this morning as well and with her nodding off while waiting for me in the living room when I arrived it was clear she had been busy.

We went down to her room to debrief and wait for our meeting with Brian when nurse Jen stopped by. She surprised me by announcing that Janet is going onto the self administered medication program. I would not have thought Janet was ready for something like this but as it was explained I can see where it is a good time to start training Janet to be independent with her meds. She was given a booklet that describes the program, her medications, has a schedule for when each is to be taken and a log that Janet can sign off on each time she takes them. I expect her to pick up on the timing pretty fast as most of her meds are associated with meal times with the last one being at bedtime. The challenge will be in learning the names of each and what they are for. The staff will continue to help her and score her each day on how well she’s doing and look for ways to help her with what she’s not doing well. Janet seemed receptive to the idea and remembered at dinner time that the booklet was for her meds but that was it. Baby steps. Jen had a look at Janet’s former peg site and agreed it is healing very well, suggesting that after Janet’s shower in the morning we leave the dressing off and see if all stays nice and dry. If so, no more poly and no more dressings. Yay!

Mary Lou tracked us down in the kitchen a few moments later to say she had spoken with John, a gentleman I talked to last week about coming in to sing with Janet. Turns out they know each other from church and Mary Lou is totally supportive of John working with Janet. He is not an accredited music therapist but is an accomplished singer and conductor and based on my initial conversation with him, quite a positive, high energy older guy that loves life. Mary Lou doesn’t see a need to meet with him before hand so I will arrange for him to visit Janet next week for some sing along fun.

While I was talking to Mary Lou, Janet wondered off for a few minutes and came back with Brian in tow. Better late than never. We had a good chat about shower/bathtub aids for the house and I will try and figure out which option will work best for us this weekend. I’m thinking a bench for the bathtub but we’ll see. We also talked strategy for getting Janet in for some outpatient hydro therapy at KGH Rehab. I think Janet and I will try and pay a visit there on our way home Friday.

With the meetings finally done Janet was in clear need of a nap and more than willingly lay down on her bed falling asleep within minutes. When she woke up I lovingly told her she was snoring for over an hour and she tried telling me that she wasn’t even sleeping. Cute.

The nap was probably not long enough as Janet’s energy level was not near what it was last night. She ate a good dinner, impressively peeling a mini mandarin orange all be herself as part of dessert but faded quickly after that. She went upstairs with me, Garrett and Humberto to listen to some live music that never happened but I’m not sure how much she would have been into it anyways. We did have a nice little chat before bed though and she was pretty much asleep before our prayer ended.

Praying for a healing and restful night and thanking Jesus for the progress made so far and all the good people looking after Janet.

Railless, sleeping in a big girl bed #TSJ

Today was the day Janet and I were going out for lunch, she remembered and was waiting for me when I got to Connect. She knew we were going with someone but I had to remind her it was Heidi and Jack. We enjoyed a nice meal and good conversation with janet amazing them both with her chop stick skills. We are very appreciative of the love and support we have had from them over the years and especially since this new journey with Janet began. Thanks guys for a nice break today!

With nothing else planned I opted to take Janet back to Connect after lunch primarily because she told me she hadn’t been to the gym yet today. That of course was incorrect as we found out when we returned but all she did this morning was work on her right arm and hand so that gave us plenty of options. Janet was nodding off a bit during the drive back and before heading to the gym I had her put away her laundry. She was having a tough time with that and started crying so I suggested a nap and an hour and a half later she awoke thanks to a knock on the door from Brian. Thanks man. Kidding, it was time to get up anyways and Janet was noticeably refreshed and agreed at bedtime that the nap had done her good.

After a nice chat before getting up from bed we headed down for dinner. Jess, Bob and Clint had made a chicken curry with pita bread and Janet gobbled hers up nicely giving her energy to go to the gym with Carly and me. Carly doesn’t often work in Janet’s house but I’m glad she was tonight as she has a lot of PT knowledge and skills and gave Janet’s legs a good stretch considering how late in the day it was. I think Janet responded well to Carly and if it wasn’t so late would have done a lot more. I was happy to see that although the spasticity is still very present in Janet’s legs it doesn’t seem noticeably worse as I had suspected. Janet and I had a good talk afterwards about her need to work hard and take advantage of her time at Connect to get as better as possible as that’s why she’s there. She agreed.

By this time it was well after seven, a time when Janet is often starting to fade, not tonight. She was actually willing to read for me but insisted we find something interesting to read, not the silly iPad game. Using the iPad I found an online version of a magazine that Janet used to like and had her read an article from that and she did very very well. It was pretty cool as I was able to expand the page so that the words were quite large with only five or six showing on screen at a time so it was easier for her to follow. High five! She had had enough by eight o’clock though and was ready for bed.

