sunshine

Janet, A Success Story. July 7. #TSJ

Getting back into her routine at Connect seemed easy for Janet today. She completed her exercises by lunchtime except for the Standing Frame and got some sun tanning time in before nap time. Yesterday I had asked her to check and see if Jess could drive her to the Dr. Miller appointment tomorrow and Janet remembered to do that. Her memory is steadily improving as is her walking ability. After helping her up from nap time I had her walk to the kitchen to set the table and she did so quicker and more confidently than ever. She did use the wall for security purposes a few times but it seems that letting her do that is actually building her confidence rather than making her dependant on that “crutch”. Janet got the table set in record time and made some really nice 180 degree turns in the process, something she has long struggled with.

Escaping to the warmth of the patio after her chore was done Janet and I hid out there until dinner was ready and Karl and Chelsea agreed to back off on the damn A/C. Janet continued her excellent walking after dinner before getting in the Standing Frame. After properly repairing her wheelchair we were able to go for a nice sunset walk around the neighbourhood. To end the day, Janet had one more round trip of walking to do to get her meds and even though she was getting tired she did very well. No signs of falling and a good steady pace. She was sweating by the time she got back to her room but I think happy with her accomplishments, especially naming the meds correctly with only minor hints.

We are reading a Judy Blume book now called Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. I’m not sure where we got the recommendation but its working out much better than the Toni Braxton story. This one is funny and fast paced and full of young girl things that Janet easily relates to. She had lots of good giggles tonight and that always makes it a little easier to say goodnight. Praying for a good rest tonight and for a good visit with Dr. Miller tomorrow.

Janet, A Success Story. June 25. #TSJ

The lunch time phone call today came from Janet who said she had everything done including sitting in the sun a lot. I was glad to hear that and could recognize the energy that had given her. She said she wasn’t going to nap today and asked if I could come out a little earlier than planned as Jess wanted to talk to me. I arrived just after three, talked to Jess as she was leaving, went to Janet’s room to find Curtis helping her get ready for a nap. Now she was tired. Sheesh. Jess was giving me the heads up that there is an opportunity to go hiking on July 26. The CRIS Program would be leading the day and Janet would be pushed in a wheelchair adapted for rough terrain. She of course isn’t wanting to go but so far the calendar is clear then and I think I can convince her to try, she used to love that sort of thing.

It wasn’t much of a nap and when Janet woke up she immediately asked to go to the bathroom. I like it when that happens. After a little sun soaking Janet set the table for dinner then went back outside to warm up. We are having a hard time with the air-conditioning always blasting at Connect and don’t understand why people think its necessary. It wasn’t too bad during dinner but a nice walk in the sun afterwards made Janet feel good. Up until that point she had been walking freestyle the whole time and continues to do better than when holding my hand. A perfect example was going through the door to the patio with me and moving side to side so much she bonked her head on the door jam. Janet still wants to hang onto me for security sake but I’m trying to convince her to fly on her own.

Angie has a 3D TV that we moved out into the living room so people could watch Avatar in 3D. That was a new experience for Janet and although she didn’t really get the movie she enjoyed watching it in 3D and was impressed that it looked so cool. Unlike her.

Janet's Ray Charles impersonation.

Janet’s Ray Charles impersonation.


Unfortunately when she was done watching she habitually tried closing the glasses not knowing they don’t close. There is some damage to one arm that I might be able to fix. I hope.

Praying for a night of uninterrupted sleep and a happy Thursday.

Janet, A Success Story. June 20. #TSJ Wedding Eve

I used to write how Janet seemed to be on a roller coaster during the first months of her recovery and today could very well be summed up as that. It started a little later than planned as it took longer for the morning routine than usual but by 9:30 we were having breakfast with Janet’s dad, Doug, and his wife Joan. It has been four years since we have seen them in person and Janet was very excited to do so. Doug suffered a stroke a year before Janet’s aneurysm which made him even less of a talker than he used to be but Janet and Joan kept the conversation going really well and it was an enjoyable start to the day.

Wanting to get out in the sun, Janet and I went for what was to be a nice exploratory walk with the option of finding me some new sunglasses. After a two block false start (Janet needed her sweater) we maneuvered along the very bumpy sidewalks for almost an hour. Janet wasn’t enjoying it much because of the bumps and said she needed to go to the bathroom. I love it when she initiates that task and hate it when she doesn’t make it to the toilet in time. We were less than three minutes from the time she mentioned it to the time she was getting out of her wheelchair, but it was too late. I was most unimpressed, as a large part of the morning had already been spent in the bathroom and I have no idea what brought on the increased need to go. Back to the hotel we went, now late for our lunch date with Mary/Gaga and Keith and by the time we did catch up to them the sun had pretty much left the area we were to have lunch in. It was still nice to hang out with them for a while even in the shade.

