Trinity

Easy as 1,2,3. Janet returns to domestic duties and more. #TSJ

Another progressive week for Janet with some interesting trends starting to show.

On Thursday Janet was basking in the sun waiting for me with a big smile and a self initiated kiss. When I asked her why she was waiting for me she said “now we can have some fun”. Nice to know that she still thinks that way sometimes as most of the time she complains about all the things I make her do. To start our fun we went for a nice long walk. Janet is improving with her directions and did well at naming things we saw along the way. We really took our time and I tried to keep her talking and observing as much as possible. As we returned to Connect we noticed the ice cream stand was very busy and I suggested we go there after dinner. No surprise, that got a very positive response. There was a CFL football game on TV as we waited for dinner and to prove her cognitive gains Janet said she was cheering for Saskatchewan over Toronto. That’s my girl. Not that I really care, as real football doesn’t start until September but it was still fun to hear her pick against her hometown. Janet had a good Shuttle routine and shocked me by choosing to do the Standing Frame before going for ice cream. There was a real risk of missing the ice cream by doing this but I had to honor her choice. We made it to the stand in time and Janet enjoyed her mint chocolate chip while spilling only one little drop.

On Friday, Janet was waiting on the patio again but was a little upset that I wasn’t there sooner. It was only 1:30 but I guess she’d had a fairly quiet day so far and was aware she would be going home with me so was looking forward to that. We made some shopping stops along the way, one of which resulted in Janet getting some clip-on sunglasses. She’d been refusing to wear her regular ones as she can’t see well without her prescription glasses so her optometrist suggested the clip-ons and I think they work great. Janet doesn’t mind wearing them so if nothing else her eyes get some protection now. By the time we got home it was too late for a nap so Janet just had a little quiet time lay down then got ready to go for dinner with a friend of ours from Nanaimo. The Rotten Grape turned out to be an excellent choice as we were able to sit outside in the sun listening to the Music in the Park happening right across the street. We even had a visit from Janet’s former PT, Tom. It was really nice to enjoy good food and conversation with Wendy and Janet really impressed us by sitting on a backless stool the entire time.

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After a good hot tub at home and while getting ready for bed Janet called Nash, Calamity. That was the name of one of our cats that died a few years ago. Janet realized that almost as soon as she said it but was upset that she didn’t realize Calamity had died. Took her a good fifteen minutes to get over it.

We were up pretty late Friday so Saturday started off late with a nice Skype chat with Mary/Gaga. I then put Janet to work as we cleaned up the spare room in preparation for Laurel & Raj 2.0. Janet had fun with lots of laughs as we found things we hadn’t seen in a long time, one thing in particular I hope you’ll here a lot more of in the near future. Stay tuned. The more I get Janet to help with domestic stuff the more I realize how much she wants to contribute. She really goes at a task with determination and concentration and is visibly pleased when its done, usually asking if there’s anything else to do. That is, as long as she feels she can do it but occasionally now she’ll take my suggestion that she can do it and run with it. Previously my suggestion was met with self doubt. I’m seeing a little less of that now. Almost as impressive as her domestic enthusiasm was Janet’s choice for lunch Saturday. Grilled cheese with BACON! Totally her idea, never seen her eat it before and did she ever eat it. That gave her enough energy to do a little house hunting with me followed by a stop at the grocery store. Wanting to press on she insisted we go to church which turned out to be a good call on her part. She was able to have nice visits with quite a few people there and the service was really good too. Our evening was quiet and Janet wound down nicely to wear she was sleeping by 10:30.

Start time Sunday was a little more normal but Janet maybe should’ve stayed in bed a little longer as for once she picked the wrong puppy on Pick a Puppy. She’s now three for four and was a little upset about being wrong. We went for a rather long walk to a local store for some dinner supplies and Janet asked to take a shorter route home so I guess it was a little long. Our thirty degree pool water was too cold for Janet so after a relaxing hot tub I laid her down for a good nap. We had another hot tub after dinner then Janet passed on ice cream in favor of going to bed. Lights out at 9:45 seemed strange but sleep is good.

Janet’s sleep must’ve been good as she woke Monday very chipper and chatty. She wasn’t really looking forward to going to the rehab pool as her mind was very much on the impending arrival of family for Laurel & Raj 2.0. Janet is having a bit of a tough time realizing this is not a full on wedding and she worries about her appearance and abilities. I think once people are in town and things start happening she’ll be fine. Her swimming was decent with her most notable accomplishment being able to swim to the wall, grab on and “stand up” all by herself. Really nice smiles after doing so too. On our way home we did a little more house hunting and Janet asked afterwards why we didn’t look at the upstairs. It didn’t have one. At least she’s thinking. Needing to do more cleaning of the house I decided to test Janet’s vacuuming abilities. She was never very fond of this chore but loved it this time. She can only do the hardwood and furniture as she can’t maneuver herself around on the carpet. Here’s a link to a short video of Janet in action,

.She was also a huge help in dusting some shelves and nick nacs and again I could see the satisfaction she was getting from being able to help. Relaxing in the sun with a Fresca Janet explained she was afraid she’d miss something if she wasn’t coming home until Thursday. She also came out with the comment that “it’ll be awkward having Chris here”. Chris is Janet’s first husband and their parting was not amicable but I assured her he would be polite and so should she. Janet hasn’t talked about the battles she went through in that former life since she got sick but I hope the encounter on her home turf on a happy occasion leads to truly forgetting all that nonsense and moving on. It will be fun to see. Janet and I had a lot of fun eating dinner outside on an absolutely gorgeous evening and it was really difficult to gather the motivation to head back to Connect.

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By the time we got there Janet was pretty much done and after a little bedtime reading it was lights out at 9:30.

After a busy Tuesday morning I met Janet and Brian at KGH for her appointment with Dr. McCann. The main goal for this one was another round of Botox, this time, both hamstrings and a little in her right arm finger flexors. The previous treatment was a huge success and we are looking forward to similar results this time. The decision to treat the finger flexors came as a result of Janet clenching her right hand less and its hoped the Botox will enable even more relaxation of that hand. Dr. McCann agreed to refer Janet to the hand clinic at KGH where they can make a brace she can wear during the day to further promote a more relaxed position for her right hand. The next round of Botox will be in three months or so using Dr. McCann’s new machine that will allow him to treat Janet’s right subscapularis in hopes of increasing range of motion for her right shoulder. Another big plus that came out of this appointment was the discontinuation of Baclofen. Janet had a terrible reaction to an increased dosage a few weeks ago and the amount she was still on was too low to do any good so now its one less drug for Janet. Yay! Brian followed us home as best he could and took a look around the house to assess what he’d do if we were determined to stay here. We ended up agreeing it doesn’t make much sense then we enjoyed a nice cold beverage in the sun. Janet later commented that its nice having Brian around, “he’s easy to talk to”. Not surprisingly Janet enjoyed herself in our pool with the water being a ridiculous 32 degrees. She still wanted to hot tub afterwards too so I was able to get a good stretch and start working that Botox into her. Quite the busy day so far and Janet easily agreed to have a short nap. I woke her an hour later and positioned her so she could watch for Laurel’s arrival. I really wish I’d recorded that moment as it was absolutely priceless when Janet started giggling and smiling and laughingly saying ” there’s someone here! It’s her, it’s Les, Na, Laurel!” I thought she was going to cry but she just kept on giggling and waving like a star struck little kid. Awesome. The excitement continued as we went back to Connect for a Shuttle and Standing Frame session. Janet was very cooperative I think because Laurel was there and did a good job on both apparatus. There was very little pouting and once given the goal time for getting down from the Standing Frame did a great job using her watch to tell what time it was and how much time she had left. That was a pleasant surprise as she was bang on with fifteen and five minutes remaining. That watch has been a very effective tool so far. Well done Jess! While in the Standing Frame Janet demonstrated more cognitive abilities in correctly identifying Sally Field in a movie that was on TV. Impressive.

Wednesday morning the focus was on Janet’s regular therapy routine. She went to the gym for a thorough workout then had Speech with Mary Lou. Laurel and Heather met up with their mom in the afternoon and hung out until bedtime, making sure she got in another gym session. When I arrived with Andrew late into the evening Janet was talking very loud and clear, was obviously excited to see her kids and I think is going to have a really fun time this weekend.

One of the more noticeable improvements Janet has made over the last few days has been in the quantity of liquid she will drink at one time. Historically her drinks have been very tiny sips. Now they are not near gulps but I’ve seen her do what would qualify as a shot more than a few times. She still needs to be reminded a lot to keep drinking but there is a definite increase in the speed with which she can down a beverage. The volume of her voice has gotten louder and she is definitely more “with it” than she was even a couple of weeks ago. Praying for continued healing, an increase in her water intake, for the Botox to have maximum effect and for everyone to enjoy themselves at Laurel and Raj 2.0.

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Water Baby. If only Janet would drink like she swims. #TSJ

This has been a relatively quiet week with Janet holding her own in most areas with some more signs of increasing assertiveness. Swimming and hot tubing remain her favorite activities with the Standing Frame taking over from the Shuttle as her least favorite thing to do.

Thursday was an interesting day for me as I found Janet curled up on her bed, awake and upset, saying she’d been “yelling for help to get out of here”. Her pendant alarm was right beside her and when I asked why she didn’t push it for help she all of a sudden seemed to feel silly that she hadn’t thought of that. There was no reason to want out other than she couldn’t sleep so from that point on it was a fun day. We went for a long walk to the eastern shore of Wood Lake and saw a large deer feeding on the side of the road. Or at least I did. Despite the thing being only twenty meters in front of us then moving towards us on the road before hopping into the bushes only ten meters away, Janet never saw it. We had lots of time and it was on her left side so I thought for sure she’d pick it out but even with me pointing and turning her head, she saw nothing. As we continued our walk Janet was able to see and tell me about things like boats on the lake, large trees and other landmarks and enjoyed watching a train roll by. I had commented on how close to the tracks a number of homes in that area are and how annoying it must be when a train goes by. We agreed it probably doesn’t happen often. Of course, less than five minutes later we heard the whistle of an approaching train. It was fun watching it and Janet saw it no problem. To wind down the day I assisted Janet in typing an email to her mom. I had to guide her to most of the letters but she did a great job in thinking of what to say and spelling the words as we typed. If y’all wish to correspond with Janet via email her address is jedieno@gmail.com , just remember I’ll be reading them to her and helping with any response.

Janet was ready to go home for the weekend when I arrived at Connect Friday afternoon. It had been a quiet morning and even though we had no big plans she was anxious to go. We stopped at Save On along the way and used Janet’s VIP parking pass for the first time. I must admit its pretty sweet to be able to park pretty much at the front door in a nice wide spot and not have to worry about someone parking too close to us. Janet was a big help shopping and enjoyed choosing things on her own. Her help continued as we made a Quinoa salad for dinner with Janet doing lots of chopping and tossing. We had dinner outside with Janet reestablishing her authority as the corn on the cob expert saying “this is the best corn of the year”.

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After a good stretch in the hot tub we watched So You Think You Can Dance with Janet’s legs in the extenders. She loved the show and at one point asked for a paper and pen as she waned to “tell someone I want Amy and Fik-Shun to win”. Not sure who she was going to tell or why but I love the spontaneity of that thought. As bright a moment as that was a short time later she didn’t know my name or that I’m her husband. I’ll let it go as being really tired and that seems to be the pattern with Janet knowing me. She’s good in the morning then by dinner time I can be any name under the sun including ones she makes up herself.

Saturday was a sleep in day with breakfast happening outside closer to lunchtime than breakfast. We had a good Skype chat with Mary/Gaga then got Janet’s nails cut and cleaned in readiness for the arrival of family next week for Laurel and Raj’s wedding 2.0. After a nice walk and a good lunch we took off to do some shopping before church as Janet needed shirts and I needed some shorts. It was fun shopping with Janet and she was a big help to me in choosing colors. As we were settling in for church Janet asked to have her right arm up on the armrest of her wheelchair. That’s a first and a really encouraging sign as it wasn’t long ago that it hurt her to have her arm in that position. After church, Janet asked for a burger for dinner and was excited to sit outside at Red Robin and devour a Mediterranean Chicken Burger. I had promised her we’d watch a movie that night and she didn’t let me forget even thou it was nine o’clock by the time we started it. We watched Safe Haven which is actually pretty bad but we enjoyed it. Janet was quite restless going to bed and five minutes after lights out I found her on her tummy laughing. She wanted to lay on her left side but turned the wrong way and couldn’t get back. With a little help she got there and fell asleep quickly.

The Sunday breakfast tradition seems to be watching Pick a Puppy, a show that follows a family as they choose their pet. It’s very cheesy but Janet loves it and in the true spirit of our TV viewing habits, we’ve made it into a competition. Janet is now three for three in choosing which puppy the family ends up picking. In trying on her new shirts we’ve determined she is no longer a size XS and has graduated to size S. That means more shopping come Fall. Yea. There are enough weeds and plants that need pruning in the front yard that we were able to spend over an hour out there with Janet doing a lot of pulling and clipping. Hard for her to squeeze the clippers sometimes but she enjoyed the challenge and being in the sun. Her reward was a nice swim in a ridiculously warm pool where she did some great lower leg kicking. This is the first time in a while I’ve worked on this with her and once she thought about it she did well with her left and managed a little movement a couple times with the right. She closed her water session with a relaxing hot tub where she got so relaxed that I actually let go of her as she floated on her back. As soon as she realized I’d let go she started to sink but it was pretty cool she could float like that. I tucked her in at 9:45 and twenty minutes later heard a little bang from the bedroom. I was startled to see Janet sitting on the edge of the bed where she had been rummaging through her bedside table. In her hand was an old pair of glasses and she said to me “I’m trying to find the ones that work”. She only cried a little bit then asked to sleep on her left side and as soon as I helped her there she was heading off to la la land. Or maybe that’s where she was when she was sitting up, I don’t know, but it was cool she could get herself up and sitting. A little flash of houdieno.

Monday we were back in the Rehab Pool at KGH. It had been over a week and I was anxious to see how Janet would do. Kiko graciously came along to be a cheerleader but I put her to work as videographer and her is the result.

We enjoyed a yummy lunch at Marmalade Cafe with Kiko afterwards. Nice way to spend a sunny afternoon. Thanks Kiko!

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On the way home we stopped at Save On so Janet could pick out the fruit she wanted to take to Connect for the coming week. The team agrees that Janet needs to eat lots of fruit as she doesn’t drink enough water and since she loves it that’s a pretty easy thing to do. From now on, like home, her breakfast will be a large bowl of fruit and yogurt, a piece of toast and peanut butter and a little coffee if she wants. Coupling this with as much fluids as possible should get Janet more regular on the toilet. I can report today that it seems to be working.

Tuesday morning was busy for Janet as she got back into the Connect routine. I took her out of that for the afternoon so she could get her haircut.

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Chelsea always does a good job with Janet and the whole experience was fun with Janet being much more talkative than last time. For her evening workout, Janet was good about going on the Shuttle but put a big pout on during her Standing Frame session. So much so that I thought she was quite rude to one of the other residents who tried giving her some encouraging advice. Janet was having nine of it and gave that person the silent treatment until they complimented her on her hair. That brought a big smile and a thank you.

In the Standing Frame tonight, Janet was in a much better mood and surprised me by accurately predicting when the session was over. I had set nine o’clock as the end time and using her watch she guessed at 8:43 that she had twenty minutes left and at 8:55 she knew there were only five minutes left. The funniest bit was when she stared at her watch for the last thirty seconds and when it reached 9:00 she proudly held it up to me and said “I’m done”. Indeed.

Cognitive gains like that continue and are very encouraging. Even her negative outbursts are good I guess as she is expressing her opinion and feelings much better. She still lacks confidence in a lot of things, using a stock answer of “I don’t believe it”, when someone tells her something good about herself or tries to explain the benefits of doing something she doesn’t like doing. The only way I see of battling this is to identify every moment she does something well and explain why it’s good and where it can lead her. Pill swallowing is getting much better for Janet as well with most doses going down on the first attempt now with hardly any coughing. I notice she coughs a lot less drinking apple juice and drinks it a lot faster too. Not sure why. Janet still has a hard time with my name and knows it better earlier in the day as opposed to late at night. The family names usually come to her pretty quick but she needs prompting for the staff members names usually. We’ve stared reading at night again and Janet seems to be understanding what I read a little better now too.

This coming Tuesday we meet with Dr. McCann for another round of Botox. I think the timing is perfect as although there is still good flexibility in both of Janet’s legs the left one is tightening up and the right one is pulling into the left a lot. That hasn’t stopped Janet from doing well on the Shuttle and her pole transfers a very good with a noticeable improvement in balance. This past weekend was the first one driving the Vibe and the first one that hasn’t left me with a very sore shoulder as I no longer have to lift Janet into the car. Nice.

Looking forward to more progress this week and the arrival of family ahead of Raj and Laurel 2.0.

Sister Act. Fun times with Ontario peeps. #TSJ

This was pretty much a fun filled week for Janet as her sister Leslie and her husband Gavin were here for most of it and the weather finally kicked into summer mode.

Thursday started off slow as Janet seemed rather tired in the morning but her energy increased as the day wore on. Jess reported that Janet made it through her parallel bars workout but was nodding off by eleven. Mary Lou gave a similar report saying Speech was pretty much a none starter. I couldn’t really think of why Janet would be so tired. She says she isn’t sleeping well at night but there’s no accurate way to measure that. I considered making a quick doctor’s appointment for her but her doctor is on vacation until July 9th and I didn’t see any point in going to the substitute. By the time we were on our way downtown for an appointment Janet was starting to perk up and by the time we got home she was fairly bright. We went for a nice long walk while Leslie and Gavin made dinner which we enjoyed very much, including a glass of wine, something Janet hasn’t had much of lately. Her conversation skills were good and she was even cooperative about going back to Connect. There was a meltdown in the car on the way out there as she expressed her disbelief in the fact she is doing really well. She was quite emotional but got it together by the time we arrived and managed a half hour in the Standing Frame. That was all I was going to ask for as it had been a busy day. I still haven’t learned to stop nagging her about water and that night Janet actually swore at me about it. I’ll take it as a positive expression of her feelings although at the time I told her she was being quite rude which of course brought the tears. Janet ended the night with a spectacular pole transfer to her bed ninety percent unassisted.

Friday started out a little better than Thursday and Janet was waiting for me in the living room knowing she was going home for the weekend and Leslie and Gavin were there. The big event of the day was wine touring to the four wineries in our neighborhood, Tantalus, Summerhill, St. Hubertus, and CedarCreek. Everyone had a great time and Janet hung in there very well drinking water in between each stop with only a gentle reminder. We all loved the wines at Tantalus,

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thought Summerhill was delightfully tacky,

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learned from our friend Dominic the wine maker at St. Hubertus,

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and agreed CedarCreek is gorgeous.

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Dinner was a massive amount of sushi enjoyed outside until around nine when Janet started getting a little cold. That’s what hot tubs are for and just before eleven I said goodnight to a tuckered out Janet.

I don’t know if it was the wine, sushi or the relaxing hot tub but Janet woke up Saturday morning in one of the brightest moods yet. I’ve never heard her laugh so hard and loud as she did while telling Leslie the story of when Heather accidentally ate a huge glob of wasabi. You could hardly understand a word she was saying but every once in a while a key word would pop through and you could follow the gist of the story. But the story didn’t matter as it was pure joy watching Janet laugh so much. The laughter continued as we hauled out some old dresses Janet had from her grandmother and Leslie tried them on for fun. I have to say they weren’t as hideous as I thought they were going to be. We got out for a nice walk before lunch then it was time for a swim. Or so I thought. Apparently twenty nine degree water is too cold for sensitive little Janet so back to the hot tub we went as we spent a nice afternoon on the deck. This was Leslie and Gavin’s last night in Kelowna so we planned a dinner out at a new restaurant called Smack Dab. In the process of getting ready I left Janet on the toilet while I fed the dog. A few minutes later I heard a cry come from the bathroom so I ran back to find Janet in tears on the edge of the seat telling me “I want to get up and put my makeup on myself”. Wow, where did that come from? No one had mentioned make up to her that I heard so I was really impressed with that statement and how she thought she could get up and do that on her own. One day. Dinner outside by the lake was yummy and a terrific way to start the farewell proceedings for Leslie and Gavin.

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Dessert in the hot tub at home was a fun way to end the day.

Leslie and Gavin had to leave us at eight AM Sunday and Janet woke up at 7:30 but was too tired to get up, so the goodbyes took place bedside, which limited the tears, thank goodness. It was fun having some Ontario peeps around for the week and Janet benefitted immensely from all the social activity. The first part of Sunday was pretty quiet. We made it to church but Janet was kinda sleepy and had a good nap when we got home. The pool was a little warmer as was the air temperature so Janet got some good swimming in, doing the best kicking she’s done yet. The house got super hot by dinner time so we headed downstairs for the evening and watched So You Think You Can Dance. A pretty good recovery day for Janet.

Monday was all systems go in the morning as Janet woke very chatty and bright. She had a good Skype chat with Laurel before the first swimming session of the day. Thirty one degree water apparently is still a little cold but Janet tolerated it and swam her first full length of our pool on her tummy complete with full freestyle motion of her left arm. Impressive. Our good neighbors Barb and Gary joined us for a glass of wine that afternoon and Janet started to tire noticeably then. Nice to share Canada Day with good people though.

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Janet and I went for a nice long walk to shake the cobwebs out of her and it seemed to work. When we got back I had her try and transfer into and out of her Pontiac Vibe and she did so almost effortlessly. I managed to get the wheelchair into the back without folding any seats down and so decided to go for a spin to make sure Janet is comfortable in that car. It’s been parked since last September and I when I told Janet we were going for a ride she said “isn’t that illegal?” I was shocked she came up with that and asked her how she knew and her reply was simply “I just knew”. Indeed. It now makes total sense to use the Vibe since Janet can transfer into and out of it with only a little help from me and its more economical to run as well so the switch will be made. Our second swim session of the day was a chance to cool down if nothing else but Janet did some good kicking and loved me helping her “jump” up and down in the water. Big smiles.

Connect had some staffing shortages Tuesday so Janet was unable to do much of anything the first part of the day and complained of boredom when I arrived early in the afternoon. She did have Singing with John which she acknowledged was fun. She must’ve been bored though as she agreed to go to the gym with me and did a solid job on The Shuttle. With lots of time before dinner we set out on a very hot but interesting walk to a wildlife sanctuary down the road from Connect. Most of the wildlife was hiding from the heat but we could see the potential for some cool sightings in cooler seasons. Janet did a great job chopping up some chicken for a stir fry when we got back but then got a little negative as we practiced writing her signature for a while. She wasn’t doing very well so decided to go with the “I don’t care” and “it doesn’t matter” lines that make me mad. Garrett saved the day by taking her to the gym for a full workout that he reported was very good. Janet was in a much better mood after the exercise and wanted to go for a walk. We played I Spy along the way and she did reasonably well getting a satellite dish for something round and the sun for something setting.

Jess reported Janet had a very busy morning today with an hour and a half in the gym doing every type of exercise she knows followed by Speech with Mary Lou who reports Janet has rebounded nicely from the sleepy times last week and continues to build her vocabulary. She was in bed when I arrived just before two but wide awake so I got her up and we went on a long walk in search of a Fresca. I got a good workout, Janet got some more sun on her and we both enjoyed the drink after the long search. I had Janet practice some handwriting before dinner and was pleased with her progress. Garrett and I took her to the gym after dinner for another good go at The Shuttle followed by a good stretch from Garrett. Another request for a walk resulted in another game of I Spy along with learning compass directions. Janet and I were both impressed by how friendly people in the neighborhood around Connect are. We got lots of hellos and waves tonight. Almost makes us consider living there. Almost.

Janet continues to make progress in all areas except toileting and I’m a little concerned that she is feeling bored at Connect. Her increased brightness has allowed her to go a number of days without a nap now and its only because of the nice weather that we’ve been able to get out and do something. I think we need to find more things for her to do during the day. Praying for continued healing, more control of her right leg and perseverance in doing the good things that aren’t so much fun.

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It’s late and I can’t think of a title. Hope you’ll read anyways. #TSJ

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Even though Janet will complain sometimes of having to do the same things over and over again there are a lot of new things in her repertoire and this past week was full of them.

On the cognitive side Janet continues to become more aware of the moment she’s in as well as her overall situation. This past Monday while on our way back to Connect Janet took a big step by saying “I want to be a regular person”. The day had been very successful for her and included Janet doing a lot of “regular person” things and when I pointed all those out to her she seemed to accept that. I discussed this with Brian and he said that Janet accepting her situation is a big step towards continuing the recovery process. It’s only after someone acknowledges where they are at that they can really start to do something about it. Janet has done well so far so I see this as a positive sign of her maybe being able to work even harder as in not complaining about the gym or drinking water. That of course remains to be seen but maybe with everyone trying to get her living in the moment and pointing out her accomplishments she’ll start to believe in herself more. Her confidence is growing in her singing for sure and this week was her loudest by far. John called me into the room just five minutes after starting with Janet on Tuesday and she wowed me with a very loud rendition of Do a Deer. I asked Leslie and Gavin to come in after that and Janet sang loudly for them too. A couple of times this week Janet started singing along to performances on The Voice, most notably The Swon Brothers rendition of Danny’s Song. She sang it again for us with John and was very confident in doing so. Her Skype conversations this week were solid but she’s getting bored with the whole thing and often feels she has nothing to say. I can help her with that part but am going to stop scheduling calls so they are more spontaneous and less of a chore. One night I worked with Janet from her Speech Therapy booklet and was impressed at how well she did naming opposites and matching categories. She continues to express her opinion more and more, unfortunately its more when she’s angry about something that she’s at her most demonstrative. Still, I see more and more of the former Janet coming out.

Physically Janet is really impressing me and some of the staff at Connect as well. The Botox really should be worn off now but we continue to get good flexibility from both legs and tonight Janet stood in the Standing Frame for one hour at ninety degrees and complained very little. The lack of complaining can only mean it didn’t hurt that much and that is cool. Garrett worked with Janet in the gym tonight for the first time since he got back from his vacation and he had all great things to say about Janet’s performance especially with the extension she was getting on The Shuttle. That’s a key one as the more she can extend the more strength she can build. She’s very confident in her pole transfers now and has no problem standing and holding onto the pole for a minute or two and can shuffle her left leg around pretty well. There’s still not a lot of control on that right leg but I still have hope for the future. On Monday Janet reached another swimming milestone by making her first unassisted 180 degree turn while swimming on her back. She smiled the entire time and of all the physical activities Janet does, swimming is by far her favorite. As much as she likes it though, Friday afternoons aren’t working well for her as she’s too tired so for now I’m canceling those sessions. We will use our pool at home on the weekends to compensate and continue with Mondays at KGH. As we were leaving KGH one day we snuck up on Rob the PT and I asked Janet to kick him. She happily obliged but did so with her right leg. First time I’ve seen her try that move. It was all from the hip but a very deliberate attempt to use that right leg. High five. Tez had Janet try walking in the sling at the parallel bars and said that went well enough to continue doing it. Janet found it very hard and I think until she gets more control of her right leg it will be a very difficult exercise for her.

Janet was scheduled to go sailing this morning with the Disabled Sailing Association but the weather was kind of iffy so the outing was cancelled. Janet isn’t really excited about it but I think it would be good for her to try so maybe next week. In lieu of sailing Jess took Janet to a pottery class today and reported that Janet enjoyed it and has started making a bowl. Janet says she didn’t like it and it was boring so we’ll have to see who wins out next week. I hope she continues to go as these activities will help get her mind off of the trips to the gym she dislikes so much.

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We spent Sunday afternoon at City Park in the sunshine cheering on those getting baptized in the lake. Janet really enjoyed the outing and was fascinated by all the support each person getting baptized had. Sunday also marked the first conversation Janet’s had with her dad in a couple of years and thanks to Skype it went quite well. Not a lot was said as neither have great conversational skills right now but it was great to make that connection again. The weekend ahead promises more adventure as Leslie and Gavin are here until Sunday meaning we get to do fun things we wouldn’t get to do otherwise like winery touring, and the weather is supposed to be Okanagan hot finally.

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Praying for Janet to continue getting stronger, louder and more confident.

Record Breaking. Janet sets records daily. #TSJ

It’s been a record breaking week for Janet, setting personal bests in the pool, on the bike and in her sit to stand capabilities as well as her endurance in the standing frame. Health wise she seems very stable with regular BM’s and no obvious side effects from any of her meds. The Restoran ended today, (the magic poo pill) so it will be interesting to see how she does without that. Janet will visit her GP on Monday and part of that visit will be to assess all her meds and see if any further adjustments can be made. Dr. McCann is ordering an increase to Janet’s Baclofen dosage and I’m really interested to see if it has any effect. Janet has been on a very low dose for a long time now with no recognizable effect and if there is no change after the increase I’ll ask that it be discontinued.

A week ago, Jess instituted a program for Janet where she writes the day’s activities on a whiteboard and Janet crosses them off as they are completed. Janet has caught on to this nicely, easily reading what each activity is and drawing a line through it when done. A couple days ago Jess supplied Janet with a digital watch to help her get a sense of the time of day as each activity occurs. Janet was puzzled by the watch, arguing that she has one at home but agreeing it was more a piece of jewelery than a useful piece of equipment. Janet can easily read her Connect watch but needs a lot of work relating to “today” as this morning she woke up thinking it was Christmas. She was still complaining to me when I got in this afternoon that “isn’t it time for grass?” Her code for Christmas.

Janet’s day is centered around her physical activities as the emphasis remains on taking advantage of the Botox. Twice a day she rides the bike in the gym and continues to make steady gains in leg strength as a result. A week ago her personal best was thirty minutes and .83 miles using the arm assist. Today she went for thirty minutes and .62 miles with no arm assist at all! When Janet first started the bike she couldn’t even come close to pedaling without the arm assist. Similar benefits are being seen in the standing frame as Janet can now tolerate close to an hour twice a day. She doesn’t like it much but she tolerates it. As noted the other day Janet is also getting much better with her sit to stand exercises, so much so that she is getting a stripper pole installed in her room. For now it will be used to help her independently get out of bed and into her wheelchair, no dancing yet. As you all know Janet also is excelling in the pool and I expect that to continue improving each time we go.

Our weekend at home was an enjoyable one with Saturday being a day off from physio therapy type stuff. I was reluctant to give Janet the whole day off but that’s the way it turned out and I think it worked out well as she slept in, pulled weeds in the sunshine with me, went for a walk around the neighborhood and made a really good sandwich for herself at lunchtime. We went to church Saturday night for a change and really enjoyed the music and Tim’s message. Janet was fully engaged and we had a good discussion about it all afterwards. Janet continued to be quite talkative well into the night and loved the sushi dinner we had as well as the movie The Guilt Trip. Sunday was a change from the usual as well. Tez was at Connect for a few hours and offered to work with Janet if I took her out there. They had a really good session of sit to stand work teaching Tiffany and Julie how to work with Janet should they need. Everyone learned a lot and Janet performed very well. I wanted Tez to see Janet on the bike to make sure all was well with her positioning etc. It was and liking what he saw he challenged Janet to pedal with no arm assist. She of course did it and is now going thirty minutes that way. After a nap at home while I cut the lawn we made dinner then went for a hot tub. By the time we got outside it was pouring rain but Janet laughed through it and had a good time soaking in the warm water as the rain passed through. She was exhausted after a long and busy day and was asleep before I finished our goodnight prayer. The weekend was capped off with a nice lunch with Kiko and Joel after swimming on Monday before the trek back to Connect.

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Janet seems to be getting more comfortable and confident at Connect but is also more aware that it is not home. Her interactions with the other residents are improving as she gains confidence in herself and gets involved in more things around the house. Instead of an interview this week I decided to have Janet give you a brief tour of her home away from home. Crank up your volume and enjoy.

Mother’s Day. An emotional day for Janet. #TSJ

Mother’s Day. Janet and I don’t usually make much of Hallmark holidays but I sensed this one would be special for Janet and it was. As we were finishing breakfast I read, or at least attempted to read a poem written by Laurel and emailed to Janet this morning. Laurel really should know how difficult it is for me to read sappy things like that and when Janet started crying five words in, that was the end of me too. It seriously took me twenty minutes to read fourteen verses to her in between the watery eyes and running noses. I tried to laugh through it to get Janet to laugh but no. Tears tears and more tears. And that was just the start of our day.

The service at Trinity was of course designed to honor moms and following a very entertaining take on Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, the message was delivered via a table discussion with four next gen members of our church. They told stories of what it was like growing up in their homes and some of the comments resonated deeply with Janet and brought more tears. The comments that really hit her were about values and practices that Janet always fought hard for as a mom and to hear them validated by a group of young people was very powerful. She was still in tears long after the service ended and it took a visit from Kiko and Joel to cheer her up.

