swimming

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

Monday, not a favourite day of Janet’s as she knows its back to Connect and the gym and all that fun stuff. The morning was good, Janet slept well and woke up on Connect time, eight o’clock, as opposed to her more usual at home time of nine’ish. We had a nice relaxed morning together that included a little packing before going to the KGH pool.

Swimming went well with Janet doing lots of laps on her back, some on her tummy, and lots of “walking”. That part is still mostly hopping and her right leg was more buoyant than I’ve seen it before. Janet did get a good rhythm going for a little bit and some push down with that leg as long as I stood on her left foot to keep her from moving it too soon. On her own she was hopping like crazy. Janet complained to me a number of times that when she tries to use her right leg the left one moves too. Its great that she is aware of that and doesn’t seem too upset by it. On our way out of the pool we went via the Rehab nurses station where Janet received an enthusiastic welcome from Nicole and Emma along with a bunch of others. For once she seemed to really lap up the attention and smiled and laughed a lot. She blew Nicole’s mind by remembering her name but as I suspected Janet actually read her name off of her name tag. We’ll let Nicole think she remembered for now. The biggest smiles and true remembering came when we saw RJ. Janet even gave him a nice hug. I realized later that of all the nurses, RJ worked with Janet the longest as he was with her most of the time on 4B then followed her to Rehab not long after Janet transferred there. All that attention was a good confidence builder for Janet and made her feel good as it did the nurses to see how well she’s come along thanks in part to them.

After a quick lunch at home and a little more packing it was time to go do some errands before returning to Connect. The day had gone so fast that if it wasn’t for Barb and Gary coming over to say so long to Janet I would’ve forgot this was Janet’s last visit to this house. There was no big production as we left and Janet didn’t want a picture, too messy inside and too cold outside. So that was it and before she knew it we were back at Connect. The day had taken a toll on Janet and even though dinner was being served as we arrived, she asked to lay down for a bit. I practically had to force ably get her up at six o’clock but once up she ate a good dinner and chatted well with me and some of her fellow residents. With her being so tired I gave her the night off from the gym and she really appreciated that. There were some things to put away in her room, some parenting to do and the premier of The Voice to watch and Janet really wanted to watch that. Its fun to watch her watch the show and see her react to things she never would have reacted to even a month ago. She is much more in tune with things now.

Part of the no gym deal was an early to bed night so by 9:40 I was saying goodnight and praying for a deep and restful sleep for Janet and lots of energy for tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #NotaFan #TNF #YMCA

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Janet today after our argument last night. I’d seen Curtis in the morning and told him about it and that I wasn’t sure if Janet would go swimming and when I arrived at Connect this afternoon Curtis told me not only did Janet go swimming but she really enjoyed it. Relieved at that news I went into her room and got a hello but not a huge smile. Seems her memory is getting better as she remembered “we were fighting last night”. Arguing is a better term and as soon as we apologized to each other the smile came as she told me swimming “wasn’t too bad”. That’s Janet speak for “I had fun”. There were quite a few residents that went to the pool at the YMCA so Janet’s fear of being the only girl was put to rest and the water was warm as was the room in general. I think one of the problems with the KGH pool is the water is so warm and there is always cool air blowing in the room and Janet is really sensitive to that. She explained how she was in the little pool and the hot tub and it was fun watching the little kids in the pool. I heard through the grapevine that she was treated a little like a queen while there as the guys all made a point of hanging out with her. I’m really happy she went and enjoyed the experience and will talk to Tez to see if going to a place like that can replace the KGH pool. I think the non clinical feel and being out in public are huge benefits for Janet.

It was Janet’s turn to help prep dinner and she worked very hard at chopping peppers for a salad. Progress is being made for sure but she still needs coaching. Dinner was ready before Janet was hungry so we went to the gym to get the Shuttle over with. Her attitude was definitely better today but this wasn’t her strongest performance. There was good action with the right leg and average results when using two and she had no interest in standing on her own. Janet’s right ankle seems a little weaker these last couple of days and it’s starting to seem like she’ll need some support there. Wasting no time after dinner, Janet was right into the Standing Frame while watching Kansas City beat Philadelphia on Thursday Night Football. Getting that done earlier than last night left us time to catch the last song of Music Night upstairs where Brian and Kevin jammed for everyone’s enjoyment. It’s really cool that they do that and if Janet wasn’t so hung up on getting her “work” done we wouldn’t been there for more. I read some Not a Fan to her before bed and she’s really finding the book interesting and intriguing. Janet is able to tell me about what we’ve read and express her thoughts on it in addition to reading short portions. Powerful stuff.

This was a much better day than yesterday and I’m thankful for that. I can sense a little emotion starting as Janet realizes this is her last weekend in our current home. We will be busy packing so there won’t be a lot of time to get all sentimental but I’m sure it’ll be a little sad for her on Monday. At the same time she is excited about the new house and the freedom it will give her. Praying for a night of deep and healing sleep and a productive day tomorrow.

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

Our first night of “camping” went quite well and Janet awoke at a decent time feeling like she slept reasonably. She says she never heard any of the thunder last night but I sure did. We eased through the morning reading and planning out the week ahead before getting ready for swimming at KGH.

Janet’s pool sessions today were solid but not outstanding and she continues to show the most enjoyment in just swimming around. Something she’s getting very good at. Her right leg was in a very floaty mood today which caused Janet to hop a lot as opposed to walking. Her willingness to try hasn’t diminished and I can tell she’s getting stronger, I just hope her control of that leg increases a lot and soon.

In a good mood and not showing signs of tiring, Janet had lunch then helped me with some packing. She found the packing to be fun and challenging and sad at the end because she knew we were then heading back to Connect. I think part of her resistance this time was knowing there’s lots going on at home and not wanting to miss out. We also went back to Connect earlier than usual today to try and give Janet more time to settle back in in the hope she’ll sleep better and have lots of energy for Tuesday. After an initial little meltdown and a good effort on the Shuttle Janet had a pretty good evening. We even got in a nice little after dinner walk followed by some really straight Standing Frame work. As I said goodnight to Janet she told me she’d be showering in the morning and having to do her exercises all over again. She wasn’t happy about those things but I’m glad she can see ahead to the fact she’ll be doing them.

Praying for lots of energy tomorrow.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #fish #swimming

Today was getaway day for Cam and Gina so Janet started her get up routine a little sooner than she would’ve liked. Once up she was bright but reserved, anticipating the goodbyes about to happen. With promptness not being a Cam specialty Janet had plenty of time to finish breakfast before the tears started to flow. It was fun having Cam here and a real pleasure meeting Gina, we look forward to seeing them again soon.

It was back to the pool at KGH today after missing last week due to the stat holiday and Janet excelled in the first session. Her swimming was great with good turns in each direction and really fast at times. The emphasis today was on trying to get some action out of that right leg. We tried walking which was good from a balance perspective and although she was moving her right foot forward each step, the walk was still mostly a hop. Janet did lots of exercises that required her to move her right leg and the more she did them the more success she had. The second session was completely different as a result of Janet being the shortest one in the pool by far so the water was too deep to do walking or balancing so we focused on swimming. For the first time Janet executed a roll to her tummy followed by a roll onto her back all in one length of the pool. She actually seemed pleased with herself for once on that one. High five.

Lunch was in the sun on our patio followed by a short nap before Chelsea worked her magic with Janet’s hair. It’s amazing how fast Janet’s hair grows and now that its all the same length I think she’s cuter than ever. br />
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Just because she’s cute doesn’t excuse her from kitchen duty and Janet did a great job chopping onions and potatoes and setting the outside table for us as summer has returned thankfully. Janet had a brief Skype chat with Laurel then rode contentedly out to Connect. There was no arguing about doing the Shuttle but there was a lot if arguing about the amount of tension to be used. Janet ended up doing a decent workout followed by lots of good standing on her own which earned her a night off from the Standing Frame, that and the fact it was getting late.

So ends a good day and a good weekend for Janet. I continue to see cognitive improvements and am really praying for large scale physical improvements.

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The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #tsj #home #Connect #Swimming #KGH

Another good nights’ sleep for Janet and a good start to the day this morning. She knew it was Monday and that we’d being going back to Connect later, she knew there was something else, just couldn’t get the word swimming out. We got to the pool in plenty of time and the first session was alright with Janet’s right leg doing its own thing instead of what she was trying to get it to do. Her walking was not as strong as last week partly because of that right leg or maybe totally because of it. Some days she just seems to be overly buoyant and today was one of them. Janet tried really hard to get her feet down to the pool floor from floating on her back but had a heck of a time today as they just wanted to stay near the surface. Tez joined us for session two and was happy with Janet’s sense of balance and her ability to swim. What he observed from her walking challenges confirmed the need to really go hard at making that right leg stronger. He reinforced that with Janet and will do the same with the Connect staff.

As we were leaving KGH I had Janet drive by what I thought was the room she described to me a week ago or so. No bells went off though and she didn’t even really remember telling me about a room before. I will have to strike sooner next time she does something like that.

Janet built herself a nice sandwich for lunch once we got home then agreed to try and have a nap. I should have bet her as she of course didn’t think she’d sleep but she did for a little bit and helped me start making dinner before having a late Skype chat with Andrew.

The return to Connect was smoother than I expected and Janet cooperated nicely in going on the Shuttle and into the Standing Frame. This was not her greatest Shuttle performance ever but considering the time of day I’ll take it. She tolerated the Standing Frame very well and we enjoyed some interesting conversation with Kieran, a new resident from North Vancouver who’s mom’s name is Janet so he calls Janet mom. He’s twenty four and very positive and Janet liked him as soon as they met. Janet stayed up a little late because of the Kieran conversation but that was a fun way to end a good day. Praying for rest that brings lots of energy and strength for tomorrow’s activities.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out! #TSJ #swimming #walking #house4sale #standingframe

Janet felt her quality of sleep Sunday night was “terrible” but I think it was actually pretty good. She woke up a few times but seemed to go back to sleep quickly each time and when it came to getting up for real she was very bright. Knew my name, what day it was and most of what we were doing today.

