skajerk Posted July 16, 2010 Author Share Posted July 16, 2010 FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2010 2:49 PM, PDTHi, Today Matt is still doing well. We are still in the same process of waiting for him to become more lucid, and to try to keep his agitation down. The medical staff is also trying to keep his blood pressure down and stable, and it can be affected by his level of agitation. As I mentioned, this time period lasts different lengths of time for each individual, and we have no timeline for this, he is where he is, and we will be patient and go with the flow. He is still breathing on his own and is being a little feisty. :) Joy got a good strong hug from him today, and she was really happy about that. He is still fighting, and we still need your thoughts and prayers! We are still very proud of him for all that he is accomplishing, as well as fighting to come back to us. So keep the love coming, and we shall all be patient. I hope I have more progress to report soon! Also, same as the past couple of days, you are more than welcome to come and visit in the waiting room with friends and family, but Matt's visitation is still limited. However, everyone, especially Matt's wife and parents, are enjoying the company, support, and well wishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitmom07 Posted July 17, 2010 Share Posted July 17, 2010 I don't know Matt but I have been following his progress daily and am so happy for his progress! I am a drum corps Mom and it is quite a family we have in our "large but little "world of drum corps. You are doing a wonderful job with your updates! I will keep praying for Matt and all his family and friends for a quick and smooth recovery, please keep posting those updates! You are a wonderful friend for Matt and his family to have at this tough time, keep your chin up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skajerk Posted July 18, 2010 Author Share Posted July 18, 2010 (edited) Here's the latest: SATURDAY, JULY 17, 2010 8:09 PM, CDTReceive journal notifications: E-mail Text Good evening! We are still basically in the same phase of Matt's recovery, and so far he has had a pretty good day. We are still working to keep his agitation down, and this afternoon the nurse was able to set Matt's bed into a sitting position. This will hopefully help Matt's comfort level. He is still being a little feisty, but his blood pressure level has been looking pretty good today as well. :) Another development is; (and you'll have to excuse me for not knowing all the proper terminology) that Matt currently has a drainage tube in his head, and it is acting as a filter for his cerebral/spinal fluid. It has been filtering out blood that was in the fluid/on the brain. They plan to begin to lower the volume of that drainage, in attempt to allow Matt's brain to absorb the fluid and begin to do the work on it's own. So, something else you can specifically pray for is, when this process does happen, that his brain does kick in and do a strong job! Matt's swallowing therapy will hopefully begin soon to help him be able to eat on his own. We are all staying positive and patient through this process, and we know you all are too! Keep sending your love, praying, and sending your thoughts for the best! I will update details on the process as we get them, thanks! Edited July 18, 2010 by skajerk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skajerk Posted July 18, 2010 Author Share Posted July 18, 2010 Here's the latest: SUNDAY, JULY 18, 2010 5:25 PM, CDTHi everyone, Just wanted to let you know that Matt cannot have visitors today in order to keep his blood pressure down. You are again welcome to come to the waiting room to say hello or see family and friends. On a more positive note, Matt is still moving all of his limbs, and although his right side is weaker, the medical staff, told family that they have noticed a definite improvement on that side since he's been moving. That's great! I will try to make another update this evening/tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeromeyBush Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walter Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 Holy smokes that is great news !!! Come on Matt, keep improving...we're all pulling for you up here in CANADA !!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skajerk Posted July 19, 2010 Author Share Posted July 19, 2010 OK guys, time to get down to business again. Here's the latest: MONDAY, JULY 19, 2010 1:38 PM, PDTA message from Matt's Dad, Mike. :) Good Morning family and friends of our Matty. He is wrestling in this serious recovery battle. This weekend we have seen both highs and lows. Our prayer remains in the words of Psalm 23, especially the first three verses. "THe Lord is Matty's shepherd. Matty shall not be in want. He makes Matty lie down in green pastures; He leads Matty by quiet waters. He restores Matty's soul." We are praying that Matt's Lord will intercede in His restoration. Matty's blood pressure remains erratic and spikes to risky levels. He needs to remain