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."

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.

Resting Day

Matt had a resting day today. After all the trauma of yesterday he did a lot of sleeping. His lung is still draining and he still has a temp. His Oxygen stats stayed up most of the day. Thanks you for all the prayers for Matt. We keep him updated about the blog comments. John 16:23 Whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.

Another Bump

Matt hit another bump in the road today. After they inserted another feeding tube that goes into his intestines they could not get his oxygen stats to come back up. After trying for 90 minutes they decided to sent him for a CT scan. They discovered a pocket of infection in the right lung, so decided to put a drain tube in to the pocket. As they were putting in the tube, they got air on the outside of the lung so another tube was needed to drain the air out of that. Matt was in considerable pain and states this is the worst day he has had. We thank God for the wonderful Nurses and staff who got not only Matthew but us as well through a long and stressful day. We thank each of you for the many prayers and encouraging words. Hebrews 5:8 He learned obedience by things which he suffered.

Same Place

Matt stayed at RUH today. He may still be moved if more critical cases come in, but so far so good. The girls and I travelled to Saskatoon with Jacki and her 2 kids to visit. Looks better. Breathing is easier, they did not have to suction as much, and has a bit of pink in his cheeks. Also I noticed he was stronger in his neck and shoulder muscles. Still really skinny, appr 155 lbs, so they are putting a feeding tube in his nose right to the small intestine to see if they can stop his throwing up (which he does about 2 times a day). He can not afford to lose any more wait. He did 3 breathing trials, first 2 were 30 mins long (that is the max they will do because they don't want him to regress). The last trail tonight was more difficult but he did last 15 mins. Has to use his shoulders quite a bit to get a deep breath. Matt is still waiting for the okay to have some water again, so need lots of prayers that will happen soon. Psalms 40:1 "I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry".

Possibly Another Move

Matt had 4 breathing trials. 1st was unsuccessful, crackles in the lungs, suctioned for large amounts of mucus after 1 hour long chest physio. 2 trial 30 min, had another chest physio and was much better. 3rd trial 30 min with suctioning of more mucus. last trial tonight was again unsuccessful, Matt was quite anxious and they feel the trial was too late at night. He did have a hair cut last night and mom says he looks good. A bad day was had by all emotionally though. Like marathon runners, a brick wall hit. Matt may be moved to City Hospital tomorrow due to the fact the Long weekend is approaching and they are a max capacity. Matt does not want to go, feels comfortable where he is because he knows so many of the staff. Phil 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God".

A Bit Better

Matt seemed to have a better day. His O2 sats are the best they have been for awhile. Mom thinks the move regarding that aspect has improved. Air quality seems to be better. Matt does have a window in his room, which is another bonus. Staff and administration had a meeting and things have improved. Still not up to par,but hopefully within the next few days. Matt was able to get a DVD player so he can at least watch movies. Mom had a discussion with the director of nursing who was very understanding and Matt did not have that particular nurse again. Matt did 2 breathing trials, 25 mins and 30 mins. He is still quite anxious when he does them and they are trying to encourage him to go for longer periods. Only when he is off the respirator can he be moved to rehab. So that's our big prayer for today. Please remember to thank God for all the little blessings as well (no temp, DVD player, different nurse, window). 1 Thess 5:16-18 "Be joyful always, pray continuously, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus".

Bad Move

I know many are wondering about Matt's swallowing assessment, but it was not done today. Administration decided they were closing the ICU for renovations and moved them to very inadequate conditions. Respiratory therapist is 5 mins away, there is no ice machine close by , there are no cardiac monitors, no tv hook ups, very hot and cramped conditions. And it will be like this for 10 days. Matt's temp continues to climb, and he has a terrible wound were the trach "fell out" (it was sutured in place). Also a nurse told Matt he could do more for himself, so she put his suction on a clipboard close to his face so he could suction his own mouth. She wanted to make up a schedule for how often Matt could have water, ice pack for his sore neck, and wet cloths for his fevered head. "We cannot run for your every whim every 2 mins". Matt can only move his head and shoulders. Very difficult to help himself. Imagine yourself dug in the sand up to your neck, and only then can you think about what Matt must be feeling. He is reliant on someone for everything. I am sorry I am writing so emotional, but I felt people should know what we are dealing with. He was only breathing on his own twice, 45 mins each time, but with the move they were unable to do anymore. They were not able to get him up in his chair as well. Very hard to stay positive when a loved one suffers so much. Pray that God is opening a door for Matt to be moved to more adequate conditions. 1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you".

Much needed rest

Matt's trach came out during the night. Unsure exactly what happened, but they inserted a new one. Quite a bit of discharge from it due to the infection. He then began throwing up, possibly from the Penicillin they are crushing and putting down his nasogasric tube(tube in his nose). They started him on Gravol to see if that would help.(I also forgot to mention that he had a mouth guard made by the in house dentist because he was grinding his teeth, due to stress and anxiety. However they haven't used it because he is more relaxed, we think). Mom states he did a breathing test for 35 mins today, but he was practically comatose for the rest of the day. They suspected it may be depression, but we think that his body is finally getting a much needed rest. They didn't even get him up in his chair or try any further breathing on his own, he was so lethargic (tired). I know have used this verse before, but it fits so well. Matt 11: 28 "Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest".