basketball

Lights, Camera,… Janet’s first video shoot. #TSJ

A showered and smiling Janet greeted me as I walked into Connect this morning. She knew we were going out to do something and guessed it was watch basketball. A good guess as that was in the plan for later but first up was a video shoot for the Easter service at Trinity. Lorne said she was off to a good start, drinking her water before and after breakfast but had a little cry during her shower. She said she forgot to ask about the bath so I reminded her to try that next time.

We arrived at Trinity and Jody, Kiko and Rebecca were just finishing setting up for the shoot. The idea behind this is for Janet and I to give about a ninety second glimpse at our story so far as Wayne teaches on three “walls” or “barriers” we can all hit in life. There are two other video stories in the sermon, one on Finances, one on Grief and then ours on Health. The underlying theme in each is the fact that there is still hope.

The first part of the shoot was for some cut away shots so no talking needed and that was a nice way to ease into things. All Janet had to do was sit under the lights and look cute.

20130323-000346.jpg

After a quick location change it was time for the talking bits. Thankfully for me Kiko set up a TelePrompTer which made my part much easier. Janet had trouble reading it though so I fed her the lines one at a time until she could say each one on her own. She wasn’t as loud as I had hoped but Jody said he could work with it and may add subtitles for the sake of clarity. The whole shoot was done in an hour and a half and Jody will now work his magic to make it all look and sound good.

20130323-001117.jpg

Janet had fun doing the video today and held her energy very well. As with all stars the groupies are always hovering nearby. Twyla and Wendy came out to see Janet in between shots and with a little prompting Janet remembered their names. She was genuinely pleased to see them and that added to the positive experience this was. I’m a little surprised at how well Janet is talking about what happened to her and I don’t think it’s because she doesn’t get it. I’m hoping by talking about it she’ll gain confidence to keep working hard at getting better.

Stars also hang out in restaurants so rather than go home for lunch we headed back to Original Joe’s, this time with Kiko and Rebecca. Janet enjoyed that as well and was very ready for a nap when we got home. Because nap time was later than normal, dinner was a little late. I had wanted her to help make pizzas but to save time I did most of it while she drank her water and watched basketball. Janet did build her own pizza after I had all the toppings ready and this was probably her best one yet. Looked better than mine!

Janet kept insisting she didn’t want to get ready for bed as the clock ticked past nine so I let her stay up to watch the end of the basketball game. That made it after ten before the lights went out so hopefully she doesn’t sleep too long tomorrow and we can get a few things done in the morning. Praying for rest and healing and for lots of energy tomorrow.

OD? Janet does not have a cold. #TSJ

I called Connect fist thing this morning and Janet was in the shower. Good sign. Jess called me after the shower to say Janet was awake when she peeked in her room around eight and agreed to have a shower. Another good sign. While Jess was talking to me Janet was eating a piece of toast. Good sign number three and enough for me to think Janet was certainly no worse than yesterday. Jess said nothing unusual was reported from overnight and Janet seemed fine.

An hour or so later I called nurse Jen for her take and she said she didn’t notice any big change in Janet and acknowledged that I see way more of her so would notice things better. All was well as far as she is concerned. We talked a little about my concern with the Dilantin levels and she suggested I bump up Janet’s doctor appointment to as soon as possible. We agreed to discuss things in more detail when I got in this afternoon.

Janet was in bed when I arrived, having been there for a couple of hours. She was awake and greeted me with a little smile. There was good color to her face and her eyes were nice and sparkly. Her speech was decent and she agreed to get up and have some lunch. Jess told me Janet refused lunch from her and hadn’t felt like doing any of her usual activities. She wheeled down to the kitchen and chose to have some roasted red pepper soup which she ate with only a little help from me at the end. Jen came down to chat just as Janet was finishing and we went back to Janet’s room so we would have a better chance of hearing Janet. Her speech remained decent to my disappointment as I wanted Jen to hear the Klingon. She had done a little research into Dilantin as I had and we agreed there are some signs of Janet’s levels being too high or the presence of some side effects. I will take Janet to the lab tomorrow to test those levels and then discuss them with the GP Wednesday morning. Jen assured me she sees nothing to be overly concerned about and said Janet for sure does not have a cold. She cautioned that sometimes side effects appear at the outset of using a drug and then they diminish as your body adjusts. Solid point. I’ve been there.

Still with some energy Janet wanted to watch some TV. Luckily there was a repeat of a pretty good NCAA basketball game on and we enjoyed watching that with Fred and Karl. We especially enjoyed teasing Clint who would come in and try to diss the game of basketball and promote his favorite game of hockey. He stood no chance. Some of the jabs thrown brought a smile to Janet’s face. Another good sign.

Dinner was chili and Caesar salad and Janet did a great job eating everything dished to her. I was impressed with how long she was staying awake for and never saw any signs of fading until half an hour after dinner. She helped wash some dishes, rejected the offer of a tootsie roll for dessert and started her rapid decent to sleep. After brushing her teeth and getting her PJs on she was asleep before I could cover her up. Seriously. She was so soundly asleep that she never flinched as I got my jacket out of the wardrobe, which is very noisy, said a prayer and kissed her goodnight. Didn’t move a muscle except those needed to breath.

A definite improvement over yesterday but I am ever more convinced that her Dilantin levels are too high or it just isn’t the right drug for her. Praying that the sleep she was in when I left continues through the night and she is ready for a productive day tomorrow. Thanking Jesus for the accomplishments of today and the people that are caring for Janet.

