Getting Stronger

Matt had a bath today, they took him up to the 6 th floor to use the tub, he said it felt great. He was really tired after his bath and trach trial, so slept a lot of the morning. His right hand and arm are getting stronger, he can move all five fingers and put some pressure on the thumb and fore finger. He can move his toes a little bit easier also, still has to concentrate to get things to move. He was able to eat a cookie today and also some cake, he had a Carmel frappa and a Iced Cappuccino from Tim Horton's that his nurse brought him. She also did a manicure and pedicure for him. Thank you all so much for lifting Matt up in prayer day by day. Psalm 146: 1 tells us Praise ye the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. Psalm 121:1 states I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

Fries and soup

Matt had another good day. He was able to have a full fluid diet and then they tried fries at supper, they were harder to swallow so didn't have too many. He enjoyed the potato soup and ice cream, but the coffee was the best. Tomorrow he will get another frappa, will try strawberry this time. He did get to go outside for awhile and also did two trach trials. He was very tired this afternoon so did some sleeping. He got a Rider jersey and hat from some friends, was excited about that. Matt was happy to have company. He so enjoys the Nurses and staff they are all so good at making his day as good as they can. We are so thankful to them all. Psalm 105:1 states O Give thanks unto the Lord call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. Matt is always happy to read all the comments on the Blog and says Hi to all.

Swallowing assessment a go

Praise the Lord Matt's swallowing assessment went well. He was able to have a orange frappe drink and was smiling from ear to ear. For the next few days he will get a fluid diet, and then if he does okay will go to soft dental and then on to the good stuff. Staff were very excited for him as were we. He was able to go outside today and did a tour of the main floor. Company in so day went very fast. He is doing well on portable vent. Psalms 118:29 says O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Our prayers for tomorrow are that Matt will continue to get stronger and start moving his left hand.Jeremiah 29:12 says Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you.

Matt says Hi to all

Matt had a very good day today. They put a size 6 trach tube in from an 8, they also deflated the cuff that fits around the trach to keep the air in, so he was able to talk and hear his voice for the first time in two months. He was excited to be able to communicate with visitors and staff. His voice was quite husky but nice to hear him talk. They also put a new feeding tube in, so now is getting some calories again. They set him up on a portable vent, it will a bit easier to get around. It is the same kind that they have on order for him. He will go for his swallowing assessment tomorrow at 3 o'clock. Lots of company today, which always brings a smile to his face. Prayers for tomorrow, swallowing assessment and lungs and diaphragm to stenghten so he will be able to breath on his own. Thank you all for lifting Matt up in prayer and praise God for what he has done and will continue to do. Isaiah 25:1 says O Lord, you are my God, I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.

Patience and Faith

Matt is happy to be able to have company. It definitely makes the days and evenings go faster to see other faces. Today was another day of not much happening. This morning the nurse noticed that Matt's feeding tube had been pulled partly out, so they had to stop the feeds and get the Dr. to look at it. They decided to take him back to surgery and put a new one in, that will be done sometime tomorrow. His swallowing assessment is also scheduled for tomorrow. They were able to keep the fevers down today with the fan and cool cloths. Matt enjoys reading the e-mails, cards and the blog comments, they always brings a smile or two. Our prayers for tomorrow is that the feeding tube will be replaced in the morning and that the assessment will go well. Hebrew 10:23 says Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

Another good day

Matt had a good day today. He had lots of company and a fun loving nurse to help him through the day. He was able to do three trails and even though he gets very tired he tried his best. His fever went up several times during the night and day, but so far they have kept it down with a fan and very light covers. He will also do another swallowing assessment on Tuesday. He is very anxious about the assessment and really needs your prayers to stay calm and have faith in his ability to succeed in all he needs to get through. Hebrews 11:1 states "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

A Good Day

Matt had a good day today, very positive Nurses and staff. He was able to get up and go outside for awhile. Did two trails and did well. They changed some of the vent settings so he is doing more work on his own during the day and then giving more support during the night so he gets more rest. They are trying to get his lungs stronger. Had a fever during the night and this morning, but was good all day. Thank You for your continued prayers for a full recovery, it is such a blessing to know so many people care and are praying for Matt and our family. John 16:24 Ask and keep on asking and you will receive, so that your joy may be full and complete.

