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

Renovation Day 20. A well deserved day off for Randy and a full day with Janet for me.

The plan going into today was for a group outing to an apple orchard and pumpkin patch this morning but the weather didn’t cooperate so Jess had Janet helping her in the kitchen. When I arrived, Janet was mixing the ingredients for some sugar cookies after already helping to make soup. Grating carrots is not easy for anyone and Janet got a real good arm workout doing that. Having reached her limit we went off and had a Skype chat with Mary/Gaga and that perked Janet back up. We were excited to learn that Mary/Gaga and Keith are going on a mini cruise to the Bahamas next week. Bon Voyage!

In an effort to get Janet’s energy level up a little I convinced her to go to the gym for a little Shuttle exercise. Not expecting much from her Botox-less legs she shocked me by getting thirteen inches of extension on her first set. That’s the most ever and I’ve no idea where it came from. Suzanne surprised us with a visit towards the end of the session and was able to see Janet in action. Quite a change since the summer when we last saw Suzanne. It was nice to chat and get caught up with her.

After lunch Janet agreed to Skype with Heather and for some reason thought something was wrong with Heather as soon as she saw her. All is well and we aren’t sure what Janet saw or felt there. Our evening plan was to meet Courtney for a belated birthday dinner so Janet had a little rest time before we left Connect for that. While she rested I watched a little football and later noted that with Janet picking all the games this week she so far only has two wrong. Nice work!

We met Courtney at Smack Dab and enjoyed a very nice dinner and conversation with her. Janet impressed us by how much she ate and shocked us by how much she drank. We shared a nice bottle of La Frenz Viognier and Janet had almost two whole glasses, chugging the last ounce in fear that I would take it from her. Funny and a little scary. Janet said afterwards that the evening with Courtney was fun and the highlight of the day.

It was kind of late again when we got back to Connect so it was pretty much take the meds and get ready for bed. Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep that brings lots of energy and strength for tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #dayoff #house #skype #standing

I promised Janet a day off from physical exercise today and that’s exactly what she got. It truly was a “terrible” sleep for her Friday night, I know because she woke me up at least three times, once to ask “when are we going to look at that house?” at seven AM. We did have an appointment for eleven so I made sure we were into the morning routine by 8:30. After that poor of a sleep I was worried how Janet would function. That worry was laid to rest during a Skype chat with Mary/Gaga. Easily Janet’s best one ever! She was answering questions correctly, remembering things accurately from a few days ago knowing what was coming up in the next few days and saying it all loud and clear and topping it off afterwards stating, “my mom’s fun to talk to…” Maybe I should wake her up a bunch of times each night if that’s how bright she’s going to be. Very impressive.

Janet was very excited about viewing the house we were scheduled to see, probably because its yellow. I wasn’t too hopefully but thought it was worth a look. I won. Janet liked it but couldn’t tell me why and I didn’t like it for a whole bunch of reasons, mainly the fact it was quite squishy and difficult to maneuver around. Oh well. Having a backup plan we drove by a home in the neighborhood we’d most like to live in to see if it was worthy. The home is in a townhouse complex that I have shunned since the beginning due to an age restriction of nineteen or older to live there. I do not agree with a policy like that and also am not keen on a Strata situation however facing the reality of renting made me rethink and as Janet I walked around the complex and looked at the outside of the unit for sale we agreed this was our best option. Thirty minutes later our realtor had arranged a viewing and twenty minutes after that we decided to write an offer! The home is all on one level, easily accessible and priced in a range that will allow us to upgrade to our requirements without breaking the bank. After our offer was presented it was learned that there had been a low ball offer made last night that was still pending. The owner rescinded that one in favor of working with us and at the time of writing we are waiting to hear a response to our counter counter offer. I’m confident we’ll reach a deal sometime tomorrow and soon we can remove our #homeless designation.

