Well, it’s late on Wednesday evening. The crowd of visitors and family has dwindled back down to my mom and Matt’s sister Lissa. We are still in the CCU…but that is only a technicality. The neurology floor is apparently a very busy one and we are waiting for a bed to become available to move him into. We hope it will be tomorrow. In the mean time we are happy with his care here in the unit. Most of the nurses (well, all but one big B named Katie) have been very attentive and helpful. I am learning however, that not all nurses go into this field because they are called to help others with their compassion, as well as their skills. I think they should do some kind of sensitivity training in nursing programs. Maybe they do…and Miss Katie BS’d her way through. ANYWAY…we are still very happy that Matt is continuing to improve.
They performed another CT scan today and the swelling has gone down again! YAHOO! Matt has had his eyes open a lot more today, but was complaining of double vision. Trouble with the eyes is not uncommon with this type of injury. I am told that his vision will probably take the longest to get back to normal. Apparently the eyes are seeing ok, and his vision is the same as before, but they are not working together very well yet. We got a patch today and will begin working on having him look through one eye at a time. This is pretty frustrating to him right now, but I’m hoping he’ll adjust as time goes on and as his comprehension of what is going on around him increases.
It’s hard to believe that it was merely one week ago that this great shift in our lives occurred. It seems like an eternity since that day. I miss my house, my dogs, my bed…and my Matty Matt most of all. I look at him lying there and I know it’s him…and yet he seems somewhat unfamiliar to me. Where is my big strong husband…my best friend, my soul? I find myself wanting to shake him and tell him to wake up and come back to me. It is so incredibly frustrating…and it’s only been a week. I pray for the strength to endure the weeks ahead of us. It is only through God’s grace that I can pull it together day after day. The doctor says that when we’re all sitting around the fireplace on Valentine’s Day we’re going to just look at each other and say ‘Phew…how did we survive that!?’ I can’t wait for that day.
They are planning to try and do an MRI tomorrow. If they can’t get him to lay still long enough, they’ll just plan to do it another time. The neurosurgeon wants to be sure there are no more malformed vessels in his brain, which could cause potential problems down the road. It is my hope that there will be nothing there to find. Please pray that everything else is normal!
We saw a doctor from Younker’s Rehabilitation today as well. He is very optimistic that because of Matt’s age and health, he will make a full recovery. I am filled with such optimism each time a doctor says that. I trust them not to give me false hope. I know that Dr. Struck (the neurologist) certainly doesn’t mince words…so I’m banking on her experience and knowledge and hoping that they will be right. They are thinking he could be ready to begin rehabilitation therapies as early as next week. I’m just so happy to be ending the critical part of this journey, and beginning the healing phase. Your thoughts and prayers are keeping us going…and I know that God is hearing us. I cannot thank you enough.
They performed another CT scan today and the swelling has gone down again! YAHOO! Matt has had his eyes open a lot more today, but was complaining of double vision. Trouble with the eyes is not uncommon with this type of injury. I am told that his vision will probably take the longest to get back to normal. Apparently the eyes are seeing ok, and his vision is the same as before, but they are not working together very well yet. We got a patch today and will begin working on having him look through one eye at a time. This is pretty frustrating to him right now, but I’m hoping he’ll adjust as time goes on and as his comprehension of what is going on around him increases.
It’s hard to believe that it was merely one week ago that this great shift in our lives occurred. It seems like an eternity since that day. I miss my house, my dogs, my bed…and my Matty Matt most of all. I look at him lying there and I know it’s him…and yet he seems somewhat unfamiliar to me. Where is my big strong husband…my best friend, my soul? I find myself wanting to shake him and tell him to wake up and come back to me. It is so incredibly frustrating…and it’s only been a week. I pray for the strength to endure the weeks ahead of us. It is only through God’s grace that I can pull it together day after day. The doctor says that when we’re all sitting around the fireplace on Valentine’s Day we’re going to just look at each other and say ‘Phew…how did we survive that!?’ I can’t wait for that day.
They are planning to try and do an MRI tomorrow. If they can’t get him to lay still long enough, they’ll just plan to do it another time. The neurosurgeon wants to be sure there are no more malformed vessels in his brain, which could cause potential problems down the road. It is my hope that there will be nothing there to find. Please pray that everything else is normal!
We saw a doctor from Younker’s Rehabilitation today as well. He is very optimistic that because of Matt’s age and health, he will make a full recovery. I am filled with such optimism each time a doctor says that. I trust them not to give me false hope. I know that Dr. Struck (the neurologist) certainly doesn’t mince words…so I’m banking on her experience and knowledge and hoping that they will be right. They are thinking he could be ready to begin rehabilitation therapies as early as next week. I’m just so happy to be ending the critical part of this journey, and beginning the healing phase. Your thoughts and prayers are keeping us going…and I know that God is hearing us. I cannot thank you enough.
Comments