bike

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #walking

Renovation Day 69. A day off for me and hopefully Randy too.

Janet and I were up a little late last night and therefore up late this morning. I woke up a few times to see Janet peacefully at rest until finally at 9:40 she opened her eyes. I don’t mind the odd sleep in day but will have to watch that over the Christmas break as it’s not a good habit for Janet to be in. The whole being at home thing has been quite relaxing this weekend and that’s good.

Relaxation was the mode of the day today and with the Seahawks game on in the background Janet did a great job making her toast and coffee. I had to cue her as to where some things were but other than that she did it all on her own. She then had a little Skype chat with Heather followed by some actual watching of the football game.

I convinced Janet to help me sort through the inside Christmas decorations as I know we have way too many and I wanted to be prepared for when the decorating takes place later this week. We did a good job purging and are now ready for Friday when both Laurel and Heather will be here and the women can do their thing.

In order to get in a little exercise I challenged Janet to walk from the dining table to the couch. A week ago there would have been significant protest to that challenge but today with her ankle brace on there was no hesitation in trying. I think she did really well. Her grip on me was tight but only to hold on to and not so much to transfer weight through like she used to. The ankle brace seems to have given her a confidence boost at least. A little later I had her walk from the bed to the toilet and she did so admirably. Our plan is to meet with Tez Tuesday so he can coach us on proper technique and hopefully provide advice on a cane. I think Janet is ready to use one for practice at least.

The thought of going back to Connect tonight didn’t make either of us happy at all. All the Christmas talk and decoration sorting along with The Santa Claus being on TV made it very hard to justify going back tonight but we did, after the movie. Janet remembered the film was shot in Oakville and recognized some of the parts of town which made watching a little more fun. Janet shocked me by asking to go for a bike ride once we got back to Connect at 9:20. She said it would help her sleep. Good call. Once in bed I read a few pages of Open to her and said goodnight as she seemed content and ready for sleep.

Thanking Jesus for the time we got to spend together this weekend and for the continued healing and strengthening. Praying for a night of uninterrupted sleep and lots of energy for tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #Tree

Renovation Day 68. No renovating at the house today. Randy probably worked at home but hopefully not hard.

Janet was impressed how we woke up at the same time this morning. I said it was my motherly instincts. From what I could tell, she had a good night of rest and was eager to start the day. It was a little later than I had planned on so I served her breakfast this morning and will make sure she helps tomorrow. She had a nice Skype chat with her mom after breakfast commenting after that ” I always talk well with my mom”. Indeed.

Our mission today was to get our Christmas tree, shop for an exercise bike for the house, shop for some kitchen stuff and a book. We got a decent start on the exercise bike and it appears as though anything mass market is not going to work. The pedals are the main issue as standard ones are too small and have no way of securing Janet’s feet to them. The bike she uses at Connect basically has a snowboard boot type of binding on it and it works brilliantly. We have a guy at Rocky Mountain Fitness checking on a similar machine for us. Janet was a little confused after that stop but took comfort in knowing the guy will be researching for us. The kitchen store we went to was a bust but the book store was successful. The other night Janet recited most of Twas the Night Before Christmas from memory so I wanted to have a copy to read and have her read too. With that story in mind we made our way to the Christmas tree lot and Janet chose the second tree we looked at. We talked a little before arriving if we wanted to keep buying real trees and Janet thought yes. Even after being out in the cold to get this one she still thinks that so we will.

We set the tree up after a late lunch with Janet picking a good spot for it in our new house. It’s amazing the decision you have to make sometimes. Church was full of wonderful music tonight followed by celebrity Janet being visited by a seemingly larger crowd each week causing us to not make it out of the building until well after seven again. I asked Janet if she likes all these people talking to her and complimenting her so much. She said she does and “it’s nice to hear those things”. Finally! Keep it up folks.

