sunshine

Janet, A Success Story. May 7. #TSJ

Getting needles stuck into her is one of Janet’s favourite things. Not. Yesterday was one little one for a blood test, today was multiple large ones for Botox. Both for good causes but neither very pleasant. Dr. McCann administered today’s treatment at his office which is only a ten minute walk from our house so we walked. Janet thought I meant really walk at first but that would be a little extreme. Janet did walk into the office though and Dr. McCann made sure to point out how much Janet has improved since he saw her last. We changed the plan of attack a little today and left Janet’s right fingers alone as they are looking pretty good. That part of the dosage was targeted at Janet’s right elbow in hopes of limiting its pronating. The right leg treatment stayed the same and with Janet’s overall improvement Dr. McCann wants to space out the treatments more so we are now every four months instead of three. I asked what the indicator would be for the ending of treatments and he said Janet walking with a cane for one or two blocks. I explained Janet doesn’t like the cane so she’d be walking free style and he said great. Janet then gave a little demonstration of her free style walking by putting four steps back to back. On our walk home I pointed out where she’d have to walk to from our place and she asked if that was supposed to be some sort of incentive. I’m hoping that was a rhetorical question.

Fresh from a nap Janet enjoyed some time in the sun before going to SheLife. We arrived on time but as I turned the last corner into the parking lot Janet tried to place her water bottle back in its holder and missed a little so the entire contents ended up in her lap. The only option was to race back home to change. That prevented her from being able to walk in as I was hoping she would to work in that Botox. Oh well. This was the last session at the church as next week Heidi is having her table over to her house then SheLife is over until September. Janet was excited to tell me she got to speak during their discussion time and reiterated how much she appreciates everyone there.

When we got back to Connect it was late of course and Janet needed a bathroom break so she missed that opportunity to walk as well. I guess its OK if she gets rested up and starts fresh tomorrow. Praying for a long night of deep sleep and an abundance of physical activity tomorrow.

Janet, A Success Story. May 2. #TSJ

This was a bonus day for Janet in many ways. Home a day earlier than usual, no gym to go to and a beautiful summer type day outside. It was my intention to make sure Janet got time in the sun today and she did. Breakfast and lunch were outside as was most of the afternoon. I did have her working this morning though more mentally than physically. She made her own breakfast, made the bed, put away laundry and dusted in the living room, all while I went grocery shopping. High five!

Janet did her chores from her wheelchair with her iPhone playing music for her and she was singing along when I got home. She was pleased at being able to be helpful and combined with her hard work at Connect yesterday she deserved a day off. We sat outside for a long lunch before Janet had a nap so she’d have energy for our Wine Club gathering tonight.

We had been in summer mode most of the day so were a little behind when people started arriving for the evening but since Janet is able to help all was well. It was our largest crowd yet and Janet enjoyed the conversations and wine but cautioned that five wines was a bit too much for her. She did stay more focussed than the previous two times and responded well when I invited her comments on the wines we were tasting.

To wind down the evening Janet enjoyed some ice cream and a little TV and is looking forward to maybe some shoe shopping and visiting John tomorrow, things she needed no prompting to remember were on our schedule.

Praying for a productive Saturday.

Janet, A Success Story. April 30. #TSJ

When I checked in with Janet at lunchtime today she was sounding quite cheery and energetic. Her morning had been good and included a long walk, Janet said to the gym, Jess corrected it was to the living room. The fact that Janet was excited about it is great and she continued to act positively when I got to Connect to take her to SheLife.

I arrived early thinking we’d go bathing suit shopping but an old pair of shorts and one top still barely fits Janet and will do for tomorrow so the shopping can wait for some rainy day. Tez wants Janet to wear her AFO in the pool with some water shoes on her feet and I forgot to take them to Connect so we went home to see if any fit and decided to stay for our first outside dinner of the year.

