Matthew Cagle

UPDATE ON MATTHEW

2010-02-01T11:09:00.002-06:00

Since December 28th Matthew has been in the hospital. He had a bed sore that he got while at Woodland View that tunneled and went to the bone. He then in turn got MRSA, pseudonomas and many other bacterias. Since January 4th, Matthew has been at a LTAC hospital called Solara in Shawnee receiving 6 weeks of antibiotic therapy for the infection that set up in his bone and the other infections he caught.

We will be coming home on February 15th. I'm meeting with Matthew's workers comp lawyer and the lawyer and adjusters from workers comp insurance on February 5th. Please pray that we get some therapy for Matthew. That is my main goal to get him back to where he was when we left Valir.

I beg of all his friends, when he comes home, please come see him. Matthew has given up and needs to see his friends are still waiting on him to get better. He needs a reason to fight and get back to where he was and then some. I know how hard it is to see him this way, it's still so hard on me but he needs stimulation and right now that is visitors. Please just come see him.

Thanks for all the continued prayers.

Matthew's Coming Home Again

2009-10-13T22:15:00.002-05:00

October 13, 2009 10:18 p.m.

For those of you who don't know Matthew has been in a nursing home in Tulsa named Woodland View Care and Rehabilitation. This was a joke, within a week he had bed sores and within the month he was there he got pneumonia (I'm thinking aspiration). We've been fighting with worker's compensation to get Matthew into the Rehab in Anna, TX called Pate Rehabilitation Brinlee Ranch. Until I can get him there he will be coming home. Matthew is still in the hospital at St. Francis right now, room 5216. He will be here for a few more days I'm sure.

The reason I am posting after almost a year, is that I need to reach out to all of Matthew's family and friends. If you've never come to see Matthew, because it is too hard, I totally understand, but could you please relook at things and realize that you being there could be the answer to his coming out of this. He needs all the support he can get. If it is still too hard, I understand, and I don't want to be mean, I want to understand your feelings also, but look at your hearts and see if at all possible you can bring yourself to see Matthew.

I will let everyone know when we come home and the best time for visits, but don't worry about the time, if you get an urge or feel the need to come at a certain moment don't worry about the time come on (you may want to call and wake me up if it's really late, lol).

For those of you who have come, but haven't come for awhile, please come back. Matthew has declined in his responsiveness and movements and he needs things to keep him alert and thinking. I think this is because he is giving up. He feels that the doctors and therapists have given up on him and most of them have, so let's let him know that we are all here for him and do whatever it takes. I'm asking for help, something I don't usually do, but my heart is breaking and I'm hurt that he hasn't had more visitors.

Again for all of those who have visited, just keep on coming and you will never know what it has meant for you to be there. Preston and Dustin thank you especially. I want to see Matthew use the finger on you two again, or the peace sign. lol

Love,
Kimberly

Matthew's Rehabilitation Journey Week 31

2008-11-12T17:50:00.002-06:00

November 12th, 2008
Sorry that I haven't posted lately, been really busy getting the house ready for Matthew to come home. We've laid laminate flooring down and have most everything moved in.

Matthew is coming home on November 14th, 2008!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are so excited to be coming home. It is the beginning of a new journey, but one that we are ready for. Again, I thank everyone for the prayers and support during the last 31 weeks.

It is really sad to leave here because some of these people are like family now. I can't walk down the hallway without seeing someone I know. I am especially going to miss Katy and Gale, because they have been my rock throughout this rehabilitation process. God sent these two angels to help Matthew through a rough journey. I know that when he's able to express himself, that even though they've been rough on him at times (more times than not, lol) that he will remember them with good thoughts because they have cared so much about his recovery. I have also had some nurses that have been there to help me through this and that have treated Matthew with their caring and loving ways. Special thanks to Sarah, Cherry, Bill and Carolyn for all that you did, not just for Matthew but caring about me also. Not to leave anyone out though, I have had (with a few exceptions) the greatest care I could receive at Valir Rehabilitation.

Well, I'm going to end for now, my internet connection will be canceled tomorrow, so I won't be on until I get set up at the house. I'll keep posting though after we are home.

Thanks for all the prayers and support. I couldn't have made it without all of you.

Matthew's Rehabilitation Week 28

2008-10-20T08:45:00.003-05:00

Week of October 20th, 2008

October 20th, 2008
Today is Jace's birthday. We miss being with you, but Happy Birthday son and bro.

Matthew continues to do new things. This week he answered questions by blinking his eyes yes and no, such as is your birthday in May? (no), is your birthday in June (yes), is this the month of June (no), is this the month of October? (yes), is your sister's name Julie? (no), is your sister's name Lexie? (yes). He consistently answered all of her questions correctly.

Things I forgot to mention last week, Matthew ate a whole jar of baby food, the most he's eaten at one time, so yet another milestone. Also, I have a funny to share with you involving Katy the physical therapist. She was trying to transfer Matthew from the wheelchair to the mat (remember he doesn't like going to the mat and resists this transfer but will help with the transfer going back to the chair from the mat). Anyway, she was lifting on him and in her special Katy way said, "It feels like his butt is getting heavier". Of course we laughed at her, but then Gale started really laughing and said, "oh look, he's got hold of the bar under the seat of the wheelchair". Way to go Matthew. This represents the cognitive skill of problem solving. He knew they would watch for him to grab the armrests, but they weren't watching underneath the chair. LOL

Mom came and relieved me this week. I went home on Tuesday night to take care of some business on Wednesday morning and Mom left Wednesday morning to stay with Matthew until Friday when I came home. I really enjoyed my visit with Lexie. I let her skip school on Thursday (something I don't or wouldn't do except for the circumstances) and we spent the day together. Of course, on Friday she cried when I left her at school (yes I cried too). It's getting harder and harder to leave her so please continue to pray for her to make it easier on her. She's taken it like a trooper and acts so grown up, but it is so very hard on her to not have her mommy and bubba Matthew home.

October 25th, 2008
Ma-Ma Marlichia has a birthday today. Happy Birthday Ma-Ma!

Still nothing new on the house. Still waiting on Palm Harbor to finish it out. I have 950 to 1000 square feet of carpet for sale with padding if anyone needs some or knows of anyone who needs some. It's going for a cheap price. We've decided for wheelchair purposes, sanitary purposes and allergies we are going to replace the carpet with laminate flooring throughout the house.

Well, I think that is about it for the week so far. I just want everyone to know that I praise God for the miracle he has performed in Matthew's life and I know that each and every prayer that everyone sent out is the reason Matthew is where he is now. So please continue to pray, cause this miracle is not through happening yet. I know that I still don't have everyone convinced but God told me and I'm not giving up and I'm not going to believe any other way. Notice, that I added a new item to the blog on the right. Now everyone can read it when they need that boost to their faith that Matthew is going to be restored.

Matthew's Rehabilitation Week 27

2008-10-17T22:38:00.003-05:00

October 17, 2008

Well another week has gone by and Matthew continues to improve each day. His accomplishments this week were: Sitting on the edge of the mat supporting himself, with back and neck straight for 12 seconds while turning his head to the right. He sat supporting himself a few times for several seconds at a time. He also reached behind his back (while pushing the bolster away from him) across the midline of his back. This was totally new and very exciting. Gale explained that him moving more and more across midline meant that he now knows that he has two sides of his body. Before he would only stay to the side he was using. He has also started responding much faster and sometimes immediately on commands such as push harder etc...

Today, I was talking to a flight nurse, who had actually seen some info on Matthew's case from OU. She was telling her mother, who is a patient here, that Matthew was a miracle because he was alive. I was then in therapy talking to Katy and we were discussing the fact that he is a miracle just by doing things that the CAT scan results show that he should not be able to do. She told me that according to some of the records she has seen that Matthew's prognosis from the OU doctors was that he had a 10% chance of regaining some brain function. In other words, he is one BIG MIRACLE already and is still regaining more brain function everyday.

~RESTORATION IN WHAT SEEMS NOW TO BE A WIND OF DESTRUCTION~

!PRAISE THE LORD!

Thank you Lord for the miracle you have performed and continue to perform in Matthew's life.

Matthew's Rehabilitation Week 26

2008-10-09T20:28:00.007-05:00

October 6, 2008

Today began the 26th week of Matthew's journey.