While Janet tried to nap, I got to do laundry. At least there was a soccer game on. Janet had her eyes closed for maybe twenty minutes and probably didn’t sleep at all so got up to get ready for the rehearsal dinner. Things seemed to be improving toileting wise and after getting dressed with hair by Courtney and make up by Heather, off we went. Allan’s parents hosted the rehearsal dinner at their house out in the country a little bit and it was a nice change from the bustle of Ottawa. Most places we’ve been to on this trip are not wheelchair friendly and I found it easier to have Janet walk into the house tonight rather than try and lift her wheelchair up the steps. She did a great job stepping up again, with lots of support but doing more of the work than she’s been capable of before. People were helpful in getting Janet down the steps at the back and out onto the grass where the sun was. The rehearsal was short and sweet and we learned Janet is going to have a tough time walking with Heather down the aisle so I will likely be there for support too. Janet really enjoyed sitting out in the sun for dinner watching the dogs play, the chipmunks hop around and the dogs chase the chipmunks. People kept asking us if the bugs were bothering us and we had to respond with “what bugs?” Janet and I were bug free until the sun disappeared but it was time to head for the hotel then anyways.

So, a good start, a bad middle and a good finish to the day for Janet. The toileting challenge seems to have corrected itself and we are all focused on making tomorrow an enjoyable one for Heather and Allan. Praying that Janet sleeps well tonight and is fully able to participate and enjoy tomorrow. Praying also for God’s blessing on Heather and Allan.

Janet, A Success Story. June 15. #TSJ Singing in the Sun Video

Today was very relaxing for Janet and I as we continue to prepare for Ottawa. There was no problem waking up at 9am Eastern Time although it was a little weird to actually be up before others in the neighbourhood. I let Janet use her wheelchair a lot this morning so she could get around and help with things easier and also so I could get my bike ride in. She happily listened to a Stuart McLean story while I was gone and gave me a good recap of it when I got back.

In trying to stay on Eastern Time, dinner was real early for us tonight but one big benefit was our patio table was still soaked in sunshine when we were ready to eat and that made the meal even more enjoyable. The fun continued after as we relaxed in the sun. I can’t describe how positive that is for Janet, she literally soaks up the warmth and is fuelled by it. I sneak shot this video as she sang along to The Swon Brothers version of Danny’s Song. It may not mean much to all of you but if you watch closely, especially at the end where Janet closes her eyes and drinks in the sun, you may get a sense of why I love her so much.

Feeling totally blessed.

Janet, A Success Story. June 8. #TSJ

There was a lot of sitting around today for Janet, unfortunately, and I’m not sure how we could have avoided it. Breakfast was outside as it was just too nice not to and the only way out there for Janet is in her wheelchair. She stayed outside for a Skype chat with her mom that Janet says was “good and funny”.

I managed to get her doing something other than basking in the sun by suggesting we start the packing process for our trip to Heather and Allan’s wedding. That required her getting some things out of her closet which I suppose she could’ve done walking but I wanted this to be as much her doing it on her own as possible. She picked out some jewellery to wear with each outfit and we got a good sense of what we need to take. Job well done!

Back into the sun we went for lunch, so Janet was sitting again after a short walk on her own. The times she did walk today I kept myself as far from her as I could while staying in range to prevent a fall. Janet seems to walk more confidently when she can see me and moves towards me so I’m going to try and avoid walking beside her as much as I can. Before going for a walk we had a brief Skype chat with Heather to answer some questions that came up during our packing session. She appears to be hanging in there just fine. We almost made it to the beach on our walk but Janet complained of the wind so we turned back. There is nothing worse than a cold Janet.

A very kind Italian lady who lives in our complex cooks a big pasta and meatball dinner for everyone once a year and tonight was the night. Janet of course was less than excited about going but mostly enjoyed being there and talking to some neighbours about tennis and to another couple about Ontario. One of the benefits of living here is the sense of community and I’m glad we can be a part of it. Janet walked into the room tonight leaving her wheelchair parked outside and received lots of “wows” and “look at you” ‘s. Gotta be good for her.

Without any complaints we drove back to Connect and got Janet settled in after she presented Chris with a happy face lolly pop for his fortieth birthday today. That’s one thing I can ask Janet to do and she never hesitates. Praying for a restful night of sleep and a productive Monday.

