walking

Janet, A Success Story. March 25. #TSJ

Those of you who have been on this journey with us from the beginning will be familiar with the name Houdieno. It was coined by our soon to be son in law Allan when Janet was doing everything in her power to escape from her hospital bed. She of course was physically unable to do so but was determined to try. This blog site is named in honour of that fighting spirit. Janet continues to work hard and desires to be better in every way. She hasn’t displayed Houdieno like behaviour in quite some time, until today.

I called Janet a couple of times during the day and each time she reported she was not feeling that great and wasn’t doing much. When I arrived at Connect I was seriously considering taking her home until she is rid of this stomach bug. As I discussed things with Jess, Chelsea arrived saying she had just helped Janet get her shoes on and that she was going to go to the bathroom. Janet routinely gets herself from bed to bathroom and out again using her wheelchair. You regular readers will remember I’ve mentioned feeling as though Janet is close to taking an unassisted step but has so far chickened out when asked. I guess she just didn’t want anyone watching because that’s exactly what she tried to do in getting to the bathroom. Janet stood up using the transfer pole, let go of the pole, took what must’ve been a couple of unassisted steps, grabbed the bathroom door for support and lost her balance as it swung open on her. I came into the room and found her laying on her back on the floor kind of upset and kind of laughing saying she hurt herself but not really. Chelsea and Jess responded and we helped Janet up and she confirmed she felt fine. Once sitting in her wheelchair I couldn’t help but high five her! Yes it was dangerous and she could have been hurt but as I asked her later, “how do babies learn to walk?” She said “they try and then fall down”. I had to remind her that they then try again and keep trying but hopefully with a little supervision.

That was an exciting start to my time with Janet today and her willingness to try other things earned her the right to stay at Connect. I didn’t mention the home idea to her. She was still feeling a little sick and had only eaten a piece of toast all day so I was surprised when she accepted the idea of a popsicle. Janet had always given her kids banana popsicles when they were sick and Laurel had suggested it over the weekend. When we got to the store the first thing we saw were banana flavoured popsicles and Janet laughed at the irony. She enjoyed it immensely and it got her started on a reasonably active evening.

Just what Dr. Laurel ordered.

Just what Dr. Laurel ordered.


Exercise has been out of the picture for four days now so I worked Janet pretty hard to get her on the bike for a bit. She agreed to five minutes, I programmed it for twenty and she went fifteen. Well done! That took a lot out of her and she lay down on her bed for half an hour until dinner was ready. I had to kick start her a little bit and once at the table she enjoyed a small portion of pasta and participated in the conversation nicely. She was also showing signs of grumpiness towards me so I know she’s getting better.

After a post dinner rest Janet went upstairs to participate in games night but wasn’t very focused and only answered one question. I did get to watch this time and think its a great concept that needs a little tweaking and with some coaching Janet can do quite well at it. Good for her for going tonight.

That was all the energy she had though and was sound asleep by 9:30 after we read for a little bit. Praying for the end of this stomach virus and continued determination to walk.

Janet, A Success Story. March 23. #TSJ

If Janet was to habitually wake me up at 4am I would not be impressed. This morning it was more than welcomed as she wasn’t waking me to go to the bathroom or reach for the puke bucket, she wanted a glass of water. A sure sign she was getting better! We made the most of being awake by including a successful bathroom trip, a wash of the face and a re-tucking into bed. Before falling back to sleep she asked if it was time to get up and she would ask again at 6:30 then finally around 8:40 I let her. The rest had done her a lot of good and she happily got her water and took her meds before making a cup of coffee. She was more enthusiastic about it than her body would allow and after a half piece of toast and a few sips of coffee she was done.

Cheers!

Cheers!

Since we missed church last night we tried the eleven this morning and although Janet was reluctant at first it turned out to be a great experience. She stood during worship way longer than I expected and really connected to Wayne’s message, even going up to him on her own at the end of the service to tell him. Wayne lovingly prayed with her as Laurel and I stood back and watched God at work. Beautiful.

Seemingly scared to take in too much food, Janet managed half a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch but was more than willing to go for a nice long walk in the sunshine with Laurel and I. Before we left I felt Janet was very capable of walking to the bathroom and she did to Laurel’s amazement. It struck me then that maybe I haven’t described Janet’s walking abilities in as much detail as needed to paint a good picture in this blog so I will try and get some video to share with y’all this week. The fresh air and warmth of the sun during our walk around the surrounding neighbourhoods was rejuvenating I’m sure and set Janet up nicely for a much needed nap. She woke up a couple hours later calling me loud enough to hear her over the TV as Laurel and I watched basketball. Janet was eager to do the same and settled in on the couch until dinner, finally able to relax and enjoy Laurel’s company.

