standing

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

I called Janet at noon today mostly to get her some practice answering the phone but also to see how her morning had gone and to offer some positive feedback. Her morning was still happening as she was up at the parallel bars with Tez and not exactly thrilled about it. She was laughing to Garrett as she hung up from talking to me so maybe the call lifted her spirits a little. Jess informed me later that Janet had done well up there and for the first time had put an equal amount of weight on both legs when standing on the scales. That’s a significant achievement that I praised Janet about all night.

After a short nap I helped Janet get up so she could do the Standing Frame at the same time as Big Country. This was his second day using a custom built frame and its pretty cool seeing a seven foot guy standing up. Janet was sufficiently distracted by Big Country and with me cleaning and trimming her finger nails that she stood for over an hour before realizing she was allowed to get down.
StandingFramewithBC

StandingFramewithBC2
There was a little arguing about having to do the Shuttle after dinner but Janet caved relatively quickly and had a good workout. We spent a lot of the evening reading and responding to emails before watching a couple of I Love Lucy episodes to wind down the night. Janet remembered Lucy, Ethel and Ricky but needed some help with Fred. She laughed a few times and got a real kick out of the clothes they wore and the old fashioned telephone they used.

Praying for complete healing and a massive increase in confidence.

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

A smiling Janet greeted me as I arrived at Connect late this afternoon. She had just gotten up from a nap where she actually slept and I could tell. She was very bright and spoke well as she excitedly told me she had done a big workout in the gym this morning. There was no arguing with me when I suggested she was only telling me that so I wouldn’t make her do more tonight. Janet truly did have a good session with Curtis and Garrett this morning doing everything except the Standing Frame. Curtis worked on free standing with Janet in an area no where near a transfer pole and Janet did very well. A couple of times lately I’ve noticed her free standing while pulling her pants up or down but I haven’t said anything to her as I don’t want her to be thinking about it. I love that she’s doing it and I feel she’s getting closer to taking an unassisted step. It may be using an undesirable technique but I sense it coming.

After a lively dinner Janet wanted to get the Standing Frame over with and stood for an hour quite comfortably. The rest of the night was hers and after checking her emails which gave her some reading practice she counted out some pennies to be rolled. Her math skills are excellent and as long as she takes her time she can count accurately as well. For each roll she laid out stacks of two pennies in a five by five grid confidently answering that there were fifty pennies there. She has rolled eleven rolls of pennies so far and quickly calculated that is $5.50. Sounds like enough for that Blizzard she owes me.

Last night as we were reading Janet complained that the light in her room was too bright for her while she’s laying there listening to me so I asked her to remind me next time and I’ll turn it off, to my surprise, tonight she did. She also knew right away that SheLife is tomorrow and there were a number of other intelligent comments and strong displays of short term memory tonight too. Fun times.

Praying for full and complete healing and a positive day tomorrow.

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

It was back to the pool today for Janet after a couple of weeks off. Her complaining hasn’t changed and neither has her swimming ability except for the time she drank a little water from the deep tank and I had to pull her to edge so she could cough it up. Scarier for me than her. In the kiddie pool Janet did some great standing and knee bends with a decent amount of push from her right leg. There was a two year old girl in the pool at the same time as us and she made a point of staring down Janet every time she jumped in and she wouldn’t jump until Janet was watching. Kid magnet.

After a short nap Janet cooperated with me and did a good session on the Shuttle and a better one than yesterday on the bike. I’d say she’s making small gains on the Shuttle and the bike is going to take a while.

Ed Mitchell is a counsellor who comes in every Tuesday morning and facilitates a group discussion for the residents of Connect. Janet has been but is not really interested. Tonight Ed started a group for the spouses and families of the residents so I went to see what this guy is all about. Ed is a nice guy who is offering his services to help anyone who wants, unfortunately tonight me and Willie’s wife were the only two there. The intent is to meet once a month on Thursday evenings but I’m not sure I want to give up that time with Janet as all she did while I was there tonight was watch TV. Nice idea, but.

I convinced Janet to do forty five minutes in the Standing Frame before heading off to her room to plan meals for the weekend and read Open. She was disappointed we couldn’t watch any tennis tonight and didn’t last long with me reading either as she stared snoring four pages in. That’s a good thing and hopefully she snores all night. Praying for lots of energy and a positive attitude for tomorrow that enables Janet to keep working hard like she did today.

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

Janet was waiting for me in the living room at Connect in anticipation of our meeting with Tez this morning and waisted no time in getting on with it. The AFO seems to fit Janet well, she complained of a little irritation on her ankle bone last night but all was well today as she was wearing longer socks. Tez took her through the basics of getting out of her wheelchair, instructing Janet to get as far forward on the seat as possible before trying to stand. That works every time but Janet often forgets. Although walking all the way to the kitchen last night was a significant accomplishment, Tez wants to return to basics as far as Janet’s walking goes. She is still reluctant to put much weight through her right leg and has very little control of her right quadriceps, if any. We had Janet stand with each foot on a scale and she was putting about thirty pounds on the right leg, all the rest of her weight was through her left leg. Tez believes confidence is a huge part of this issue and has developed some exercises to help build strength in that leg and therefore confidence. For the next few weeks there will be no long walks but a lot of standing, Shuttle, bike and stretching work with the focus being on the right leg. The bike rides will consist of a warm up period using both legs followed by pedalling with only her right leg. Same on the Shuttle combined with everyday use of the Standing Frame and lots of free standing as on the scales. Jess joined us in the gym later and showed me the new mat exercises for Janet. Both involve “bridging” which forces Janet to activate her quads. These can be done at home too as can the standing of course.

That was a full morning so to give Janet a break I brought her home for lunch before her doctor appointment this afternoon. Her transfers in and out of the car with the AFO were excellent and I can sense Janet is more confident in those situations. The doctor visit was good with no major issues to discuss and Janet will return in March for a full check up, something she hasn’t had since well before she got sick.

Back at Connect Janet was determined to get her exercises over and done with so foregoing a nap it was off to the gym she went. After a warm up on the Shuttle, Tez popped in and coached us through what he’d like Janet to do on that machine. It was a huge help and a real eye opener to see just how little Janet has been using her right leg. I’ve always supported that leg while she’s worked on the Shuttle and realized today that that was enabling her to use it in a way that circumvents the quadriceps. Tez agreed that no support and the minimum weight is the way to go now and to try and force Janet to use those muscles. She had a very solid workout and I think will actual enjoy the Shuttle more using it this way. Next up was the Standing Frame and although she was visibly tired, Janet stood nice and straight for forty five minutes. After dinner we were back in the gym for some one legged bike riding. Again, we are back to basics here, at the lowest level and with me assisting on the upward part of each revolution. Janet didn’t enjoy this ride very much and I think measurable goals will be hard to show her for a while. I hope she hangs in there.

Janet was eager to read Open tonight and we were able to YouTube another scene out of the book to bring it to life again. Very cool. She didn’t last long watching tennis tonight after a physically demanding day. Praying for a deep and healing sleep tonight and a productive day tomorrow.

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

Back to reality. Janet seemed quite comfortable and “at home” when I arrived at Connect late this afternoon. Proving her memory skills, the first thing she asked me was “did you go skiing?” When I told I was happily surprised she remembered that she said, “why wouldn’t I remember that?” Nice change from the Janet that couldn’t remember something from an hour ago.

Janet did forget to have a nap this afternoon and was showing signs of being tired but it was too late to nap so she opted for a bike ride instead. Once again I received orders not to make it so hard but being the meanie that I am I never said anything when she programmed the bike to do the same profile as last night and at a higher level. I told her I believed she would do better than last night and she did, tying her personal best but at the most difficult setting she’s tried.

The exercise built her appetite to where dinner was devoured in no time and after hanging out for a little while I asked Janet to practice some walking. She didn’t want to go upstairs to the parallel bars so I had her free stand for almost ten minutes in her room then walk the fifteen feet or so across the hall to Kieran’s door, turn around and walk back to her wheelchair that was beside her bed. The last ten feet were really taxing on her but she maintained as good a form as possible and was able to perform a very controlled landing back into her wheelchair. High five!