October 9th, 2008

Sorry, I haven't posted this week yet. I left on Tuesday for Clayton and came back today. Mom came and visited Matthew for a couple of days. She got to hear him say No to the therapist on Tuesday, will have to catch up with her later on what he did the rest of the time she was here.

Our mobile home has been delivered and is tied down. Move in day is still 30-40 days away though, as Palm Harbor's factory has 21 business days to come and finish the building.

I greatly enjoyed my couple of days with Lexie. It is so hard not seeing her everyday. She is so grown up about it, she knows it's only a little bit longer and we will be home with her.

Well, I will try to get some updates tomorrow and post some more before the end of the week.

October 12, 2008

Here are some pictures of Matthew standing in physical therapy. At times, Gale only had one knee behind him supporting him. He is doing so awesome.

Matthew looks so much more like himself these days. He doesn't have the far away look that he would get some and he doesn't shut off like he used to. He is so much more alert, turning his head more to the right and focusing so much better.

In therapy, he is helping to transfer from the mat to the wheelchair (this means therapy is done). He doesn't seem to want to help when they are transferring him from the chair to the mat, in fact, he tries to get hold of the mat so that he can push away from it. He is using his right arm to push them away, when they are stretching him. When we first got here he didn't use his right arm at all. He uses it more and more everyday.

Ma-Ma, Marlichia isn't too proud of this, but he has also used an inappropriate finger gesture as well, several times. Guess we can't expect him to forget the bad things. lol Oh well, that just shows us that the Matthew we know and love is still very much in there.

I just can not explain enough how much Matthew has improved. When I go home, I get all kinds of questions on how he is doing and I just don't think people understand how much of Matthew is back. Sure he has a long way to go to be back to 100%. People still ask if he recognizes me etc... Matthew has always recognized me and has acknowledged with a recognition most everyone that has come to see him. He answers me with yes and no blinks. He has started giving the peace sign, which if anyone knows him, they know that that is his trademark. I have so many pictures of him giving the peace sign. Katy got him to do the rock on sign the other day. He counts with his fingers (on occasion, when not being stubborn). He uses his hands to push things away such as the bolster they stick behind his back. He gives his looks when he is disatisfied with someone and he can give some really mean ones when they make him really mad.

Well, I just wanted to explain a little more. Patton and Charlotte came up last weekend and were really amazed at how much more Matthew looks like himself. He's coming back to us slowly but surely and really it's not really that slow considering that according to the last CAT scan, Matthew shouldn't be doing most of the things he is doing. We already have our miracle documented, I just can't wait for everyone to see how BIG this MIRACLE has become and will continue to be a MIRACLE.

For as God told me through this devotional, "Lean hard upon Me, for I will bring you through to new victories, and restoration shall follow what seems now to be a wind of destruction".

Thanks again for all the continued support and prayers. We love you all and can't wait to get home. It is still looking like it will be the first or second week of November, but Home for the Holidays.

Matthew's Rehabilitation Week 25

2008-10-05T09:02:00.005-05:00

September 29, 2008
Today begins week 25.

October 5, 2008

Matthew has done awesome this week. Gale said, on Wednesday, "he's done more in the last two days than he has in a month." He is using his right arm so much more now. He's following more and more commands.

He did pass the barium swallow test and is able to eat "honey" thick liquids. They started him off right off the bat with mashed potatoes, which he went to town on, but they were a little thick, he still has problems pushing thicker stuff to the back of his throat.

His therapist called him a "miracle baby" the other day.

Jace came on Monday and stayed until Friday afternoon with us. Matthew sure was glad to see him. We still aren't sure if he was showing off for Jace or just decided to start doing what they ask him to do, either way, it has been one awesome week.

Our mobile home will be moved in tomorrow. Still not sure exactly how long it will take to get it set up. Originally, we were to be able to go home when the house was done and we were moved in, but the therapists' understanding is that as long as he keeps improving the way he is that we will continue to stay here. Mixed feelings sure, but this is good news. The longer he improves and gets to stay here the further he comes in his recovery. I am so ready to come home but, I also know that this is the best place for him therapy-wise. They did say that if we were to stay longer that we could get passes to come home like for a weekend or a holiday.

By the way, I did not get to update last week, because Jace had my computer and we had a good time visiting. I'll try to do better next week, but I will be busy. I am going to Clayton tomorrow for the house being brought in and not sure how long I'll be there.

Thanks again for the continued support and prayers, they are still working.

Matthew's Rehabilitation Week 24

2008-09-22T08:00:00.005-05:00

Today marks the beginning of Week 24. I'm fixing to tube feed Matthew and get him dressed to start the new week. I will post when I have updates.

September 25, 2008

Matthew had physical and occuaption therapy this morning. They went easy on him because he has his barium swallow test this morning and they didn't want to wear him out. Gale, (OT) put a kleenex on his face and he tried to get his hands up there to get it off, but didn't make it so he shook his head from side to side and made it fall. It fell down in his wheelchair back toward his behind and he reached his arm back, grabbed the kleenex and closed it up in his hand so Gale couldn't get it. Of course, she wrestled for it and said "Guess what I got it back". LOL She is so obnoxious.

He has been using his hands so much more it is unreal. The other day, when they were fixing to transfer him from the wheelchair to the mat, he put his hand down on the mat, turned his head to see where his hand was and flattened it out on the mat, so that he was assisting when they transferred him. His skills of dealing with situations is greatly improved. It is so fun and intersting to watch him figure out how to get to something or get around an obstacle.

One thing we've learned is he does not like for his shirt to be pulled up and his stomach showing. They pull his shirt up and he pulls it right back down. It hasn't even been six months and he has come so far. And really the improvements didn't start until we got here on June 26th, so he has come so far in just 13 weeks. Today is 13 weeks since we've been here.

Well, I just wanted to share the news, I will update on his barium swallow progress as soon as I can. He should be eating by this afternoon. I'm so excited.

September 28, 2008

Matthew passed the barium swallow test and got to eat his first bite of food on Thursday afternoon. It was one of his favorites, Snack Pack chocolate pudding. He did well and really seemed to enjoy it. He was going to get to eat some lunch on Friday, but I was called to go to Clayton and do a site inspection on the land, so the speech therapist told me she would just give him pudding again so I wouldn't miss anything new. He gets to go to the dysphagia dining room on Monday for lunch and will get his first taste of food other than pudding on Monday.

Matthew's cognitive skills are improving every day. He is learning problem solving skills (such as reaching behind his back and pushing a bolster away and grabbing a kleenex that the therapist had on his face) and his understanding of things is just a miracle. The speech therapist said that he is doing many things that according to the CAT scan, he should not be able to do. GOD is so great and his MIRACLE gets bigger everyday that Matthew improves.

Our mobile home is completed and the land work (hauling dirt, building slab etc) will begin this week. According to the transport guy, the land work should be about 4-5 days and moving 2 days, so it will be another week or so before it is moved.

Well, that's all I have for now, thanks again for all the support and prayers.

Matthew's Rehabilitation Week 23

2008-09-20T12:33:00.003-05:00

Well it is the end of week 23 and Matthew continues to do new things. The barium swallow test didn't take place, because he was too sleepy to participate after us waiting in the waiting room for over an hour and other things. It has been rescheduled for September 25th at 1:00. The speech therapist says there is no reason he won't be eating once he completes the test. She will be going with us next time to make sure he does it.

This week, he raised his right leg on command, I missed it the first time due to a phone call, but he did it again just for me. I was so proud of him.

Last Sunday, he had a pretty bad seizure that lasted for 5 minutes or more. He has never had a grand mal seizure with the jerking before so it was hard to see. His Dilantin level was normal, so not sure why he had the seizure, but after he had it he seemed to be more vocal and turns his head to the right so much more now. Maybe it was God's way of getting another part of the brain to wake up. I know there was a reason for it.

I finally went and bought Cricket broadband internet, because I got so tired of the wireless at the hospital not working. So far I have had no problems, so I will try to update as often as I can or there is something to update on.