Al fresco dining in April. #whywelivehere

Al fresco dining in April. #whywelivehere


The water shoes will do for tomorrow. I mentioned Janet was in a pretty positive mood and one example was her eagerness to walk from her room to the car. It was if she expected to do that and never even mentioned her wheelchair. It was fun walking out in the sun with her and we did it again at church as Janet walked from the car to her table at SheLife, a distance I later stepped out as 215 feet. By far her longest yet and it included going up two ramps, one about 30 feet long. Her steps were strong and deliberate most of the time with a little more wobbliness than I’d like but that will change. The fact she had the energy to go that far is impressive.

With a big smile on her face Janet excitedly told me how she “actually contributed tonight”. She managed to talk about patience and how she could be really angry or sad about what’s happened to her but she’s not. It was a fun car ride back to Connect as Janet talked about the positive things in her life.

My time with Janet today was very refreshing and uplifting and a great antidote to what had happened earlier. My cousin and second cousin both work at the mill in Nanaimo where the shooting took place this morning and there were some anxious moments in waiting to hear if they were OK. They are but were shaken by what took place. We also received word that our friend Wendy in Nanaimo is in ICU after a botched procedure to remove kidney stones. Janet’s table prayed for her tonight and I ask you to do the same.

Janet, A Success Story. April 13. #TSJ

A new day,a more with it Janet and a new dress. Maybe.

After a nice breakfast of Bonnie’s homemade hot cross buns, Janet agreed to try on her new mother of the bride dress again and ended up taking our advice to keep the top part, lose the bottom and order a dress I spotted online for her which I think says Janet way more than this one. When it arrives we’ll have her model it for you and hopefully she will say yes and really mean it.

This was the warmest day of the year so far here and Janet took full advantage of it, spending some good time basking in the sun and enjoying our first outside meal of the year.

First outside meal of 2014. Grilled cheese of course.

First outside meal of 2014. Grilled cheese of course.


Janet managed a couple of good walking sessions today that were highlighted by some nice cornering. Her toileting issues were improved but not resolved and we may need to consult the GP if things continue this way. I’m finding it difficult to deal with as it seems a set back for Janet and I’m not into those. Her energy level was decent today but she still needed a two hour nap this afternoon and came out of that with pretty good energy and motivation enough to go for a walk around our old neighbourhood. Barb blessed us with some of her famous bread as we strolled by their house. Please add Gary to your prayer list as he faces heart surgery in the near future.

Taking time to make a nice dinner, Janet helped prepare a part of it and we enjoyed some laughs with Heather over good food and wine tonight. Overall this was a better day than yesterday but certainly not Janet’s best and I pray for a return to the progress she was making both physically and cognitively.

Janet, A Success Story. April 12. #TSJ

Shopping day was finally here. Janet remained lukewarm this morning to the idea of shopping for a dress to wear to Heather and Allan’s wedding in June but promised to give it a good go. I wasn’t that confident, as Janet seemed low on energy and certainly not her brightest. I went to the first store with her and Heather and thought it was cool the owner came right over and offered to help. Janet was quiet about everything and a little disinterested and it seemed like this was going to be a long day. To take some pressure off, I dropped the ladies off at the mall and went to visit John for a bit. He’s in a temporary care home now and starting to settle in there a little. Please keep him in your prayers as he has to adjust to some big changes in his life. Upon my return to the mall Janet happily informed me they had found something. Turned out she wasn’t a hundred percent sure on it so the hunt continued. A little while later I got another report of success and the mission was being declared a success. Janet had steadily declined in energy level and to me didn’t seem to be having any fun at all. She was really neglecting her right side, frequently crashing into things. Thinking some food might help, we grabbed mall food and Janet only ate half of hers so we headed home for what I thought would be a good long nap.

An hour’s worth of rest helped Janet a little and happy hour on our patio helped more. This was the first time we’ve sat outside in the sun at our new house and it felt really good. Janet didn’t want it to end but a cloud covered the sun just as it was time to get ready for church so with her seeming more like herself, off we went. Tonight’s service “was a good one” says Janet and she was able to follow along with Tim’s message. By the time we were most of the way through our sushi dinner after church, Janet was fading again. She didn’t eat as much as she usually does and wasn’t really initiating any conversation. Back at home it was time to try on the dress and the other clothes Janet got today. She was pleased with her dress but Heather and I are so so with it. What do you think?

Potential mother of the bride dress.

Potential mother of the bride dress.


Heather and I like the top.

Heather and I like the top.


By this time Janet was quite out of it and should have gone to bed but she wanted ice cream so she quietly enjoyed that before getting ready. There was a return of her toileting challenges from last week this evening and put me in a foul mood. I don’t understand how she can be so bright and with it most of the time then have lapses like this. I pray that tomorrow, Janet is refreshed, rejuvenated, positive and energetic.

Janet, A Success Story. March 30. #TSJ

This morning Janet got the going to the bathroom thing done in the correct order and waited until a reasonable hour to do so. She was in full command of making her breakfast too and is much improved in the peanut butter spreading area.

Today was largely a talk to family day as Janet had Skype sessions with her mom and Leslie and a phone chat with Laurel. That wrapped up a week where she chatted with each of her kids and a few other family types. She seemed pleased in noting that. Her conversations today were outstanding I thought. I hung back and let her go with it each time and only helped her if she was way wrong on an answer or not able to come up with the right word and today that was rare. Both Skype chats were a good half hour long with Janet engaged in conversation the whole time. I’ve set up a Skype account of her own for her and started teaching her to answer her phone for a Skype call, its not as simple as a voice call but I think she can get it with some practice. She’s jedieno if you want to connect with her.

Once again, I had Janet walking around the house as much as possible today and after a bit of a slow start on the first session she really got it going good and improved notably each time. I was most pleased by her willingness to push through the desire to quit a couple of times and I’m seeing signs of a small increase in confidence. Her biggest trips were about forty feet from the dining table to the bathroom with some good strong steps coming from her right leg. Practice practice practice.

We got out into the sun again this afternoon with Janet finally getting to wear a Spring time jacket instead of her winter one. Janet enjoyed going for a walk and not having to walk. I told her not to get used to it as she will be walking outside soon. After another long nap Janet woke up hungry and ate a big dinner before the dreaded trip back to Connect. This time she was in fairly good spirits though, singing a little and talking the rest of the time. She enjoyed me reading The Artisan Soul before falling asleep after a darn good day.

Must be Spring!

Must be Spring!


Praying that Janet wakes in the morning with a positive attitude and the willingness and ability to work hard at all she asked to do. Thanking Jesus for the progress she is making.

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

Renovation Day 14. Lots of progress today, wiring for audio, building cabinetry near the fireplace, sanding texture off ceilings and removing a small wall to make room for the washer. We’ve decided to put the washer on one side of a small hallway and the dryer on the other so Janet can easily access both machines. All this because the manufacturers of laundry machines won’t make a front load washer with a right hand hinge. Thanks.

Janet was actually sleeping when I got to Connect this afternoon. Curtis reports she was in the gym this morning with him but nodding off a bit by lunch time so off for a nap she went. Nash and I went into her room about 3:30 and she was still sleeping. After she woke she even believed she had been sleeping and was feeling much better. Janet felt even better as we sat in the sun for happy hour with no jacket on. I guess she felt really good as she agreed to go to the gym before dinner without much of a debate.

I gave Janet the choice between Shuttle and bike as it was unclear which she had done with Curtis this morning. In hopes of keeping this as enjoyable as possible I gave her very loose targets for this ride and set the time for twenty minutes which is about how long a simple Shuttle workout takes. She surpassed the goal of 15rpm average easily by doing 18rpm without complaint and only an observation afterwards that “it was tiring”.

