Up and Down

Matt's day was up and down. He stared throwing up this am and they are worried it is the tube feeding. May still consider a surgical tube in his intestine from the outside of his body. Like Matt says, just another place for infection. Little worried about it so need prayers for guidance. Because of his throwing up, they did not get him in his chair today, but the did convert his bed so he could sit up in bed. He did three breathing trials, 30, 40, 45. They really had to push him with the 3rd one, was extremely tired but dad and mom were both there cheering him on. They also gave him some ativan to help relax him, but it really made him more groggy for the rest of the day. They will insert a PICC line tomorrow, a IV line in his antecubital space or elbow joint which goes into a vessel just above his heart. The IV line on his arm blew and he had major swelling. Hopefully he will have on of the chest tubes removed tomorrow,and then one each of the next 2 consecutive days. Noted also to have swelling in his feet, retaining more fluid then normal. Pray it is not his kidneys. God can accomplish all things, beyond our comprehension. What is impossible for us is possible with God. 2 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day".

Visitors

Matt's day was pretty stable again. They will leave the chest tubes in until Sunday, but they are no longer draining. They just want to make sure. He was up for 2 hours in his chair with a new neck brace. He had some difficulties with it and they had to put the old one on for the last hour, but hopefully it only needs a few minor adjustments. He also did really well with his three breathing trials, 30 min, 30 min, & 40 min. Great job Matt. The pulmonary specialist told mom that his right lung is working well now, but only half on his left lung is working. Also his diaphragm is weak as well so he is really pushing himself. Matt is now allowed to start seeing visitors, but it is no guarantee that they will be able to see him. Even family is often not allowed in when he is having a difficult time or other patients are having trouble. So it is really the luck of the draw if you are allowed to see him. The one DR. has been really great with Matt and tells him to keep believing. James 1: 6 "But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind".

Neutral Day

I know the big question tonight is did Matt pass his swallowing assessment. The answer is no. A big disappointment but they will do it again next week. He can drink water okay, but has difficulty with food, where the epiglottis (prevents food from going down the trachea) isn't losing properly. But they are going to give him some exercises to do to see if it will improve. There is also the possibility of getting a surgical tube into his stomach. After awhile, the tube in his nose will start to break down his tissue, so surgery may be the only option. The chest tubes are still in but he still completed 2 breathing trials and did well on both. He was also up in his chair for an hour, which was good. They also moved him back to the main ICU, where he gets his TV back. There was no steps backwards, but none forward either. It is difficult that progress is so slow, but I often turn to Paul's words in Corinthians, about his sufferings in prison. "Indeed in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us."

Tubes Still In

Matt's day was alright. They did take the chest tube out of the abscess in his right lung, but just to put a bigger one in. They were able to drain even more from the abscess which is good. Matt was able to do 2 breathing trails, 25 min and 30 min. The 2nd one they did while he was up in the chair and the transfer back to the bed. He did great. Way to go Matt! He seemed to have less difficulty breathing, which may be from the sedation he received for the insertion of the bigger chest tube. The Dr. was amazed Matt has done so well so soon after his near death experience. Thank the Lord for small miracles. They also assessed the nerve conduction to his diaphragm (EMG). Results won't be back until Friday. However the resp. therapist noticed Matt's diaphragm skipped every 10-12 breaths, which could have been from birth or damage since the pneumonia. Could be why he struggles to breathe sometimes. But even with that, Matt had a good day, with more to come. Prayers for tomorrow, it is the day for his swallowing assessment. Go Matt!!

Prayers for Tomorrow

The Long weekend is over and back in Red Deer. Mom had been writing on the blog since Friday from Saskatoon because the computer in Weekes wasn't working. I had been able to visit with Matt last night and we had a great visit, with a few blonde moments thrown in that he really teased me about. This am he was a bit more subdued, had tried a breathing trial, and we really had to encourage him to do the whole 20 mins. His anxiety level is higher then before, and rightly so. He had a terrible set back this weekend. He also completed another breathing trail with mom present, and he sweats like anything. They explained that his body reacts like it has completed a 500 metre dash.However they would like to see him off the respirator so prayers for Matt's anxiety and peace of mind. Tomorrow will be a big day hopefully. They would like to move two of the chest tubes because they are no longer draining. The reason for this is they believe some air escapes when Matt breathes and may be causing him the feeling of inadequate air intake during the breathing trials. In the morning they are performing an EMG, which is a nerve conduction test on his diaphragm, to see if there is nerve damage, which we don't want. Prayers that the results are okay. Another plus is they will definitely do his swallowing assessment on Thursday. The physio therapist tested him quickly and feels he is doing much better, and that he will probably pass the test. They didn't want Matt to suffer another disappointment and had chose to wait. Hard sometimes to wait for positive outcomes but patience is a virtue all of us have had to learn. Romans 12:12 "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer".

God's Grace

Matt had another very tough day, this morning his blood pressure dropped to 50/10, oxygen level to below 80 and his pulse was 28. They called a code blue, but thanks to very good nurses who knew just what to do, they were able to revive Matt. It was discovered that the tube on the outside of his lung had quite working and his lung partially collapsed. After a long day it was decided to put another tube up higher and get rid of all the air. The procedure seems to have worked as the last x-ray was much better. Matt was resting comfortable at 2300 hours. He wants to thanks everyone for all their prayers and to let you all know he will get through this. He believes God does not make mistakes. Phil:4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.