At home the Skype marathon began with Cam who we have not been able to connect with for a while. Janet was surprised that he remembered it was Mother’s Day. Heather was next followed by a voice call to my mom. Determined to avoid a nap Janet agreed to go for a swim and a hot tub. Knowing the Rehab pool is 36C I brought ours up to 32C hoping Janet would be comfortable. I think there’s something wrong with my thermometer because that 32C felt more like 52C but Janet of course loved it. I quickly learned that I need some different exercises for our pool as its only three feet deep in the shallow end and slopes dramatically to the deep end so there’s not enough water to work with in one end and too much in the other. Janet did manage to float on her back all by herself for five seconds today even recovering twice in that time when her face dipped below the surface. Next time the water will be cooler and I’ll have a better routine for her.

The hot tub’s 38.7C felt cooler to me than the pool I think because its supposed to be hot where I’ve always liked the pool to be refreshing. Once again I got a really good stretch on both Janet’s legs in the hot tub and set her up nice for a long lounging session this evening in her wheelchair. That came after a Skype chat with Laurel who apologized for the tears this morning then a voice call to a surprised Mary/Gaga.

Dinner was take out from our go to sushi place where Brian and his family were having dinner when we got there to pick ours up. Brian went out to see Janet and she identified him as Gary. When I got back to the car she told me Jimmy came to say hi to her. Oh well.

Janet was determined to watch The Voice with me tonight and I could see her fighting to stay awake for it all. She managed barely and was asleep before I finished our goodnight prayer. Today was an emotional day for Janet. It was also one of those days where you look back and think it was really busy but it seems like you didn’t do much. What we did do was great though. We are proud of our family, blessed by our friends and our church and grateful for the progress Janet is making. Praying for a healing and restful night providing lots of strength for tomorrow.

Spring Fling. A fun in and out of the sun day. #TSJ

Today was Spring Fling day at Connect, the brain child of staff member Jess, and what a great idea it was. Technically it is Spring but we continue to enjoy summer like weather here, so much so I’ve had to resurrect Janet’s sun hat from last year. She still looks cute in it. She was also cute with her shirt saver on and a flipper in her hand as she helped Jess make pancakes for brunch this morning. For some reason she didn’t think I was coming to see her today and I’m not sure that she was upset about that at all. She seemed to be having lots of fun without me. Jess does a great job with Janet, always making sure she’s busy.

The staff set tables up in the parking lot and hired a guy to play guitar and sing while everyone enjoyed the sun and food. It was really nice to have all the residents and staff together with friends and family in a really positive environment. The highlights for Janet besides making pancakes were meeting Brian’s baby daughter Olivia and playing ladderball with me. There’s a Keek of her excellent throwing abilities. @larrylatour

By the time the Fling was over it was after one which meant either a nap then shopping and stuff or shopping and stuff then a nap. Janet of course chose the latter hoping to avoid the nap all together. She actually nodded off a little in the car on the way to the mall. Yes, the mall again. I realized we should have bought her a few more shorts when the girls were here as she doesn’t have any at home and I also wanted her to have a pair of sandals. After quick and successful stops at The Gap and Urban Trail we were headed home for a quick nap. I would have been happy with Janet resting for an hour or so then getting up for Church and a sushi dinner. She exceeded expectations and slept for over two hours which meant no Church and no sushi. We BBQ’d salmon instead, enjoying it outside then I got Janet into lounging mode while we watched Silver Linings Playbook which we both really enjoyed.

It was definitely late when I got Janet to bed but after her late nap today she did just fine and should have a good sleep. She continues to show improvement cognitively, saying some really intelligent and unsolicited things today. On the physical side, I’m not liking her left leg right now but will at least get her in the hot tub for a stretch tomorrow and see if that improves things. Janet drank all her Peg-Lyte today with no results yet. Sunday was her day last week so here’s hoping. Praying for a good sleep tonight and continued healing.

She’s a Real Stand Up Kind of Girl. A day of successes for Janet. #TSJ

Today was one of those days where everything seemed to go right for Janet. It started this morning in the gym with Tez, Joel and Lorne.

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That’s Lorne with Janet as she stands in the standing frame for the first time at Connect. Tez was pleasantly surprised at how well Janet can stand and weight bear through her legs. She is really improving in that area thanks to her hard work in the gym and the Botox. Tez even had Janet standing on her own, balancing herself with her butt up against the edge of the table mat. I’m really impressed by that one and will credit the work in the pool with helping her to figure out how to do that. Lorne took Janet for a walk outside in the standing frame so she wouldn’t get bored as Tez wanted her in there for twenty minutes or so. I remember seeing Fred and Chris use this apparatus and hoping Janet would get a chance one day. I didn’t expect it to be this soon.

I had a good chat with Lorne, Jess, Tez, Brian and Joel when I arrived this afternoon and everyone seemed excited for Janet’s achievements with Tez wanting her to use the bike this evening as he believes she’s ready for that. He recommends keeping the pool sessions going and trying to get Janet into our hot tub as much as possible. They are two different types of therapy and Janet will benefit from both. To simplify our schedule I will see if we can change the Thursdays to Fridays so we can just go home from the pool. Jess said she put Janet to bed amidst much protest over an hour earlier so I quietly entered her room to see how she was and this is how I found her.

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Not exactly Houdieno but if she starts believing she can walk, watch out!