Speaking of which, our mobile home should be on the land by the end of September, but it will have to be put together and set up, so they are predicting the end of October before it is move in ready. Good news, they scared me a little by saying the end of this month, cause I want Matthew here as long as possible. After it is move in ready, I will have to have time to move in LOL, so I am figuring on the first to mid November before we are home. Home for the holidays will have special meaning this Thanksgiving and we have so much to be thankful for.

Well, I'm going to get off here. I'll start a post now for week 24, because I keep losing track of what week it is. I'm hoping I'm on the correct week. LOL! Thanks again for all the support and prayers.

Continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We so desperately need them still.

Matthew's Rehabilitation Week 22

2008-09-10T11:22:00.003-05:00

I just typed a big old blog and lost it all. So this is even shorter. Matthew is doing great.

Barium swallow test to be ordered in the next couple of weeks, to see if he can graduate to eating some foods.

Mobile home has been ordered, should be 2 months and we will be home.

September 11, 2008
Matthew said No, louder and plainer than he has ever said anything yesterday.

The barium swallow test is scheduled for September 18, 2008.

We have been moved to room 202, so that I can be trained to do the care for Matthew. Anyone who is interested in ever helping to care for Matthew can come up and be trained on the lift etc.

Matthew is so much more alert now. He is participating in therapy so well, that the therapist are really excited. They feel we are on our way. I'm so glad we have two months left for therapy. Of course, I sure am ready to come home, but I know that it is best for Matthew to be here for as long as possible.

Well, I am still having problems having consistent internet connection, but hopefully, I can keep more updated than without it all. I'll post when I can.

Matthew's Rehabilation Journey Week 20

2008-08-25T22:49:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone, my internet is working now, so hopefully I'll be able to post again.

To catch up on what has been going on... Matthew continues to do well in his therapy. We have had some days where he has been really sleepy. The doctor is trying different things to try to keep him more awake and more alert.

Some of you may have heard that Matthew's tentative discharge date was September 12th. I did some checking and this was a date that would have been the earliest he would be able to go home. He will not be going home then, but he will be going home once his housing is ready.

For those of you who have not heard, worker's compensation bought Matthew a new handicapped accessible van. Praise God! Also, if approved on August 29th, they will be purchasing him a manufactured home which will be handicapped accessible with a roll in shower added. Once approved, it will take 3-4 weeks from the manufacturer and then will have to be set up and ramps added etc.. Once this is done, Matthew will be coming home. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord.

Going home is a very exciting thought, but also a scary one for me. I wanted him to be talking more, eating, etc... lots more than what he is doing now. I still know that God is going to restore him because he told me, but it is all in his time and I know that Matthew will probably excel more once he gets home and has more contact with friends and family. Please keep us in your prayers, as this will be a new and scary way of life for me and him.

I am so ready to come home, as I'm sure Matthew is. I am figuring that our discharge date should be around mid- to late October. Home just in time for the holidays.

I'm sorry I haven't been able to post, but it was beyond my control. I thank everyone for the continued prayers and can't wait to get home to see everyone. I have been in the last two weekends and will be coming home for Labor Day weekend to have an inside "moving" sale. I have been packing up the house and getting ready to move, as I have to be out by the first of the month. I will be temporarily storing my things at Mom's and my dear friend Gala's house, until I have a house to put them in. Everyone come by for the sale, it will be behind the police station in Apt #23. I will also be taking Lexie to the carnival at the Choctaw Festival, so if I don't see you at the moving sale, maybe I'll see some of you there.

Matthew's Rehabilitation Journey Week 19

2008-08-18T22:48:00.004-05:00

Matthew is still progressing in his therapy sessions.
Kimberly has been in Clayton for a couple of days to take Lexie to her first day of school and taking care of some things. Matthew's nurse called Kimberly Saturday morning to report that Matthew smiled and said "Good Morning" to her. He actually got the G sound out and mouthed the rest. We were so excited as this is his first smile!

Matthew's Rehabilitation Journey Week 18

2008-08-11T13:05:00.003-05:00

Monday, August 11th
This is Kimberly's sister, Alichia. Kimberly is having computer problems so is unable to post updates. I will post for her when she sends me updates by text message.
The last text I received was on August 8th. The therapist told Kimberly that one of their goals for Matthew was for him to be sitting on the edge of the mat by the time he left there. Matthew completed that goal early. Goal was also for him to do that with maximal effort, he did it with little effort! Yea, Matthew!
I visited with Matthew on Saturday and Sunday. He was pretty tired on Saturday as he'd had therapy that morning. He slept in his wheelchair during most of our visit. However, on Sunday he was very alert. He did very well, tracking with his eyes and moving his mouth to try and talk to us. Matthew likes it when we hold his hand...he doesn't like to let go!
Jace visited Matthew on Sunday, it was very evident that he knows Jace and was glad to see him! When Jace walked away from him, Matthew moved his head and eyes to try and find him.
Please continue to pray for Matthew and leave posts. I'll relay the messages to Kimberly until she has internet access again.

Matthew's Rehabilitation Journey Week 15

2008-07-21T08:00:00.013-05:00

Monday, July 21, 2008
I have changed the blog format a little, hope everyone likes it. From now on I will be posting through the week and each week will be archived. You will notice to the right of the screen where it says Blog Archive. If you want to read older posts, just click on the Blog Archive and the week you want to view or you can go to the end of the current posting and click on older blogs. Hope you enjoy the new look.

The trach didn't come out today, no problems, just didn't get the order done.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008
The trach came out today at 1:00. It went great, he didn't even cough this time when they removed it. He also received his new glasses today, so maybe he can see more of what he is doing. LOL

In physical therapy today, he added another first and was put on the tilt table. He wore his glasses for the first time and was pretty preoccuppied with looking at a picture that said "Never give up", so much so that the therapist finally had to take it down so that she could get his attention. Other than that diversion he did great and was able to stand up on the tilt table for 25 minutes. The therapists said that this was awesome, that some people can't stand it for more than 5 min.

We are still experiencing some sypmpathetic storming issues. The doctors have decided to wait on the Ritlalin until these have subsided or gotten fewer and further between. They have changed his blood pressure med and changed the pain med for break through storming symptoms. Hopefully, this will help to get rid of them and we can get started on the Ritalin.

Thanks again for all the prayers and support. Matthew's miracle grows bigger everyday and it means so much to have all of you supporting us in our journey to this great miracle.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Matthew had another good day. Physical and occupational therapy went well, with his feet and legs bending better, as they seem to do everyday. He has had a little problem with his right eye being lazy and not tracking as well as the left, so we covered up his left eye and it really helped, They are going to get him a patch tomorrow and we are going to start taking turns building the strength in his eyes. His medications and splints really seem to be working extremely well at correcting the tone in his legs and feet. The therapists are really impressed with just how well he has done. I see him everyday but the people who come to visit that haven't seen him for awhile are amazed at how well he looks and how much better he has been doing. His stoma (the hole in his throat from the trach) is healing fast, it seemed to have closed almost halfway since yesterday. It should take around 5 days or so to close completely. Well, tomorrow is another day and I can't wait to see what he does next. The ST asked him this morning if she could come back later to see him and he told her no. It wasn't really loud or anything since there is air coming through his stoma but it was a definite no. She did come back later anyway. LOL

Thursday, July 24, 2008
I was gone quite a bit today, trying to get Matthew's wheelchair accessible van ordered, so didn't get the on the scene action today. I came in on him at his afternoon therapy session and they had him lying on his back with his hips rolled to the right and his legs bent at the knee. When they let him go, he retained that position which was very good. He was tracking well today.

I will give you readers something to laugh about. Picture me standing on the bed, helping to transfer Matthew from the wheelchair to the bed. I had a nurse at his head and a tech at his feet. We went to move him (I was pulling on a sheet that was underneath him) and as I pulled on the sheet it came out from underneath Matthew. I fell backward toward the edge of the bed. As I was falling Matthew was landing on the bed, catching my feet and legs under him as I fell backward off the bed. Now the gymnast that I am (hee hee), landed on my rear end, which we all know has lots of padding, and my arms arched back behind me holding my back and head off the floor. I just raised up and waved at the video camera that is in Matthew's room (they have cameras on the brain injury floor aimed at the patients in their beds so that they can watch for falls etc...). Thankfully though, they didn't have the camera on Matthew's room at that time or I'm sure I'd be on America's Funniest Home Videos. Matthew's nurse, turned to tell him I was alright and said something about me being silly and he rolled his eyes up as if it was normal for me.