Janet requested the movie Home Alone tonight as she had watched a little of it with Big Country before I picked her up yesterday. She thoroughly enjoyed it and said “that’s the best movie ever!” When I reminded her she said that after The Sound of Music she clarified that Home Alone is just funny.

There was no formal exercise for Janet today but she did wear her ankle brace all day with no discomfort and she felt her ankle was better supported. I noticed her standing transfers were improved because of her foot position and she felt more confident. Praying for a great night of sleep and a fun day tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #Santa

Renovation Day 66. Randy dropped off all the cabinet doors he’s been building and will install them tomorrow. I did no reno work at all today. Hmmm.

Before meeting Janet at the pool I spoke again with the folks at OKAPED re her AFO. She has an appointment tomorrow which is exciting and makes me wish I would have followed up on this sooner but I guess this was the right time. Janet is excited too as she really believes the AFO will give her more confidence and more ability to walk.

Jess was able to work with us in the pool today and tried her best to keep up to the torpedo in the deep tank. The water was a little cooler than normal but having Jess there made it easier to distract Janet from that fact and she swam very well doing some impressive rolls from tummy to back and vice versa. I’m getting more confident in Janet’s abilities as well and can now keep a little more distance between us so she feels more independent. Jess and I took her to the kiddie pool, which was bathtub warm, and had Janet do some balancing. With Jess coaching her she was able to do some good sit to stands and because she was waist deep in water we were able to let her fall a few times to try and break that fear a little. Janet was not scared at all to fall forwards or backwards and I think that helped in getting her to stand properly on her own.

Janet was able to hang out with me the rest of the day as we wanted to get some Christmas shopping done and so headed to the dreaded mall right after swimming. It was surprisingly quiet and because we had no time constraints I was not stressed at all. Janet did a great job of asking to stop and look at things she wanted to check out, something I’ve had a hard time getting her to do previously. I let her pick most things out that we bought but had to work at keeping her within budget. Janet is very money conscious but also loves Christmas and finds it easy to justify an exception. I just couldn’t let her do it. We stopped half way through for a drink that Janet said she didn’t need but she was fading and the break gave her that second wind and we had a very successful round two. On the way out Janet asked where Santa was thinking he was at a courtyard in the middle of the mall. I explained he was down near the end we would be leaving from and asked if she wanted to go see him. She said no but I sensed she really meant yes. When we got to his little village she couldn’t see him very well as we were kind of behind his chair so I wheeled her over for a better look. The Janet that repeatedly said no to going to see Santa started waving and smiling at him the second she saw him. She said no to going in and having her picture taken with Santa but when I said I’d get in the picture too she agreed. You can see by the smile on her face that it was a fun visit and like Santa says, he’s here for kids of all ages.
Santa2013

We had to go home to let the dog out and ended up staying for dinner and watching X Factor. Neither of us wanted to go back to Connect tonight but Janet had to have her meds so back we went. There were some tears as we got out of the car but they passed quickly when we got inside and had a little chat with Curtis and showed him the Santa photo. Janet even chose to go for a bike ride even though it was after nine by the time we got to the gym. I was so impressed by her choice I let her ride for half the usual time but asked her to pedal as hard as she could the whole fifteen minutes. She did, making 1.4 miles in that time. I think she’s ready for level 4!

There were lots of laughs and some shakes of the head as we read Open. Andre Agassi’s dad was or is a lunatic. That was a great way to wind down a very successful day for Janet and she loved hearing all the positives she accomplished as we said goodnight. There was still a little “I don’t want to be here” but the tears were non existent and the smile was bright. Praying for a night of uninterrupted sleep and lots of energy for a big day tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #walking

Renovation Day 64. Randy continues to work from home while I readied the ensuite for operation and hung around while flooring guy did the last little bit of that work. The end is very near.

Janet was sitting up in bed, in the dark, trying to read her watch as I entered her room late this afternoon. I reminded her she has a digital clock beside her bed and she giggled and checked the time. It was past time to get up but she hadn’t slept at all so we discussed the day so far before starting phase two.