Our morning went by at a nice pace and before we knew it we were driving to KGH for swimming. Janet had a strong day today and in her first session she swam on her back continuously for a good five minutes. I didn’t suggest in anyway that she do that, she just started, got a big smile on her face and kept going. Since she’s doing so well standing on her own out of water I was curious to see what she could do in the water. She surprised me by easily standing without using her arm to stabilize herself and she was able to “walk” for about fifteen feet with me well out of reach. Her walking was more like hopping as she was unable to get her right foot down to the bottom of the pool unless it was well behind her. She seemed pleased to be able to do this but is very aware and a little upset that her right leg doesn’t function the way she wants it to. The second session was not as exciting as the water was much deeper so the focus had to be on swimming and Janet was getting tired. She did manage some excellent rolls from back to tummy while swimming and felt pretty good about it too. As we were waiting for the change room, Moira came over to say that her daughter had seen Janet in Hope last weekend. We stopped for gas and a pee break on our way back from Nanaimo and Emma was doing similar. She had done a bring your kid to work thing with Moira way back when and remembered Janet. I told Janet she is pretty memorable but she wasn’t buying it.

We had to be out of our house this afternoon from two till five as the home inspection was taking place so after swimming we just had time to stop at the store and race home to get Nash before the inspector arrived. He was early of course so I got to meet him and Janet got to meet the buyer’s realtor as he came by to get the key for the inspector. They both seem to be very nice and if anything bothersome is found I’m sure we can work with them to resolve it.

Janet knew she had work to do at Connect so right after a late lunch she wanted to get to the gym to get it over with. Her Shuttle session was alright as I could tell she was getting tired not having had a nap. The Standing Frame was well tolerated and she even went over her target of forty five minutes without getting upset. After dinner we took Nash for a nice long walk and Janet faded rapidly after that, going to bed just before nine. She worked hard today, impressing me in the pool, willingly doing some of her workout routine and pushing through a busy day without a nap. Praying for a long night of deep sleep for Janet that gives her lots of energy for tomorrow’s activities.

The Team Save Janet Report is Out. #tsj #bigbrother #swimming #realestate #rachellayne

Monday began with an early wake up call in order to be ready for Les, our realtor, being here at ten to have us sign the listing documents for the sale of our house. Janet’s night was a little restless but not bad and she was enthusiastic about the busy day ahead.

We had some time after breakfast to de-clutter the place a little as Les mentioned he would take pictures this morning as well. It’s surprising how messy things can look when you consider taking a picture of it as opposed to just living with it. Cleaning up seems to be a good one for Janet and she did a good job including packing our stuff for swimming. Les got us through the paperwork and Janet did an excellent job signing her name and initials over and over again.

Before we knew it it was time to head to KGH for swimming where we would meet Janet’s brother Mike who was flying in for a quick visit. This was the first session at KGH in a few weeks so I wasn’t sure what to expect from Janet. She did exceptionally well, walking numerous lengths of the parallel bars, swimming strong on her tummy and back and doing some good balancing. During the second session Janet was able to swim on her back five lengths without stopping and needing no help turning other than verbal cues from me. She had a massive smile on her face while doing this and I’m not sure if she was proud of herself or if Mike was making her laugh. He’s very good at that and although today’s visit was short, we enjoyed it and hope to see him again soon, especially if he buys lunch again.

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It was going on four o’clock when we got home and Janet was showing signs that the busy day was getting to her a little. She was quite adamant that she wasn’t going to have a sleep but five minutes after hitting the pillow she was out and didn’t wake until 5:30. It was very hot and she was still a little groggy so we decided to delay dinner and sit outside with a drink before joining Kiko at Second Cup to watch our friend Rachel Layne sing. Of course it was freezing inside the coffee shop but Rachel performed well and with a hot decaf coffee in her hands and a sweater on, Janet enjoyed the evening very much.

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When we got back to Connect Janet surprised me by agreeing to do some Shuttle work and really showed her increasing strength. High five! She would’ve done the Standing Frame as well but it was too late I thought so we watched a few minutes of TV before bed with the lights going out at 10:30. A very solid day for Janet and I feel like she’s set for a good week ahead. Praying that Janet continues to work hard at all aspects of her recovery.

Easy as 1,2,3. Janet returns to domestic duties and more. #TSJ

Another progressive week for Janet with some interesting trends starting to show.