Tell me they don't look alike.

Tell me they don’t look alike.

Dinner was not the usual Janet sized portion but very respectable considering, and it was more than I ate as I started to feel some of her symptoms. They’ve subsided as I write and hopefully go away all together. We sadly dropped Laurel off at the airport on our way back to Connect with Janet feeling loved as a mom. She really wanted me to read for awhile once in bed and although what I read was fascinating, Janet was asleep less than half an hour in. No surprise.

Thanking Jesus for his bountiful blessings and praying that Janet is completely recovered tomorrow and able to fully participate in her day.

Janet, A Success Story. March 17. #TSJ

Another roller coaster type of day from Janet. She had just rung for help in getting out of bed when I got to Connect. The sun was streaming through her window and the smile on her face matched that brightness. Even she said, “I’m in a better mood today”. We enjoyed talking to each other for over half an hour before going to the gym for a Shuttle session. Janet continues to get stronger, not necessarily with how much weight she can push but more along the lines of being able to push using a proper technique. I even caught her a few times bringing her right knee up towards her left one without prompting. High five!

It was Janet’s turn to set the dinner table tonight and she did so quickly without assistance giving herself time to sit in the sun for our first happy hour of the year. Faced with the prospect of some walking practice Janet’s mood shifted to that negative space she was in yesterday. Big Country heard her say she didn’t want to practice walking and chimed in right away with words of encouragement that Janet gave back to him with “what does it mean to you”. His response was perfect, “we are friends”. Janet didn’t have a comeback for that. She remained negative for almost an hour but our discussion was good in that she was talking instead of ranting and she was thinking things through. In the end she agreed to practice and we went up to the parallel bars where she could stand on the two scales. With minimum effort Janet was able to put pretty much equal weight on both legs and get a feel for what it is like to stand in a position that does that. She said she felt like she was falling and she was scared. Good feedback, and hopefully we can find a way of easing her fears. Walking down the hall from her room to the living room was really good with some strong moves from the right leg. After twenty minutes of rest I had her walk back and she did equally well. The break in between and realizing her exercises were done for the day snapped her out of her funk too.

While Janet was getting her meds one of the other residents asked if they could talk and pray with us as they were having some faith issues. Janet of course said yes and we spent forty five minutes talking, listing to music and praying with this person. Janet encouraged them as much as she could and enjoyed the experience saying “it was good we came back here when we did”. She is still a very caring person in spite of the things she says sometimes.

We had a good long reading session and by lights out time Janet was still wide awake. Well maybe not wide but awake enough to be a little upset that I was leaving. Tonight she expressed some sadness at her situation and I’m praying that doesn’t permeate her mind too much and she can focus on how much she has improved and keep working hard to improve more.

Janet, A Success Story. March 8. #TSJ

Today was a day of visiting for Janet and I and it started with a chat in the lobby of Mom’s building with my third grade teacher Mrs. Brett. Janet thought it was hilarious that a teacher from that long ago would still ask about me. I guess she feels she’s the only celebrity in the family.

We drove in the torrential rain to Port Alberni for lunch with the cousins. Janet did well with the drive and had every reason why we moved to Kelowna validated as we sloshed our way along. It was well worth the effort as we got to spend time with some quality people whom we don’t see often enough. Thanks for lunch Marina! And thanks for taking time to hang with us, Richard, Tina, Brent and Kai.

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The drive back to Nanaimo wasn’t quite as wet and Janet enjoyed a little nap before we took Mom out for a birthday dinner. The place Mom wanted to go turned out to be an Irish party pub type place so we diverted to the Bayshore Restaurant and had a very nice meal.

My second cousin Katie came over for a visit after dinner and once Janet saw her she remembered her from being at our house in Kelowna a year ago. More signs of improvement. It was really nice to chat with Katie and a good ending to a busy day of visiting for Janet. She hung in there very well, did some good walking and transfers, into the car especially. I’m trying to have her walk as much as possible now as I can see improvement in her balance and stepping ability.

Praying for an uninterrupted night of sleep where daylight savings time has no negative impact on Janet and a safe drive back to Kelowna tomorrow.