We joined Wes and Willie’s wife Val in the living room for a little TV and conversation. Janet tired quickly though and just wanted to get her pjs on and have me read more of Open to her. Because she went to bed so early I was able to read a full chapter to her and she was able to tell me the highlights of what we read despite being ready for sleep. Her memory really is improving and I have to be careful what I say around her now. When I first got to Connect today she told me that there was only one person working all day as Jess was sick. Janet described that person as being Curtis. Later on and in front of Janet, I asked Tiffany if Curtis was working alone all day and Janet got a little offended that I doubted her. That is a real sign of the former Janet returning. Nice!

Praying for a night of uninterrupted healing sleep that provides lots of energy for a busy day tomorrow.

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

In major league baseball they call the last day of a series, Getaway Day, as the teams leave that city and travel to the next one. It was getaway day at our house today as Janet returned to Connect after an enjoyable Christmas break. I think we both felt the impending separation and were a little quiet because of it. Janet was nicely distracted by a Skype call with her mom this morning followed by one with Heather a little while later. Janet wisely cut that conversation short to go to the bathroom, something she has been reluctant to do on occasion with unpleasant results. I took the opportunity to give Janet a bath so she wouldn’t have to endure one at Connect tomorrow. The combination bath/shower worked well with Janet only complaining of cold in the last two minutes or so.

There was more football to watch today but neither of us were too interested. It felt more like we didn’t know what else to do. Janet did manage a very nice standing and walking session. Using my hand as a cane she walked about twelve feet to the patio door, grabbed the door knob and turned herself around then walked five feet to the couch. There, she held onto the back and side stepped her way back to her wheelchair. Half way through she complained of being exhausted but she persevered and flashed a little smile as she plopped back into her wheelchair. That was her longest walk in the house for sure and was accompanied today by some really strong moves in getting to a standing position from sitting without the use of a transfer pole or me. Janet is definitely strong enough to do this now and I plan on talking to Brian this week to see what he thinks about taking the poles away. At least I think its time to restrict their use to holding on while standing, not for getting up.

Janet helped make a very nice dinner for us tonight and we enjoyed it with a glass of wine as we fought off sadness, knowing she had to go back to Connect. The car ride out there was surprisingly fun. I managed to get Janet singing and laughing about the highlights of the Christmas break and she was in good spirits as we made our way to her room. She didn’t’ hesitate at all about going for a bike ride and gave me orders not to make it too hard. Apparently I did though and she got pretty grumpy during her ride. That all changed once she was done and we shared some of our Christmas chocolate. Once in bed I read some of Open to her and that brought laughter and lots of excited comments like, “I love this book”, and “its like you are right there with him”. Makes it a lot of fun to read and with Janet in a good mood it was easier to say goodnight.

Praying for a night of uninterrupted sleep, lots of energy and a positive attitude for tomorrow.

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

Janet and I enjoyed a pretty quiet day today, her last full day here before returning to Connect tomorrow after dinner. It’s been a great sixteen days and it will be difficult to say goodnight tomorrow and leave her at Connect. I know it’s still the best place for her to keep getting better and I guess I was spoiled having her at home for such a long stretch. It’s awesome to realize she can be home with no major challenges and that bodes well for the future.

I did manage to get Janet to do a little standing and walking today. Her balance was good and she made it more than half way from the table to the fridge, about ten feet, before declaring a bathroom break. I had her carry on afterwards and she was able to retrieve an orange out of the fridge with minimal assistance from me. We had a brief but nice visit from Courtney and watched a very exciting playoff football game before going to church. Janet said that was the most exciting game she’d ever seen and she was truly into it and Seattle wasn’t even playing. Love her.

In trying to foster more independence for Janet I intentionally left her wheelchair footrest in the car at church and asked her to propel herself from the car to our seats. She needed a little help on one sloped bit in the parking lot, other than that it was all her confidently rolling along. At the end of the service she executed her first unassisted standing transfer from pew to wheelchair. No help from me at all. High five!

Dinner and a movie was the evening plan again with Janet almost bailing on the movie we watched, Won’t Back Down, but was glad she stuck it out through the end and gave a loud cheer and a fist pump. Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep that restores Janet’s energy for a productive tomorrow.

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

Today started a little earlier than others lately as Janet said she didn’t sleep well. I’m not sure how she came to think that as I don’t recall her stirring until very near time to get up. She was talking in her sleep a little just before I turned my light out but that didn’t seem a big deal.