A different day

Today started out fine, Matt looked good and was in good spirits. He did two trails in morning and afternoon and did well. He had a different Dr. and with that came different ideas. Not sure what it was all about, but from what I gathered he decided that Matt is getting to tired on the trials so has told Matt he only has to do what he thinks he can do and they were not going to push him. He is also going to put in an order for an portable vent. Came away not to sure what direction we are going and what it all means. Matt was very discouraged and not sure what to think. Please continue to pray for guidance for Medical staff and also for us, also that Matt will continue to be positive about his recovery. Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

More Excitement

I couldn't wait until this evenings news to write in the blog. It was just too good. Matt moved the toes on his right foot! Mom of course was visiting other people and he was trying to get her attention by clicking. He then told her to watch his right foot. She said she could hardly believe it. Just like dad did, she called the nurse over to confirm what she had seen. What great news! Way to go Matt! Psalms 145:3 "Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom". Had also had 2 breathing trials so far, 1:10 and 1:10. That is as long as they will let him go. He did de-sat after laying on his right side, or his bad side, but again after some physio and suctioning, the o2 went back up. Tonight is his last dose of antibiotics and so far he is clear from any more infections. He's had a bit of diarrhea, hopefully it isn't a virus, just too many meds to keep everything soft, and the nutritionist said they may change his food as well. But we will see tomorrow. Also a fellow from City Hospital rehab came to see Matt, and currently there a re no beds, but maybe we will see in a few weeks. Right now ICU is still the best place for his lungs, but the rest is obviously wanting to get on with rehab! Sorry Matt, cannot divide you up and send pieces to where they must go. Your too good-looking just in one piece!

Hills and Valleys

Some good points to the day and not so good points. Matt had his 1st breathing trial this am and did really well, almost 2 hours. However this afternoon they tried a 2nd one and he kept de-sating, his O2 levels kept dropping and they could not get them up. They bagged him and suctioned him for quite awhile before things got a bit better. Then chest physio came in to do his regular physio, and Matt's O2 levels dropped again. They were quite worried about another collapsed lung or a clot, so did x-rays and found nothing. However his charge nurse heard a lot of crackles in his left lung, or his good lung, and did more physio and suctioned a large amount of loose phlegm, and Matt improved almost immediately. All this makes him quite tired so they did no further trials for the rest of the day. But a few good notes: he had both tubes removed from his nose, and he made the nurse take them out right at 4:00 on the dot. Felt great! Also mom noticed he tried to push against her hand with his index finger and she felt a light pressure. Before he was moving his fingers with no resistance, so it's like push-ups for his fingers. He was also up in his chair for 2 hours and did really well. Prayers for the night time, as Matt gets quite anxious whenever anything goes wrong with his lungs. 1John 4:4 "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them., because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world".

Painful Day

Well, Matt finally had surgery for the insertion of the tube into his small intestine at 4:20, and with any surgery it will cause him pain. Has been fasting since midnight last night and cannot have nothing through the tube for another 24 hours. That will be one hungry boy. Prior to surgery another tube was put in his other nostril to drain excess fluid and air from his stomach. It was a large tube and Matt said it hurt so bad. He had broke his nose in hockey this year and it still is painful, so this sure didn't help. He was able to do 3 breathing trials:1 hr 40 min, 1 hr, & the last was 35 mins. During the last trial, they accidentally pulled on the large tube in his nostril and that was the real cherry on the top. They have been trying to get Matt to do more exercises with his right hand, and he seems to be moving his fingers better. They also noticed more spasms in his legs and left hand, so were are hoping that is good news, that the brain is trying to send impulses to those parts of the body and the wiring is trying to re-route itself. Not sure, but hope is the best medicine, and as one surgeon writes"true hope can only come from Christ". Psalms 16:8 "I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand. I will not be shaken". Prayers for a better day tomorrow, Matt.

Another Day

The am started throwing up again times 3. Ordered new anti-nausea medication because the Gravol isn't really working and it makes him sleepy. They will be putting the tube into his small intestine tomorrow morning. They will have to put him under anesthetic, so prayers that he will come out of it okay. Physio worked with him and states can feel the muscle in his right arm is strengthening. Matt also states he is trying to move his right leg because he has more sensation in that leg than in the left leg. He also had 3 breathing trails for total of 4 hours and did really well. They would have done 4 but they had an emergency. Mom feels his chest muscles are getting a bit stronger and he can cough up some of the mucus to the top now. They also had a psychologist in to assess whether Matt is depressed or not, and was impressed by Matt's spirit in such a situation. I found a quote in scripture that seems to be written for Matt. Hebrews 12:12-13 "Therefore strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. Make level paths for your feet so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed."

