therapy

Janet, A Success Story. July 7. #TSJ

Getting back into her routine at Connect seemed easy for Janet today. She completed her exercises by lunchtime except for the Standing Frame and got some sun tanning time in before nap time. Yesterday I had asked her to check and see if Jess could drive her to the Dr. Miller appointment tomorrow and Janet remembered to do that. Her memory is steadily improving as is her walking ability. After helping her up from nap time I had her walk to the kitchen to set the table and she did so quicker and more confidently than ever. She did use the wall for security purposes a few times but it seems that letting her do that is actually building her confidence rather than making her dependant on that “crutch”. Janet got the table set in record time and made some really nice 180 degree turns in the process, something she has long struggled with.

Escaping to the warmth of the patio after her chore was done Janet and I hid out there until dinner was ready and Karl and Chelsea agreed to back off on the damn A/C. Janet continued her excellent walking after dinner before getting in the Standing Frame. After properly repairing her wheelchair we were able to go for a nice sunset walk around the neighbourhood. To end the day, Janet had one more round trip of walking to do to get her meds and even though she was getting tired she did very well. No signs of falling and a good steady pace. She was sweating by the time she got back to her room but I think happy with her accomplishments, especially naming the meds correctly with only minor hints.

We are reading a Judy Blume book now called Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. I’m not sure where we got the recommendation but its working out much better than the Toni Braxton story. This one is funny and fast paced and full of young girl things that Janet easily relates to. She had lots of good giggles tonight and that always makes it a little easier to say goodnight. Praying for a good rest tonight and for a good visit with Dr. Miller tomorrow.

Janet, A Success Story. July 1. #TSJ New Hair

There wasn’t much going on for Canada Day in Lake Country tonight so it was a good thing Connect took a bunch of residents over to the festivities in the park this morning. Janet was super excited to tell me she’d seen “some doggies doing a show”. Sounded like a Super Dogs kind of thing and she loved it.

They spent pretty much the whole morning over there which meant all of Janet’s gym work had to be done after her nap. She did have a nap today and was refreshed enough to not protest going to the gym. I did insist that she arrange it with Garrett by walking down to the kitchen area first and told her I’d meet her there. This was the first time I’ve left her unsupervised walking at Connect and I was more than a little nervous about it. Janet clearly was not though and made it down in good time, cheating a little bit by hanging onto the wall for the last few feet. Garrett and I told her if she keeps doing that she’ll have to wash the walls each day. I don’t think that will actually deter her but I do hope she stops doing that soon. Garrett ran her through the Shuttle and some stretching then I supervised the bike ride. Janet did well with them all.

The rest of the evening was pretty quiet with Janet walking a lot on her own, completing a Standing Frame session and watching a little TV. The most exciting thing today was the surprise I got when I went to get Janet up from her nap and saw her hair in a ponytail. I knew her hair was getting long and am glad we are now able to do something different with it.

Rockin the Pony

Rockin the Pony


She loves it too so now I have to learn some new tricks. If anyone wants to give lessons let me know. Praying for lots of sleep and a fun Wednesday.

Janet, A Success Story. June 23. #TSJ Back to Work

The transition back to “work” for Janet seemed to go real well as when I got to Connect late this afternoon Janet gave me one of her best daily run downs ever. She seemed very bright and her memory was working almost shockingly well. According to her, all her exercises were done and the report she gave me was so good I didn’t feel a need to verify it.

By the time we were done talking and Janet was up and dressed it was dinner time. We ate outside in the beautiful 28 degree sunshine while the rest of the house sat in the freezing cold air conditioning. They think we are crazy. I think Janet may come home sooner if Connect is going to be so ridiculously cold.

In keeping with her increased brightness, Janet, on a number of occasions started walking around her room unassisted and without being asked. Her confidence level has never been higher I don’t think and it translated into me sometimes not even watching as she moved about her room. Considering she barely freestyle walked at all in Ottawa I was really surprised she attempted and did it so much today. Near the end of the night she relied on me more, even to the point of refusing to go to the kitchen from the living room for a cookie. Because I wouldn’t hold her hand she turned around in the middle of the floor and walked back to the couch, turned and sat all by herself. She thought she was depriving me of something I wanted her to do when in fact she practiced turning and sitting without hanging onto anything. I could not have gotten her to do that voluntarily and may have discovered a new strategy.