Janet was in a very good mood as she gave me her account of the day. She still downplays her achievements but not to the degree she has in the past. Tez stopped by to show me how well she can stand using a slightly different technique than I was using. It gives more responsiblity to Janet and Tez suggests doing it as an exercise a few times a day.

We made it outside for happy hour and a Skype chat with Mary Gaga. Garrett then suggested Janet go to the gym to try the bike before dinner and Janet accepted with no argument at all. There is a Keek of her first pedals, @larrylatour, and as you can see in this pic she was quite comfortable on the bike and had a really good first go at it.

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Ideally she’d be able to pedal without the arm assist but for this session and probably the next while she will need it. I reminded her it’s not that different from the elliptical machine she used to use but she says she doesn’t remember that. As well as she did on the bike Janet didn’t seem all that impressed with herself but hopefully her attitude will improve with some more successes.

After her bike ride Janet BBQ’d herself a couple pieces of steak for dinner and gobbled them up along with her first corn on the cob in over a year. She loved it of course. We then had a little Skype chat with Andrew before reading some Slow Dance while Janet lounged in her wheelchair. I turned the lights out on a very content Janet tonight and pray she has a good night’s sleep and is ready for an active day tomorrow.

Gap Girl. Janet goes shopping. #TSJ

Another gorgeous day got off to a nice relaxing start as everyone pitched in to make a pancake breakfast. It wasn’t difficult to get Janet to eat seconds then thirds even after her fruit and yogurt starter. She seems to be more accepting of the cranberry juice we’ve been trying to give her and as long as she is reasonably awake she is drinking more water. With the nice weather comes the need to drink even more water unfortunately and that is proving to be a challenge so far. I think I just have to learn to stop pressuring her and make sure she always has some available to her and she’ll manage just fine.

With breakfast cleared all the girls gathered around the computer for an online shopping adventure. Not surprisingly Janet tired of it within a half hour and combined with the uncertainty of her size it was decided we’d hit the mall before Heather and Laurel started their journeys home. Turned out to be a pretty good idea as we got some good help at The Gap and Janet got some colorful shorts, pants and shirts, all in about twenty minutes. My kind of shopping. That left us enough time for lunch outside at Red Robin where we enjoyed some last minute visiting with Heather and Laurel who took off for the airport and the highway as soon as we were done. Their visit was way too short but we are thankful they are able to make the trip to visit as regularly as they do. We are blessed.

After trying on a few of the new clothes at home Janet took a nice long nap which seemed like a waste of good weather but she really needed to catch up on some sleep. I think with both girls here and the heightened state of activity she was overwhelmed at times and always seemed to be trying to process something rather than relaxing and enjoying. I think that increase in chatter and activity is good for her but she does need the down time too. After her long nap we enjoyed a nice dinner out on our balcony as the sun started to set then Janet agreed to have a hot tub so I could stretch her as we hadn’t done any of that today yet. Once again I got very good results in a short period of time with the left leg maybe being a little tighter than Friday. I straightened her right arm amazingly well and even opened her right hand easily in the thirty eight degree water. Janet’s attempts at doing some squats were nowhere near as strong as her right leg seemed to be doing it’s own thing again. Entering and exiting the tub went better than Friday as I refine my technique and I look forward to more frequent spa experiences with Janet.

To wind down the evening we watched The Voice and ended up staying up way too late for Janet, eleven o’clock by the time I turned her lights out. She lasted through all but the last ten minutes of the show and was asleep within seconds of the lights going out. I don’t like keeping her up that late but she was determined to watch the show and as long as she was engaged I let her stay.

So ends a very active weekend with good times spent with Laurel and Heather, a nice visit with Courtney, some fun in the sun, shopping, church, dinner out and dinner outside. Not to mention the hot tub. Praying for a restful night that restores Janet’s energy for a productive day tomorrow.

Say Yes to the Dress? Janet & the girls shop for a wedding dress for Heather. #TSJ

Janet awoke earlier than I thought she would this morning and we were eating breakfast by nine. As planned there was no rush to do anything this morning so once breakfast was well underway I brought out a whole bunch of bathroom type stuff for the girls to purge. It didn’t take long to discover that Janet is a curling iron hoarder. Six pairs of them! She is also a contact lens case collector, dozens of those were found in various spots. It all made for some good laughs and Laurel and Heather each managed to find something they could use that Janet no longer will and we have less to pack come moving day, whenever that is.

More purging took place downstairs as we sorted through an old cedar chest that contained a lot of old dresses the girls used to wear and a cute pink lacy sleeper that Janet says was Andrew’s. I hope not but you never know.

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That was a pretty active morning and I think Janet maybe got up a little too soon as she was pretty tired by 11:30. Laurel and Heather gave her a good stretch then she agreed to have a little nap before the big event of the day.

An hour later Janet was awake and re-energized for an afternoon of wedding dress shopping for Heather. I dropped Janet and the girls off downtown so they could go for lunch before the two o’clock appointment at the bridal salon. When I picked them up at City Park later on Janet was hanging in there nicely and said they’d had a good time. Heather was unable to say yes to a dress though.

We met Courtney at church tonight then all went for a pre Cinco de Mayo dinner at Hector’s Casa for what is a family tradition. As far as I know there is no Mexican blood in our family but its always fun to go out for Mexican food on Cinco de Mayo. Janet was doing really well so was allowed to have a margarita. There is a Keek of her first sip. @larrylatour . Dinner was good with the conversation centered around weddings of course as Courtney is getting married late this summer.

The day was quite busy for Janet and after lounging in her wheelchair for a little bit once we got home she fell asleep before I could get her PJs on. Praying for a night of rest and healing and looking forward to an enjoyable morning with Laurel and Heather before they both head back to their homes in the afternoon.