On Thursday Janet was basking in the sun waiting for me with a big smile and a self initiated kiss. When I asked her why she was waiting for me she said “now we can have some fun”. Nice to know that she still thinks that way sometimes as most of the time she complains about all the things I make her do. To start our fun we went for a nice long walk. Janet is improving with her directions and did well at naming things we saw along the way. We really took our time and I tried to keep her talking and observing as much as possible. As we returned to Connect we noticed the ice cream stand was very busy and I suggested we go there after dinner. No surprise, that got a very positive response. There was a CFL football game on TV as we waited for dinner and to prove her cognitive gains Janet said she was cheering for Saskatchewan over Toronto. That’s my girl. Not that I really care, as real football doesn’t start until September but it was still fun to hear her pick against her hometown. Janet had a good Shuttle routine and shocked me by choosing to do the Standing Frame before going for ice cream. There was a real risk of missing the ice cream by doing this but I had to honor her choice. We made it to the stand in time and Janet enjoyed her mint chocolate chip while spilling only one little drop.

On Friday, Janet was waiting on the patio again but was a little upset that I wasn’t there sooner. It was only 1:30 but I guess she’d had a fairly quiet day so far and was aware she would be going home with me so was looking forward to that. We made some shopping stops along the way, one of which resulted in Janet getting some clip-on sunglasses. She’d been refusing to wear her regular ones as she can’t see well without her prescription glasses so her optometrist suggested the clip-ons and I think they work great. Janet doesn’t mind wearing them so if nothing else her eyes get some protection now. By the time we got home it was too late for a nap so Janet just had a little quiet time lay down then got ready to go for dinner with a friend of ours from Nanaimo. The Rotten Grape turned out to be an excellent choice as we were able to sit outside in the sun listening to the Music in the Park happening right across the street. We even had a visit from Janet’s former PT, Tom. It was really nice to enjoy good food and conversation with Wendy and Janet really impressed us by sitting on a backless stool the entire time.

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After a good hot tub at home and while getting ready for bed Janet called Nash, Calamity. That was the name of one of our cats that died a few years ago. Janet realized that almost as soon as she said it but was upset that she didn’t realize Calamity had died. Took her a good fifteen minutes to get over it.

We were up pretty late Friday so Saturday started off late with a nice Skype chat with Mary/Gaga. I then put Janet to work as we cleaned up the spare room in preparation for Laurel & Raj 2.0. Janet had fun with lots of laughs as we found things we hadn’t seen in a long time, one thing in particular I hope you’ll here a lot more of in the near future. Stay tuned. The more I get Janet to help with domestic stuff the more I realize how much she wants to contribute. She really goes at a task with determination and concentration and is visibly pleased when its done, usually asking if there’s anything else to do. That is, as long as she feels she can do it but occasionally now she’ll take my suggestion that she can do it and run with it. Previously my suggestion was met with self doubt. I’m seeing a little less of that now. Almost as impressive as her domestic enthusiasm was Janet’s choice for lunch Saturday. Grilled cheese with BACON! Totally her idea, never seen her eat it before and did she ever eat it. That gave her enough energy to do a little house hunting with me followed by a stop at the grocery store. Wanting to press on she insisted we go to church which turned out to be a good call on her part. She was able to have nice visits with quite a few people there and the service was really good too. Our evening was quiet and Janet wound down nicely to wear she was sleeping by 10:30.

Start time Sunday was a little more normal but Janet maybe should’ve stayed in bed a little longer as for once she picked the wrong puppy on Pick a Puppy. She’s now three for four and was a little upset about being wrong. We went for a rather long walk to a local store for some dinner supplies and Janet asked to take a shorter route home so I guess it was a little long. Our thirty degree pool water was too cold for Janet so after a relaxing hot tub I laid her down for a good nap. We had another hot tub after dinner then Janet passed on ice cream in favor of going to bed. Lights out at 9:45 seemed strange but sleep is good.

Janet’s sleep must’ve been good as she woke Monday very chipper and chatty. She wasn’t really looking forward to going to the rehab pool as her mind was very much on the impending arrival of family for Laurel & Raj 2.0. Janet is having a bit of a tough time realizing this is not a full on wedding and she worries about her appearance and abilities. I think once people are in town and things start happening she’ll be fine. Her swimming was decent with her most notable accomplishment being able to swim to the wall, grab on and “stand up” all by herself. Really nice smiles after doing so too. On our way home we did a little more house hunting and Janet asked afterwards why we didn’t look at the upstairs. It didn’t have one. At least she’s thinking. Needing to do more cleaning of the house I decided to test Janet’s vacuuming abilities. She was never very fond of this chore but loved it this time. She can only do the hardwood and furniture as she can’t maneuver herself around on the carpet. Here’s a link to a short video of Janet in action,

.She was also a huge help in dusting some shelves and nick nacs and again I could see the satisfaction she was getting from being able to help. Relaxing in the sun with a Fresca Janet explained she was afraid she’d miss something if she wasn’t coming home until Thursday. She also came out with the comment that “it’ll be awkward having Chris here”. Chris is Janet’s first husband and their parting was not amicable but I assured her he would be polite and so should she. Janet hasn’t talked about the battles she went through in that former life since she got sick but I hope the encounter on her home turf on a happy occasion leads to truly forgetting all that nonsense and moving on. It will be fun to see. Janet and I had a lot of fun eating dinner outside on an absolutely gorgeous evening and it was really difficult to gather the motivation to head back to Connect.