Well, if that wasn't enough of a bad day, I was getting ready to eat my dinner and was holding my tray on the edge of my bedside table. While trying to open it to get some sweet and low for my tea, one of the techs walked by my room and acted as if he was going to say something and as I looked at him, my tray tilted and fell to the floor, breaking my glass bowl of chicken and dumplings and ending up on my bed, the wall, the blinds and of course the floor. Needless to say, I was the talk of the hallway and was even part of the shift-change updates.

NOTE: I was not injured as a result of my mishappened day. LOL! I took an Ibuprofen immediately after falling and I am fine.

Friday, July 25, 2008
Matthew was tracking better today from side to side and following movement, he seemed to be very alert while awake. PT and OT found a way to make him mad enough to talk, they talked about me jokingly and noticed the look on his face and mouthed what seemed to be stop and mom. Gale said, "Oh, I think I found the key". So she got in his face and said she didn't care for his mama and she didn't want me in the room. I followed suit and said, "well I guess I'll leave then". I left and when I returned, Gale told me that he called my name while she was talking about me and she told him that he had to say yes before I could come back. He finally nodded his head and mouthed and pushed air through to say yes. I told them they could talk bad about me all they wanted if it got him to talking. Later, they put the bolster pillow behind his back and tried to get him to say stop, he tried, so they finally said, say Mom or anything and we'll quit. He finally said Mom and I missed it, so we asked him to say it again so that I could hear it and he did. They removed the bolster pillow and he let out a sigh.

Everyone here, are just amazed at how he is doing. You can tell by listening to them and watching them that they are all pulling for him. Other patients, see him in therapy and they all are pulling for him also. His regular nurses and techs that are with him the most are all attached to him. Most of them are so good that they are attached to all their patients, but Matthew probably feels that he is their top priority, because that is how they treat him when they are talking to him. This place just has such a good atomosphere and I know that is a big part of why Matthew has done so well here. I know that God chose these people to be in Matthew's life, of course, he has to remind me sometimes what he's done by giving me some that are not so good. LOL I guess he just wants to make sure that I don't take the good ones being here for granted. I do appreciate them so much more when I don't have them here with me to help.

I do know that God is working his miracle through the people here. I see so many patients coming back to visit them which lets me know that they are special people. Because, let me tell you after seeing the things they put Matthew through and to see these returning patients come back to visit after having gone through the same things it sure tells me that they know that the therapists are only pushing for the maximum rehabilitation of their patients.

Matthew's Rehabilitation Journey Week 14

2008-07-14T08:00:00.001-05:00

Monday, July 14th
Today marks 14 weeks and 3 months since the accident. I decided to create a new post for the rehabilitation journey.

We are at Valir Rehabilitation Hospital, address 700 NW 7th St., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102 If you search for directions, enter the address 721 NW 6th Street. Parking is on the 6th St. side of the building.

Directions from Clayton are: Follow I-40 West to Classen Blvd. Take Classen to NW 6th St. Turn Right on NW 6th St. Go through the next light ich is Shartel) and turn (almost immediately) left at Valir Rehabilitation Hospital.

We are on the second floor, Room 226. We would love anyone to visit. Visiting hours are 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., but the best time to visit is after 4:00 p.m., due to his therapy sessions. Visitors are not allowed at the therapy sessions. At this hospital, children under 12 are NOT allowed on the wing that Matthew is on. If you have children, you can have someone at the fsecond floor desk let me know you are here or call me and I can arrange to have Matthew in his wheelchair and bring him downstairs to the patio or the dining room.

9:30 a.m.

Speech therapy had a great morning with Matthew. He used his humming voice to let her know he wanted to stop messing with his face two times. She told him she would quit putting the wet washcloth on his face if he would make that sound and he did it. Also, in front of her, he said Mom really good in his voice and a few whispers while I was cleaning (picking his nose) with a washcloth. LOL. But finally, I have a witness that he is saying Mom. So today has started off as a great day.

11:30 a.m.
It seems so fitting that I started a new post of the rehabilitation journey today, because Matthew has made a turning point. In physical therapy, he gave a thumbs up, raised his arm to grab my hand, squeezed my hand, then squeezed tighter, then let go, all on command. He also said Mom again and whispered stop (while I was popping pimples again, LOL). Ok, I know it sounds mean, but anything to make him talk. Besides, I won't be able to do it when he gets those arms to moving up further. After the physical therapy session, we met with the speech therapist again, he did all these things again for her. She took him upstairs while I was texting the good news and when I got back in the room, she told me that he was very vocal, not words but sounds, that he did not like what she was doing with the wet washcloth on his face. All the therapists, are WOW!, I don't know what you said or did to him this weekend but something happened. I actually told him yesterday that if he didn't start doing stuff for other people, we'd never get to go home. Maybe he listened. LOL!

Seriously though, I know that it was nothing I did or said, it is our Lord and Saviour at work on the miracle that I know is and will be. It was in God's time for Matthew to do these things and that time came today. When and what else he does is still in God's time, but this has been a glorious day for me. Thank you Lord for everything you have done for Matthew and are continuing to do each and everyday.

The speech therapist told me this morning, that they had talked to Dr. Washburn and they will be changing the trach to a cuffless trach (the one he has now has a cuff in it, that can inflate and deflate to let air through or not. It has been deflated since the ventilator came off, but this means that they don't expect any more chance of having the vent again.). Yet another step to getting the trach out.

4:40 p.m

Praise God, what a wonderful day! We had another great and productive PT/OT session this afternoon. Matthew sat with a ball behind his back with his arms on the wheelchair arm rests, head and shoulders up for about 30 minutes. When the PT was stretching his hamstring, she told him if he would grab her hand she would quit. He moved his left arm over, grabbed her finger and pulled it toward him. She quit. He also told the therapists NO while they were working with him. He mouthed yes once also but no sound. He tries many times to voice the words they or I tell him to, but he doesn't always get the voice box to go with it. This will take time. He is having to take deep breaths, and push the air through to his voice box while also using his tongue to pronunciate the sounds. He is learning to talk all over again, just as a baby does. After he was totally exhausted, he was asked by Marissa (his speech therapist, who had dropped in) if he wanted to keep working with Gale (his occupational therapist). He said NO. He's learning. LOL!

July 15th, 2008

Today has been a good day! Matthew was either still very tired from everything he did yesterday or just being stubborn, but he did not say anything today. He did make progress on his physical therapy though. This morning's session, he moved his left arm up in the air, while trying to grab the therapist to get her to quit stretching his arm. They were also able to get one knee/leg bent at 90 degrees for the first time. He sat up at 90 degrees today and bent better at the waist/hips. In this afternoon's therapy session, he made a fist and moved his right arm more than he ever has, Gale told me to be ready in case he got it up to hit her. LOL!

They have removed the cuffed trach and replaced it with a smaller cuffless trach. He is on the smallest cannula there is for trachs, so the next step is to cap it and as well as he is doing with the speaking valve (which caps the trach off), I look for it to not be very long before we get to capping it off. Then the only step left will be to remove the trach completely and let him heal.

I want to thank everyone for the posts. Now that I have computer access, I check it several times during the day. I look forward to the posts and hearing from people and I love to be able to share what Matthew has been doing during the day. Thanks again for all the prayers and support.

July 17, 2008

9:20 p.m.

Sorry, I didn't get to update yesterday. Not much happened new and I was trying to get my questions ready for my family meeting with the case managers and insurance. The meeting went well, all the therapists gave their updates on Matthew's progress to the worker's comp case manager and adjuster, and they were all good. His stay is a week to week decision, but as long as he progresses he will be here. I did learn today that our apartment will not work for when I bring Matthew home, so if anyone knows of a place to rent let me know so I can check it out to see if it will work.

Today was a day of firsts again. Matthew got his first ice chips today. The first one took him 30 seconds to swallow, but by the time she had given him ice a few times he had it down to an 8 second swallow reflex, which is still not normal or safe, but so much better than the first one. They are going to do a therma (something like that) treatment, where they freeze lemon swabs and rub them on the part of the throat that controls the swallowing reflex. This will exercise his swallowing instincts and help. His Dr. is on vacation this week but next week we will be talking about the Barium Swallow tests, which will show if what he is swallowing is going to the right place. No water came out of his trach today, so that shows it was going at least down and not out of the trach.

Now about the trach. Another first, his trach was capped today for the first time. The speaking valve caps it off but air is still able to flow through the trach. The cap today allows no air to go through. He tolerated it well and they will continue to do capping trials for the next few days. If he continues to tolerate it, then it will be capped permanently and the trach will be removed.

Matthew's right leg had swollen up yesterday and they did x-rays to check for fracture. No fracture so they sent him for a Doppler Ultrasound over at St. Anthony's Hospital to rule out DVT (blood clot). Preliminary reports showed no DVT. Good news. We ruled out the two bad things, so it is either the muscle is inflamed or some scar tissue has broken up due to the bending and therapy of the leg.

Well, it's been a long day and I'm going to hit the sack. Thanks again for all the support and keep posting. I'll try to post earlier tomorrow, since it won't be near as hectic. Meetings and appointments just kept me running today.

July 18, 2008

Today was pretty uneventful, except they are still trying to figure out what is going on with Matthew' s knee. They took more x-rays of the hip, thigh and knee. They think that it may be something called heterotopic ossification (HO) which is the abnormal formation of true bone within extraskeletal soft tissues. It is usually seen in spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injuries due to to immobility and mixed signals in the body. HO can form anywhere in the body but the most common location is the hips, then knees, shoulders etc... This is why they retook x-rays of the hip, thigh and knee to see if they could see any bone formation. If the x-rays don't show any bone formation then the next step should be a bone scan (according to my research). HO's only treatment from what I can tell is vigourous physical therapy to keep as much range of motion as possible and a drug called Didronel that will not treat what is already there but can aid in prevention of more bony formation. If the HO is bad enough, then surgery is the treatment.

The good news is that it will not stop his physical therapy. We are continuing his knee splints and physical therapy exercises. His leg does not seem to cause pain except for touch of the swollen area, movement does not seem to hurt him and will be the best thing for him. The only other thing they have mentioned it could be is a possible old ligament injury inflamed.

Speech therapy worked on his swallowing responses today and he was more in the 6-8 second range of delay, which is not too bad.

Respiratory therapy, speech therapy and physical therapy capped his trach today while they had their sessions. He did well. The respiratory therapist says that he is ready, so when we can talk to the doctors again, they may issue the order to cap for good. The next step after that will be removing the trach, but that will come probably quite a bit later. They will want him to be cognitively more alert and responsive and probably eating before they remove it. Better safe than sorry.

He did say no, no, no or mom, mom, mom today when the PT was stretching his arm and I was doing the sternal rub (which is your knuckle in your sternum and is painful). Anything to get him to talk, LOL. He is making more sounds now, so speaking more consistently is probably not too far ahead, hopefully anyway.

Well, the weekends around here are pretty quite, with less therapy sessions and not his regular therapists, but if anything happens I will post.

July 19, 2008

They have capped the trach around the clock as of this morning. He is tolerating it well. This is the last step before having it removed permanently, which should be some time after 48 hours if he continues to tolerate it. I'll update later if something new happens.

NOTE: The red text in the paragraph above is a correction from last night's posting. I originally stated that it would be awhile before they removed the trach permanently.

July 20, 2008

Matthew continues to tolerate the trach being cuffed. He did have some break through pain last night, but his pain patch was due to be changed today and he's been fine today.

Tomorrow, they should start the Ritalin and hopefully we will find out more about his knee.

I have changed the blog format a little, hope everyone likes it. From now on I will be posting through the week and each week will be archived. You will notice to the right of the screen where it says Blog Archives. If you want to read older posts, just click on the Blog Archives and the week you want to view or you can go to the end of the current posting and click on older blogs. Hope you enjoy the new look. Later...

Update on Matthew - Week 3 through Week 13

2008-05-07T08:37:00.001-05:00

Monday, April 28th
Today is the beginning of week 3. To make it a little easier to get the latest, I started this new post. If you would like to review the day by day account of the first 2 weeks or read previous comments, you may view the original post by scrolling down.

Matthew had another really good night with his ICP levels staying low and his temperature remaining close to normal. He had some respiration issues yesterday evening and through the night, but it appears the adjustments made to his respirator have helped and this morning he is breathing normal and his O2 levels are good.

They have cut the sedative dosage in half again, which means he is down to just 12.5% of what he was on a couple of days ago. They should be able to stop it completely later today, although it may still take another day or two to get all of it out of his system.

Tuesday, April 29th
Another good night for Matthew. They have backed him down to 40% Oxygen again and his respiration is still good. We're waiting to see if they take him off the sedatives today. 1PM They've started doing some physical therapy with Matthew today, moving his arms and legs and rotating his shoulders. He's handling it very well, no increase in ICP level. They also did a scan of his legs to make sure there were no blood clots, everything looked fine. They will be taking him off the sedatives within the next hour, so he will only be on pain medication and antibiotics. He's progressing really well as we all expected he would.

Wednesday, April 30th
Matthew's still doing pretty well. He does have a touch of pneumonia and is running a little fever, but nothing too serious. He no longer has the drain tube and his pressure has remained good. He's gradually showing more and more signs of movement and response to external stimulus. We hope today they will perform a tracheostomy (insert a trach tube into an opening in the neck) and remove the breathing tube from his mouth. This would be safer for his larnyx and vocal cords, not to mention it will be much more comfortable when he wakes. However, to do this would require Matthew to lay flat for about an hour, something the doctors have not felt he could withstand up to this point. Since he is doing so much better, he should be getting close to the point of being able to handle this without any problem. Thursday, May 1st Not much has changed with Matthew's condition, he's still doing well. Last night they removed the ICP monitoring device from his head. They plan to put in the trach tomorrow. 3PM The doctors told us they are going to do the trach tube and move the feeding tube to his abdomen tomorrow afternoon. 5PM Matthew's fever came up this afternoon and he started having some respiration problems. They are doing another bronchoscopy to clear out his lungs and airways. At this point they still plan to do the trach and feeding tube procedures tomorrow.

Friday, May 2nd
They have just completed the surgery to insert the trach tube and the feeding tube in Matthew's abdomen. Everything is fine and the family should be able to go see him soon. This should make it much easier on Matthew to breathe and will be much more comfortable for him as he recovers.

Sunday, May 4th
Matthew has continued to improve each day, he looks so much better now that the breathing tube and feeding tube are out of his mouth. He's breathing almost entirely on his own now with little help from the respirator. It could be a while before he wakes up, or he could wake up tonight. If anything changes, I'll post again.

Wednesday, May 7th
Not much has changed since Sunday. Matthew continues to do well and responds a little more every day. He's had some issues with congestion and respiration, but nothing major. As of this evening he's breathing fine again and his oxygen levels are good.

Thursday, May 8th
They are doing an MRI today of Matthew's brain. We are still waiting for results and will post an update as soon as we have them. Matthew is breathing on his own although is still on the respirator just in case he needs assistance. They plan to wean him off the respirator completely in the next few days.

6PM According to the preliminary analysis of the MRI by the Neuro-sugeon, it showed that the blood clots were resolving and there was no additional bleeding. There is some scarring where the blood clots were, which could cause some seizures but is not a major concern at this time. They could not determine the extent of the damage to Matthew's brain from the MRI. They will not be able to fully assess the effects of the damage until Matthew's brain completes the healing process, which could be a very long and slow process. The radiologist will read the MRI tomorrow and give their analysis.

Saturday, May 10th
Today the neurologist explained that based on their analysis of the MRI, and all of Matthew's case, they feel the severity of his brain injury is such that he will not recover much beyond his present state. They mentioned to Kimberly that there were signs of damage in the brain stem area, which was their biggest fear. However this was not mentioned in their official report, only that the injuries were severe and there was nothing more they could do for him. Therefore, the neurologists have signed off on his case and he is now completely under the care of the Trauma Unit. We expect to have several more meetings this week to determine the next steps for Matthew, as well as the possibility of moving him to a long term care center where he can begin therapy.

