therapy

Janet, A Success Story. May 10. #TSJ

After a big sleep in this morning Janet made her own breakfast then tried to compose an email by herself. She is getting pretty good at using the talk to text function on Gmail and I’m teaching her to use Siri on the iPad but her speech isn’t always clear enough to allow for a clean translation. Her email took a long time to compose but she did a solid job.

We chose to run a few errands while we could, one of which was to pick up her new shoe that had the strap sewn onto it. Janet test drove that pair at church tonight and other than being a little noisy they seemed good, good enough that she walked all the way from the car to her seat without complaining and only stopping briefly to chat once along the way. That was her farthest walk yet and it was repeated in reverse after the service. Big high five!

There was a Social Club event at our strata’s clubhouse tonight that we joined in on as soon as we got home. It involved playing a rather silly dice game called Bunco but the real fun was in hanging out with the neighbours for a couple hours. The game required moving from table to table each round and Janet and I played separately so she was at a different table than me most of the night. At first I wasn’t sure if she would enjoy that but each time I looked over at her she seemed to be smiling bigger and by the end of the night she admitted it was OK. High praise in Janet’s book.

Popcorn and American Idol closed another late night but what the heck, as long as Janet is awake enough and engaged in something I’ll let her do it and she enjoyed the show and especially the popcorn.

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

Janet, A Success Story. May 8. #TSJ

My lunch hour phone call to Janet today caught her full of energy and talking really loud. It wasn’t just her phone, she was amped up, giggly, loud and confident. Nice to hear although she still has challenges in bringing out key words.

The Janet I found when I got to Connect later on was tired and sapped of energy. She said she slept but it didn’t look like it to me. There wasn’t a lot of motivation to do any exercise but she was happy to go do her duty prepping dinner as indicated on her daily schedule. Chelsea had her helping to make breaded pork chops, rice and corn on the cob. Janet thought the whole process was “ridiculous” and it was a little chaotic and unorganized but still good she helped.

With time to wait before the dinner was served I encouraged Janet to go for a bike ride hoping that would perk her up a little. She said she was tired but turned in a very respectable ride and it did liven her up. Janet walked well from her room to the dining table and then back to her room. She complained a little of a sore right foot again and we’ll keep an eye on it. It didn’t seem to bother her later in the evening, especially when she free walked from her bed to her room door and then from her bed to the bathroom. I didn’t even ask her to do that one and she made it the whole way without grabbing me once. High five!

Respecting her low energy levels we did a bunch of Speech type work tonight that included reading, typing emails, voicing emails and a Skype chat with Laurel. Turned out to be a good use of time as Janet did well with all tasks.

The results of Janet’s blood work were emailed to me tonight and the Dilantin is still at the high end of the therapeutic range with no reply from the neurologist yet. An answer soon would be nice as I’m starting to see some signs of side effects with Janet or maybe I just think I am. I do think it’s strange the levels are so high all of a sudden but at least they are staying there now.

Janet was in bed by 9:30 and really wanted me to read but by 10ish she had fallen asleep numerous times and seemed out for the count so I said goodnight. Praying for a night of rejuvenating sleep and lots of energy for tomorrow.

Janet, A Success Story. May 7. #TSJ

Getting needles stuck into her is one of Janet’s favourite things. Not. Yesterday was one little one for a blood test, today was multiple large ones for Botox. Both for good causes but neither very pleasant. Dr. McCann administered today’s treatment at his office which is only a ten minute walk from our house so we walked. Janet thought I meant really walk at first but that would be a little extreme. Janet did walk into the office though and Dr. McCann made sure to point out how much Janet has improved since he saw her last. We changed the plan of attack a little today and left Janet’s right fingers alone as they are looking pretty good. That part of the dosage was targeted at Janet’s right elbow in hopes of limiting its pronating. The right leg treatment stayed the same and with Janet’s overall improvement Dr. McCann wants to space out the treatments more so we are now every four months instead of three. I asked what the indicator would be for the ending of treatments and he said Janet walking with a cane for one or two blocks. I explained Janet doesn’t like the cane so she’d be walking free style and he said great. Janet then gave a little demonstration of her free style walking by putting four steps back to back. On our walk home I pointed out where she’d have to walk to from our place and she asked if that was supposed to be some sort of incentive. I’m hoping that was a rhetorical question.