One day at a time....

Well, Matt did not get sick or nauseous this morning - first time in a few days, and we were told he had a great sleep last night (unlike the rest of Saskatoon residents who heard the thunderstorm all night!) Thus, he was alert and felt really good for most of the day. He did 3 breathing trials (I can't remember how long the first 2 were), and the last one was only 40 minutes at 6:30 pm - but he was pretty tired by then as he had sat up in his bed for an hour before that. We played about 3 games of card golf (9 holes only), and this time the luck was on my side, and Matt pouted!! - It was quite funny! I'm sure we'll have a rematch tomorrow. Let's pray that Matt has another restful night - "Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore." Psalms 105:4

The Road Continues

Matt starts every morning throwing up. They believe it may be the medication, but feel that they have to continue and treat the nausea with Gravol, which makes him quite sleepy for the rest of the day. So they were only able to do 2 breathing trials today. However they lasted 1 hr 35 min & 1 hr 50 min, the longest he has done since before the pneumonia. Way to push through Matt.! Jacki said they played 2 card games of golf. Jacki had to show Matt his cards and play for him, but he still managed to beat her both times. He has not lost his knack for winning (and gloating!). Matt's movement is about the same as before. But he also mentioned today that his feeling sensation is getting stronger, though it is still not up to par, but that will come as well. Progress of any kind is always great to hear. Job 42:2 "I know that you can still do all things, no plan of yours can be thwarted." Great verse my mom and Jacki found. They were with Matt since this afternoon, however were unable to see him for a few hours because he was sleeping. His body needs a rest sometimes. Take it when you can, Matty.

Not much change

Well, today was an off day for Matt - not really a bad day, but not as good as it could have been. Matt was only able to do 2 breathing trials today - 40 min, and 1 hr & 40 min. He was throwing up quite a bit this morning during and after physio which makes him tired and thus the 1st breathing trial was more difficult. However, during the 2nd trial he had lots of visitors which kept his mind off the breathing. He was happy to see little 5 month old niece Amy, although she wants to pull out his feeding tube! No real change in his movement, but no backtracking thank the Lord! Finally, although we thought the they would insert a smaller trach today, we were incorrect as they only change the trach once a month, and Matt's had been changed at the end of July. Thus, we don't expect this trach to be changed until around Aug 29. Hopefully the insertion of the feeding tube will be next week. The tape that keeps the tube in his nose in place bothers him, and I am sure he would like to get rid of it. Continue to pray for continued healing and Matt's perserverance. Psalms 27:7 "Hear my voice when I call, O Lord; be merciful to me and answer me."

Keep it Coming

Another good day. Better than yesterday. Matt did 3 breathing trials; 1hr 25min, 1hr 10min, 1hr 15min. He could have gone longer but they didn't want to tire him out. Today he was able to move all the fingers on his Rt hand, spreading them apart. His index finger(pointer) can now move up and down, which is another hurdle. The next is to actually bend the fingers, but he will get there. The physio could feel his forearm muscles working while he was doing it, so that was great. The Doctors were asking him what he did to make his fingers move. At the beginning of August, John had told him about a fellow who was a quad for 7 months, and everyday would tell his brain to tell his finger to move. So that is what Matt said he was doing. They want him to do the same for his chest muscles. They work from about the same level of the spinal cord as the fingers, so they know the nerve conduction is working. It will take a lot more time though. Matt says he is concentrating on moving his feet already, but they told him to focus more on his Lt hand for now. Tomorrow they will insert a smaller trach, hopefully that will help with his swallowing. Also next week, they will do the surgery to put a tube directly into Matt's small intestine, so he can get the tube out of his nose. Hopefully that will help his swallowing as well. Unfortunately he is back to water, no Popsicles until the swallowing assessment is passed. If the sugary stuff gets in his lungs, big trouble. He seemed to be okay with that. Water is much safer. Matt astounds me every day, how he has faced such adversity. Acts 1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you".