While this is obviously not the news any of us wanted to hear, the family is standing firm in our faith and still believe that God can fully restore Matthew. We were told the day of his accident, almost 4 weeks ago, that it wasn't likely Matthew would make it at all - yet he's still with us today and is showing signs every day that he is fighting and making progress. We'll continue to pray and seek the best medical advice possible and we ask that all of you continue to pray for Matthew on a daily basis.

Tuesday, May 13th
Matthew continues to show positive signs each day and is able to respond to some verbal commands. Today they have taken him off the respirator for the first time. He's been on Oxygen only for over 2 hours and is doing just fine with his breathing. If he struggles with his breathing, they'll put him back on it for a while to let him rest and continue this process until he no longer requires the resipirator. They are currently doing a spinal tap to check for meningitis. It will be 24 to 48 hours before we know the results.

Thursday, May 15th
The spinal tap did not grow anything but did suggest there was an infection. Since the antibiotics they have him on are working, they are going to leave him on it.

Yesterday, they left Matthew off of the respirator all day until about 10PM when they put him back on to make sure he got a good nights rest. They took him back off today around 12:30PM and will likely leave him off until sometime tonight. He's doing well with his breathing.

This morning, Kimberly and Shawna visited a facility here in Oklahoma City called Select Specialty Hospital (see http://www.selectmedicalcorp.com/hospitals/oklahomacity.htm for more details). This facility was highly recommended by OU Medical Center, as they specialize in rehab for patients with Traumatic Brain Injuries. It will likely be early next week before he is transferred.

Monday, May 19th
Matthew has been completely off the respirator since Friday. They've reduced the trach hole down to a size 6 and will eventually close it completely, perhaps with an oxygen mask if needed. He will be transferred tomorrow afternoon from OU Medical to Select Specialty Hospital.

Tuesday, May 20th
Matthew was transferred today to Select Specialty Hospital here in OKC. The move went fine. Matthew has been struggling a bit with his breathing and fighting a fever, so late in the evening they put him back on the respirator.

Monday, May 26th
Not a lot of changes, Matthew continues to fight an infection and some respiratory issues. All in all though, he's doing well and is being well cared for.

Tuesday, June 3rd
I know its been a while since I've updated, but there hasn't been a lot of changes. Matthew has continued to battle a series of issues with blood pressure, heart rate, and fever. Nothing life threatening but enough to keep the doctors busy trying to keep things under control and isolate any possible infections. He's still on the respirator but the doctors have indicated they hope to wean him off of it soon. They plan to do a CT Scan tomorrow and try to determine if injury to brain might be the cause for the unstable body temperate, rather than an infection. Until they can get these things under control, he will remain in ICU and their focus will remain on stabilization rather than rehabilitation.

Tuesday, June 17th
Today is Matthew's 22nd Birthday!! He's had a really good week - they've taken him off the respirator completely and have started sitting him up in bed. He's doing really well and making little progressions each day. He can open his eyes all the way and will follow movement in the room, even turn his head. He's had some issues with his blood pressure but has responded well to medication. Kimberly just texted and informed me that they are moving him out of ICU to his own room!!

Thursday, June 26th
Matthew was moved today to Valir Rehabilitation Hospital in Oklahoma City. The move went fine and he will begin rehab sessions in the next couple of days after he settles in.

Saturday, June 28th
Matthew has been battling fever, so they did not start him on therapy sessions. He's also fighting an infection. Once they get him cleared up they can begin working with him more in therapy.

Wednesday, July 9th
Matthew has been doing really well the last couple of weeks. He has 3 therapy sessions a day during the week and 1 a day on weekends. He is trying to vocalize, following movement with his eyes, and making good progress each day. This week they have him sitting up in a chair some, which is a big step, and are using speaking valve to help him try to talk. They are giving him Baclofen to help relax his muscles and it,s made a big improvement. This afternoon they are going to lie him on a mat so they can really work on rotating his arms and legs.

Friday, July 11th
They got Matthew up in the wheelchair again today and took him downstairs to the gym, where they layed him on an exercise mat with his legs hanging down to help with the bending of his legs from the knee down. Matthew's tone (the stiffness in his legs) has relaxed so much in the two weeks we have been here.

Here are some pictures that were taken today of Matthew's first day on the mat.

Matthew lying on the mat stretching knees/legs.

Gale stretching neck muscles, Katy holding legs.

Gale stretching shoulders, Katy holding legs.

Gale stretching his arm and shoulder.

Katy and Gale stretching him every which way.

Totally relaxed after a hard workout

Aaahhh! That sun feels good and relaxing.

As you can see, it is very exhausting for him, but he handles it well.

Saturday, July 12th
This is Kimberly. I will be updating the blog now and starting Monday, July 14th, There will be a new post starting Matthew's Rehabilitation Journey Week 14 on.

Here is a little of what's been going on since we have arrived at Valir Rehabilitation Hospital. After arriving here, the doctor diagnosed Matthew with "Sympathetic Storming". All the problems Matthew was having with high blood pressure, high respiratory rate, pupils dilating, high heart rate, posturing, increase in muscle tone, extreme sweating and temperature (besides the times he had infection) were due to this exaggerated stress response, known as Sympathetic Storming. This occurs in 15-33% of patients with severe traumatic brain injury who are comatose. It is thought to be a stage of recovery from severe traumatic brain injury. The Baclofen (which was started to help with the spasticity of his muscles), is also a treatment for this, so Matthew has had a much better time since we've been at Valir. Sympathetic Storming is a condition that usually occurs after backing the patient off of the sedatives and narcotics in the ICU. The good news, we finally had a name for what he was experiencing and it is thought to be a stage of recovery. Thank God.

Matthew has been having 2 sessions a day of speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy. Starting on Monday, his 2 a day occupational and physical therapy (which for now are combined) will involve the mat. They put him on the mat so that they can get more stretch, of more muscles, it is also easier for them to maneuver him into those positions, rather than in a bed.

Matthew has a speaking valve now. The speaking valve fits over his trach cannula and prevents any air from going in or out of the trach, so that he can move the air through his mouth and nose only. The first time he had it put on, he did awesome. They say it can cause distress and some people can only handle it for a short while and have to adjust. Matthew had no problems at all and had it on for 30 minutes his first time. He has said Mom a few times with a raspy voice. He usually only calls my name when Katy and Gale have walked away from him and I really think he wants me to make them quit. LOL! He is finding his voice box, but they say it will take time to learn to push it out. He has to learn how to talk again, and how to voice the words he wants to say. He does move his mouth mouthing words and some that he has mouthed are stop, no, and what.

Ok, I will continue from here on, with daily or as close as I can get to daily posts to keep everyone updated.

Again, I thank everyone for all your thoughts and prayers, without them this journey would have been much harder.

Sunday, July 13th
Today was a light day, as Matthew had only 1 therapy session today. He did get up in the wheelchair and we went outside a couple of times. He said Mom a few times today. He still sounds like "Froggy" but it is a wonderful sound.

NOTE: Those of you that wish to leave a message for the family, just click the Comments link below and type in your message. Then under "Choose an Identity" pick the Name/URL option and enter your name. You may also choose Anonymous if you wish, but if you want the family to know who you are be sure and put your name in the message. I am now moderating all comments, so they won't show up immediately - I'll get to them as quick as I can.

Update on Matthew - First 2 Weeks

2008-04-17T12:09:00.001-05:00

Matthew was in a serious auto accident Monday morning, April 14th while travelling to a job site in Arcadia, OK. The accident occurred about 3 miles south of Wellston in Lincoln County on Highway 177. The family will use this blog to keep you all posted on his condition.

Here are some news reports on the accident:

http://www.news9.com/global/story.asp?s=8163874
Clarification - Matthew was not pinned in the vehicle, Jimmy Clagg was... Matthew was lying in passenger side floorboard when first responders arrived

http://www.news-star.com/stories/041508/tri_60200.shtml
Clarification - Matthew did not have internal/external trunk or arm injuries

Thanks so much for all the phone calls, gift baskets, and most importantly thanks for your prayers.

We'd also like to pass along our condolences to Jimmy Clagg's family. We are praying for you all too.