Janet enjoyed breakfast with the kids and a nice Skype chat with Andrew, so all were together for a time. We also Skyped with Leslie a little while later and are grateful for the technology that allows us to talk to and see friends and family whenever we want. Now that those moments are more spontaneous, Janet enjoys them more and therefore, I think, benefits from them more.

To keep up a little with the walking and balancing practice I had Janet try to replicate her dancing efforts from yesterday. The result today was not as spectacular but I was impressed with how well she was able to get her right heel down to the floor. Much better than yesterday and that allowed her to put more weight through her right leg.

Sadly, we dropped Laurel off at the airport this afternoon after a couple of card games with Janet. It was the least emotional airport goodbye I’ve witnessed, I saw no tears, and usually they are flowing fast. Maybe Janet was too tired, or has a better understanding that we will see Laurel again soon, or was just really happy we turned into the airport instead of carrying on to Connect. That will be tomorrow, just for a workout.

The evening was spent dining on make your own pizza and drinking a little more wine as we relaxed with Heather. A movie, It’s Kind of a Funny Story, was about all Janet had the energy for and when we finally found one worth watching I wasn’t convinced she’d last through it. She did, but said after that she didn’t really understand it. I think partly because she was tired and partly because it wasn’t a musical.

Thanking Laurel for all her efforts in making this a very enjoyable Christmas and praying Janet has a solid night of sleep that provides lots of energy for tomorrow.

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

A very merry Christmas it was here today. There was no mad rush to the tree to open presents so Janet was able to get up when she wanted and enjoy a leisurely breakfast prepared by Laurel and Heather. Courtney joined us near the end and then we did the presents thing. Janet loves opening stuff but more enjoys seeing others react to what she gave them and although we have scaled things way back it was still a fun time.

The weather was nice enough for a nice walk around the neighbourhood before a late lunch. Janet was having a rather relaxed day up until that point and I thought the fresh air would be good for her. She was a little quiet as we watched basketball and snacked so to improve the chances of an enjoyable evening I had Janet take a one hour rest break. She probably slept for most of that hour but was awake when I went in to check on her and she seemed ready to make the rest of the day fun.

Janet helped a little with the dinner prep and did some really good standing for more than ten minutes while Laurel and Heather made dinner. With some lively Christmas music playing, Janet even got a few dance moves going while holding onto a countertop and briefly a couple times not holding onto anything. The music and business of the kitchen were good distractions to any discomfort Janet was experiencing and she even executed a well controlled decent back into her wheelchair. High Five!

Dinner was outstanding and the conversation around the table very enjoyable as we all relaxed and enjoyed wine and laughter. Janet participated fully and even after a more wine than she probably should have she was fully engaged in what was happening and had a really fun time. She surprised us all by calling her own bedtime at ten o’clock when she seemed to be going pretty strong. Good for her to recognize when she’s tired though and she did fall asleep pretty quick.

We hope you enjoyed your Christmas as much as we did. Praying for a night of uninterrupted sleep and lots of energy for tomorrow.

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

I’m keeping this one intentionally short as its Christmas and all. Janet had a good day, a little quiet but she said it was a good one. The kids walked with her to the local Starbucks in the sunshine and Janet really enjoyed that. The girls helped her get dressed for church and Janet is really starting to enjoy wearing dressier clothes again. She looked beautiful tonight and made it through until after ten without a nap. There were moments where I wasn’t sure she would make it and I nagged her a little about drinking water hoping that would keep her energy up. She had enough energy to get mad at me for nagging her and I guess that’s a good thing. At church Janet stood the longest she has yet and said afterwards that she intended to stand longer tonight. High five!

Joy to the World

Joy to the World

Joy!

Joy!

I feel truly blessed to be able to have Janet home for an extended stay this Christmas and am especially happy with how well she is able to participate in our family activities. As an example, we played a little Pictionary tonight and Janet drew a couple of things that her team guessed correctly and she even gave enough good clues that her team guessed correctly on one turn of Catch Phrase. Not only that, Janet can recite a fair bit of Twas the Night Before Christmas by heart too. We did one attempt with me prompting her from the book and I never had to give her more than three words and she would complete the next two or three lines. Such a massive change from a year ago when she had just transferred to Connect.


Janet and I wish you all a very blessed Christmas!