Janet, A Success Story. March 7. #TSJ

Road trip day! Janet was up in time to have a bath this morning after what she said was a so, so sleep. I beg to differ after the day she put in. We got on the road early to avoid any stress about missing the ferry at Horseshoe Bay and left the Okanagan sunshine expecting to hit rain before too long. It never happened really. I fully expected Janet to fall asleep an hour into the drive but she was chatty and bright the entire four plus hours. Stopping twice for bathroom breaks and once for gas/lunch and we were in North Vancouver with a little time to spare. I suggested we drop by and see Nancy briefly and Janet was all over it. We parked in Nancy’s driveway and I helped Janet walk the twenty feet to the front door. There is only one step leading to the front door but it’s a little high and Janet didn’t want to try it so I knocked and stood waiting with Janet. Shannon answered, surprised, called her mom who came to the door with a huge smile of surprise. Janet was excited to see her and we had a nice little chat sitting on a bench before walking back to the car. As we drove to the ferry Janet said, “Nancy’s really nice, we are lucky to have her as a friend”. Indeed.

We found a comfy spot to sit on the ferry and settled in with Janet finally showing signs of needing sleep. She napped for maybe ten minutes only and spent the rest of the time chatting and watching the various kids seated around us. It was a pleasant trip and as we recapped the drive I just had to praise Janet on how impressed I was with her identifying Merritt as we drove by, Hope and Chilliwack as we drove through and recognizing a lot of other things along the way. This is a very different Janet from our last road trip.

Neither of us was hungry on the ferry but Janet was as we neared Nanaimo so we ordered a pizza to pick up and take to Mom’s. Janet must’ve been hungry as she out ate me three pieces to two! That pretty much did her in and she was in bed soundly sleeping by ten o’clock, fourteen hours after getting up and with only a ten minute nap. A so so sleep last night? No way.

Praying that Janet has a solid night of sleep and has just as much energy for Saturday as she had today. Praying for a safe and enjoyable trip to Port Alberni to see the cousins.

Janet, a Success Story. March 6. #TSJ

I really wasn’t sure about the new title for this blog site but Janet, through her hard work today, has legitimized it for me. When I called her to see how her day was going she very proudly told me she walked all the way from the gym to her room using a cane. That is over 100 feet! Jess held her a little from behind and the rest was all Janet. I’m super glad she told me in such a positive manner too! She actually realizes this is a huge accomplishment.

By the time I got to Connect Janet was watching Ellen in the living room with Wes and Humberto. I had brought her a sketch book and pencil but she wasn’t interested at that moment saying, “I was a good drawer but I used my right hand then”. Valid point, we’ll try some other time.

After dinner I gave Janet the option of a bike ride or walking combined with the Standing Frame and she chose walking. We didn’t have a cane so I stood in for that, I’ve asked Tez if we should buy one now, and Janet made it all the way from her room to the living room, about 70 feet. She was pretty tired by the end of that walk and was using my arm as a cane pretty heavily but there were moments along the way where she took strong steps with little pressure on me. Janet was nice and straight and tall in the Standing Frame and kept a very close eye on the time to make sure she didn’t spend one minute more than she had to.

With a very successful day behind her and facing a long drive to Nanaimo tomorrow I surprised Janet with an invitation to come home tonight. Her face lit right up and if she didn’t need to put a jacket on I think she would’ve gone straight out the door. It was bedtime when we got home and there was no arguing about it at all. Janet smiled and seemed to totally relax as she hit the pillow in our bed saying, “this is so much better than the other place”. I explained that she had earned this visit home by working really hard today and she said she’d do that more if coming home was the reward. Hmmm.

Praying for a night of uninterrupted sleep and a fun and safe trip to Nanaimo tomorrow.

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

Talking on the phone with Janet at lunch time today she mentioned she had been up at the parallel bars. I asked her how that went, expecting the usual, “terrible”. Instead she surprised me with “fairly well”. In fact, according to Jess and Tez, it went “quite well”. Janet said she was in the sling and walked around the bars a few times while holding onto the bar. In fact, she did eight laps of the parallel bars using a cane! Why she didn’t tell me that I don’t know and when I congratulated her she was her usual self in saying, “it’s no big deal”. Yes it is.

The only exercise Janet hadn’t done prior to nap time was the Standing Frame and she chose to get in it soon after I arrived. She is standing straighter than ever these days and putting a little more weight through her right leg.

Dinner time was a little quiet with Kieran not around but still fun and Janet had a decent Skype chat with Andrew afterwards. The big event of the evening was baking granola bars with Chelsea. Janet’s table is responsible for bringing snacks to SheLife tomorrow so Chelsea offered to help Janet bake something. Janet seemed a little tired half way into it but contributed well and had the whole house wondering what the yummy smell was. We’ll find out tomorrow if they taste any good.