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By the time we got there Janet was pretty much done and after a little bedtime reading it was lights out at 9:30.

After a busy Tuesday morning I met Janet and Brian at KGH for her appointment with Dr. McCann. The main goal for this one was another round of Botox, this time, both hamstrings and a little in her right arm finger flexors. The previous treatment was a huge success and we are looking forward to similar results this time. The decision to treat the finger flexors came as a result of Janet clenching her right hand less and its hoped the Botox will enable even more relaxation of that hand. Dr. McCann agreed to refer Janet to the hand clinic at KGH where they can make a brace she can wear during the day to further promote a more relaxed position for her right hand. The next round of Botox will be in three months or so using Dr. McCann’s new machine that will allow him to treat Janet’s right subscapularis in hopes of increasing range of motion for her right shoulder. Another big plus that came out of this appointment was the discontinuation of Baclofen. Janet had a terrible reaction to an increased dosage a few weeks ago and the amount she was still on was too low to do any good so now its one less drug for Janet. Yay! Brian followed us home as best he could and took a look around the house to assess what he’d do if we were determined to stay here. We ended up agreeing it doesn’t make much sense then we enjoyed a nice cold beverage in the sun. Janet later commented that its nice having Brian around, “he’s easy to talk to”. Not surprisingly Janet enjoyed herself in our pool with the water being a ridiculous 32 degrees. She still wanted to hot tub afterwards too so I was able to get a good stretch and start working that Botox into her. Quite the busy day so far and Janet easily agreed to have a short nap. I woke her an hour later and positioned her so she could watch for Laurel’s arrival. I really wish I’d recorded that moment as it was absolutely priceless when Janet started giggling and smiling and laughingly saying ” there’s someone here! It’s her, it’s Les, Na, Laurel!” I thought she was going to cry but she just kept on giggling and waving like a star struck little kid. Awesome. The excitement continued as we went back to Connect for a Shuttle and Standing Frame session. Janet was very cooperative I think because Laurel was there and did a good job on both apparatus. There was very little pouting and once given the goal time for getting down from the Standing Frame did a great job using her watch to tell what time it was and how much time she had left. That was a pleasant surprise as she was bang on with fifteen and five minutes remaining. That watch has been a very effective tool so far. Well done Jess! While in the Standing Frame Janet demonstrated more cognitive abilities in correctly identifying Sally Field in a movie that was on TV. Impressive.

Wednesday morning the focus was on Janet’s regular therapy routine. She went to the gym for a thorough workout then had Speech with Mary Lou. Laurel and Heather met up with their mom in the afternoon and hung out until bedtime, making sure she got in another gym session. When I arrived with Andrew late into the evening Janet was talking very loud and clear, was obviously excited to see her kids and I think is going to have a really fun time this weekend.

One of the more noticeable improvements Janet has made over the last few days has been in the quantity of liquid she will drink at one time. Historically her drinks have been very tiny sips. Now they are not near gulps but I’ve seen her do what would qualify as a shot more than a few times. She still needs to be reminded a lot to keep drinking but there is a definite increase in the speed with which she can down a beverage. The volume of her voice has gotten louder and she is definitely more “with it” than she was even a couple of weeks ago. Praying for continued healing, an increase in her water intake, for the Botox to have maximum effect and for everyone to enjoy themselves at Laurel and Raj 2.0.

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Water Baby. If only Janet would drink like she swims. #TSJ

This has been a relatively quiet week with Janet holding her own in most areas with some more signs of increasing assertiveness. Swimming and hot tubing remain her favorite activities with the Standing Frame taking over from the Shuttle as her least favorite thing to do.

Thursday was an interesting day for me as I found Janet curled up on her bed, awake and upset, saying she’d been “yelling for help to get out of here”. Her pendant alarm was right beside her and when I asked why she didn’t push it for help she all of a sudden seemed to feel silly that she hadn’t thought of that. There was no reason to want out other than she couldn’t sleep so from that point on it was a fun day. We went for a long walk to the eastern shore of Wood Lake and saw a large deer feeding on the side of the road. Or at least I did. Despite the thing being only twenty meters in front of us then moving towards us on the road before hopping into the bushes only ten meters away, Janet never saw it. We had lots of time and it was on her left side so I thought for sure she’d pick it out but even with me pointing and turning her head, she saw nothing. As we continued our walk Janet was able to see and tell me about things like boats on the lake, large trees and other landmarks and enjoyed watching a train roll by. I had commented on how close to the tracks a number of homes in that area are and how annoying it must be when a train goes by. We agreed it probably doesn’t happen often. Of course, less than five minutes later we heard the whistle of an approaching train. It was fun watching it and Janet saw it no problem. To wind down the day I assisted Janet in typing an email to her mom. I had to guide her to most of the letters but she did a great job in thinking of what to say and spelling the words as we typed. If y’all wish to correspond with Janet via email her address is jedieno@gmail.com , just remember I’ll be reading them to her and helping with any response.

Janet was ready to go home for the weekend when I arrived at Connect Friday afternoon. It had been a quiet morning and even though we had no big plans she was anxious to go. We stopped at Save On along the way and used Janet’s VIP parking pass for the first time. I must admit its pretty sweet to be able to park pretty much at the front door in a nice wide spot and not have to worry about someone parking too close to us. Janet was a big help shopping and enjoyed choosing things on her own. Her help continued as we made a Quinoa salad for dinner with Janet doing lots of chopping and tossing. We had dinner outside with Janet reestablishing her authority as the corn on the cob expert saying “this is the best corn of the year”.

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After a good stretch in the hot tub we watched So You Think You Can Dance with Janet’s legs in the extenders. She loved the show and at one point asked for a paper and pen as she waned to “tell someone I want Amy and Fik-Shun to win”. Not sure who she was going to tell or why but I love the spontaneity of that thought. As bright a moment as that was a short time later she didn’t know my name or that I’m her husband. I’ll let it go as being really tired and that seems to be the pattern with Janet knowing me. She’s good in the morning then by dinner time I can be any name under the sun including ones she makes up herself.

Saturday was a sleep in day with breakfast happening outside closer to lunchtime than breakfast. We had a good Skype chat with Mary/Gaga then got Janet’s nails cut and cleaned in readiness for the arrival of family next week for Laurel and Raj’s wedding 2.0. After a nice walk and a good lunch we took off to do some shopping before church as Janet needed shirts and I needed some shorts. It was fun shopping with Janet and she was a big help to me in choosing colors. As we were settling in for church Janet asked to have her right arm up on the armrest of her wheelchair. That’s a first and a really encouraging sign as it wasn’t long ago that it hurt her to have her arm in that position. After church, Janet asked for a burger for dinner and was excited to sit outside at Red Robin and devour a Mediterranean Chicken Burger. I had promised her we’d watch a movie that night and she didn’t let me forget even thou it was nine o’clock by the time we started it. We watched Safe Haven which is actually pretty bad but we enjoyed it. Janet was quite restless going to bed and five minutes after lights out I found her on her tummy laughing. She wanted to lay on her left side but turned the wrong way and couldn’t get back. With a little help she got there and fell asleep quickly.

The Sunday breakfast tradition seems to be watching Pick a Puppy, a show that follows a family as they choose their pet. It’s very cheesy but Janet loves it and in the true spirit of our TV viewing habits, we’ve made it into a competition. Janet is now three for three in choosing which puppy the family ends up picking. In trying on her new shirts we’ve determined she is no longer a size XS and has graduated to size S. That means more shopping come Fall. Yea. There are enough weeds and plants that need pruning in the front yard that we were able to spend over an hour out there with Janet doing a lot of pulling and clipping. Hard for her to squeeze the clippers sometimes but she enjoyed the challenge and being in the sun. Her reward was a nice swim in a ridiculously warm pool where she did some great lower leg kicking. This is the first time in a while I’ve worked on this with her and once she thought about it she did well with her left and managed a little movement a couple times with the right. She closed her water session with a relaxing hot tub where she got so relaxed that I actually let go of her as she floated on her back. As soon as she realized I’d let go she started to sink but it was pretty cool she could float like that. I tucked her in at 9:45 and twenty minutes later heard a little bang from the bedroom. I was startled to see Janet sitting on the edge of the bed where she had been rummaging through her bedside table. In her hand was an old pair of glasses and she said to me “I’m trying to find the ones that work”. She only cried a little bit then asked to sleep on her left side and as soon as I helped her there she was heading off to la la land. Or maybe that’s where she was when she was sitting up, I don’t know, but it was cool she could get herself up and sitting. A little flash of houdieno.

Monday we were back in the Rehab Pool at KGH. It had been over a week and I was anxious to see how Janet would do. Kiko graciously came along to be a cheerleader but I put her to work as videographer and her is the result.

We enjoyed a yummy lunch at Marmalade Cafe with Kiko afterwards. Nice way to spend a sunny afternoon. Thanks Kiko!

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On the way home we stopped at Save On so Janet could pick out the fruit she wanted to take to Connect for the coming week. The team agrees that Janet needs to eat lots of fruit as she doesn’t drink enough water and since she loves it that’s a pretty easy thing to do. From now on, like home, her breakfast will be a large bowl of fruit and yogurt, a piece of toast and peanut butter and a little coffee if she wants. Coupling this with as much fluids as possible should get Janet more regular on the toilet. I can report today that it seems to be working.