Earlier in the day, Brian had informed me that the falls mats for Janet had arrived, and I was excited to set them up so Janet could sleep tonight with no rails on her bed. She seemed to understand their purpose and thought it was quite funny when I mentioned no houdieno action. She thinks she is past all that now. We will find out soon enough. Staff will keep a close eye on her and if she can avoid falling out of bed for a week or so we can start planning for her to sleep in a real bed. I have a high confidence level for this.

I said goodnight to a smiley, laughing Janet after a really positive day. Praying for a restful night, in bed, and an active day tomorrow.

Charlie #TSJ

After last night’s confusion Janet was clear on who I was this afternoon but wondered why I was there. She thought we were going out for “dinner”, meaning lunch. She actually refused to have lunch today, telling the staff she was going out. I reminded her its tomorrow we’re doing that and she seemed to remember then. Jess reported that Janet also refused a shower this morning. I told Jess not to give in to Janet on that one. It’s nice to ask but she needs to be showered regularly and if Monday, Thursday is the deal then that’s what it is. Jess agreed and will shower Janet tomorrow regardless of Janet’s willingness level. Janet did have a good stretch in the gym this morning and seemed at least willing to consider a return trip this afternoon for some strength training.

Thanks to an error at the lab last week, Janet had to go back for another blood test today. Her doctor’s office called to say the lab had done the wrong test. So that meant Janet got to go out for lunch after all. I drove her to the lab and asked them what went wrong. They confirmed that the test performed last week was for a drug with a slightly different spelling than Janet’s as it was incorrectly entered in the computer. Great. We stopped at Tim Horton’s to grab a sandwich for Janet which she devoured back at Connect. We had a good little Skype chat with Andrew after that. Janet had some difficulty putting sentences together but her volume level was decent. Bob took her to the gym for a little Shuttle work, Janet was reluctant to go but did so I hope believing its good for her.

It’s been a while since I did any formal “school work” with Janet but managed to get her doing some matching and reading on the iPad after the gym. I think she got into it because she could tap her way through some of it instead of just staring at pictures or cards on a table. She did amazingly well I thought. Big improvement. She didn’t think it was a big deal but was happy enough to try some reading next. I was very impressed with her ability to follow a sentence and get most of the words. The last time I had her read to me she was clearly going three or four words in then jumping down to the next line. Today she was going the entire seven or eight words then getting the first word of the next line but not the whole line. She sometimes would make up words she thought should follow the word she just read but would correct herself when I called her on it. Janet still didn’t think it was a big deal but I made sure to heap praise on her. High five!

While staff member Carl cooked dinner, Janet set the table for everyone. I had to coach her along a little and she gave a solid effort, clearly liking being able to contribute. The highlight of the day came when Carl brought in his seven week old dachshund puppy, Charlie.

20130218-220735.jpg So cute and so tiny. Janet loved him and I actually did too. He slept in my arm during dinner.

Janet elected to watch a little tv before bed and faded rapidly. Her former peg site is healing really well and not bothering her at all. She had a good toileting day and a pretty successful day over all. Praying for rest and healing tonight and a productive day tomorrow.

Purging #TSJ

I got the sense that Janet had a bit of a restless night last night as she seemed to be tossing and turning quite a bit. Not that she can toss and turn very well but I did notice her moving a fair bit and on a good night she barely moves once. When she opened her eyes she was ready to go though and wasted no time in getting up. The only plan for the day was to go to church for eleven so when Janet was dressed by nine I thought we had tons of time and offered her pancakes for breakfast. She of course jumped on that idea and when all was said and done we were in the car at 10:40 and in jeopardy of not getting the only seat in the house that allows Janet a good view of the stage even when people are standing. Thankfully we got that seat and enjoyed the message by Tony Campolo who had some intriguing things to say. Janet had a tough time staying awake despite Tony’s solid message, further testament to my theory of a restless night.

Back at home and after lunch Janet was eager to help me purge some of the kitchen cupboards. Really I think she would have done anything to avoid nap time. I didn’t pressure her on that as I really wanted her help with this project as there was a lot she could do that would be good therapy. We made it around the kitchen cupboard by cupboard and drawer by drawer with Janet spreading things out on the counter and table so we could see it all and make the decision whether to toss, donate, sell or keep. We filled a garbage bag of junk and have a lot to dispose of in other ways.