After dinner Garrett and Tiffany suggested Janet do the dishes while in the Standing Frame. I thought that was a great idea but of course Janet didn’t. Reluctantly and under protest Janet got into the Standing Frame and without the knee brace washed a sink full of dishes. There was lots of complaining about leg pain and “I can’t do anymore” but each complaint was followed by another plate washed rinsed and placed into the clean sink. For a first attempt Janet did very well. It may be hard to get her to do it again but hopefully she will as this forces her to put weight through both legs. The balance of her Standing Frame time was spent in the usual position and she tolerated that very well.

Janet complained a lot about her splint today and says her fingers hurt when straightened. I made an appointment for her to see Julie at the hand clinic Friday where I suspect she’ll adjust Janet’s splint to fit better.

With her exercises complete the rest of the night was Janet’s. She chose for me to read some Not a Fan to her first and I had her read some too. She continues to improve her reading skills nicely. We just got through a chapter and it was time to watch The Voice. Although we can’t focus as intently on the show like we would watching it at home I think its great that others join us for parts of it and Janet seems to enjoy the conversations that take place in and around the living room. She is getting to be more outgoing in engaging with other residents, visitors and staff.

Praying for a deep and healing sleep that brings lots of energy and confidence to tomorrow’s activities.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #hyundai #laurel #pizza #okanagan #SYTYCD

Summer continues here in the Okanagan so I was a little disappointed to find Janet in pants and a long sleeve shirt this afternoon. She insisted on keeping them on even as I tried to explain it was thirty two degrees outside. Before we got home she was asking me to roll up her sleeves because she was hot. Stubborn.

We weren’t in a rush to do anything today so on the way home we stopped at Kelowna Hyundai to do a little car shopping. Unlike other car lots we’ve been to, we got service pretty quick and the guy pointed us to a car that actually suits are needs very well. Janet can get in and out easily and even did her seatbelt up unassisted while I put the wheelchair in the back without folding seats down. The car drives well and seems to make a lot of sense, even the price is good. It just isn’t very sexy. It’s a 2012 Hyundai Elantra Touring. Not bad looking but not a wow car either. Quite plain Jane on the inside and no sunroof. Janet was quite comfortable during our test drive and any new car has to be mostly right for her and not me so we will consider this one or something similar. Anyone know a comparable car? I think Mazda makes one close to it?

The car shopping got us home right at dinner making time and Janet built what I believe is her best pizza yet. No coaching on opening the can of sauce. No coaching on anything other than making sure she got toppings in the middle as well as around the outside and she needed a little help with some slippery sun dried tomatoes. Out of the oven, hers looked better than mine. We managed to sneak in another dinner outside at sunset and are feeling pretty blessed that we can do that. Janet enjoyed her post dinner hot tub so much that while she was floating I let go of her completely and unlike me, she didn’t sink. She was so relaxed she kept on floating.

With Janet’s legs in the extenders we watched the finale of SYTYCD and enjoyed it very much. I thinks this was the best season ever and Janet would agree especially since her guy and girl that she picked right at the start, won! She was almost as excited as they were. Fun to see.

While Janet was brushing her teeth I heard Nash bark and get all excited so I knew someone was at the house. I asked Janet if she thought it was Laurel or a stranger. She chose stranger. Guess she can’t pick them right every time. We had a good and chatty little visit before bedtime and are looking forward to the sunny weekend with Laurel here.

Praying for lots of healing rest tonight and a productive day tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #smackdab #sunshine #okanagan

Today was another glorious summer day in the Okanagan and Janet was able to enjoy it to the fullest. Annette brought lunch for her and Janet to Connect and they enjoyed eating that outside before going for a little walk around the neighborhood. As instructed Janet went for a nap around two and when I arrived in her room at 3:30 she woke up briefly, asked if I wanted her to get up, then went right back to sleep when I said no. It was 4:15 before she opened her eyes and it took a little while for the cobwebs to clear. As soon as they did, we had a great evening.