Tuesday morning was busy for Janet as she got back into the Connect routine. I took her out of that for the afternoon so she could get her haircut.

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Chelsea always does a good job with Janet and the whole experience was fun with Janet being much more talkative than last time. For her evening workout, Janet was good about going on the Shuttle but put a big pout on during her Standing Frame session. So much so that I thought she was quite rude to one of the other residents who tried giving her some encouraging advice. Janet was having nine of it and gave that person the silent treatment until they complimented her on her hair. That brought a big smile and a thank you.

In the Standing Frame tonight, Janet was in a much better mood and surprised me by accurately predicting when the session was over. I had set nine o’clock as the end time and using her watch she guessed at 8:43 that she had twenty minutes left and at 8:55 she knew there were only five minutes left. The funniest bit was when she stared at her watch for the last thirty seconds and when it reached 9:00 she proudly held it up to me and said “I’m done”. Indeed.

Cognitive gains like that continue and are very encouraging. Even her negative outbursts are good I guess as she is expressing her opinion and feelings much better. She still lacks confidence in a lot of things, using a stock answer of “I don’t believe it”, when someone tells her something good about herself or tries to explain the benefits of doing something she doesn’t like doing. The only way I see of battling this is to identify every moment she does something well and explain why it’s good and where it can lead her. Pill swallowing is getting much better for Janet as well with most doses going down on the first attempt now with hardly any coughing. I notice she coughs a lot less drinking apple juice and drinks it a lot faster too. Not sure why. Janet still has a hard time with my name and knows it better earlier in the day as opposed to late at night. The family names usually come to her pretty quick but she needs prompting for the staff members names usually. We’ve stared reading at night again and Janet seems to be understanding what I read a little better now too.

This coming Tuesday we meet with Dr. McCann for another round of Botox. I think the timing is perfect as although there is still good flexibility in both of Janet’s legs the left one is tightening up and the right one is pulling into the left a lot. That hasn’t stopped Janet from doing well on the Shuttle and her pole transfers a very good with a noticeable improvement in balance. This past weekend was the first one driving the Vibe and the first one that hasn’t left me with a very sore shoulder as I no longer have to lift Janet into the car. Nice.

Looking forward to more progress this week and the arrival of family ahead of Raj and Laurel 2.0.

Sister Act. Fun times with Ontario peeps. #TSJ

This was pretty much a fun filled week for Janet as her sister Leslie and her husband Gavin were here for most of it and the weather finally kicked into summer mode.

Thursday started off slow as Janet seemed rather tired in the morning but her energy increased as the day wore on. Jess reported that Janet made it through her parallel bars workout but was nodding off by eleven. Mary Lou gave a similar report saying Speech was pretty much a none starter. I couldn’t really think of why Janet would be so tired. She says she isn’t sleeping well at night but there’s no accurate way to measure that. I considered making a quick doctor’s appointment for her but her doctor is on vacation until July 9th and I didn’t see any point in going to the substitute. By the time we were on our way downtown for an appointment Janet was starting to perk up and by the time we got home she was fairly bright. We went for a nice long walk while Leslie and Gavin made dinner which we enjoyed very much, including a glass of wine, something Janet hasn’t had much of lately. Her conversation skills were good and she was even cooperative about going back to Connect. There was a meltdown in the car on the way out there as she expressed her disbelief in the fact she is doing really well. She was quite emotional but got it together by the time we arrived and managed a half hour in the Standing Frame. That was all I was going to ask for as it had been a busy day. I still haven’t learned to stop nagging her about water and that night Janet actually swore at me about it. I’ll take it as a positive expression of her feelings although at the time I told her she was being quite rude which of course brought the tears. Janet ended the night with a spectacular pole transfer to her bed ninety percent unassisted.

Friday started out a little better than Thursday and Janet was waiting for me in the living room knowing she was going home for the weekend and Leslie and Gavin were there. The big event of the day was wine touring to the four wineries in our neighborhood, Tantalus, Summerhill, St. Hubertus, and CedarCreek. Everyone had a great time and Janet hung in there very well drinking water in between each stop with only a gentle reminder. We all loved the wines at Tantalus,

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thought Summerhill was delightfully tacky,

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learned from our friend Dominic the wine maker at St. Hubertus,

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and agreed CedarCreek is gorgeous.

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Dinner was a massive amount of sushi enjoyed outside until around nine when Janet started getting a little cold. That’s what hot tubs are for and just before eleven I said goodnight to a tuckered out Janet.