Two huge benefits came from our purging efforts. One was finding a box of straws. Janet failed the straw drinking test a while back so I was curious to see if she could do it now in hopes that it might get more liquids into her more rapidly. I gave her a straw in her glass of Fresca and she caught on right away and seemed to think it was fun enough to keep drinking that way the rest of the day, expect for her glass of wine later, that would be a no no. The other cool thing we found was a rocker knife. As soon as I saw it I remembered Janet using it from time to time but had totally forgotten about it. I think Mary/Gaga and Keith gave it to us when the cruised to Alaska or it could have been my mom after a similar trip?

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After our weekly Skype chat with Leslie I had Janet use it to chop some peppers and broccoli for dinner and she did very well with it. High five!

The late night last night, restless sleep and napless day today caught up with Janet as she started fading during dinner. By the time we got to Connect she was beyond tired and getting a little confused. She argued with me about going to bed so early, 8:30, who I was, Elfie, just some guy, not her husband and there is no way we’ve been married ten years. I’m convinced this all came from being over tired, not the little bit of wine or Dilatin side effects and by the time I turned the lights out she was smiling that peaceful about to sleep smile.

Praying for lots of rest tonight that brings more healing and prepares Janet for all her activities tomorrow. Thanking Jesus for the great weekend together.

Retirement #TSJ

After a sound sleep overnight Janet awoke with a big smile on her face, you know, the kind babies get when they’ve done something you now have to deal with. It had been a while for Janet so although not the nicest way to start the day it was a good thing, and we still managed to be ready in time for a visit from Hayley. She is a first year nursing student at UBCO and a family friend who needed a subject family for a school project. We had a nice chat about this whole experience and the impact it has had. Brought back some interesting memories, most importantly, realizing again just how many terrific people have been caring for and supporting Janet, and me, from day one. We are blessed. Hayley’s mom blessed us again with some amazing cookies. Janet wasn’t able to have any of the previous batches from Anne Marie so she really enjoyed the treat this afternoon.

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Before we knew it the morning was gone and it was time to prepare a late lunch. I ended up doing most of it as Janet was fading a little. That led to a short nap time before getting our dinner made early so we could go to the basketball game this evening. Pizzas were the plan as all we’d have to do when we got home was throw them in the oven. Janet did a great job of setting out ingredients, building hers and cleaning up afterwards. The whole process took way less time than I thought so we went for a walk in the sunshine before going to the game. Janet “drove” Nash while I drove her and she controlled him really well. It was nice to get some fresh air and sunshine.

When we got to UBCO for the game Janet admitted she wasn’t really feeling that into it. That changed quickly as the Heat were playing well and leading for most of the contest. I noticed her spending a lot of time watching the mascot as well. At least she was being entertained. She complained about the noise level towards the end of the game but it was a very exciting finish with the Heat winning in the final seconds and it was nice to witness some school spirit in that gym. It was especially nice having it happen at the last game for three senior players. We enjoyed watching them play over the last five years and although we don’t know them their retirement tonight brought back a lot of good basketball memories for us with Janet very confidently stating she remembers being at Laurel’s final game.

I’m really glad we made our pizzas ahead of time as it was still after eight when we started eating and that’s too late for Janet. She ate everything including ice cream for dessert and we watched the NBA All Star Saturday Night show while eating. Janet was nodding off in her chair right after the ice cream so I fast forwarded to see who won the Slam Dunk Contest and put her to bed.

Today seemed to fly by pretty quick. I guess that’s good. Praying for a good night of rest and healing and a joyful day tomorrow.

Helpful #TSJ

I took my time before going out to pick up Janet today knowing she’d be home all weekend. After doing some minor chores around the house I went for my first bike ride of the year. It was a beautiful sunny day and warm enough for shorts. Barely.

Janet was waiting patiently in the living room for me and after a final check of the wound care protocol we took off for home. We got there a little too late for a walk as the sun still sets a little too early so Janet played with Nash for a bit while I got things set for dinner. My plan for this weekend is to have Janet help out around the house as much as possible and tonight was a good start. She set the table for us and with no coaching got it all right except for missing forks and putting the knives and spoons on the wrong side. She pulled salad ingredients out of the fridge for us and I taught her how to tear the lettuce with one hand. She caught on really fast and after I chopped the peppers and tomatoes she added the croutons and tossed it all up. High five! Putting things back where they came from was a little challenging for her and she needed quite a bit of coaching on that. She also needed some help when it came to eating as well tonight. We had penne with meatballs thinking that would be easier to eat than spaghetti. But she struggled with the concept of stabbing with her fork, she always wants to scoop.

Friday night is turning into movie night for us and while scrolling through titles we came across The Kids Are Alright. I asked Janet if she remembered seeing it before and she said no but as I contained scrolling she said “there it is”. That was the one title she could read on the screen so we watched it “again”. Janet did not remember any of it but enjoyed it “again” and was able to give me a reasonable summary afterwards. Of course we paused about half way through for dessert. Vanilla frozen yogurt with butterscotch sauce is Janet’s new favorite.

The bedtime routine is a little longer now with having to change the dressing on her former peg site. It looks like its healing well to me. Janet fell asleep quickly and is looking forward to a fun day tomorrow. Praying for rest and healing tonight and recovery and learning tomorrow.

Tubeless #TSJ

Just finishing her morning routine as I arrived Janet was all smiles but her eyes showed a little apprehension as well. There was no time to spare as we headed for her doctor’s office and the much anticipated peg tube removal. Janet held it together quite nicely right up until her name was called. She calmed down as soon as we got into the room and was totally fine when her doctor came in. I wasn’t though as despite a conversation with Janet’s GI I could tell her doctor had no idea of what she was about to do. Before leaving Connect, Jess had applied a topical anisthetic around the peg site and the doctor was pleased with that work. I asked if she’d spoken to the GI and she said yes and that he repeated, “just pull it out”. And so it began. What should have taken thirty seconds took more than thirty minutes including a call to the GI for further instructions which came back as “pull harder”. Janet was very calm and patient during all of this but when the tube finally came out she burst into tears. Can’t blame her as the suddenness with which the thing loudly popped out surprised us all. In the end it was a good learning experience for us all and even if the doctor had done it a hundred times before there was no other way to do it than pull harder. Now the healing process begins with the hole apparently sealing over within a matter of hours and the wound needing care for a little over a week maybe.

This is me flushing her tube for the last time.

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Before the doctor left I made sure to ask two questions. One was about Janet traveling. Can she? If not, what has to happen before she can? The doctor’s answer was as long as Janet is strong enough to last the time it takes to go somewhere, do it. She recommended some short drives before attempting a flight anywhere and said there is nothing stopping Janet from going anywhere other than her stamina. I think I feel a sushi run to the coast coming on. My other question was about alcohol. I received a shocking yes to this one as well. No harm in having a glass of wine with dinner once in a while. Janet was smiling big as her doctor said this. Never thought I’d get that response ever. Yay!

Janet was absolutely fine within minutes of the extrication and we were on our way home for lunch. She had a well deserved relaxing time before we went house hunting this afternoon. We were visiting a new condo building that I was quite hopeful for but the floor plans are just too tight for someone in a wheelchair. Since we were in the area and needed a nice white wine for dinner we stopped at Discover Wines and thanks to Kris, a former CedarCreeker, we went home with a nice Desert Hills Viognier.

It was kind of late but I tricked Janet into a rest time anyways and as she was laying down she said “I’m pooped” and slept for well over an hour. She would have slept more if she hadn’t been woken up by the dog barking because some other dog was barking. She still loves him though.

Dinner was made even nicer by being able to enjoy the Viognier. It was a nice pairing with our Basa Thermidor.

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Desert was a scrumptious heart shaped macaron for two from Sandrine French Pastry and Chocolate. Thanks Sandrine! The only down side to the day was it was too short. Back at Connect Bob changed the dressing on Janet’s former peg site and coached me on how to look after it this weekend. Janet was happy the day was over and is looking forward to a more relaxing weekend.

Praying for a restful night and a strong day of rehab tomorrow. Thanking Jesus for the progress Janet has made and for all the people that have helped get her here.

Butterflies #TSJ

Janet was waiting for me in the living room having just watched a soccer game on TV. She said it was a good game but couldn’t tell me who played. Lorne gave me the run down of her day so far and it was good. Janet had a good workout in the gym this morning with Lorne and Jess including some kneeling which she said hurt a little but was good. Mary Lou visited Janet for some Speech and was impressed with Janet’s increased vocal volume. Mary Lou has a program on her lap top that allows her to record the decibel level of Janet’s voice so she got a good baseline today and can now monitor Janet’s progress more accurately.

Today was the day for a little blood work to be done to ensure the levels of Dilatin are where they should be so I loaded Janet into the car and drove down to the lab. Prior to being stabbed Janet started to cry but stopped when she realized it was over, which was like ten seconds later. She thought she was having her peg tube removed then. She is quite nervous about that which should make for an interesting morning tomorrow. I offered her a stop at Starbucks on the way back to Connect but she declined. Turned down the pub too. She did accept an invite for a rest period and had a good one for over an hour.

Janet awoke refreshed and ready to help prepare dinner. Garrett had everyone helping to make chicken fajitas and Janet’s job was chopping onions. A regular knife proved too hard for her but she did well with a rocker knife and only needed some light guidance from me. Everyone got to build their own fajita once everything was ready and Janet loved that part almost as much as she enjoyed eating it. Garrett mentioned that he will discuss the dinner program at tomorrow’s coaches meeting. I think he’s got a good thing going here. We found out it was Garrett’s birthday today so after dinner I had Janet deliver him a happy face lollipop and that earned her a nice thank you hug.

In the spirit of Valentines Day I changed up Janet’s nail polish to a nice bright red. Not sure what she thinks of all this but she humors me anyways.

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Suzanne dropped by just as I was finishing Janet’s nails and stayed for a nice visit. I was impressed by some of Janet’s responses to Suzanne’s questions especially on Heather’s wedding plans, what each kid is doing now and who is visiting next. She remembered that Mike has threatened to visit this month but forgot he’s her brother and thought he was the “third youngest”. Youngest what we never did figure out. Still good signs of more short term memory coming back.

Janet did well at getting ready for bed and was tired but also worked up a little about the peg tube removal tomorrow. I asked Bob to check on her a couple times before he leaves at eleven just to make sure she is settled. Praying for a fun and productive day tomorrow.

Two Sleeps #TSJ

Janet met me in the hallway as she returned from a reading session in the Den. She was quite smiley and chatty saying she was having a good day. She mentioned going to the gym and having lunch and reading and while she tried hard to say what she had for lunch, just couldn’t get it out. Lorne reminded her it was grilled cheese and she smiled big when she heard that. Sensing she needed a bit of a break after reading I lead her to the living room to watch some TV before Brian’s scheduled session at three.

It was good to chat with Brian this afternoon so we could all get up to speed with each other. He reads this Blog daily so is well aware of what Janet has been up to and that enabled us to talk about bigger picture items such as the wheelchair, food and transfers. I requested a few tweaks to the chair before we purchase it and Brian is confident those will be done without problem. He had read about the beef stew incident and I was able to tell him about Garrett’s meal plan that is in writing somewhere and he said he’d find it and follow up on its implementation. He encouraged a discussion with Tez over which form of transfer Janet should be focusing on now. I’ve been using mostly a standing transfer where Tez would prefer using the sliding board probably feeling it’s too early for Janet to do the standing thing and he’s probably right. I paid close attention to our transfers today and although Janet is stepping with her left leg without cueing now I notice she is not really holding her body that straight, I’m doing most of that, and her right leg is taking virtually no weight at all. I’ll use the sliding board between her bed and wheelchair and other chairs and will stand her for toilet transfers.

Time for a bio break after Brian’s visit. Success again! I then had Janet put her laundry away which she seemed quite pleased to do and was happy when she completed that task. I need to find more chores like that for her to do as she is now not at all interested in the board games. The last couple of days she has demonstrated some real assertiveness and I can sense her wanting to do more constructive things. After a brief rest time she started getting up from bed and got a little mad at me for being in her way. I now realize that reaction came from a “I can do this myself” perspective and she did. I backed right off and said nothing and she got herself all the way to sitting and was quite pleased.

We headed down to see what was happening in the kitchen where Garrett was preparing a nice salmon dinner. Janet asked if she could help with anything but most of it was done by that time so we watched a little more TV until dinner was served. Janet really enjoyed the meal and was too full for dessert. We hung out in the living room for a little while after and I threw some family geography questions at her. She did pretty well, correctly answering where she was born, where Andrew lives and where we met. We had a heated argument over where her mom and Keith live with her finally relenting when she remembered we visited them in Collingwood a couple of summers ago.

I have been counting down until Thursday when Janet gets her peg tube removed and think I am more excited about it than she is. Only two sleeps to go! Originally I figured that was because I deal with it way more than she does but tonight it came to the surface that she’s afraid it will hurt when it comes out. I explained as much of the procedure as I know to her and then changed the subject to focus on the more fun things we are doing that day and she calmed down then. The time I’m spending with Janet is split pretty evenly now between moments of heightened awareness and real insightfullness and moments where she just isn’t processing things effectively. We had another talk on the importance of the afternoon rest time this evening as she lost her energy before 7:30 tonight where as when she has that rest she can go strong until 8:30. I got a little bit of a “so what” from her but I think deep down she knows the rest makes a difference. Before bed I read to her a Christmas letter she started writing a couple of years ago that I found while purging some cupboards today. Janet’s writing has always been very difficult to read and this was no different and we both had a good laugh trying to decipher what she had scribbled. Janet says she remembers writing that letter and I believe her as she wrote some things there that are true Janet things to say and I could see the recognition on her face before she even said anything. Cool.

Praying for rest tonight and an active day of learning and recovery tomorrow.