Fresh from a nap Janet enjoyed some time in the sun before going to SheLife. We arrived on time but as I turned the last corner into the parking lot Janet tried to place her water bottle back in its holder and missed a little so the entire contents ended up in her lap. The only option was to race back home to change. That prevented her from being able to walk in as I was hoping she would to work in that Botox. Oh well. This was the last session at the church as next week Heidi is having her table over to her house then SheLife is over until September. Janet was excited to tell me she got to speak during their discussion time and reiterated how much she appreciates everyone there.

When we got back to Connect it was late of course and Janet needed a bathroom break so she missed that opportunity to walk as well. I guess its OK if she gets rested up and starts fresh tomorrow. Praying for a long night of deep sleep and an abundance of physical activity tomorrow.

Janet, A Success Story. May 6. #TSJ

I think I’ve figured out how to get Janet to sleep earlier, work her butt off. Today was a marathon of walking for Janet starting with Tez in the sling this morning. He took her up there right after breakfast so there wasn’t time for me to get there but all reports, even from Janet, are that it was a good session. Besides walking the laid out course Tez pushed Janet from behind at times and had Jess pull Janet quickly from in front at times as well. Both techniques designed to help Janet with momentum. She even did a little free walking with them.

When I arrived this afternoon Janet had just gone to bed but needed the bathroom and after that disruption really never got to sleep. As we talked about the day I realized I had forgotten to request a trip to the lab for her this morning so we decided to go before dinner. I challenged Janet to make the trip without her wheelchair and she walked from her room to the car, from the car down a switchback ramp then down a long corridor to the lab entrance. The tech saw her coming in walking and cheered her on. Janet repeated the course after getting stabbed, thereby completing her first wheelchair free outing!

After a rest in the sun Janet agreed to get her bike ride in before dinner and walked from the patio to her room. I let her wheel to the gym but set the bike to level five instead of four and she set a new distance record of 3.4 miles in 30 minutes that included three hills. High five!

Dinner got devoured, no surprise, while we practiced Spanish with Big Country. Janet even pulled out some German she learned in high school and a little French. Janet had walked to the dining area and therefore had to walk back to her room afterwards. She started to complain a little of a sore right foot on the way to her room so I took her shoe and AFO off for a bit to have a look and give her a rest. There are no pressure points that I can see and she walked well up to the Pool Room for Games Night following that brief breather. The feature game of the evening was Heads Up which once everyone got the hang of being able to shout out clues when they wanted, was a lot of fun. Even Janet enjoyed.

The walk back to her room was clearly pushing the limits but before she was done for the night Janet walked free style from her bed to the bathroom door! She kept saying she couldn’t do it after each couple of steps then low and behold she was there. Awesome!

Janet really wanted me to read to her but after all that walking she fell asleep within a few minutes of me starting. Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep.

Janet, A Success Story. May 5. #TSJ

Its a good thing Janet got lots of rest over the weekend as today was a big work day for her. Jess had her in the gym and walking this morning. Wendy had her and the other residents filling out daily schedules that they need to follow and check things off as they complete them. Janet was not thrilled with that idea as she doesn’t “like people telling me what to do”. When I explained it was a way for her to map out what she had to do each day she was more accepting of it. All this info is on Janet’s calendar on her iPhone so I guess its time to teach her how to access that better.

Nap time was without sleep again for the most part and Janet admitted to being “out of it” as I helped her get up. To her credit she suggested doing something active to get herself going again so off to the Shuttle we went. Janet is slowly getting stronger and more able to control her right leg. The increases are minimal but there. Her effort was good and overall she showed stronger than a week ago. It took a lot of convincing but Janet got onto the Tilt Table next and tolerated it for thirty minutes. I was impressed by her ability to stand on her right leg for a count of four or five and pleased that she’s starting to recognize the benefits her left leg receives when she shares the load with the right.

