Monday, July 28, 2008

Thank you again for all your comments. We are very grateful for all the support we have received from family and friends. Also, thanks to those of you who have made donations. Your generosity is helping support Matt's medical expenses and therapy, and for that we are incredibly grateful.

Today was a long but good day! Matt is at a level 5 on the Rancho Los Amigos (TBI) scale, and seems to be improving immensely. He is eager to get out of bed and walk around. Today he wanted to do various things: walk dad to his truck, get some fresh air, go fishing, and cook a filet of Salmon! He came up with any excuse he could to get out of his hospital room! Unfortunately, Matt still needs a lot of rest before he can leave his room. He stands up independently but is still unable to balance himself while he walks. He takes steps on his own but someone needs to be there to prevent him from falling. In case he does decide to get out of bed on his own, there is a nurse at his side 24/7.

In physical therapy today, Rick and Matt used canes as hockey sticks and hit a foam ball around. Unfortunately for Rick it was a shutout, 2 to 0! They also played a game of checkers, which was a bit much for Matt, so they created a new game called "move your checker pieces where ever you want". Not really sure who won that game!
Matthew's speech therapy is also improving. He has been sounding out all his vowels perfectly. And every day is tested on his knowledge of the date. It has been hard for Matt to remember, so the nurses have put up a calendar as a reference. Although, he can't always remember the date, he has been clever enough to look at the calendar to find out. That is certainly a step in the right direction.

On another note, our family has been doing a little better. Scotty decided to stay in town a little longer to hangout with Matt. He has been incredibly supportive and helpful. Ian is headed back out to Pennsylvania for work, but should be back in three weeks or so. My mom, dad and Naomi have been spending most of their time with Matt and catching up on some sleep.

Thank you again for your prayers, love and support!

Monday, July 28, 2008

We have discovered that patients with TBI can bounce between the levels of the Rancho Los Amigos scale (which is the TBI scale we keep referring to), and there is no way to predict how long one will be at each stage. Currently, Matt has been bouncing back and forth between levels 4 and 5.
Matt's agitation levels have been up and down. One minute he may be perfectly content, and the next minute he will be extremely irritated, even angry. He has also displayed some aggression and attempted violence. Though this is a little disconcerting to us family members, this behavior is normal for this stage of recovery.
Matt had a cat scan performed yesterday and the results showed drastic improvement, compared to when he was in IC. His vitals are good, and his appetite is improving. He is also talking a bit more when awake. According to friends Sami and Scotty, Matt has even been a bit flirtatious with the nurses!! This must be proof that he is improving, right?