Janet, A Success Story. June 6. #TSJ

Janet’s bonus day at home wasn’t exactly all fun and frolic as she would’ve liked. After breakfast which Janet made all on her own and just before we left she emptied the drier and folded that laundry. She was home alone for that part as I had to retrieve the dog from the groomer. That was the only test we could do for Janet hanging out on her own as the rest of the day was jam packed.

We were out and about for a good two hours with Janet hanging in there nicely, especially at the grocery store. The sunshine made it much more enjoyable to be running around the places we were and Janet was able to go wheelchair free into our financial advisor’s office. He of course was thrilled and impressed to see Janet walking.

Since Janet helped pick out some of the food supplies she felt able to choose something other than grilled cheese for lunch and made herself a nice sandwich and sat in the sun to enjoy it. Trying to go wheelchair free at home is difficult as Janet isn’t strong enough to use the steps out to the patio. We may have to do some work on that.

Tonight was our Small Group meeting and we welcomed one more participant to the discussion. That made a big difference and two hours flew by quickly. Janet participated well despite one stretch where she zoned out a little. Like SheLife, its not really the content that gets Janet going but being able to join in a conversation.

I promised some kayaking pictures and here they are courtesy of Jess.

Ready?

Ready?


Fun?

Fun?

Survived!

Survived!

Praying for a fun Saturday.

Janet, A Success Story. May 31. #TSJ

Being up late last night didn’t deter Janet from getting up early this morning which was surprising to me but I’m glad she did. Mostly because the landscaping committee rang the doorbell at 9:30 and Janet got a say in where some new plants went. Shortly after that we got a call about something we are selling then we walked over to the pool to help clean and set up the furniture and stuff for it as today was opening day. Janet helped me put some stuff away from Wine Club when we got home and by the time noon rolled around it had been a very productive day which meant we could spend the afternoon in the sun.

I tried to convince Janet to go for a swim but she wasn’t buying it despite the air and water temps being right in her range. Hopefully tomorrow. She did do good work on her tan before nap time though.

Our outing to church this evening was Janet’s first without her wheelchair which meant she even walked down the ramp in our garage for the first time. She was a little scared at first but handled it very well. Guess its time for a hand rail.

Pizza, a movie and ice cream rounded out the night and Janet was in bed snoring at a much more reasonable hour. Praying for a long night of sleep that gives Janet lots of energy for a fun Sunday.

Janet, A Success Story. May 16. #TSJ

I was so pumped to write yesterday that today seems a little anticlimactic but here goes.

My intention for the day was to let it unfold at a Janet pace with therapy taking place covertly and I think that’s how it ended up going down. We were up at a decent hour and Janet elected to have a shower to start off with. That made breakfast to be more like brunch which also set back the planned trip to the grocery store. Janet wasn’t too into that idea so she was thrilled when I offered to go alone and have her vacuum while I was gone. That is a challenging task for her and she was still working at it when I got back although more accurately she was trying to free herself from the hose so she could go to the bathroom. High five for effort.

The sun was shining again so we went for a nice long walk then sat out and had a late lunch while trying to get some colour on Janet’s legs. She’s been somewhat shy about showing her AFO and I’ve had to really insist she wear shorts or a skirt so far. She’s getting more confident about it though and was pleased to see some tanning happening on her legs today.

We simplified our dinner plans to take in a movie tonight, something Janet was very excited to do. When asked what it was that was so exciting about going to a movie, she was like a little kid saying, “just the whole thing about going out”. There aren’t too many Janet movies out right now and we agreed on Heaven Is For Real. Janet said she was “into it right from the beginning, I couldn’t even eat the popcorn”. I wasn’t sure if she was into it or zoning out so was glad to hear at the end that she really enjoyed it. Janet also mentioned its not a movie for everyone but really was for her. A big part of her connecting to it was the fact its centred around a four year old and we all know about Janet’s connection to them.

I mentioned there was to be some covert therapy today and it came in the form of purposeful walks, like to and from the bathroom. Janet really complained about her sore foot and I’m starting to think she’s psyching herself out about it more than anything now. There is nothing to indicate any soreness anywhere except when she puts weight through it. She said tonight that she felt like she hadn’t been walking enough and things felt stiff. We’ll change that tomorrow. The rest of the therapy was focused on independence with Janet doing a lot of “everyday” tasks on her own. I tried to get her to tell me what she thought she’d be doing with herself once she’s home full time and neither of us has an answer for that right now. That’s a little scary I must admit.

Praying for a solid sleep and a Saturday full of progress.