After some YouTube and reading Janet fell asleep earlier than usual closing out a successful day for her. Praying for a night of deep and restorative sleep allowing for a productive tomorrow.

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

I called Janet while she was having lunch today and she was a little bothered by the intrusion. Seems Wendy had been calling her numerous times throughout the day as a means to practicing answering the phone and Janet was a little fed up. On the bright side she is increasingly competent at answering and is down to about two swipe attempts before successfully unlocking the phone each time. There seems to be some resistance to memorizing her phone number although she did blurt out her old North Vancouver number for me today.

Janet was napping as I snuck into her room and stayed that way for an additional forty five minutes. Instead of lying around chatting, she woke up and immediately asked to go to the bathroom and that is a very good thing. She was quite pleased she had completed all her exercises earlier in the day so we had lots of time to talk and find a new book to read. Thanks to a suggestion from the audience we are reading Come On People, by Bill Cosby. So far it is much more in Janet’s wheelhouse and has generated a couple of chuckles and some parenting memories already.

To work off her dinner but not repeat exercises already done I had Janet do some walking. We started near her bedside and made it about twenty five feet out and down the hall before she asked to turn around. The return trip was tough at times but she fought through and made it back. Janet’s steps were OK for the most part, I pray she tries to trust that right leg more. It’s really impeding her progress.

Still faced with a part filled jar of pennies on her desk Janet agreed to count some so we could roll them up. Her math skills are strong as are her reading comprehension. She had worked by herself on a number of Mary Lou’s worksheets and let me mark them. This batch is noticeably harder than the previous one and Janet’s scores reflected that. Most of her struggles seemed to be her vision as anything to her right was begin completely ignored. I think Janet has improved dramatically since her last eye exam so I’ll get her in for another more accurate one soon.

Connect will be a lot quieter starting tomorrow as Kieran in transferring temporarily to a facility in Kamloops. We all had chocolate cake tonight to wish him well and Janet encouraged him and gave him a big hug as we said goodnight. As much as we tease Kieran, he will be missed.

Praying for a restful night of sleep for Janet that provided ample energy for a productive Tuesday.

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

Janet had a good start to today, waking with lots of energy after a good long sleep. She managed her own breakfast this morning and was quite chatty and excited about the day ahead. Our neighbour, Bonnie, came over to watch the Olympic figure skating with Janet as she had been in Mexico during the games. Janet enjoyed watching a speeded up version of what she’d already seen and was able to remember some of the performances. It was an awful lot of skating to filter through in a couple of hours but nice to visit and watch with Bonnie.

I got Janet up and walking a little before and after lunch. She complained of soreness in her left leg which I can only attribute to her over using it. We had a good long talk about that and I also had Janet stand in front of a large mirror so she could see how crooked she stands even though she thinks she’s straight. Her steps were good today but her confidence level remains the same, lowish. If Janet believed she could use her right leg more she would. Anyone know a good sports psychology book? Janet relates to sports and might be inspired by something along those lines.

After scanning a few pictures and a quick nap it was time to bake our cannelloni and watch the Oscars. Both were a little disappointing on my end and Janet agreed with me on the cannelloni but enjoyed the Oscars. That was a lot of TV watching today, something I hope we don’t repeat too often. We had the most wintery drive of the season back to Connect tonight and had time to do a little reading. We are through eleven chapters of Long Walk to Freedom and I think that’s it for Janet. It is too dry a read for her so I am looking for suggestions. Something personal, quick paced and funny.

Praying that Janet has lots of energy tomorrow and a willingness to work hard at whatever she’s asked to do.

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

Today was pretty relaxing for Janet. I made her breakfast for her, she started helping me make cannelloni then had to break for a Skype chat with her mom. I had to run to the store and she asked to watch The Sound of Music while I was gone. Bad call on my part as once she started watching there was no stopping her. I must find a way to harness that joy and positiveness she exudes when singing along to something like that. I made lunch and she continued to watch and sing. I did get her to walk from the table to the couch after lunch and then back for a bathroom break later. She did well and hopefully we can do more tomorrow.

After getting some minor help in the kitchen I noticed Janet was in need of a nap which she happily took for an hour or so. After another good transfer from wheelchair to seat at church Janet stood and sang for a long time and loved watching people get baptized tonight. I pray that she will want to make that commitment one day.

We brought home Greek food for dinner and watched Nebraska. Janet was entranced throughout and took practically the whole movie to eat her dinner. It wasn’t quite worthy of a Janet fist pump at the end but it sure got a big smile after some giggles during and an appreciation of the very “real” characters in the film. We highly recommend.

Thanking Jesus for blessing me with time to spend with Janet.