Karl’s chicken curry was too spicy for Janet so we switched dinners tonight then started the real work, walking. Janet is pleased with her new shoes and I notice more stability for the left foot with them and we had a nice warm up walk from the kitchen to her room. That used to be the absolute extreme for Janet, now its a warm up. After a break and chat in her room we headed back to the kitchen to ask Chelsea if she would assist with the sling. Janet was nervous about doing this but is starting to understand the safety aspect of it and I think thats what allowed her to agree to do it tonight. Compared to her first attempt last Thursday she was a hundred times better tonight. After a forced fall to better understand the equipment Janet walked around the course really well and without complaining until she got tired. Her cornering was great and as long as she keeps momentum she walks quite well. Fear still controls her a little but I saw a lot of confidence creeping through tonight. The last walk of the night came as a trip to get her meds and feeding off that increase in confidence I had Janet free walk from her bed to the door of her room. She made it half way in what was her best free walk yet. I’m excited for what tomorrow brings as hopefully Tez will work on the sling with her and hopefully I can be there.

“Exhausted” after all that walking Janet was happy to sit down and reply to some emails. She typed one to her mom with very little help from me then voiced a couple of others as the concentration it took to type wore her out a little. Or maybe a lot as she was asleep before ten as I read to her.

Praying for continued improvement in Janet’s walking abilities and the confidence to keep working hard.

Janet, A Success Story. May 4. #TSJ

Sleep in Sunday felt pretty good and because of the late start Janet was able to power through the day without a nap.

The weekly Skype chat with Mary/Gaga happened during breakfast and I thought Janet participated well. It was soon after that we decided to go for a little walk around the neighbourhood and good thing we did it then as the weather deteriorated rapidly after that. It’s not really summer yet.

During our walk I had Janet test drive her new clogs and quickly realized the left one was just a little too loose so we jumped in the car and went back to Hollywood Shoes in search of a solution. The owner came up with a good one and I will be taking Janet’s shoe to a guy that will install a velcro strap on the back to hold her foot in better. Should work. Since we had the owner’s attention we broached the desire for an “everyday at Connect” shoe for Janet and moments later walked out with another pair of shoes for Imelda, I mean Janet. Except for some sandals she’s all set.

Lunch was taken during the time Janet would normally be napping and was followed by some really good walking practice. I even got a few free steps out of her. The reward for the workout was to sit on the couch for a bit and watch TV. We thankfully stumbled across a TED talk given by Gabby Giffords and her husband in Vancouver this March. Very inspiring and Janet noted the similarities between her and Gabby. Check it here if you like.

The topic of Janet’s dad came up and she surprised me in agreeing to call him. He sounded good and the conversation was reasonable and I think it brighten the day for them both. Keeping with the family theme and in need of a laugh Janet placed a FaceTime call to her brother Mike which was full of smiles and included cameos from members of the family that happened to be home. Janet felt good about reaching out in that way and actually mentioned she was happy we have the technology to do so. We used that technology to track down a college friend of Janet’s whom she hasn’t seen in thirty plus years. Janet is excited to reconnect with Helen, and it’ll be interesting to see how the “reunion” plays out. I was impressed to read that Helen was aware of Janet’s situation and can’t wait to find out how she knew.

Janet was a good help in making dinner with me tonight and thanks in part to good music in the background the preparation for and drive back to Connect were pleasant despite my unwillingness to have her leave. Janet excitedly showed off her new shoes and talked about the wine club to Chelsea upon our arrival, while walking to her room. She then stood at her dresser and put some laundry away. This required her to free stand and bend to reach the lower drawers and she did it well.

Bedtime reading produced some giggles and insightful comments from Janet and I was able to say goodnight satisfied she was settled in and ready for a productive week ahead. I’m thankful for the long weekend we had together and praying for lots of rest tonight and lots of energy tomorrow.

Janet, A Success Story. May 3. #TSJ

Today we eliminated one stressful item off of my to do list. Janet found shoes for the wedding! AFO lady had suggested a store called Hollywood Shoes and that was our first task of the day. Half an hour later we left the store with wedding shoes and a pair of clogs for outings away from Connect. Happy happy.

Since we were in the area we stopped by to see John who is still at the care home he doesn’t want to be in. It is a pretty sad place and John has yet to recapture his positive personality although he tries hard to put on a brave face. He was pleased to see us and Janet felt good about visiting him.

I eased Janet back into some walking practice today and I didn’t notice any real set back after the day off. The big test came at church this evening where she propelled in wearing her new clogs then walked down the aisle to her seat. She did well saying the left show feels a little loose. It was better on the way up the aisle after church and Janet thinks it’ll be fine but I will test her more tomorrow. Janet took a few steps on her own without even thinking about it and did a nice turn to her spot at the table without assistance. If she would just believe in herself she could do so much more.

We got some great news about our friend Wendy in Nanaimo this evening, she is off the respirator, conscious and “out of the woods”. Still in ICU but things look positive. Thanks to those who prayed for her.

Janet and I closed our day catching up on American Idol with Janet offering some good critiques and correctly naming who’d be sent home. Her favourite, surprisingly is Caleb.

Praying that Janet sleeps well and is bright and energetic for tomorrow.

Janet, A Success Story. May 1. #TSJ

What a difference going to the pool in summer weather. So much easier as Janet isn’t wearing fifteen layers of clothes to change out of and into and she’s not already cold before getting near the water. There were even bigger differences in her abilities today as opposed to a few months ago when she last went, such as, walking down the ramp into the kiddie pool with me leading then walking up it on her own using the handrail all the way to seating herself in a wheelchair. Walking down the stairs into the hot tub and up again using the handrail with me supporting at the hips. I used to have to carry her into the hot tub. High five!

Today’s agreement was for kiddie pool and hot tub only and I stuck to that as the whole point was to give Janet a safe environment to walk on her own in. It took a little while to get loosened up and confident but after a few attempts and some coaching from Tez Janet walked on her own for five or six steps at a time. She fell a few times and didn’t seem to mind at all and I think that eased her fear a little. For the most part she did a good job of pushing down with her right leg. The experience was good and in talking afterwards Janet was receptive to trying the sling once to compare.

That opportunity came sooner than Janet expected when she walked from her room to the kitchen after a nap to ask Curtis if he would help her before he left for the day. To Janet’s dismay, Curtis agreed. The difference in Janet’s walking in the water and using the sling is night and day so I had to rescind my offer of her choosing one or the other as the sling is just a million times better for her. She is scared and pouted a lot the first attempt but persevered and turned in an excellent walk around the ten foot square the sling allows her to travel in. Janet stood on her own for over five minutes arguing for us to take the sling off not even realizing she was standing on her own. She thinks that somehow it is holding her up and affecting what she does but its all her and on the last lap I think she started to realize that. She put good combinations of steps together, made really nice turns and corrected her balance well a few times. She lost it a few times too and I think started to understand how the sling prevents her from falling and nothing else. After a lot of sweat and hard work Janet completed what will now be a daily routine at Connect for her and should help her to make significant gains in walking on her own.

Having worked so hard today I gave Janet a pass for good behaviour and brought her home tonight. Along the way we stopped at the mall to do some shoe shopping. The lady that built Janet’s AFO stopped by Connect this afternoon and gave some advice as to the types of shoes Janet can wear with the biggest rule being no heals. For casual shoes, pretty much anything that fits will be fine and for the wedding it’s a lot more complicated. Janet is wanting a dressy shoe for that but is restricted by needing pretty much the whole shoe to open up in order to get it on her AFO. We found some that were close, one pair actually went on but just weren’t stylish enough for her. We may try more tomorrow.

Praying for strengthening of Janet’s right leg and confidence to keep working hard.

Janet, A Success Story. April 29. #TSJ

Another busy walking day for Janet with lots of time to warm up for it though. Jess took her and Angie to a nursery to buy some plants and herbs for the patio at Connect. Janet says it wasn’t fun but I’m sure it was better than being in the gym and it was sunny outside.

Tez had agreed to meet with Janet and I late this afternoon and Janet called me to confirm that appointment. I asked her to be rested up for that and when I got to her room she actually was asleep. Our meeting with Tez was quite helpful and insightful and hopefully gave Janet some confidence to keep working at this walking thing. She demonstrated walking with the cane, using me as the cane with me leading her and walking beside her. There was also a reluctant attempt at free walking so Tez could see first hand Janet’s entire repertoire. He was impressed and lamented that the sling at the parallel bars would be the best tool for Janet to use right now but she “hates” it and I don’t think we’ll get her in it but will try. In the meantime, Janet has agreed, quite readily, to meet Tez at the pool Thursday morning to do some walking in the warm water of the kiddie pool. A big part of Janet’s challenge is fear/confidence and Tez feels that a few falls with no risk of injury could help. Should be fun.

