There wasn't much change for Matt today. He was able to sit up at a 90 degree angle for 1 hr and 15 min which was great, and his ventilator was down to 30%. Also, his physio activities have increased which makes him quite tired. Matt has realized that he has been badly hurt, and he is sad about his condition. But the nurses say he is not complaining and tries his best to do everything they ask them.
We also wanted to clarify the "strike" situation. Matt will NOT be moving from Saskatoon. The only way he would be moved is we as a family thought he wasn't getting enough care (physio treatments, etc.) and we requested the transfer. We do not anticipate anything like that happening.
Thanks for your continued prayers as we make this journey together with Matt.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Friday, July 6, 2007
Friday afternoon....
It's been an interesting day..... The doctor is being pessimistic about Matt's prognosis, with a lot of maybes, possibles, likelys... but really only focusing on what Matt is able to do now. Since Matt currently cannot move anything, you can get the idea of what the prognosis was. However, we are going to focus on the positives for the day.
Matt's bed was up at a 90 degree angle for the first time. He has to wear a neck brace whenever the bed is angled more than 30 degrees. The staff were very happy that Matt had no dizziness or nausea while at this angle. Just so you know, a 90 degree angle helps strengthen Matt's neck, it's good for his lungs and his diaphragm.
Regarding the tube, it likely will not be removed anytime soon due to the complications with his fever and pneumonia, but we are taking each day at a time. The family is getting good at reading Matt's eyes and lip reading. We also use a Board with the Alphabet to help us communicate.
We appreciate all the responses to this blog and the emails sent directly to the hospital. We show these to Matt everyday. Please continue to lift him up in your prayers, as God is the great Physician and he is in control.
Matt's bed was up at a 90 degree angle for the first time. He has to wear a neck brace whenever the bed is angled more than 30 degrees. The staff were very happy that Matt had no dizziness or nausea while at this angle. Just so you know, a 90 degree angle helps strengthen Matt's neck, it's good for his lungs and his diaphragm.
Regarding the tube, it likely will not be removed anytime soon due to the complications with his fever and pneumonia, but we are taking each day at a time. The family is getting good at reading Matt's eyes and lip reading. We also use a Board with the Alphabet to help us communicate.
We appreciate all the responses to this blog and the emails sent directly to the hospital. We show these to Matt everyday. Please continue to lift him up in your prayers, as God is the great Physician and he is in control.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Thurs am update
Day 4 - Matt has taken a small step backward in that he has developed pneumonia. Thus, we have been instructed to limit his visitors for awhile - basically until he gets out of the ICU. Therefore, we encourage friends and family to send their thoughts via this blog as only immediate family will be allowed to see him. Please keep Matt in your prayers. God Bless.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Background & Wednesday
The Gustafson family has set up this blog as a way of keeping friends and family updated on Matt's condition. Forgive our lack of technical details and we apologize if something doesn't make sense, but we will do our best to provide you with information on what has happened, and how Matt is healing.
Background
On Saturday, June 30, Matt fell from a house loft, and landed between some stairs and a dryer, hitting his neck on the edge of the dryer. He had multiple fractures of the C3/C4 vertebrae, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. He was driven by ambulance to Tisdale where he was put on a ventilator as his breathing was affected by the trauma to his neck. Matt was then flown to Saskatoon where they then did a cat scan, and then did an MRI. The MRI showed that the spinal cord was intact but badly damaged. They performed surgery at 9:15 am on Sunday to fuse the fractures. The surgery went well, and it is now up to God & Matt on how quickly he will recover.
MATT'S GOALS (in no particular order)
1. Matt's immediate goal is getting the ventilator removed. The tube is very annoying and prevents him from talking and swallowing. In order to get removed from the ventilator, he needs to be able to breathe on his own. Currently the machine provides 45% of his air, and when it can be reduced to 25%, which will show that he is ready to breathe on his own.
2. Feel sensation from head to toe
3. Move a limb.
4. Move a finger or toe.
5. Sit up
6. Walk (so that he can go to a Stampeder's football game with Gary - front row seats!)
7. Able to go home to celebrate his birthday year with the family at the family reunion.
Wednesday, July 4th
Matt has had a lot of visitors including family and friends. Visits are brief, and we try not to get Matt to tired as it is hard for him to communicate. His eyes have become very expressive! The good news today.... Matt feels sensation everywhere (including toes), he was able to lift up his arm a little, and he was moved to a more private area in the ICU that includes a TV. The bad news.... we had hoped that the ventilator might be removed today, but we think it will now be a few more days. We had to remind ourselves today that it's only 3 days since the surgery.
The family..... We want to express our thanks to Devon Thorpe and Diane Schekk who have given us the use of their apartment in Saskatoon. It is currently full as Dad & Mom, Jacki & Gary, Bobby & Amy, & Nolan are in residence! It is close to the hospital and has all the things we might need. We also want to thank the many family and friends who have sent their love and prayers. We are especially grateful for those who were able to be with mom in the first hours in what seemed to be the darkest hours. Their support,prayers, love and guidance were invaluable.
We will keep you posted..... Love the Gustafson family
Background
On Saturday, June 30, Matt fell from a house loft, and landed between some stairs and a dryer, hitting his neck on the edge of the dryer. He had multiple fractures of the C3/C4 vertebrae, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. He was driven by ambulance to Tisdale where he was put on a ventilator as his breathing was affected by the trauma to his neck. Matt was then flown to Saskatoon where they then did a cat scan, and then did an MRI. The MRI showed that the spinal cord was intact but badly damaged. They performed surgery at 9:15 am on Sunday to fuse the fractures. The surgery went well, and it is now up to God & Matt on how quickly he will recover.
MATT'S GOALS (in no particular order)
1. Matt's immediate goal is getting the ventilator removed. The tube is very annoying and prevents him from talking and swallowing. In order to get removed from the ventilator, he needs to be able to breathe on his own. Currently the machine provides 45% of his air, and when it can be reduced to 25%, which will show that he is ready to breathe on his own.
2. Feel sensation from head to toe
3. Move a limb.
4. Move a finger or toe.
5. Sit up
6. Walk (so that he can go to a Stampeder's football game with Gary - front row seats!)
7. Able to go home to celebrate his birthday year with the family at the family reunion.
Wednesday, July 4th
Matt has had a lot of visitors including family and friends. Visits are brief, and we try not to get Matt to tired as it is hard for him to communicate. His eyes have become very expressive! The good news today.... Matt feels sensation everywhere (including toes), he was able to lift up his arm a little, and he was moved to a more private area in the ICU that includes a TV. The bad news.... we had hoped that the ventilator might be removed today, but we think it will now be a few more days. We had to remind ourselves today that it's only 3 days since the surgery.
The family..... We want to express our thanks to Devon Thorpe and Diane Schekk who have given us the use of their apartment in Saskatoon. It is currently full as Dad & Mom, Jacki & Gary, Bobby & Amy, & Nolan are in residence! It is close to the hospital and has all the things we might need. We also want to thank the many family and friends who have sent their love and prayers. We are especially grateful for those who were able to be with mom in the first hours in what seemed to be the darkest hours. Their support,prayers, love and guidance were invaluable.
We will keep you posted..... Love the Gustafson family
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