We spent some time reading and catching up on emails. Janet did a good job on all fronts especially typing where once she got warmed up was even hitting the space bar without prompting. A new thing for her.

The wedding of course is top of everyone’s discussion list with Janet and she was thrilled to sit and share some pictures with Chelsea and Karl tonight. She gets a little excited when doing things like that and sometimes skips over some detail she ought to point out and forgets names but all in all she did a good job describing each pic. She very smoothly recounted the great job Courtney did with her hair and laughed along with the rest of us at the pig tails that were put in to hold some hair out of the way for a bit. It’s nice to hear Janet laugh at things like that instead of commenting on how “awful” she thinks she looks.

The process begins

The process begins

Funny but cute too

Funny but cute too

Final touches

Final touches

Ready!

Ready!

Praying for another outstanding day tomorrow.

Janet, A Success Story. June 14. #TSJ

This pretending to change time zone thing is not that easy, especially trying to tie it into Janet’s nap time and regular bedtime. If she’s not tired she can’t sleep. We are making progress on it though and hope to be on Eastern Time tomorrow.

Today was fairly routine save for one big moment this evening. The morning consisted of Miss Independent making her breakfast then having a bit of a giggle session with her mom on Skype. Then the work began. At risk of being old and prepared way too soon, we started packing. It feels like we are forgetting something already as Janet is packed in a very small suitcase and I’m not using my largest one either. Seems odd but good if it works.

Nash was on a sleep over with our friend Annie, who is going to look after him while we’re gone and we made a quick trip to pick him up. He was OK with coming home but seemed very comfortable at Annie’s house too. We went without the wheelchair and Janet did some nice walking up a large ramp to the front door of the building.

Nap time was a little early with the time change but Janet didn’t protest, she just didn’t sleep that long. The sun was shining bright when she woke so I plunked her out in it for forty five minutes while I made our early dinner. All warmed up and fed we headed out to church where I helped Janet walk all the way to the door to the auditorium. I then challenged her to walk down the aisle to our seats. This time there was resistance but she caved in quickly and for the first time walked freestyle all the way down the aisle and right into her seat! Outstanding!

As we continue to pretend its later than it really is we had dessert after church instead of dinner while watching some touching and amazing stories and performances on America’s Got Talent. A reluctant Janet was in bed at 9:30 real time, 11:30 pretend, saying she would not go to sleep, she’s snoring as I write.

Praying for a fun and productive Sunday on Eastern Time.

Janet, A Success Story. June 11. #TSJ

Nap time was late for Janet today. She called me at 2:40 to say she’d finished her workout and was going for a nap. There was no particular reason for being so late and she didn’t even do all of her gym activities, everything just took a long time to get done. There was an opportunity to go sailing this morning but Janet turned it down thinking she’d only have to do all her other stuff later in the day. When I explained its OK to do different things once in a while and not do every single regular activity, a light seemed to come on, so maybe next time she’ll say yes.

Janet was ready to get up when I arrived and she asked to get her bike ride over with. The walk to the gym was not Janet’s best but she did it then put in a really good bike ride. The walk back was better but she still seemed a little off so I let her hold my hand all the way to her room then down for dinner. Seeming a little off was an understatement after dinner. Janet’s chore of the day was to empty the sanitizer and put away the dishes. Last time she did this it went really well, tonight she got it done but under major protest and with a couple pretty good meltdowns. Not sure why, but it seemed like her confidence level was way down and her balance a little off. Her right leg action appeared to be coming much more from her hip than usual too. The freestyle walking trip to get her meds at the end of the evening was pretty good so I’m putting it all down to a bad day and hope that a more relaxed day tomorrow will rejuvenate her.

Since its Janet’s birthday next week and Humberto’s on Sunday the house is having a picnic for them in Vernon tomorrow. Janet doesn’t think it’ll be fun but I know Jess made a carrot cake for her so that at least is one good thing.

Praying that Janet has a solid night of healing sleep and wakes up tomorrow with a positive attitude and a willingness to fully participate in everything she’s asked to do.