We returned home a little dizzy from all that happened so quickly and Janet agreed to a nap during which she actually slept. She was nicely re energized for church and we were thrilled to be part of the Trinity family blessing Carrie and Roger as they plant their church in West Kelowna. It’s called West Mount Church and we know they will do powerful things through it. During most services I’ve always sat with Janet when the house stands up as she can’t and I feel bad standing when she can’t. Tonight that all changed. For the last few weeks I’ve been asking Janet if she wants to stand when the house is asked to and each time she’s said no. Until tonight. Wayne asked everyone to rise to pray near the start of things, I asked Janet if she wanted to and she shocked me by saying yes. She was determined to get up as much on her own as possible and didn’t wait for me to get on the left side of her and help her. She grabbed the pew in front of her and stood up! I balanced her while she was up and completely lost my focus on the service as she probably did as well. A minute later, back down she went, upset she couldn’t last longer. It was a brave first try and we practiced a little afterwards and have a better method for next time.

The rest of our night was quite, sushi dinner, AGT, then bed with the possibility of going to the gym at Connect tomorrow but Janet started to battle against that as soon as I said it. We’ll see. Praying for deep healing sleep tonight and acceptance of our offer to buy that home. Thanking Jesus for Janet’s brave act in standing in church tonight and for the healing that allowed her to try.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #moving #skype #hottub #botox

Janet seemed to have one of the best nights’ of sleep she’s had in a while last night. She was asleep before prayer time and I don’t recall her waking until around seven this morning and then she promptly fell back to sleep until nine thirty. Good for her, except that gets our day off to a late start but I’m happy she slept. That sleep probably gave her the good strong voice and brightness she displayed during our Skype chat with Leslie. Fun to listen to.

For work today we decided to finish off Laurel and Heathers’ old room which went quite smoothly as it was mostly a matter of bagging things and getting them out of there. That leaves two major rooms still to be purged, Cams’, which we’ll tackle when he’s home next week and the garage, which will wait till much closer to moving date.

After lunch we drove to what we think would be nice as our future neighborhood and went for a walk. It was nice to be out in the sun and fresh air and that set Janet up nicely for an afternoon nap. Heather was next on the Skype list and Janet was into it enough that I could leave them chat and start dinner. We finished in plenty of time for a relaxing hot tub followed by watching AGT with Janet’s legs in the extenders. With almost two months to go before the next round of Botox I’m a little concerned about the amount of tone in Janet’s legs. It seems like the effect is wearing off sooner this time or things are just different, I don’t know. Her functionality seems the same with a little more command of the right leg and that is good. The hamstrings however seem tighter than they should be at this point. I’m looking forward to Tez joining us at the pool tomorrow and getting his opinion on it all.

Praying for a restful and healing sleep and thankful for the relaxing sunny day we had today.

Reluctant Progress. Janet grins and bears it. #TSJ

Tez had Janet in the standing frame again this morning and by all accounts it went well. Mary Lou did her usual Speech session with Janet as well and after some negotiating with Jess, Janet agreed to have a nap. She says she didn’t sleep but Jess checked on her an hour in and she was snoring away. By the time I arrived Janet was watching TV in the living room and seeming quite happy. She had trouble telling me about her day but with some prompting got the major points out. She did know she was watching Dr. Oz and he was talking about Aspirin. High five. I told her some good news from Dr. McCann’s office that I got this morning. I had given a report on the effect of the Botox and also mentioned I had not noticed any negative reaction to Janet being on a lesser dose of Methylphenidate for the last three weeks so he agreed to discontinue it all together. One less pill for Janet to swallow!

I took Janet out in the sun for a walk before our first order of business, the weekly Skype chat with Leslie. We walked around part of the neighborhood we have not explored yet and agreed we don’t want to live there. It would have been nice to stay outside to Skype but the wifi connection was too slow so we had to go to Janet’s room. Before we could get back out Garrett offered to take Janet to the gym to ride the bike. I was disappointed that Janet fought the invitation the way she did. I felt she did really well yesterday and that she seemed very comfortable on the bike. As the argument progressed it became quite apparent that Janet is really lacking confidence in doing the gym activities. She feels she should be better than she is and doesn’t see the progress she’s making. The great thing about the bike is it shows you exactly how you are performing and once Janet reluctantly agreed to go, Garrett and I were able to show her the numbers to watch. She made a steady twelve rpm for twenty two minutes today. We didn’t measure yesterday’s session but today’s seemed better and Janet was reasonably happy afterwards. I don’t want her to focus too much on the numbers as some days will be better than others, today was better but I got a sense she was being obedient rather than fully participatory. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow.