Monday, April 14th
Matthew was flown to OU Medical Trauma Center in Oklahoma City Monday morning with severe head trauma. The Trauma Team attempted to put a drain to relieve fluid from his brain but were not able to do so because the fluid spaces were too small. They inserted an intracranial pressure monitor to measure the pressure inside the skull. He was moved to Trauma ICU early afternoon, where the ICU staff and various teams of doctors have been monitoring his condition. The doctors explained that the first 72 hours would be critical and that maximum swelling of the brain would not occur until then. The brain injury was described as extremely serious. Using the Glascow Coma Scale to measure Traumatic Brain Injuries, Matthew was rated a 4 which is severe. Matthew has several things in his favor - he's young and strong and aside from the head trauma there were no other major injuries.

The Neuro-Surgeons visited with us and explained that they wanted to keep Intracranial Pressure (ICP) at or below a 20. Since they could not insert the drain, the only way to do this is to give him the drug Mannitol. Aside from this they did not feel there was anything more they could do. They are keeping Matthew in a general anesthetic coma to minimize brain activity while his brain recovers from the trauma.

Tuesday, April 15th

Matthew made it through the night with several treatments of Mannitol. His ICP level hovered between 15 and 25 most of the night. A 2nd CAT scan in the morning revealed no additional swelling. Great news! The doctors had expected to see more.

Doctors informed Kimberly and Patton that Matthew had a minor fracture in his neck. However this was not documented in his file and we later found out this was not the case.

Late in the afternoon, Matthew's heart rate begin to fall as his heart was struggling to handle the higher blood pressure. It fell so low (around 40) that they brought in the crash cart in case it was needed. Additional medication was given to him and he responded well. His heart rate increased to above 60 and was steady the rest of the day.

Later in the night, Matthew's Oxygen level in his blood began to fall and the ICP climbed. His O2 level had been between 98 and 100 (100 is as good as it can be). It continued to fall through the night into the low 90's which is very serious. The doctors increased the respirator to 100% Oxygen and made some adjustments to how the Oxygen was pumped during the cycle, which helped some but not enough. The doctors felt they would have to try again to insert the drain tube to reduce the pressure in the brain.

Wednesday, April 16th
A chest X-Ray was given that revealed some "junk" in Matthew's lower right lung. So later in the morning they took Matthew in for an endoscopic procedure to clean out his lung. Matthew responded very well to the procedure and his O2 levels began to climb immediately.

Within an hour after completing the lung procedure, the Neuro-Surgeons decided Matthew's ICP level was still too high (upper 20's to 30's) so they took him back into surgery to re-attempt the drain tube. This time the surgeons were able to insert the tube. The tube allowed a mixture of spinal fluid and blood to drain from Matthew's brain and the ICP's fell to below 20 for several hours.

Later in the evening, the drain became blocked and was no longer working. ICP levels increased slightly to mid to upper 20's.

Oxygen level remains at 99 to 100 which is excellent. Matthew is fighting hard!!

Thursday, April 17th

The Neuro-Surgeons decided to reposition the drain. If this procedure does not work, they feel the only other option will be to put Matthew in a barbiturate-induced coma. The report was good as we expected. The repositioning of the tube has worked and a significant amount of fluid was drained, and the ICP level dropped to a more acceptable level.

A little before 3PM there was some concern because Matthew's pupils were dilated to a 7. However his ICP levels and O2 levels remained pretty good. We were told they were going to take him for another CT Scan to see what was going on. Dr. Martin came in to tell us around 4PM that after further consultation with Dr. Mapstone they decided not to move him for the CT Scan because the risk of moving him was not worth it as long as the pressure remained at a reasonable level. He said that in the meantime his left pupil returned to a normal (2) and the right side had shrunk some but not completely. So they are going to continue to keep a close watch on him and wait.

5:30PM - Both pupils returned to normal. ICP levels had gone down to below 15 but in the last half hour have gone back up to about 30. Gave him another dose of Mannitol and pressure started going back down. The drain is still working.

Every evening between 6:30PM and 8PM is shift change and no visitors are allowed in ICU unless it is urgent. Same drill each morning between 6:30AM and 8AM. We should have another update after 8PM.

8:30PM ICP is still good, ranging between 10 and 25. Oxygen levels are still good around 97 with 50% O2 on respirator.

9:30PM Pressure was going up around 35 so they gave him another dose of Mannitol. His ICP level began to go back down again.

11PM ICP is in single digits and has been holding there for about an hour now. His O2 level is 99 to 100, heart rate good. Pupils are reacting well. Everything looks great right now. Keep the prayers coming!!

Friday, April 18th
Throughout most of the night Matthew's ICP level remained in the single digits. However this morning the pressure has gone up and doctor's are currently discussing his status and what the next steps are. As soon as we get an official report I will update again. Keep praying!!

10AM ICP level is back in single digits. They've given him Mannitol about every 3 to 4 hours as the pressure increases. It got as high as 50 overnight and early this morning. Doctors explained that we need Matthew's ICP level to remain constant at a reasonable level (anywhere 20 or under) for a 24 hour period. That will indicate his body is stabilizing and they can then begin to back him off of the sedation and they can begin to determine the extent of the damage.

1:30PM ICP levels have fluctuated between 8 and 24, currently back down to 8. It's been over 5 hours since last dose of Mannitol or any type of medication to reduce the pressure.

5PM ICP levels had stayed around 20 to 23 for a while without going back down. The Doctors had ordered another dose of Mannitol but just as the RN went to administer it, his ICP dropped to 8 again and remained there so they decided to wait and watch it longer.

6:30PM It had been just over 9 hours now since his last dose, which is very encouraging. At 5:40PM the doctors decided to go ahead and give him another dose of Mannitol because his ICP levels were fluctuating between 8 and 26. All his other vitals are very good - they have him on 40% O2 now and his Oxygen levels in the blood are still 99 to 100. It definitely looks like he's turning the corner today.

8:15PM Pressure had risen to a 30 so they gave him another dose of Mannitol, the 2nd time in a little over 2 hours. It has started to come back down and was at a 14 just a few minutes ago. The RN explained that this is typical for days 3 through 5 for injuries like this.

9:30PM ICP is staying low, between 9 and 15. Heart rate is up to just over 100, but the RN said that was good. They gave Matthew a 5 minute vibration treatment. The bed vibrates providing blows between his shoulder blades to help loosen up any phlegm from his lungs since he cannot cough. The RN said they tried this procedure last night but Matthew wouldn't tolerate it - his pressure went up so they stopped. Tonight he not only tolerated it, the RN said he seemed to like it. The tube is working well too, fluid continues to drain at a steady rate. Not only are his numbers improving, but Matthew's color is looking much better. Everyone comments on how much better he's looking today.

10:30PM Gave him a 2nd vibration treatment around 10PM. This time however it caused the ICP level to go up to 33, so they stopped the vibration and gave him another does of Mannitol. Within 5 minutes the pressure went back down below 20.

11:30PM He's holding steady with ICP numbers between 10 and 16. We'll have another update first thing tomorrow.

Saturday, April 19th
Overnight Matthew continued the pattern of his ICP levels going up to near 30, requiring another dose of Mannitol to bring it back down below 20. Around 3AM the doctors decided they could not give him anymore Mannitol without drying out his tissues. They will put Matthew in a barbituate induced coma using pentobarbital. This is a deeper level of coma than the previous general anesthetic coma they had him in, further reducing brain activity. They plan to keep him in this state for about a week to allow his body to deal with the brain trauma. So while it means it will be longer before he can wake up and they can diagnose the severity of his injury, it should help to keep the pressure low without giving him any other drugs for the pressure.

12PM The pentobarbital has helped. They started him on it around 5:30AM and it has lowered his ICP level to below 15. Right now he's down around 10 to 12 pretty steady. Everything else is still good.

3PM Still doing well. His ICP level rose above 20 for a brief period but has been below 10 for the last 2 hours

9PM Not much change all day, which is great. His ICP levels have been single digits and teens most of the afternoon and evening. There were a few brief periods where it rose into the 20's but it came back down fairly quickly.

Sunday, April 20th
Matthew had a pretty good night. His ICP level stayed in the single digits or near zero all night. He started running a fever again last night. They've drawn some spinal fluid from the drain and are testing it to see if there is an infection. It will take a couple of days to grow the culture to identify what the infection might be. His temperature is under control and right now is below normal, so it doesn't appear to be anything too serious, just taking precautions to make sure they stay ahead of anything that might develop.