Janet says she tried to give that letter to Wendy this morning but didn’t know where to take it. I was too late getting there today to see any of the day staff so I’m not sure what happened but the letter is gone from her room and she says she tried and I think that was the point.

Tez worked with Janet this morning and apparently was a little upset that Janet wouldn’t go in the sling walker. It was explained to him that she’s scared of it and that Curtis and Tiffany and I have been walking her at the parallel bars with some success and he seemed OK with that. Janet said the work this morning was hard and her feet hurt a little.

Singing with John made up for the pain in the morning and Janet agreed it was fun as they sang a little with Big Country and a little on their own. I’m still hoping that a group of them will sing at the Christmas party Friday night. Janet and Big Country sang after dinner tonight and it’s so much fun to see the smile on Janet’s face and to note her happy body language when she’s singing. It’s awesome. Big Country had some words of encouragement for Janet tonight as he very seriously told her to stop saying “it doesn’t work” and “I can’t”. He explained that she can do a lot of things he can’t right now and I think that really made Janet think. Awesome moment.

Janet’s bike ride tonight was a personal best using level three for the first time and going the whole thirty minutes making 2.6 miles! She once again admitted the bike is fun. I hope to get one in the house before Janet comes home for Christmas so she can exercise there too and keep this progress going.

It was a little bit of a struggle getting Janet to the Shuttle after dinner but she cooperated in the end and showed Curtis and I some notable improvement. Her right leg extension has increased and the strength of that leg is far greater than a month ago. I used to have to hold her right foot and knee in place while she pushed or her leg would fall away from the push plate. Not tonight. All on her own. Hoping to feed off the success of the Shuttle we had Janet on the wobbly board for a bit afterwards and she was not impressed. She did manage a few shifts from side to side but was clearly too tired for any more. Good effort though.

Earlier in the day I had mentioned to Janet that we needed to complete her list of people she wants to give Christmas cards to and when we got back to her room after the gym she remembered that and suggested we do it then. An impressive display of her short term memory coming back. That took us until it was time to watch The Voice and sadly for Janet her guy was sent home and my girl was voted safe so I get another Blizzard from Janet. Yeah!

This was a very solid day for Janet and I pray for more of the same tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #working

Renovation Day 63. Another work at home day for Randy while I put up some towel bars and a decorative shelf and cleaned the kitchen area. The last bit of vinyl planking arrived today and will be installed over the trap door to the crawl space tomorrow.

Janet was hanging with Jess in the living room when I got to Connect this afternoon. She was bright and cheery and excited to tell me she had worked with Wendy this morning testing her reading comprehension. Janet said she didn’t do very well but knowing Janet, I’ll wait till I hear from Wendy before coming to any conclusions. One part of the test is still in effect as Janet has to remember all on her own to deliver an envelope to Wendy in the morning. Janet seems determined to pull this off and has the envelope ready on her bedside table. I think Janet’s comprehension has improved substantially over the last couple of months and expect her to do respectably with Wendy. Unrelated, I asked Janet to type a reply to an email from her mom and she did so without hesitation. I never once had to help her with spelling and only had to help her locate some letters on the keyboard. She never once complained that she can’t do it and found maybe thirty percent of the letters completely on her own. High five.

The first order of business after the daily recap was a bike ride. Jess had Janet in the gym this morning for a lot of stretching work and range of motion stuff on her legs. The bike ride tied a personal best and I think Janet is ready for level three if I can sneak that on her.

We had a nice Skype chat with Heather just before dinner and Janet excitedly told her of our party Friday night without prompting and of singing along to The Sound of Music. She needed a little reminder of that one but laughed a lot about knowing all the songs.JanetSuzanneDedicationParty

Tiffany helped us at the parallel bars after dinner with Big Country cheering Janet on. Considering the lack of walking over the last four days and no nap today Janet did quite well. I noticed a tendency to get out of rhythm from time to time and she was a little fast to give up on herself. I think to really make headway on this walking thing Janet needs to practice daily and with the AFO which hopefully will come soon.