The bike ride definitely gave Janet a boost of energy and appetite. After dinner we went for a walk to Beasley Park and watched the last twenty minutes of a soccer game. It was really nice sitting in the sun doing that but it was hard to see as the grandstand is on the east side of the fields and at that time of day the sun is shining right in your face. Still lots better than watching soccer in the North Vancouver rain like we used to.

Janet wanted to read when we got back to Connect and we got a good chunk of Slow Dance done. Almost finished. My cousin Sharon, shared a video with us that features a really cool bike that I could use with Janet. More importantly the video is a beautiful story of love. Janet and I both teared up watching it. Your turn.

Praying for a solid night’s rest and an energetic tomorrow.

Day Off. Janet shuts it down for a day. #TSJ

We planned on a sleep in today but Janet was awake at seven. Thankfully she agreed to go back to sleep and we got up at 8:30. Not exactly what I had in mind but this isn’t my show. Her morning routine went well and the first course of breakfast was served while I got myself ready for the day. I then had Janet help make us some pancakes. She was very enthusiastic about it and happily mixed the dry ingredients together then stirred things up after I added the wet ones. Her pouring aim is a little off and I’ve noticed what may be a change in her vision. There seems to be more neglect slightly right of centre than I’ve noticed before but if I can get Janet to physically turn her head she seems to be fine. Three pancakes later a full Janet was happy to watch a little TV while I cleaned up then by noon she was asking for a rest time. Yes, asking. She didn’t seem overly tired or anything, I was happy with the energy she showed on her standing transfers to the toilet but she was kind of quiet this morning and didn’t want to make any decisions about what to do today. I lay down with her for a bit then let her sleep until 2:30.

Janet helped make herself some KD for a late lunch, then enjoyed a brief visit from Kiko as she dropped off what would be our dinner tonight. Lamb curry. Kiko is such a good friend I offered her Nash as compensation for all she’s done for us. She declined however and Janet says we have to keep him, “because he’s ours”. Maybe after a few more rude awakenings she’ll change her mind.

It had been a while since we were able to connect with Andrew so today’s Skype chat with him was welcomed. It’s still hard for Janet to initiate a conversation once past the greeting stage but she is getting more and more responsive to questions and comments even if she doesn’t make total sense all the time. That pattern continued through a chat with Laurel and Janet is truly excited to have her and Heather coming out to visit in three weeks.

The sun came out this afternoon and so did we. Janet enjoyed driving Nash around the neighbourhood and continues to keep good control of him, especially as we cross busy streets. Janet wasn’t sure about the lamb part of the curry dinner but liked it after the second bite and ate a huge plate of it. She must have been full as I really had to talk her into having some ice cream before bed.

Janet crashed pretty hard tonight and I didn’t expect that at all. Her energy level never really matched that of the last few days but she seemed happy throughout and managed to help quite a bit in the kitchen and enjoyed getting out into the sun. In fact she wanted the sun so bad she actually wheeled over to a window where it was streaming in and just sat there for a few minutes soaking it up. That’s my Janet.

Praying for a solid night of rest that provides lots of energy for swimming tomorrow morning.

A Good Excuse. Janet waits for a nap. #TSJ

Once again Janet was in the living room at Connect when I arrived this afternoon. She had not had a nap and said she was waiting for me before having one. I told her I delayed my arrival today in hopes she would be well into her nap and I would join her for the last little bit. She laughed and I accepted her excuse as I wasn’t feeling that great this morning and welcomed the opportunity to lay down for a bit. Janet was quiet for maybe fifteen minutes but I sensed nowhere near sleeping, then wouldn’t stop talking. She demonstrated an arm exercise she had done in the gym earlier and talked a lot about swimming tomorrow and music therapy. I don’t think she’s getting worked up about either one, she just knows tomorrow is a busy day.

I let Janet get up from the right side of the bed for a change and after I helped get her right foot over the edge she used her abs to sit herself up. High five! It actually seemed easier for her than pushing with her arm on the left side but I really had to help get the leg over where as on the other side she can do it herself sometimes. Our first task was to have a Skype chat with Leslie. While we were waiting I went to get waters for us and Janet asked if she should say hi first or Leslie. I explained we weren’t calling until I got back but thought that was really good awareness to ask that. The conversation went well for the first fifteen minutes then Janet started to lose focus. We are excited that Leslie and Gavin are coming out to visit at the end of June as in person chats are always better than Skype.

Janet helped set the table for dinner tonight then ate a big bowl of pasta that Chris made. Pretty cool to see him standing at the stove making dinner. Could be Janet one day? Garrett and I convinced Janet to go to the gym for some leg stretches. She only had a minor breakdown regarding the gym tonight as I was able to commend her on the good workout Lorne gave her in the morning and how much better she’s doing her “standing” transfers today. It seems like giving her tangible evidence of why to do something weighs big for her. We also made it fun with Garrett challenging her to make her own way to the gym. She had a little break in her room then I sent her off. She immediately turned right out of her room as that’s the way she goes 99% of the time so after I corrected her on that she took off. I stayed back and spied on her as she slowly but surely made her way all the way to the gym. She never crashed into one wall and kept propelling herself with her foot and by using her hand on the wheelchair wheel. Something I constantly have to remind her about when I’m with her. She overshot the gym door as it’s on her right side so that was expected and then went in for a good stretch with Garrett.

After her workout, Brian, Garrett and I had a good chat about Janet’s Mondays. She is definitely not at her best on Mondays and I am concerned that the weekends at home are too much for her as Monday has turned into a catch up day. Now that she has swimming Monday mornings the routine has changed and if I can get her to bed in decent time Sunday night that may help. We agreed to have me take her home later on Fridays so she can get another gym session in before the weekend and I will try and do a little stretching at home with her. Janet continues to improve her conversation abilities and her overall awareness although her volume level was low for me today. Jess said she was talking well this morning.

We read some more Slow Dance before bed and Janet picked up right away on the description of the ladies dog getting all depressed when he saw a suitcase getting packed. Our dog has always behaved that way and Janet recognized that without help. We got some bittersweet news today. We knew it was coming but had hoped it wouldn’t be this soon, at least that’s how I feel. Fred will be moving to a Connect facility in Langley this Sunday. He has been a reliable source of laughter from day one at Connect and it has been a privilege to watch him progress. This is a good move for him but he will be missed. Praying for lots of rest tonight in preparation for a busy day tomorrow.

Tan Lines. Janet basking in her glory. #TSJ

Jess said Janet had reluctantly gone to bed for a nap around 1:30 and could be sleeping when I arrived just after two. I left her alone for a bit in hopes she was but when I tried sneaking into her room at three she was looking at me with a huge grin on her face and said she had not slept and was just listening to music. She described her day as OK and said she had done “nothing”, except have breakfast but that was only toast with jam. Garrett later confirmed that Janet said no to a shower and no to the gym this morning and had a decent sleep in. That seems to be common for Monday’s so it’ll be interesting to see how she does in the pool next week.

Janet started getting up from bed and I asked her what she was doing. She told me she had to go to the bathroom so once she was up I got her over to the toilet and away she went. Another good sign of improved awareness. We then headed for the patio and happy hour. Janet devoured an orange and drank her water while I read the comments on our video that so many of you sent our way. Janet is truly encouraged by the feedback even from those of you we’ve never met. In fact some of those comments have gotten the most reaction from her. She still struggles a little with thinking she didn’t look good or do good in the video but the more feedback I read her from all of you the better she feels about it all. Thank you!

Garrett and I convinced Janet to go to the gym before dinner and she returned from a good workout an hour later with a smile on her face. She did seem a little confused at times this evening. Giving silly answers to simple questions and not knowing some basic family questions. When we Skyped with Andrew after dinner she thought he was her brother and even told Garrett that later. Andrew asked Janet about the church video and Janet couldn’t remember what he was talking about even after a pretty good explanation. I played it for her after we talked to Andrew and it all came back to her minus the crying. Yay! She never seemed to be in a state of total confusion so I’m not overly concerned but I would like to get in and see the neurologist sooner rather than later.