quiet, just like the passage above describes. So we have our marching orders today. Pray for the Lord's Shepherd to quiet our Matty. love from Matty's folks, Mike and Joy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skajerk Posted July 20, 2010 Author Share Posted July 20, 2010 Here's the latest: TUESDAY, JULY 20, 2010 11:05 AM, PDTGood Morning, I am sorry I was unable to update last night, but here are some points in which we left off last night, and below is a message from Matt's dad this morning. We will update you later today/this evening as soon as we have news. -Matt will begin some physical therapy, which Mike touches on below. -Matt was still restless yesterday, but when he slept, he slept sound. -His blood pressure is still fluctuating, but yesterday it saw some good numbers. -Matt was approved to have recreational food such as pudding and ice cream. :) (The feeding tube will still provide his main source of nutrients.) Joy would like me to pass on, that they know you can't always be there with them physically, although they love seeing your faces, so we are appreciative of the prayer, support, and thoughts and love you are sending. Please keep praying for Matt's overall recovery as well as specifically: -Matt's agitation to reduce -And still for the brain to work on that cerebral fluid. -Please continue to pray for Matt using the 23rd Psalm, and inserting Matt's name. You can google if you don't have a bible. :) This is the beginning of a long recovery for Matt, thank you everyone for helping to be Matt's and his family's support. I hope to be able to update you sooner today. Thanks! "Good Morning Matty's friends and family. Today Matty will be introduced to physical therapy for the first time. We thank the efforts of his nurse Albert who made this recommendation. The goals are three fold. -Start Matty's physical recovery. -Relieve him of stress and anxiety. -Reduce his need of anxiety relieving drugs. This process will be somewhat demanding since Matty still has a drain in his brain. Pray that the drain will not be compromised. I read Isaiah 40 this morning along with Psalm 23. The Isaiah passage is awesome. Yes, Handel's Messiah includes this mountain top description of our God. The passage also depicts the gentle Lord and shepherd caring for his flock. Eric Liddel, the great olimpic athelete and hero of the movie, Chariots of Fire, quoted this same passage in the closing of this movie. Please continue to pray and remember this passage as Matty starts his day. " But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."(IS 40:31) Have a great day in the Lord!" Mike and Joy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skajerk Posted July 21, 2010 Author Share Posted July 21, 2010 Sounds like it was a great day! Here's the latest: TUESDAY, JULY 20, 2010 11:00 PM, PDTHello! Matt had a pretty progressive day today! First of all, his physical therapy went well, and this is hopefully the beginning of more great strides in that department! Next, Matt's bleeding stopped and his brain is absorbing his clear cerebral fluid! This is amazing news, and if this continues, it means great things. This happened around 7am this morning, so he's been hanging in there all day so far! I wish I could have reported this to you sooner, but Mike and Joy didn't find out until the end of the day, and My day just ended. But I know you are all happy to hear this anyway! If things still look good tomorrow, they will most likely schedule a CT scan to further confirm his progress. If everything continues strong after that, we are looking at the removal of the drainage tubes from his head, which means that he will have his own room out of ICU. :) Of course, this has not been confirmed, and there is no set timeline for this, but this great progress he made is leading to these wonderful next steps. If he keeps doing so well, that is the direction we will be headed in, hopefully soon! We still need to keep praying and sending energy to Matt for the following: -For his agitation and discomfort to improve -For his brain to keep the wonderful healing it is doing, but with no compromise or deficit. -For Matt to have another good day And please pray for Matt's family and Laura. The courage and faith they have been demonstrating is graceful, amazing, and is to be admired. They still need our support on this journey as Matt does. Your love, energy, and prayers have gotten all of them this far, let's keep helping all of them through the next phases! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spartans87 Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 WOW! When you read this post from beginning to now, it is nothing short of a miracle that he is moving into positive territory! That is wonderful for all of us! Maybe some of us that don't know him personally can meet him at a show down the road. I for one, would be honored if that happened. Keep up the hard work, and we will keep up the prayers! GO MATT!! Mike Spartans '87 The Foundation Year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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