I wasn't able to speak to mom and dad until quite late, and I started to have doubts that yesterday had even happen. But, yes, Matt continued to show slight progress in the movement of his finger, doubting Thomas that I am! At first he had to really concentrate on what he was doing, constantly telling his brain to move his finger. By this evening, he was moving it side to side whenever anyone asked. Some of the nurses would ask him a second time, because it was just so amazing. The physio said his nerve conduction is probably reaching C8, which is even better. He was quite tired today with big rings under his eyes, from lack of sleep no doubt! They only did 2 breathing trials that totaled 2 hours. They also tried to deflate the cuff n the trachea, to see if Matt could talk, but it was too difficult today, so maybe again tomorrow. While he was up in his chair his blood pressure really went down, but he still managed to get outside for awhile. Dad said this evening when he went to visit, Matt said hi to him and fell into a deep sleep. Maybe a much needed rest. Continue to pray to and praise the Lord. Psalms 25:1 "To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God".

Great is thy Faithfullness

Huge achievement today. Dad had went to see Matt this evening and Matt started clicking at Dad to get his attention. He had a big smile on his face and told dad to watch his rt index finger. Dad said he looked down, and there was the smallest movement he had ever seen. He asked Matt if it was a tremor or if Matt was doing it. Matt replied that yes, he wanted his finger to move. Dad then called the nurse over and Matt moved it again, no more than a few millimeters but he did it! Shout it from the rooftops! Psalms 111:2-4 "Great are the works for the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate". Dad said Matt was like a little light bulb, with that wonderful smile of his. To understand fully, to move his finger, all the motor pathways above C7 must be working, so since his arms are big muscles, and he has lost so much of them, he isn't able to move his arm but that doesn't mean he can't. Obviously the pathways are working from C1-C7, it will take a lot of work and perseverance for the arms to move. The rest of his day was pretty good as well. Sat up for 2 hours, went outside, did 4 breathing trials again totalling 4 1/2 hours, which is still really good. I forgot to ask about anything else because the other news was too exciting. Thanks for all the prayers, and keep up the good work! Like one of you said on the comments, 3rd days the charm!

Two in a Row

Another great day. Matt had 4 breathing trials that totaled 5 hours, 10 min. We are so proud of you Matt. Keep praying that God will continue to strengthen Matt beyond our expectations. Luke 1:37 "For nothing is impossible with God". He had his last chest tube out today as well. Sat up in his chair for 2 hours 20 min with the new neck brace. He was having some difficulty again so they stuffed some towels in and felt much better. Last night he was able to have 2 Popsicles. Great stuff. He did find them a bit sweet since he has had nothing but water for 6 weeks. He did throw up again this am so the may hold off on the Popsicles at night but continue to give them to him in the daytime. Very happy with this. He even got a tic tac, which was also new. They decided not to put the PICC line in and opted for changing the IV site to the right hand, which is less swollen. He is also beginning to feel the urge to push out his... well...poo poo. No delicate term for it I guess. But great news none the less. He did have a slight fever again at 38.3. Great prayers on keeping it stable. Deuteronomy 32:3 "I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God".

Good Day

Today really felt like Matt may be on the upswing. They were able to take 2 of the chest tubes out, which did cause him a lot of pain, but it was much wanted pain. He was able to do 4 breathing trials: 30,45,1hr,40. The Dr Matt has had for the last week has been excellent, really pushing for Matt o get better and trying to give Matt as much hope as he can. Unfortunately he is a locum from Winnipeg and will be leaving tomorrow, but hopefully the ball stays rolling. Matt temp only went up once today,and it was 38.1. Not too bad. Swelling in his feet have gone down but now his hands are so swollen that it was difficult to do his range of motion exercises. Prayers that the swelling continues to improve. They will insert the PICC line in tomorrow morning and they hope that will help the swelling to go down, so Matt doesn't have to be poked for IV's anymore. Hard on the tissue for such a long time and the meds going into the veins are sometimes hard on them. Also had a good sleep from 1 am until 6 am. Doesn't seem like much to us but it is a big improvement on what he normally gets. Prayers for what we want are always good, but prayers for thanskgiving are needed as well. Psalms 86:12-13 "I will praise you , O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify you name forever. For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave."