sunshine

Walking Tall. Janet continues to improve. #TSJ

We all know how much easier it is to get up when it’s sunny outside and it was interesting to see how that played on Janet this morning. She wasn’t too excited about getting up and let me shower so she could lay in bed a while longer and enjoy the sun shining on her. If it had been cloudy I’m sure she would have gone back to sleep. With the new swimming time we were able to have a more leisurely breakfast and even make sandwiches to eat in the car for lunch so we could get to Connect at a decent time for her nap this afternoon.

Today was the first day of the official one hour pool sessions and I checked the list as soon as we got to the pool to make sure Janet`s name was there. It was, then Jess arrived and into the water we went. Because we had so much time I was able to let Janet get totally warm and relaxed before doing any real exercises. That seemed to work well for her as when I did ask her to kick her legs she was getting two or three toes out of the water on her left foot. She had done that before but not consistently and not first thing like that either. We tried “walking” with me in front balancing her and she made it an entire length of the pool! I’m guessing twenty feet. Janet was all concentration as she stepped with her left leg then mostly dragged the right one along. She did put a little weight on that right leg and later on got it going more during some standing exercises. Jess lifted the pool to allow the others out and two new people in for the next session and once we were back in the water I let Janet warm up again but this time I intentionally held her as little as possible. The more I let go the more she started using her arm and legs to stay afloat and at one point I only had one finger under her right shoulder preventing her from listing. That’s the closest she’s been to floating on her own. I did let her go completely a little while late but she panicked as soon as her face went under. Work in progress. During the second session she completed another length of the pool “walking” and did some strong standing exercises.

The drive to Connect after swimming was pleasant with the sunroof open and sandwiches being eaten. We had one stop to make along the way and that was to the lab to get her Dilantin levels checked. We’ll get the results at a doctor’s appointment Thursday and hopefully get an idea of when we can see the neurologist.

Janet was very much ready for a nap as we arrived at Connect later than I had hoped but she managed a decent rest before happy hour in the sun. Dinner went well but Janet had a meltdown over drinking water and was the most defiant with me she’s been. It only lasted fifteen minutes or so and she ended up drinking enough water but was not happy about it. Bob took her to the gym this evening and surprisingly there was no protest about that other than a little complaint that Bob “doesn’t know what he’s doing”. I assured her it would be just a leg stretching routine and made sure Bob understood that. Janet and Bob returned with news of a good workout and Janet even said “it wasn’t terrible”.

There was more evidence of short term memory gain as we chatted with Andrew on Skype. When asked about the weekend Janet explained that it was our anniversary and we went out and she got something. She was still unable to fill in the details but the main points were there without prompting. She did get some detail correct as she talked about swimming today. I prompted her to say what her main achievement was in the pool today and Janet responded without hesitation, “my main achievement was walking the whole way…”. She was confused as to how to say length of the pool so came up with a few weird variations but she knew what she was talking about and accepted my praise better this time too.

As the day wore on I noticed changes in Janet’s speech, almost as though her tongue got swollen. She remained bright and responsive but as she tired, a little Klingon appeared from time to time so it will be interesting to see what the Dilantin levels are and I’m curious as to how hydration affects that drug and it’s side effects. There may be more reason for Janet to drink lots of water. Just a thought.

Praying for a restful night that provides lots of energy for an active and fun day 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.

How Could You Not Smile? A sunny day for Janet. #TSJ

When I arrived at Connect this afternoon Jess reported that Janet was having a good day. It started with a shower, included a trip to the gym with Tez and also had more of the ongoing water battle. Janet was apparently in her room listening to music so I carefully opened the door in case she was sleeping but there she was with a huge smile on her face saying “I knew it was you”. Apparently I’m the only one that opens the door that way so she knew it was me. She may have napped a little prior to my arrival and was very bright and chatty. More so than I’ve experienced in a few weeks. Her voice was clear and fairly loud and she was talking in plain and proper English. It was very refreshing and encouraging. We talked about her day so far and mine with her interjecting some well thought out comments. When given the choice of getting up or napping a little more she chose napping which lasted about a half hour when I got a wrong number call on my phone that woke her up. It turned out to be a good time to get up as Cam called shortly after that and after concluding business with me he had a nice chat with his mom who mumbled a few times but mostly spoke very well and again said some really intelligent things. She seemed really happy to be talking to Cam and smiled the whole time as did I.