Retirement #TSJ

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

20130216-231759.jpg

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

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

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

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

Dinner and a Game #TSJ

My day with Janet started a little later than normal and she asked me “what took you so long” when I arrived. She was smiling and when I asked her to try and remember what I’d said about today she responded with “you said you wouldn’t be here till four”. I actually said three but that is still a major improvement in her memory recall and for the record it was 2:45 when I got there so I was actually early. Janet was quite cheery but after twenty minutes or so her words started scrambling beyond recognition so I suggested a rest. Of course her response was no way but when I said ok, let’s go use the Shuttle then, she opted for the rest. I warned her the Shuttle would be done before we left for dinner.

She was in the midst of a very deep snoring sleep when some loud voices in the hallway woke her up so she didn’t get the full benefit of the rest time she had but it was better than nothing. I took her to the gym and she was all for it until I parked her beside the Shuttle. She got really upset and took quite a bit of convincing to get her to give it a go. She did well, matching her personal bests for reps but not getting the best extension ever. I decided to try the machine myself, partly so I could justify me saying positive things about it but also to try and see what may be causing Janet’s hatred of it. I can see how effective a leg workout it is but I got quite a weird sensation when I started some reps. I felt a little like I was floating and was not in total control of my balance. That is a feeling that would totally freak Janet out and I wonder if she is experiencing that. She hasn’t said so but I’ll talk to Tez next week about it.

We met Suzanne for a pre game dinner at a little Italian bistro in Lake Country. Janet ate her first real salad and a massive portion of lasagne. She didn’t talk much but she sure did eat. We got to the UBCO basketball game and enjoyed it very much.

20130201-224048.jpg
A long time family friend, Simon, came over to talk to us at halftime. Janet had a big smile for him and will be seeing more of him over the next while as he’s started doing some practicum work with Tez at Connect. Cool.

Janet sang her way home as I tried to find a way to turn up her volume. She was quiet most of the night and seemed a little tired but does her face ever light up when she starts singing. After a snack and some more singing it was way past bedtime so I got her all tucked in. In our prayer I asked that she continue to work hard in the gym and understand how good the Shuttle is for her and she started crying because I said that. She was fine after we talked about it for a bit but my goodness this is getting a little much. We may have to find an alternative soon.

Praying for a good nights rest and an energetic day of fun tomorrow.

Looking Up

Houdieno was at it again last night. This time she got out through the gap in the rails on the right side of the bed around 10:30. Bob found her and Janet thought the whole thing was pretty funny. When I asked about it today she tried telling me why she did it but I couldn’t understand what she was saying. Brian and I chatted about it and agreed that blockading her in even more is not the answer. We need to find out why she wants to get out and help her from there.

Lorne gave me a run down on Janet’s morning saying they let her sleep in till nine as she didn’t sleep very well last night. After breakfast Garret took her to the gym for some stretching and Lorne did some speech with her before Mary Lou happened by for another session with Janet.

It was a pretty busy first half of the day and that trend continued after I arrived. Damian was with Janet when I got to her room. He works with Dr. Miller and will be monitoring Janet’s cognitive and psychological improvements. I was able to have a good talk with him to give him a clear understanding of where Janet is now. We then headed off to the gym with Tez and Bob for a video recording session. The stretches Tez wants the staff to do with Janet are all recorded into a folder on the gym computer so each staff member can watch before working with Janet so they are all doing the same thing.

Tez really worked Janet’s right arm and shoulder and found significant improvement since her seizures and said sometimes seizures can actually change things for the better. Janet cried a couple of times but hung in there really well. When Tez was done his part he coached Bob through each stretch and I recorded the video. We moved on to Janet’s legs after that and found them to be unchanged so Tez decided to try and get Janet onto her tummy so he could stretch her hamstring better. With Janet doing most of the work, we got her onto her tummy surprisingly easily and she tolerated being there for a good fifteen minutes undergoing some really good hamstring work. Janet was doing so well that Tez decided to go for a big finish. From her tummy and with Bob holding the back of her knees, Tez and I lifted her to a kneeling position supported only by her left hand on my shoulder. We all were so impressed with her and I think she was too as when I asked her to look up at me she did so and started crying. She said she wasn’t hurting or anything and I think they were tears of joy. After a few minutes on her knees it was an easy flip and she was sitting on the side of the bed and feeling pretty good after a tough workout.

Deserving of a rest Janet chose to hang out in the living room watching TLC for an hour then having a late dinner. We stayed in the living room to eat while watching some basketball. Janet really was watching the tv I noticed and answered a lot of my questions correctly as to what was happening both in the TLC programs and the game. At one point I was in the kitchen talking to Bob when Clint motioned for me to come back to the living room. I saw Janet 80% out of her wheelchair and 20% onto the couch. I stood her up as straight as I could and she “took a step” towards to couch. I was holding most of her weight but she moved her left leg in a definite walking move and dragged her right one behind heading for the couch. It made me feel really confident she will walk one day and I told her so. Bob agrees and said we are still really early in all of this and Janet will improve a lot. She was so into the basketball game that she didn’t want to go for her shower until it was over. Nicole was working for the first time with Janet tonight so I helped get Janet ready for the shower which allowed me to see just how well she tolerates that task. The room is nice and warm and the shower chair is very comfy. No wonder she comes away smiling unlike at KGH.

Janet agreed it was a really good day for her and promised to get a good nights sleep in bed, not on the floor and she even told me she could push the button for help if needed. Good signs. Praying for rest and healing and thanking Jesus for the great day and all the great help from the Connect crew.