I warned Janet tonight would be hard and I didn’t think she’d go for the Standing Frame when I mentioned it but she did and got a good stretch for forty five minutes while we watched The Voice. She seemed to have a natural let down as soon as the show was over and asked to get ready for bed so I could read a little to her before lights out. I don’t think she made it three pages before she was out and didn’t even stir until I was all packed up with my coat on ready to go. To me that’s a sign of a productive day. Janet had good physical and mental workouts today and I pray for similar success tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #workout

Renovation Day 58. Another work from home day for Randy. I spent the day at Trinity helping the team there. Apparently Christmas is coming soon and there’s a set to be built.

Janet once again was cozied up in bed when I got to Connect and once again she never made it to the gym during the day shift. This time it was because they went on a field trip. Aberdeen Hall Prep School invited the residents to a special Christmas concert put on by the pre school kids. Janet was right back in her natural environment and the kids recognized that and gave her lots of attention. She said it was a lot of fun and even Wes sang a little. At the end of the concert the children gave out arts and crafts pieces they had made to whoever they chose. Guess who got the most? JanetPreSchoolBling

Clearly happy with that experience Janet was reasonably accepting of having to do her exercises tonight and started with the bike again. Singing and smiling she pedalled her way to a new personal best of 2.5 miles in thirty minutes at level 2.5. High five!

After dinner Janet surprisingly chose to do sling walking over the Shuttle. We discussed with Jess and Curtis the pros and cons of the sling walking with me expressing concern over Janet’s fear of the thing. We decided to give it one more try but while Janet and I were waiting for Curtis to finish instructing Wes I had Janet try and walk along the parallel bars like Willie was doing yesterday. She did very well and with Curtis and I assisting she made it down and back twice, getting better at the technique the more she did it. Curtis held her hand in front of her to discourage Janet from using it as a crutch and I braced her right knee as it tends to flex outwards when weight is put through it. Janet is on the list to be fitted for an AFO which will support her in that way and we hope it can be made soon as that will give Janet more confidence and ability to use her right leg. Fitting will take place at KGH as soon as the doctors get their paperwork in order.

Walking pretty much exhausted Janet so we spent a nice quiet evening catching up on emails and watching X Factor. Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep and a willingness to work hard tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #workhard

Renovation Day 57. Randy worked from home today while I hung a few more pictures and cleaned some areas up. I was also able to retrieve our wine and spirits from Barb and Gary’s house now that we have a place to put it. Thanks for looking after it you guys!

Janet was all snuggly in bed still when I got to Connect around four. Her day had not been as physically demanding as I had hoped but she was tired from some mental exercise. She attended a group meeting this morning which seems to be helping her come to terms with what has happened to her as I asked her what she talked about there and she said, “why I’m here, because of my aneurysm, X Ray, last year”. Made me laugh but also proud that she could say that. Unfortunately because of other things going on in the house that meeting took Janet’s gym time away which meant she had a very busy evening with me.

Allowed to choose the order of her exercises it was off to the bike first where Janet put in a solid performance while enjoying singing along to some familiar songs on the radio. Dinner provided a break and a chance to build some energy but the best item on her plate for that she’s decided she doesn’t like anymore. Janet used to gobble up any Quinoa dish but is now adamantly saying no to it. Too bad, because its really good for her.

Next up was sling walking and when Janet figured out what she’d gotten herself into she was none too happy. Big Country and Willie were in the room with her, Curtis and I and they cheered her on to the point where she worked really hard and showed good improvement from the last time I saw her doing this. Her right leg requires assistance still and Janet needs to trust the sling more but she’s getting there. To help her gain some trust we let her hang in the sling and try to get back to her wheelchair from about ten feet away. She made it but we don’t want to encourage doing that, we just want her to know she can’t fall.