Janet, A Success Story. June 10. #TSJ

Thankfully, Janet slept well last night and is no longer experiencing any ear pain. Her gym activities went well this morning and she was in good spirits when she called me while in the Standing Frame.

I tried to go to Connect a little later than usual but find it hard to do that and got there with Janet still napping. I lay down beside her and twenty minutes later she woke up looking at me and said “that was a nice idea”, followed by a bunch of mumbled words. When she really woke up a few seconds later she acknowledged she had been dreaming. I’ve asked Janet a few times during her recovery if she had dreamt at all and her answer has always been no. I’ve heard her talking in her sleep and am not sure if that’s connected so today will be noted as Janet’s first dream and I’m thrilled to report that it involved the entire family on a cruise somewhere sunny and warm, possibly Hawaii. There’s hope yet!

As soon as Janet was up she walked freestyle down to the kitchen to ask what her house chore was to be today. Chelsea assigned her dusting duties and Janet walked a lap of the living room with a feather duster as I coached her on where to stand in order to reach everything. She did a great job and was justifiably tired when she got back to her room. I’d say she was on her feet with no assistance for a good half hour. In light of that I helped her walk down to dinner going as fast as she could without tripping over herself. If I have to help her I’m going to make sure she’s going fast each time so she gets that rhythm going better. One negative about her freestyle walking right now is she pauses between steps too long sometimes and doesn’t believe me she’s wasting energy that way. It wouldn’t be so bad if she was putting equal weight on both legs but Janet still favours her left one significantly.

We practiced some reading before walking up to Games Night. Janet put in her best performance yet and actually said “it was kinda fun” after. Her Dilantin levels are in a really good range now and I credit that with some of her cognitive improvements.

Janet enjoyed the chapter of Unbreak My Heart that we read tonight and understood it very clearly and that makes it fun for me to read to her. Praying for another good night of rest and an active Wednesday.

Janet, A Success Story. June 6. #TSJ

Janet’s bonus day at home wasn’t exactly all fun and frolic as she would’ve liked. After breakfast which Janet made all on her own and just before we left she emptied the drier and folded that laundry. She was home alone for that part as I had to retrieve the dog from the groomer. That was the only test we could do for Janet hanging out on her own as the rest of the day was jam packed.

We were out and about for a good two hours with Janet hanging in there nicely, especially at the grocery store. The sunshine made it much more enjoyable to be running around the places we were and Janet was able to go wheelchair free into our financial advisor’s office. He of course was thrilled and impressed to see Janet walking.

Since Janet helped pick out some of the food supplies she felt able to choose something other than grilled cheese for lunch and made herself a nice sandwich and sat in the sun to enjoy it. Trying to go wheelchair free at home is difficult as Janet isn’t strong enough to use the steps out to the patio. We may have to do some work on that.

Tonight was our Small Group meeting and we welcomed one more participant to the discussion. That made a big difference and two hours flew by quickly. Janet participated well despite one stretch where she zoned out a little. Like SheLife, its not really the content that gets Janet going but being able to join in a conversation.

I promised some kayaking pictures and here they are courtesy of Jess.

Ready?

Ready?


Fun?

Fun?

Survived!

Survived!

Praying for a fun Saturday.

Janet, A Success Story. June 5. #TSJ

Always able to surprise, Janet surprised again this morning by agreeing to go kayaking. She is registered with the CHRIS program who do adaptive hiking, biking and kayaking around the Okanagan. Janet was pressured into trying this somewhat and I’m glad she followed through. No surprise at all that she didn’t like it and doesn’t want to go again. I wasn’t able to be there and am awaiting pictures so you will have to settle for one of us and Big Country at the beach last night just before the pine cone fight.

Beasley Park, Wood Lake

Beasley Park, Wood Lake

Because of a number of appointments today and tomorrow Janet got to start her weekend today and instead of crossing off one appointment, another one was created. Janet has been complaining for a few weeks of a “plugged” left ear so we went to the doctor today. She has a lot of wax buildup in both ears and now has to go back Monday to get them flushed out. Good thing she mentioned it so we can remedy it before Ottawa.