The few times Janet has used the Tilt Table she’s complained quite vociferously that it hurts and she’s not going on it again. I suggested she ask Tez if she needs to be doing it during today’s meeting and she did. Fortunately Tez had time to respond with “lets see you in it and we’ll go from there”. Janet walked to the Den with me leading and stepped onto the table reasonably well and Tez tried a few different positions to maximize the benefit for Janet. The end result is, yes, she needs to be doing it but now in a different manner than previous. Janet will be at ninety degrees with a safety strap at chest height and no support at her legs at all. In addition to no leg support she is to do some foot raises and side stepping while standing and stay in the thing for as long as possible. Tez wants to tire her right out with everything she does now, including walking. What was going to be a short let’s see what you look like session turned into a twenty minute workout for Janet and a good learning session for me and Jess. Janet rather smugly ended the session herself by undoing the velcro strap and stepping forward right to the edge of the table before grabbing me for her step down to the floor. She then impressed us all with a nice unassisted step to and turn to sit on the couch.

A tired Janet walked out to the lobby with me leading, got in her wheelchair and went to the gym for a Shuttle workout. I agreed to shorten the session based on all the walking and standing she’d just done and focussed on the right leg. Janet did well and never complained. After a toilet break we walked down to the dining area for dinner. Janet did complain a little along the way but persevered. With the sun still shining after dinner, Janet took a well deserved break in it’s warmth.

Ahhh

Ahhh


Games Night always produces a pouting session with tonight’s being much less than previous and Janet did very well with a lot of the questions given to her. She still came away saying “it’s stupid” but she’ll be back next week “just to watch”.

I meant to have Janet walk down to get her meds but she preempted me and arrived in her wheelchair struggling to find that word, meds, in her head. There has been an increase in her inability to find key words when speaking and it may have something to do with a high level of Dilantin in her system. Jess took her for a blood test this morning and Janet’s levels are very near the top of the therapeutic range for the second week in a row. I asked her doctor to seek the opinion of Janet’s neurologist, Dr. Adams and she agreed. No change in dosage until we hear from him.

While Curtis was getting Janet’s meds I had her get ready to walk back to her room and left her standing at the door to the med room while I parked her wheelchair. On her own, loosely hanging onto some shelving, Janet walked six feet into the room to get her meds from Curtis who was as surprised as me. Maybe she’s gaining confidence? Holding my hand to turn around to come back out of the room she forgot to step once and came very close to falling. A good lesson learned I hope. The walk to her room was very good considering how tired she was. Not tired enough to miss out on some Easter chocolate, some reading then ready for bed. It all caught up to her once she was tucked in and she was sleeping minutes later.

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

Janet, A Success Story. Walking Video. April 28. #TSJ

My day with Janet was short but busy as I worked late at CedarCreek and showed up at Connect as she was in the gym with Chelsea for her after dinner workout. Janet was in a much better mood than she is with me in the gym and said her day had been pretty good. The one thing I was really counting on for today didn’t happen though. Last week I had arranged for the lady who built Janet’s AFO to stop by and talk to us about shoes Janet could wear in summer clothes and at Heather’s wedding. Janet was all prepared with a list of questions and waited “all afternoon” to no avail. Apparently she’s coming Thursday now. Not impressed.

After a good Shuttle session Janet wheeled back to her room to prepare for a walk to the living room to then use the Tilt Table. Chelsea suggested using the cane but Janet insisted on using me and I agreed as I think she walks better that way. That also gave me the opportunity to try walking side by side with Janet, something we haven’t done in almost two years. Here’s a brief look at it on video (thanks Karl) along with a little free walking that Janet doesn’t seem to want to do with an audience. I asked her last night with Karl watching and she refused and she initially did today as well. Hopefully as she walks more she won’t worry about who’s watching.


The Tilt Table is a real challenge for Janet as she is forced to use her right leg or else collapse. She managed thirty minutes and after a ten minute rest on the couch walked back to her room. Played out, she stretched out on her bed while we checked emails and played some Four Pics One Word, a game she doesn’t like playing too much but is getting better at and I think is good brain exercise. Tonight she was responsible for typing out the answers and she did a good job. Being the tyrant that I am I insisted Janet walk to the med room to get her meds, that of course required walking back as well, so Janet did four lengths of the hallway tonight! High five each time.

That was enough torture for one night and all Janet wanted to do was read the rest of the time. She put in a great effort tonight and I think if she can keep this pace going we’ll be walking side by side regularly soon.

Praying that Janet sleeps well tonight and is fully able and willing to participate in all of tomorrow’s activities.