We went to Dartmouth yesterday to get all the prep work done for Matt's surgery - they did all the pre-op tests and the CAT scan they need to make his plastic implant. As much as we want it to be done quickly, it's going to be a long process to get the new piece ready, so his surgery is set for April 18th. He was really worried that he would be laid up again as much as he was last summer, but his nurse said that once he recovers from surgery (1-2 weeks) and takes it somewhat easy for a few more weeks, he'll be back to long walks and mowing again no problem.
Then we came back and had his regular therapies - his OT re-eval went great and he's scheduled for another month. Almost all of his muscle groups showed increased strength, increased range of motion, or both. He even earned his first 'within normal limits' on one muscle movement - with his elbow bent 90 degrees, he could pull his forearm all the way to his stomach!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
One more time
Matt's been having a great couple of weeks - he's getting some new small movements in his wrist and his driving training is going well, too.
But the way his skull looks has really been bothering him - it appears to be 'sunken' around the edge of his original skull. We went back to see his surgeon today and he said that, though very rare, in some cases the body can start to re-absorb the bone wherever it hasn't fused together. So now there are small gaps around his bone plate and some spots are actually sinking as his spinal fluid moves around throughout the day. This isn't causing any damage or putting Matt in any danger, but it can't stay this way forever.
Long story short - Matt has to have another surgery. They will remove the original bone piece and replace it with a plastic one, which is what we had talked about the first time over a year ago. Everything that needs to happen will take a few weeks, but hopefully we will at least know soon when he'll have the surgery. It should just be an overnight stay and then he'll come home again to recuperate before going back to his regular therapies. Its unfortunate that the bone didn't take the first time, but at least there is an 'easy' fix and then Matt can get back to more (and hopefully faster) progress.
But the way his skull looks has really been bothering him - it appears to be 'sunken' around the edge of his original skull. We went back to see his surgeon today and he said that, though very rare, in some cases the body can start to re-absorb the bone wherever it hasn't fused together. So now there are small gaps around his bone plate and some spots are actually sinking as his spinal fluid moves around throughout the day. This isn't causing any damage or putting Matt in any danger, but it can't stay this way forever.
Long story short - Matt has to have another surgery. They will remove the original bone piece and replace it with a plastic one, which is what we had talked about the first time over a year ago. Everything that needs to happen will take a few weeks, but hopefully we will at least know soon when he'll have the surgery. It should just be an overnight stay and then he'll come home again to recuperate before going back to his regular therapies. Its unfortunate that the bone didn't take the first time, but at least there is an 'easy' fix and then Matt can get back to more (and hopefully faster) progress.
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