I don’t know if it was the wine, sushi or the relaxing hot tub but Janet woke up Saturday morning in one of the brightest moods yet. I’ve never heard her laugh so hard and loud as she did while telling Leslie the story of when Heather accidentally ate a huge glob of wasabi. You could hardly understand a word she was saying but every once in a while a key word would pop through and you could follow the gist of the story. But the story didn’t matter as it was pure joy watching Janet laugh so much. The laughter continued as we hauled out some old dresses Janet had from her grandmother and Leslie tried them on for fun. I have to say they weren’t as hideous as I thought they were going to be. We got out for a nice walk before lunch then it was time for a swim. Or so I thought. Apparently twenty nine degree water is too cold for sensitive little Janet so back to the hot tub we went as we spent a nice afternoon on the deck. This was Leslie and Gavin’s last night in Kelowna so we planned a dinner out at a new restaurant called Smack Dab. In the process of getting ready I left Janet on the toilet while I fed the dog. A few minutes later I heard a cry come from the bathroom so I ran back to find Janet in tears on the edge of the seat telling me “I want to get up and put my makeup on myself”. Wow, where did that come from? No one had mentioned make up to her that I heard so I was really impressed with that statement and how she thought she could get up and do that on her own. One day. Dinner outside by the lake was yummy and a terrific way to start the farewell proceedings for Leslie and Gavin.

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Dessert in the hot tub at home was a fun way to end the day.

Leslie and Gavin had to leave us at eight AM Sunday and Janet woke up at 7:30 but was too tired to get up, so the goodbyes took place bedside, which limited the tears, thank goodness. It was fun having some Ontario peeps around for the week and Janet benefitted immensely from all the social activity. The first part of Sunday was pretty quiet. We made it to church but Janet was kinda sleepy and had a good nap when we got home. The pool was a little warmer as was the air temperature so Janet got some good swimming in, doing the best kicking she’s done yet. The house got super hot by dinner time so we headed downstairs for the evening and watched So You Think You Can Dance. A pretty good recovery day for Janet.

Monday was all systems go in the morning as Janet woke very chatty and bright. She had a good Skype chat with Laurel before the first swimming session of the day. Thirty one degree water apparently is still a little cold but Janet tolerated it and swam her first full length of our pool on her tummy complete with full freestyle motion of her left arm. Impressive. Our good neighbors Barb and Gary joined us for a glass of wine that afternoon and Janet started to tire noticeably then. Nice to share Canada Day with good people though.

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Janet and I went for a nice long walk to shake the cobwebs out of her and it seemed to work. When we got back I had her try and transfer into and out of her Pontiac Vibe and she did so almost effortlessly. I managed to get the wheelchair into the back without folding any seats down and so decided to go for a spin to make sure Janet is comfortable in that car. It’s been parked since last September and I when I told Janet we were going for a ride she said “isn’t that illegal?” I was shocked she came up with that and asked her how she knew and her reply was simply “I just knew”. Indeed. It now makes total sense to use the Vibe since Janet can transfer into and out of it with only a little help from me and its more economical to run as well so the switch will be made. Our second swim session of the day was a chance to cool down if nothing else but Janet did some good kicking and loved me helping her “jump” up and down in the water. Big smiles.

Connect had some staffing shortages Tuesday so Janet was unable to do much of anything the first part of the day and complained of boredom when I arrived early in the afternoon. She did have Singing with John which she acknowledged was fun. She must’ve been bored though as she agreed to go to the gym with me and did a solid job on The Shuttle. With lots of time before dinner we set out on a very hot but interesting walk to a wildlife sanctuary down the road from Connect. Most of the wildlife was hiding from the heat but we could see the potential for some cool sightings in cooler seasons. Janet did a great job chopping up some chicken for a stir fry when we got back but then got a little negative as we practiced writing her signature for a while. She wasn’t doing very well so decided to go with the “I don’t care” and “it doesn’t matter” lines that make me mad. Garrett saved the day by taking her to the gym for a full workout that he reported was very good. Janet was in a much better mood after the exercise and wanted to go for a walk. We played I Spy along the way and she did reasonably well getting a satellite dish for something round and the sun for something setting.

Jess reported Janet had a very busy morning today with an hour and a half in the gym doing every type of exercise she knows followed by Speech with Mary Lou who reports Janet has rebounded nicely from the sleepy times last week and continues to build her vocabulary. She was in bed when I arrived just before two but wide awake so I got her up and we went on a long walk in search of a Fresca. I got a good workout, Janet got some more sun on her and we both enjoyed the drink after the long search. I had Janet practice some handwriting before dinner and was pleased with her progress. Garrett and I took her to the gym after dinner for another good go at The Shuttle followed by a good stretch from Garrett. Another request for a walk resulted in another game of I Spy along with learning compass directions. Janet and I were both impressed by how friendly people in the neighborhood around Connect are. We got lots of hellos and waves tonight. Almost makes us consider living there. Almost.

Janet continues to make progress in all areas except toileting and I’m a little concerned that she is feeling bored at Connect. Her increased brightness has allowed her to go a number of days without a nap now and its only because of the nice weather that we’ve been able to get out and do something. I think we need to find more things for her to do during the day. Praying for continued healing, more control of her right leg and perseverance in doing the good things that aren’t so much fun.

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