The last exercise of the day was in the form of the Standing Frame and Janet stood very straight and strong for forty five minutes earning a dessert of mandarin oranges and Tootsie Rolls as we watched The Voice. That was pretty much the only time she stopped in the six and a half hours I was with her today and a lot of her work was hard. I had left a note for Garrett and Jess that Janet was not using her wheelchair footrest around the house and she didn’t all day. I thought all she could handle was the short trips from her room to the kitchen or living room but she went once all the way to the gym then again even farther to the parallel bars for sling walking. Of course there was lots of complaining and saying “I can’t” but she did it and is getting better at it already. Janet is not propelling with her right leg at all but is managing to move it in concert with the left one. A big improvement.

All of Connect was talking about Janet’s singing session with John today as Big Country and Kieran joined them for some Christmas Carolling. Janet said it was a lot of fun and those that I talked to that heard them said they were pretty good. Hopefully they will perform at the Christmas party coming up in a couple of weeks.

Praying for a night of uninterrupted and healing sleep that provides Janet with lots of energy for more exercises tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #Home

Renovation Day 56. Randy was here for a good chunk of the day putting the finishing touches to a lot of the drawers. Janet, Laurel and I did a lot of decorating. The house is really looking like a home now.
Hutchdecorated

Janet woke up this morning feeling good but complaining about being a little sore. I think the mattress we got is too soft so I’m going to see if we can switch to something firmer. Janet also finds it hard to adjust her positioning in bed. I thought it was mostly because I had her on the opposite side from what she’s used to but we tested the other side this morning and found the same result.

After breakfast we all got started emptying the last few boxes and filling shelves. Laurel was a big help in hanging paintings and pictures with Janet making good choices on what goes where. It was steady work for the balance of the day and Janet hung in there and contributed the whole time. She did have one lapse in judgement when we unpacked a little statue and I claimed it was from her mom and Keith and she thought she bought it. We put a Blizzard on the line and called Mary/Gaga to settle the bet. I won. Janet was a little frustrated with losing but showed how much she’s thinking these days by commenting that she has no money and asking how she’d pay for a Blizzard. Laurel and I assured her that she has money, our money, and she seemed fine with that for now. Janet has raised this concern before and even asked if she should get a job soon. It would be awesome if she got well enough to work at something one day but I reassured her that she doesn’t need to work.

All the thinking that goes into decorating wore Janet out a little and she agreed to a nap before going for an early dinner so we could drop Laurel at the airport. Janet is always sad when the kids leave after a visit, especially a short one like this but Laurel will be back for Christmas in a couple of weeks and that allowed Janet to hold back the tears.

Our plan upon returning to Connect was to watch the Seahawks game but since they were dominating the Saints right from the start I convinced Janet to get in a bike ride then watch the second half. Her ride was decent, breaking the two mile mark and pedalling at level 2.5 the entire thirty minutes. A pretty good warm up for what I hope will be a strong day tomorrow.

The football game was a blow out so we watched The Voice with Wes and Kieran with Janet being pretty quiet as she wound down from a busy weekend. Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep and lots of strength for an active day tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #Strong

Renovation Day 52. A work from home day for Randy and a little sleep in for me this morning before taking advantage of Black Friday to score some new cookware. Our old pots and pans won’t work on our new induction cooktop so we now have new ones. Yeah!

Today of course was swimming day and after last weeks session in the deep pool I decided to have Janet do that again. We didn’t have Courtney with us this time but Ashley from Connect was there with another resident so I felt confident that Janet could be rescued if something went wrong. Since Janet is doing so well with her balance and walking on land I’m giving her a break from the cold water and letting swimming be just the fun it ought to be. Prior to getting in the water Janet was saying she doesn’t like swimming, she was upset that the water was cold as soon as she got in but immediately upon swimming she had a big smile on her face. She swam strong and for long distances managing a few roles from back to tummy and back again. Her confidence level is definitely increasing as is mine which gave me the idea of throwing Janet off of the ladder just for fun. She agreed so I tossed her gently from maybe eight inches out of the water and she went about a foot under. With the wetsuit on I expected her to pop right back up and when she didn’t I reached down and pulled her back up. She wasn’t too happy about that saying “I was getting ready to swim”. She was fine, I panicked. Silly me.

My schedule didn’t allow me to go back to Connect right away with the group so I missed out on today’s session with Tez. Janet told me as soon as I got there that she walked up and down the hall again with a cane and she seemed quite excited and proud of herself. It was hard work and combined with the swimming I expected Janet to be zonked right out. Not the case, her stamina is really building.

Since she had energy she agreed to catch up on some correspondence that she has been delaying. Responding to emails has never been a favourite past time of Janet’s and it takes a lot out of her now so I have to catch her at just the right time in order to have her be able to focus and come up with good responses. That led us to dinner which included more vocal aerobics from her and Big Country and Willie. This time there was a contest to see who could hold a note the longest, Janet tried but burst out laughing fifteen seconds into each attempt. Good fun.

Still with energy Janet surprisingly was up for a bike ride after dinner and set a new personal best. 2.5 miles in thirty minutes at level 2.5! High five! I see no way for Janet to argue that she’s not getting stronger anymore. The proof is evident even to her now.

We watched a little TV with some of the others then read some of Open as Janet faded into sleepy time. Today was a very full day with lots of physical activity and some good brain exercise with Janet impressing me in all areas. Thanks again for all the positive feedback from Janet’s walking video, there was more to read to her today and for once she is accepting the compliments and encouragement and that is feeding her determination.

Praying for lots of healing rest tonight and an energetic day tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #energy

Renovation Day 48. Not much renovating going on today but Janet and I managed to empty a few boxes and have declared the Den/Second Bedroom completed except for decorating and hiding TV cables. After all the purging at the old house we surprisingly still have excess furniture so will be selling some things soon I guess. Still can’t find our lamps although we didn’t really look today.

Overall, today was a low energy day for Janet. She woke up with a bit of a spark but after breakfast and a Skype chat with Heather she started to fade. She was a big help in arranging furniture and she managed her first two loads of laundry with minimal assistance. I’ve no doubt she’ll master those machines very quickly. She’s pretty much got the ice and water dispenser down and can easily put her dirty dishes in the dishwasher. I’m liking this already!

I suggested a nap before going to the Grey Cup party and got know argument from Janet, in fact when I woke her at the agreed upon time she asked for another half hour. Not sure why she was so tired today but there’s no problem with taking a restful day and the long nap did enable her to enjoy the party. It wasn’t the most lively event we’ve ever been to and we didn’t hardly know anyone there but it was a good place to watch the game and Janet liked the Bingo game that we all played. You filled out your card with random numbers that corresponded to questions you could only answer by talking to other people. Janet had no problem going up to a few different folks and asking them the appropriate questions. She got enough correct answers to earn a line on her Bingo card but no prize. Oh well, it was fun. Not as much fun as watching Janet eat, to my knowledge, her very first chili dog! With no other dinner choices Janet didn’t even hesitate at eating some classic football food. High five!

Upon our return to Connect Janet surprised me again by agreeing to a bike ride and promptly tying her personal best. She kept saying how tired she was but she peddled and peddled the entire thirty minutes. High five!

We closed the day with a few minutes of real football and Tootsie Rolls and with Janet looking forward to Wednesday when she can come home and help set things up some more. Despite her tiredness today there were lots of encouraging signs of improvement like, Janet knowing where her slippers were after not having them on for over an hour, waking up with me telling her it’s two thirty and her saying “we have to go soon”, and the very good “tired” bike ride. It was fun having Janet home again and will be even more so as soon as we are totally unpacked and settled in.

Praying for a night of healing sleep, total control of her right leg and lots of energy for an active tomorrow.