We don't expect a lot of change today or throughout the week. If anything changes, we'll post it as soon as we have good info.

Monday, April 21st
It's been 1 week now since the accident and Matthew is still fighting. We believe he has made it through the toughest part and that he will pull through this, but we understand he's got a long way to go. Please keep praying and keep posting messages to the family. My laptop is there in the ICU waiting room for the family to use so they can read the blog. Your messages of encouragement mean a lot to us all. Thank you so much and keep praying for Matthew and his family.

Matthew had another good night and morning with low ICP levels and his temperature is good. He had some low potassium levels this morning but they've corrected that already. This morning they turned him on his side for a while to prevent bed sores. His ICP went up to about 17 but afterwards came back down to around 10. They'll continue to do this every few hours as long as he handles it well.

10PM Matthew's been holding steady all day. His ICP levels remain around 10 or below, all other numbers are good. They've been doing vibration treatments regularly. His lungs are clear and they aren't getting any phlegm from his airways, so it looks like the possible pneumonia has not progressed as the doctors feared. His body temperature has remained at or below normal since Saturday night, and so far the spinal fluid sample has not grown a culture - so it appears the fever was not due to any infection.

Sidenote: Kimberly spoke with a Wellston rescue worker named Charles who was one of the First Responders that pulled Matthew from the wreckage. He told Kimberly that Matthew was found in the passenger floor board on his left side with his head laying on the seat. He feels that if Matthew had landed in any other position he would have not been able to breathe until they arrived. He also said that Matthew was definitely responding to pain and tensing up as they worked on him, but that when they gave him verbal instructions and comforted him using his name, Matthew would relax. Those are all good signs.

Charles also shared that his unit had been dispatched just prior to Matthew's accident to another incident. It was reported that a car had wrecked in the ditch and was on fire. Turns out it was just a car with an overheated radiator and no one was there. Because of this, it took the rescue team less than five minutes to arrive on scene after the 911 call was received. Even if it only trimmed a minute or two from their arrival time, we believe God orchestrated this to help keep Matthew alive.

We owe a lot to Charles and his crew at the Wellston Fire Department, the 911 dispatchers, and all of the emergency personnel, flight crew, nurses, and doctors that have played a part in Matthew's survival. Thanks are not enough for the work you all do. Charles - if you read this, please post a message with the names of everyone in your department that worked this incident.

Tuesday, April 22nd
Matthew had a good night with no fluctuations in ICP, respiration, or fever. The Neuro-Surgeon team reviewed him this morning and have decided to start easing him off of the pentobarbital. They had told us it would be a week before they did this, so this is very encouraging. The Trauma team still has to approve the recommendation. So we'll find out more in the next hour or so.

10:30AM The Trauma team agreed with the Neuro-Surgeon team's recommendation. They've begun to lower the pentobarbital dosage and will monitor him closely as his brain activity increases. After he's off the pentobarbital completely, they'll see how he's doing and if everything looks good they'll start reducing the other sedatives as well. We aren't sure yet how long of a process this will be, it could take a couple of days.

12PM He is completely off the pentobarbital - took less than 2 hours to back him off. However it won't be completely out of his system for several more hours. So far his ICP is holding steady around 10. They plan to keep him on the other sedatives until tomorrow. We'll give more updates as the day progresses.

2PM Everything is still looking good. His ICP levels remain between 10 and 15. His temperature is slightly above normal but nothing to worry about at this point.

9PM Around 5:30PM Matthew's ICP levels began to climb a little and ranged between 17 and 20. After shift change, he was still in the lower twenties and got as high as 25, but then it began to go back down and has stayed between 15 and 18 for the past 30 to 45 minutes. Let's pray it continues to stabilize and remains below 20 all night.

Wednesday, April 23rd
Matthew's ICP levels have remained below 20 most of the night and are currently around 17. He had some minor seizures overnight which is common as the pentobarbital wears off. They gave him Dilantin, an anti-epileptic drug used to control seizures. They also took him off the general sedatives for about 2 hours to see if they could get a neuro exam, but the pentobarbital was still in his system so they didn't get anything. He's back on the sedatives and we are waiting word on the game plan for today.

11AM Matthew's ICP levels have gone up again and he's having some respiratory problems. They had gone up above 40 but are currently back down to 19. The doctors had decided to put him back on pentobarbital and perform a bronchoscopy to clean out his right lung again and see if there is an infection. But since his pressure has come back down, they are going to confirm with the doctors again before administering the pentobarbital. Should have more info within the next 2 hours.

12:30PM The bronchoscopy went well, although they did not get much fluid from his lungs. They did get enough to do a culture to test for infection. Right now his Oxygen levels are good and because his ICP levels have remained below 20, they have NOT put him back on the pentobarbital. Going to continue to monitor him and hope his pressure doesn't go up again.

3PM Not much has changed, continuing to monitor.

6:30PM Matthew's ICP level has gone up in the last hour to mid 20's and his fever is up to about 102. However, since they have been repositioning him and putting in a new IV line, they are going to wait a while and see if his numbers go back down before resorting to any medication or putting him back on pentobarbital.

8PM We were told by the RN that they had standing orders from the doctors to put Matthew back on pentobarbital if his ICP remained at or above 20 for a period of 15 to 20 minutes. While his ICP level has risen to the mid-20's off and on, they have not remained there very long so they haven't had to do anything other than try to keep his temperature down. The RN also explained that the fever may not be due to any infection but rather the inability of Matthew's hypothalamus to control his body temperature because of the trauma to the brain. If they cannot control his body temperature using cool packs and tylenol, they may resort to a cooling blanket.

10PM Up until about 9PM his ICP levels kept going up into the mid-20's and his temperature remained up around 102.2, and we were getting close to the 15-20 minute limit. Then his temperature began to drop to about 101 and the ICP level dropped below 20 again, all the way down into the single digits. It seemed to level off around 12 to 14 and has remained between 10 and 15 for the past 45 minutes. His respiration is good and his lungs seem to be clear. Blood pressure and heart rate are excellent. We just need him to hold steady through the night and have a better day tomorrow than today. Everyone is remaining positive and patient, every day brings new challenges but Matthew has handled everything that's been thrown at him.

Thursday, April 24th
Matthew had a really good night. His ICP level stayed low throughout the night and his fever has come down. The Neuro-Surgeon team has decided to clamp the drain tube and see how he handles that, then begin backing him off of the sedatives throughout the day.

4PM Still waiting before they start backing him off the sedatives. His fever has come back up a little so it may be tomorrow before they do anything different.

Friday, April 25th
Matthew had another good night. They have not taken him off the sedatives at this point, but he continues to do really well with his pressure and his temperature has gone down and remained normal since yesterday afternoon. The sample they took from his lung on Wednesday has grown a culture so they are giving him a 2nd antibiotic to fight off infection. We're still waiting for confirmation on whether they will begin backing him off the sedatives today or give him more time in his current state.

9:30PM Nothing really has changed today. ICP and temp is good. We'll see what the doctors say in the morning.

Saturday, April 26th
Matthew's ICP levels have remained low and respiration is good. The doctors decided this morning to start backing him off of the sedatives, a process that will take a day or two. His fever came back up overnight and they are concerned that he may have a bacterial infection of the colon called Clostridium Difficile (aka CDF or C-Diff). In order to treat this, they have to stop the previous antibiotics they were giving him and give him something else specifically for this. As a precaution, we now have to wear gown, gloves, and a mask when we visit his room. We hope to have confirmation of this later today.

Sunday, April 27th
The C-Diff test came back negative and his temperature has been pretty good. They have backed him off 75% of the sedatives and will take him off the remaining 25% either today or tomorrow morning. Matthew is beginning to show more signs of activity, such as responding to pain and touch, coughing, and his eyelids moving. It still may be a day or two before he gets all of the sedatives out of his system since he has been on them for 2 weeks.

NOTE: For most recent updates, go to the top of this page and see the new post. I started a new post on Monday, April 28th to make it easier to find the latest info without having to scroll through the entire page. If you wish to post comments you may do so there as well.