Off the Ventilator

Can you believe it? I am still reeling from yesterday's big news and them mom slapped me back on my...posterior with more great news! They actually wheeled the ventilator out of his room. True it is still outside of his room, but he hasn't used it for over 3 days. He will be capped during the day, and be on the trach trial at night, with the cuff deflated, the inner cannula in for suctioning purposes, supplemental O2, and moisture to help keep his secretions from getting too thick. But no forced air into his lungs. He is breathing on his own! Praise God! Psalms 105:1 "Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done".
They had a meeting with all the departments involved in Matt's care. They had a long discussion about Matt going home for Christmas. There was some scepticism, and the physician voiced her concerns about Matt going home. Most of the questions were answered and hopefully they can help us get everything in place. We need to look at getting a ramp built for him to get into the house, transportation (Leonard Jays has graciously offered the loan of his van), needs a hospital bed for the house, O2 for when he needs it. However the physician was still worried. Finally she told us that Matt had 3 things going for him. 1) His spinal cord is not severed, 2) He is young and the most determined man she has met, 3) Matt is her hero. I think that comment opened the floodgates for a lot of the staff. They all stated that Matt is just such a joy to have in there. Not many men who have gone through what he has gone through are so optimistic, his personality has never changed, and he is so determined. They are just so worried what could happen to him when he is not under their care.
The doctor went on to say that right now there is no bed in rehab because truthfully, they never expected Matt to be off the ventilator with the severity and location of his injury, and the long duration of being on the ventilator. Not to mention a collapsed lung, 3 chest tubes, and countless pneumonia's. They also never believed when they started the trach trials he would progress so quickly. "Leaps and bounds" are the terms they used. I used this verse at the beginning of Matt's journey, and now I use it as praise, not a prayer. Job 9:10 "He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted."
There is continued talk of taking out his feeding tube. He is still only at 175 lbs, but he doesn't have much for muscles, which weigh quite a bit. He didn't eat as well today because he was tired. With only one sleeping pill, Matt isn't sleeping very good at night, but that will take some getting used to. It is not easy to go off sleeping pills. Matt also had a whirlpool bath, so that always plays him out. Prayers that Matt will have a good night sleep, and regain strength for tomorrow.