The sun was shining brightly as Janet and I sat out on the patio for a pre-dinner drink and appetizer. A very juicy grapefruit and the requisite water of course. We stayed out there for a good forty five minutes with Janet continuing to talk really well and clearly enjoying the sun on her face. That was one of many blessings received today and makes me a little anxious for summer and being able to take Janet for walks to the beach etc. I think the sun was making her a little tired after that time and she chose to go in and read from the iPad for a bit. As long as I could make the words large enough she did quite well. Improving the more we did. Janet ate a good dinner then agreed to try some herbal tea in place of her after dinner water. She enjoyed it but could only manage half of what she needed to drink and made up the difference with water. We did a little more reading then watched some YouTube that made her laugh a few times. I then read some of Slow Dance to her stopping after a very sad chapter about the ladies dog dying. To cheer her up I read the children’s story that she had written years ago about a witch that didn’t want to be a witch. She accused me of reading it wrong, implying that I got the story wrong but I’m not sure how I could. I’ll take that as another sign of some more memory coming back. Earlier in the evening I saw more of old Janet as she leaned over and whispered to me that us guys had been talking too long about soccer. Gary was working with Bob tonight and he is originally from England so naturally we talked soccer. Janet thought we were crazy.

By the time the bedtime prayers came around Janet had lost all the energy she had when I arrived and agreed it had been a good day and smiled as I recounted the positive things that had occurred. On my way out the door she volunteered a wave goodbye which is something I usually initiate. I really hope there is no step back from where she was cognitively today it was very refreshing.

Praying for a night of rest and healing and more steps forward tomorrow.

Stupendous Sunday #TSJ

Sensing she was hungry, Janet woke up at 7:30 this morning and asked for pancakes for breakfast. After the getting up routine was complete I found my recipe and Heather made us some nice fluffy pancakes which Janet devoured with a compliment of chocolate chips scattered on them. Because she was up so early she had plenty of time to enjoy her breakfast and coffee this sunny Sunday morning.

We left for church in plenty of time and sat across the aisle from a former KGH Rehab patient who is now living at his home and waiting to go back as an outpatient. Nice to see him and the progress he’s made.

I had arranged with our realtor to look at three houses this afternoon so we could see if they fit our needs at all and the first appointment was for one o’clock which meant lunch on the run. A couple slices of pizza and a can of pop from the church and off we went. The first place was a total no go which gave us plenty of time to picnic in the car with the sunroof open as we drove to the next place. That one was better but not by much. Third time lucky maybe? Not quite, but there is potential for this type of place. It was in a gated community designed for adults only, 45+. Janet and I have never liked the idea of age restricted complexes but the style of homes there may be what we have to go for. They are built with some accessibility issues in mind and the one we saw would work fine with just some minor improvements. We didn’t like its location or the fact it has a basement as we would never use that. Other than that, in the right location and for the right price I think we would have to seriously consider that type of home but for now the search continues. We invited our realtor to have a look at our house so he can give us an idea of what it might sell for and after touring him around for a bit we decided to enjoy more sunshine and go for a little walk around the neighborhood. This was the first day we’ve been able to do this since early November with Janet and it felt good to be out getting some natural vitamin D. Janet had been going hard since 7:30 and was clearly fading after our walk so Heather and I managed to convince her to have a rest after our walk. She was sleeping three minutes after hitting the pillow and knowing the Grammys were about to start woke up forty five minutes later. I had just snuck out of the room to start dinner five minutes prior and when I went back and found her awake she was actually a little mad that I wasn’t there when she woke up.

The Grammys show is pretty good entertainment for Janet. There were no sing along songs but enough good music to hold her attention and enough of a fashion show in between songs to keep her interested as well. It was a very enjoyable and relaxing evening that ended too early for Heather and I but a little too late for Janet. It was approaching ten o’clock by the time I turned her lights off at Connect and she was very tired.

Today was a good day for Janet. She ate well, talked well, enjoyed some sunshine and was busy all day long but always at a nice pace. Heather’s visit was way too short but I’m glad she got to hang out with her mom to see first hand how much she’s improved. Janet enjoyed talking wedding with Heather and looks forward to going dress shopping during her next visit.

Praying for a restful night that brings lots more healing and an active day of learning tomorrow.