Janet, A Success Story. May 15. 2 yr Anniversary Video. #TSJ

Feeling confident after having Janet’s doctor adjust her Dilantin dosage I chose to hold off on getting her blood tested today and instead went to Connect this morning to observe Tez working with her. Janet is still complaining of a sore right foot but indicated it might be a little better after not having walked at all yesterday. There were a group of students with Tez who invited Janet to be a bit of a guinea pig in demonstrating the walking sling and sharing her story and the challenges she’s faced along the way. Janet did so with great enthusiasm and humour and I think made the session a good learning experience.

Given the choice between lunch and a bike ride, Janet chose bike ride so she could get it over with. We had to wait a few minutes for another resident to finish which gave me time to ask Curtis about Janet’s positioning on the bike. She had typically been seated fairly close forward to give her the easiest pedalling position but I wondered since she is so much stronger now if it would be more beneficial to sit farther back and extend her legs more. Curtis agreed and we set Janet up that way with the bike on the same difficult settings as yesterday and she rode really well, only sacrificing less than half a mile while gaining a much better stretch and more activation from her right leg.

We enjoyed lunch in the sun then got Jess and Chelsea to help with a little video shoot in the parking lot. Janet nailed her scene in one take! As a reward for her hard work and to “celebrate” her second anniversary I brought Janet home for the weekend a day early. She was thrilled and even tried powering through without a nap until almost five o’clock when things finally caught up to her. It had been a much improved day compared to the last couple and we finally got news from the neurologist re the Dilantin levels. He said fluctuations are common and Janet’s don’t present any reason to change course other than trying a lower dosage. One contributing factor is hydration level and with Janet walking more and the warm weather she’s sweating out a lot of fluid without replacing it all. This time I believe she fully understands and drank well tonight. We will continue to watch her levels closely.

A lot of you have been with us since day one of this journey and on this two year anniversary day Janet and I want to honestly thank you all for your prayers, encouragement, support and friendship. Each day, Janet seems more and more aware of the impact you have had on her recovery and realizing that, motivates her to share her story with others and give support where she can to those facing their own challenges. Today could have been a sad reminder of a horrible day but neither Janet or I had even the briefest thought of that. Today has been a quiet celebration of the amazing recovery that Janet has made through the grace, love and mercy of our Lord and Saviour, and a look ahead to the changes yet to come. This video is a reminder of Janet’s amazing success story and the beginning of a new chapter in a life full of love.

Janet, A Success Story. May 14. #TSJ

Whew! What a day. The warmest day of the year so far and a perfect day for Janet to try sailing. I met her and the others at the yacht club this morning expecting to watch her for an hour or so then take her with me to run some errands but I actually got to go on the boat with her! I really enjoyed it despite the calm conditions, Janet enjoyed sitting in the sun but that was about all. I may try and convince her to go again as it’s an awesome way to spend a sunny morning.

Wes and Janet sailing along.

Wes and Janet sailing along.

Cool Connect Crew and cool Matt.

Cool Connect Crew and cool Matt.

From there we went to have Janet’s dress for the wedding hemmed. It was quite the production as we had to get Janet into the dress and shoes, have the expert pin where the dress should hang to then get her regular clothes back on. I don’t know how you women put up with stuff like that. We did a little shopping since we were out and enjoyed lunch in the sun at Janet’s request. By the time we got home she was exhausted and went for an almost three hour nap!

I was getting worried she’d never wake up as the clock moved closer to departure time for Heidi’s house but Janet finally woke up just before 5. All I could think of the last hour of her sleep was her Dilantin levels being out of whack and what sort of impact that is having on her. Janet’s doctor was not in today so I had made the decision to hold back a third of her dosage again tonight then get her levels tested tomorrow. When Janet woke up she seemed refreshed but was really warm and her left eye seemed a little relaxed compared to the right one. By the time she was dressed and had a glass of water she seemed fine. Praying for resolution to this tomorrow.

Heidi had all of her SheLife ladies over to her house for dinner tonight and I dropped Janet off there then went to work at the church. This is the first time I’ve left Janet somewhere far away from me and for an extended period of time. I know all the ladies would take good care of her and they did. Janet said she enjoyed the evening but everyone helped her a little too much. This marks the end of SheLife until September. It’s been a true blessing for Janet.

Curtis surprised us with a reduced dosage of Dilantin when we got to Connect. Apparently Janet’s doctor ordered the change and the pharmacy delivered it tonight. That is a bit of a relief knowing the doctor is aware and took action so I will hold off on testing until I hear from her. On the car ride to Connect Janet was able to tell me about her evening quite accurately and with good but a little quiet speech. I feel better about the situation tonight and pray she has a good night of sleep and an energetic and bright day tomorrow.