Annette had offered to take us out for dinner and with such beautiful weather we couldn’t think of a better place than Smack Dab. We were not disappointed as we got a table outside, right on the lake with good wine, good food and good conversation. A very nice evening and Janet ate and drank everything put in front of her.

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I think she paid the price for eating a big meal as when she was in the Standing Frame tonight she complained of a side ache. Her complaint was consistent enough that I shortened her session by ten minutes and she was fine after being able to sit in her chair for a bit. We got back kinda late so the Standing Frame was all she did tonight and she promised to work hard tomorrow.

Plans for the move are starting to come together and today I found somewhere to stay that’s really close to Janet while I’m homeless. I can’t take the dog though so if anyone is willing to own Nash for five days or so let me know, otherwise I’ve no problem putting him in the kennel. He’s well looked after there.

Jess mentioned to me today that she’s having a bit of a challenge with Janet on Tuesdays in that she’s often pretty tired. It could be from getting back to Connect late Monday nights so I’m going to try bringing her back for dinner for the next two weekends and see how that goes. I’ve noticed her strength is not the same Mondays or Tuesdays so I believe we need to change the routine a little so Janet can take full advantage of her time at Connect.

Janet had a good couple of days with Annette around and we wish her a safe trip back to Vancouver tomorrow. Praying for a day of significant progress tomorrow.

Gap Girl. Janet goes shopping. #TSJ

Another gorgeous day got off to a nice relaxing start as everyone pitched in to make a pancake breakfast. It wasn’t difficult to get Janet to eat seconds then thirds even after her fruit and yogurt starter. She seems to be more accepting of the cranberry juice we’ve been trying to give her and as long as she is reasonably awake she is drinking more water. With the nice weather comes the need to drink even more water unfortunately and that is proving to be a challenge so far. I think I just have to learn to stop pressuring her and make sure she always has some available to her and she’ll manage just fine.

With breakfast cleared all the girls gathered around the computer for an online shopping adventure. Not surprisingly Janet tired of it within a half hour and combined with the uncertainty of her size it was decided we’d hit the mall before Heather and Laurel started their journeys home. Turned out to be a pretty good idea as we got some good help at The Gap and Janet got some colorful shorts, pants and shirts, all in about twenty minutes. My kind of shopping. That left us enough time for lunch outside at Red Robin where we enjoyed some last minute visiting with Heather and Laurel who took off for the airport and the highway as soon as we were done. Their visit was way too short but we are thankful they are able to make the trip to visit as regularly as they do. We are blessed.

After trying on a few of the new clothes at home Janet took a nice long nap which seemed like a waste of good weather but she really needed to catch up on some sleep. I think with both girls here and the heightened state of activity she was overwhelmed at times and always seemed to be trying to process something rather than relaxing and enjoying. I think that increase in chatter and activity is good for her but she does need the down time too. After her long nap we enjoyed a nice dinner out on our balcony as the sun started to set then Janet agreed to have a hot tub so I could stretch her as we hadn’t done any of that today yet. Once again I got very good results in a short period of time with the left leg maybe being a little tighter than Friday. I straightened her right arm amazingly well and even opened her right hand easily in the thirty eight degree water. Janet’s attempts at doing some squats were nowhere near as strong as her right leg seemed to be doing it’s own thing again. Entering and exiting the tub went better than Friday as I refine my technique and I look forward to more frequent spa experiences with Janet.

To wind down the evening we watched The Voice and ended up staying up way too late for Janet, eleven o’clock by the time I turned her lights out. She lasted through all but the last ten minutes of the show and was asleep within seconds of the lights going out. I don’t like keeping her up that late but she was determined to watch the show and as long as she was engaged I let her stay.

So ends a very active weekend with good times spent with Laurel and Heather, a nice visit with Courtney, some fun in the sun, shopping, church, dinner out and dinner outside. Not to mention the hot tub. Praying for a restful night that restores Janet’s energy for a productive day tomorrow.