I waited all day to get Janet home so we could watch the semi final tennis match between Genie Bouchard and Maria Sharapova. It was well worth the wait and Janet showed a much better awareness of what was happening than ever before. She could read the score easily each time I asked and she reacted appropriately to big plays as they happened. Fun to watch, Janet and the match.

The way the day was scheduled left no time for a nap so Janet was in bed asking me to read by 9:30 ish and was sleeping soundly by ten. Praying for a solid night of sleep and a productive Friday.

Janet, A Success Story. June 4. #TSJ

Today was team meeting day at Connect and Janet was waiting for everyone in the Den and feeling pretty good about it all. Mary Lou had arranged for Janet to be the first Connect Resident to start their own meeting and Janet read a list of her goals, challenges and strategies right at the top of the meeting. Janet read the typed notes as Mary Lou uncovered each line one by one and prompted Janet now and then. She was very confident in addressing the group and is slowly getting better with reading.

Improved reading is one of Janet’s goals and Mary Lou is confident Janet will get to the level she wants to get to. Reading the children’s stories has been great even to the point of Janet giving voices to the different characters. That level of reading will continue as it’s fun and is building Janet’s confidence.

Janet listed walking as another of her goals and the thought there is to continue walking at every opportunity and use the wheelchair as little as possible. Janet used it twice today, once to go to the bathroom after her nap and once when the house went for an evening walk to the beach. She did ask for her chair a few times during the day but is starting to get used to hearing no for an answer.

Doing more at home was another Janet goal and it lead perfectly into a discussion of a graduated return to home. Starting after the July long weekend, Janet will be home Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the balance of the summer. The team will come up with ideas for activities Janet can do on her own while at home including domestic chores, she mentioned laundry, reading and even listening to an audio book. The focus of that extra day at home will be to try and familiarize Janet with things she can do around the house for when I’m not there. Possibly come September, Janet would be home Mondays as well, up until the last few weeks before coming home full time, then we might try something like staying at home each night and driving out for therapies each morning for a half day. Once home full time Janet may get to participate in an outpatient program at KGH to take advantage of the fact she is still making significant gains on all fronts. That idea needs the approval of Dr. McCann and Brian will get that ball rolling soon.

Team meetings have always been productive for us even though they wear on Janet a bit. She had another meeting right afterwards with a lady doing research on the cognitive therapies Janet receives. That made lunch late but we enjoyed it together outside in the sunshine. Janet of course hadn’t had any exercise other than walking all day but that and the meeting wore her out enough that she had a good long nap late this afternoon waking up in time to get a bike ride in before dinner.

The evening was nice and sunny so Curtis and Chelsea offered everyone a chance to walk to the beach. Janet was surprisingly reluctant but went and really enjoyed it, especially the pine cone fight with Wes.

Happily in bed early, Janet read a little before I read a lot of Unbreak My Heart, a book Janet says she is really enjoying a lot now. Praying for a lot of sleep tonight and a positive attitude tomorrow.

Janet, A Success Story. June 3. #TSJ

Janet was all done with her exercises by the time I got to Connect this afternoon. Jess told me the wheelchair was hardly used so Janet had done a lot of walking again. She slept like it, right until 4 o’clock! This does seem to be a better routine for her and if it can continue then I may delay my arrival as there’s no point to me being there while she’s sleeping.

We did get to sit in the sun for a while before dinner after a good walk from Janet’s room. There was no protesting Games Night tonight, possibly because Janet was too busy complaining about walking there. I had her walk freestyle from her room to the elevator, about 80 feet then helped her the first 50 feet to the Pool Room in hopes she would do the last bit herself. No way. She did participate very well in the various thinking games played and even volunteered to do the guessing on the Guess the Famous Person game. Hers was Superman and she got it pretty quick.

After a good walk back to her room Chelsea informed us there was a rainbow outside so Janet got even more walking in to see that. There’s something about rainbows that seems to get everyone excites no matter their age.

Enjoying the view.

Enjoying the view.


Janet practiced some reading before I read to her tonight. She’s seeing words better but still needs a lot of coaching to move her head to the right to make sure she sees the entire line. The good news about all that is Janet really wants to read well so is quite willing to practice.

Praying for a restful night and an energetic Wednesday.