The first of each month is weigh in day for everyone and Janet logged another gain. She wisely said “that’s a lot” when I asked her if she thought she weighed 412 pounds. She did guess 117 pounds which is not too far off. As long as I’ve known her she has feared being too big so she always looks a little concerned when I tell her she’s gained weight but I’ve given her an arbitrary goal and we’re not there yet so all is well. As part of reporting her weight to Garrett I had Janet take some Easter candy that Kiko kindly dropped off today to share with those that were hanging around. Janet smiled the whole time she was offering the treats and seemed genuinely happy to be doing it. It’s good to share.

Before bed, Janet asked if I would read some Slow Dance to her. We certainly aren’t moving through that book very fast and it’s too bad because what we read tonight had a lot of similarities to Janet’s experience. She even shot me a few knowing glances as I read. Again, more awareness. The bedtime routine went well and because Janet didn’t nap this afternoon the lights were out a little earlier than usual. All things considered Janet had a pretty good day and even has a little tan line starting on her chest. That’s why we live here folks.

Praying for a restful night that enables lots of healing and brings energy and awareness for a productive tomorrow.

Thirsty? Not Janet. #TSJ

Just to see how things were going and to make sure Janet was OK to sing with John today I called in to Connect this morning. Jess reported Janet seemed brighter and was talking well right from when she got up. Everything seemed like it was a go.

I intentionally stayed away to let Janet have her sing along time then a nap and she was sound asleep when I arrived and stayed that way till around four. She was a little bit out of it when she woke up but came around fairly quickly and well enough to have a decent Skype chat with Leslie. The first one with her in three weeks and I could tell Janet had stepped up her game as soon as the connection was made. She still has difficulty lasting more than twenty minutes but that increased focus is good for her.

As usual this was Janet’s night to help prep dinner and her first task was shredding cabbage. Really hard for me to do never mind her so she moved on to measuring and adding spices then Garrett took her down to help with some laundry and said she did really well, measuring detergent and loading the machines. One of those crazy things she loves to do. We had time to Skype with Mary/Gaga before dinner was ready and Janet managed to talk fairly well and blew her mom and Keith lots of kisses at the end. Janet ate a good dinner and has shown no signs of a diminished appetite at all but the battle continues in the drinking department. She took a few good gulps right after she got up from her nap but I had to nag her constantly after that and got limited results. Jess said it was the same way the first half of the day with her and Lorne. They would ask, remind and insist, each time getting a mostly negative response. When it’s explained to her how important it is she seems to listen and understand but won’t follow through.

Garrett took Janet to the gym after dinner and had a really good workout with her saying she did really well getting herself onto her tummy and back again. There was no indication of pain anywhere and no tears. Yay. I was surprised how long she lasted in the gym as her workout ended when she is usually tucked into bed. Still having some energy she snacked on an apple with Fred and me as he savored his big win at poker tonight. I’m trying to convince Janet to play sometime but the gym is better for her.

Quite a nice improvement in Janet today again. She is no longer arguing about the afternoon nap, she didn’t complain of any unusual pain today, she ate well and talked well at times but there were still frequent moments of Klingon. Both John and Jess reported that the sing along session was a lot of fun. Janet was not any louder but was very smiley as she sang away. Jess caught her singing Who Let the Dogs Out on the toilet afterwards. I finally spoke to her doctor and she will send a referral to see Dr. Adams the neurologist as soon as possible and I’ll take Janet in to the GP Thursday after swimming. Hopefully we can get some solid answers to the Dilantin questions and Janet’s overall condition soon. With her improving so much now I fear we won’t know what was wrong on the weekend but I’m glad to see her brightening up.

Praying for a night of deep rest and healing that brings lots of energy for tomorrow.

Surprise Ending. Janet finishes strong. #TSJ

By the time I was half way through my visit with Janet today I was prepared to write about another day where she took a step back. Our visit started off with her eating pieces of cantaloupe while watching TV in the living room. Lorne told me she didn’t want any lunch today hence the fruit snack. Janet told me she didn’t have time for a nap yet and reluctantly went to her room with me to try. No dice, as there was a lot of noise outside her room with Derrick moving in and Clint getting ready to move out. Every time I felt like Janet was nodding off she would open her eyes and smile at me like she was playing a game. Her day had been busy but not too busy for a nap. Jess had her in the gym and said it wasn’t Janet’s best effort ever. The singing session with John was cancelled again as he is still sick so actually Janet had lots of time to nap. It was very obvious the rest of the day that she felt the effects.

I got her up and ready for the scheduled Skype chat with her mom. Janet was talking much better than a couple weeks ago but not as good as yesterday with Cam. She still demonstrated an increased ability to recall short term memory stuff and relate to the topic of the conversation. We called Laurel right afterwards, Janet’s volume was turned down a notch and she wasn’t quite as engaged but still came up with good answers to questions and enjoyed the chat.

Tuesday is Janet’s day to help prep dinner for everyone. Tonight’s menu was salmon, quinoa and asparagus. Garrett coached Janet through opening the packages of salmon and placing them on baking sheets. Janet poured and spread teriyaki sauce on them then chopped some peppers and cucumber to add to the quinoa she had measured into a pot. Despite being visibly tired Janet did a good job with everything needing help with the peppers but not the cucumber. She thought it was fun to chop and measure things. She ate a relatively small portion for dinner and I attribute that to her tiredness.

The plan after dinner was for Janet to go to the gym with Curtis once he’d had his dinner. While we waited we looked at Nancy’s pictures from Africa on Facebook and Janet put away her laundry. Another task Janet strangely gets pleasure from. She got more and more tired as time passed saying she’d rather just go to bed early tonight. Curtis came in and I asked Janet one more time if she wanted to try the gym for half an hour. To my shock and awe she said yes and off she went. I’ve been speaking to Janet a lot about the need to keep working at getting better and so have others and I think it’s starting to sink in a little. There is no other explanation for her decision to go to the gym tonight. It would have been so easy to give into the tiredness and go to bed. I was really happy with her choice and we had a good talk about it when she got back forty five minutes later. She didn’t have the big smile on her face like last night but was able to understand she had done some good for herself.

So ended a decent day for Janet, not a full step back from yesterday, just a notch down and with a good strong finish. Praying for a good night of rest that provides lots of energy for tomorrow.

New Janet? Big change from yesterday. #TSJ

Apparently all the sleep Janet has been getting lately is paying off. Hopefully the reduction in Dilantin is helping too. I say this because the Janet I hung out with this afternoon is much improved from the one I saw over the last week or so. Jess told me Janet was laying down when I got to Connect and she had chosen to nap before I came to visit as she wanted to hang out with me. She had been down for an hour so I left her for another hour then went in to wake her so we could Skype Cam. Janet immediately started laughing about how she wasn’t sleeping and was expecting me. I could tell right away that she was way brighter than yesterday. Her voice was loud and the words she was using were real words that I could understand. It sometimes took her a few tries to get the right words but there was no Klingon present.

Our Skype conversation with Cam went really well as he was able to tell Janet about his sports successes and discuss his school plans for the next few months. Janet was tuned in and engaged the whole time needing very little help from me. It was very nice to witness.

Keeping the momentum going I asked Janet if she wanted to go to the gym before dinner or after. She of course said neither but with only a little reasoning she agreed to go before. Rikki took her and Janet returned smiling and saying she had a good workout. Rikki hadn’t worked with Janet for a while and was excited about the improvement she sees. She gave a glowing report which was really encouraging for me to hear and I’m sure Janet benefited from hearing the positive news as well.

Dinner was ready, so down to the kitchen we went and Janet obediently drank her cup of water before eating. Who is this person? With a little prompting she even talked to Fred, especially after he guessed I was fifty and Janet was forty. New best friend.

Our evening Skype call to Andrew was not quite to level of the one with Cam but still pretty good. I can tell Janet is processing information better now, maybe not retaining it any more but in the moment she seems to understand things better. She was wearing out after talking with Andrew and wanted to watch a little TV before bed. She actually told me at eight o’clock that she wanted to stop the TV and go to bed. Very responsible.

Today’s Janet really brightened my day and restored my hope that she can deal with this Dilantin crap. This Janet is the one that can work hard at getting better and make progress and I pray she is here to stay. Praying also for a restful and healing night with lots of energy for tomorrow’s tasks and learning opportunities.