Last week (before all the ice) we went out snowshoeing! It was super hard for Matt - especially since he used to spend all day on snowshoes in the woods and now he could only handle about 30 minutes. He came back completely wiped out and sore, but it was fantastic.Saturday, January 22, 2011
Out and about
Last week (before all the ice) we went out snowshoeing! It was super hard for Matt - especially since he used to spend all day on snowshoes in the woods and now he could only handle about 30 minutes. He came back completely wiped out and sore, but it was fantastic.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
More evaluations
Matt's had a busy couple of weeks since the new year - mostly good, with a little frustrating mixed in. His last PT evaluation didn't go as well as we hoped. He's doing great, but his muscles aren't testing any stronger and his range of motion hasn't increased at all with his hamstrings or his ankle. He'll have one therapy a week for the next month and then another evaluation and if nothing increases again, we'll be on our own for PT. It seems especially weird since over the last month he's been feeling stronger and has even given up the cane completely (except for nighttime excursions.) He does know that his progress isn't going to stop entirely, but he is worried that he could be stuck with the brace on his leg forever.
OT, on the other hand, is going great - his arm tested stronger than ever and with more range of motion in almost every muscle group. He's working really hard with his new glove to increase use of his fingers, which isn't there yet, but it seems more hopeful. He was also able to slightly lift his wrist against gravity which he's never been able to do before.
Matt also went for a driving evaluation last week and it went pretty well. They did lots of visual tests and cognitive function tests (which, of course, he was better at than I was). Then they took him out in their car with all the right adaptive equipment and they said he did a great job. He has to go back for 10-12 more hours of training with them & the new equipment before he'll be on his own, but it looks promising for him to be back on the road by spring. He's so excited to finally be able to go places without me again!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Year-end review
We've been spending a lot of time lately talking about where Matt was a year ago. I read through old posts and tell him stories about things he used to do and he is always surprised. As frustrated as we both have been with the day-to-day of healing, it's amazing to look back at his life a year ago and see where we are now. At Christmas last year, we were thankful that he could eat dinner with us - he started eating solid food just 4 days before. This year we had the best Christmas - lots of good food and even a few rounds of dominoes. Here's hoping a year from now we are even more amazed.
I listened to Matt work out a conversation with his OT the other day - and I know that we're all getting better at figuring out what he is trying to say, but they really did have quite the conversation. He asked her how much of his arm & hand she thought would come back and she just said she has no way of knowing. But in over 20 years as a therapist, she's never worked with anyone who's had recovery like him - to have his arm start working almost 10 months out and then continue to make marked progress is pretty unbelievable. She feels that what they're working on at this point (wrist extension and finger movement) is detail work that she wasn't sure he would progress to and that since he has, hopefully things will continue to improve and he'll end up with some functional movement in his hand.
Hope you all have a fantastic New Year and all the best in 2011!
I listened to Matt work out a conversation with his OT the other day - and I know that we're all getting better at figuring out what he is trying to say, but they really did have quite the conversation. He asked her how much of his arm & hand she thought would come back and she just said she has no way of knowing. But in over 20 years as a therapist, she's never worked with anyone who's had recovery like him - to have his arm start working almost 10 months out and then continue to make marked progress is pretty unbelievable. She feels that what they're working on at this point (wrist extension and finger movement) is detail work that she wasn't sure he would progress to and that since he has, hopefully things will continue to improve and he'll end up with some functional movement in his hand.
Hope you all have a fantastic New Year and all the best in 2011!
Monday, December 13, 2010
oh christmas trees
We've been crazy busy the last few weeks with Christmas tree sales and it's been really hard for Matt to see everyone running around and not being able to help. He makes an appearance each day and handles his inability to work with amazing grace as always, but it's much easier for him to stay in the house and not be confronted by it all. He keeps saying 'next year, next year' and I know he's motivated enough to get there.
Recently Matt got a new glove that he's using to get muscle control back in his fingers and wrist. He's been able to squeeze his fingers together, but releasing them again is very difficult due to the tone in his arm muscles. The glove has metal stays that fit over each finger and help him straighten the fingers again. He's been working on grasping small objects on one side, moving his arm across his body, and releasing the object on the other side. It's pretty amazing to watch.
He's also still horseback riding since they have an indoor arena and it seems to be the highlight of his week. I don't know if I've written this before, but when he first started, they made reigns for him with a single bar in the middle that he could control with one hand. Now they have the reigns separated with a handle on the right side that he can grip and he's controlling the horse with both arms. All the trainers comment on how great Matt and Norfie are matched - they work really well together.
Recently Matt got a new glove that he's using to get muscle control back in his fingers and wrist. He's been able to squeeze his fingers together, but releasing them again is very difficult due to the tone in his arm muscles. The glove has metal stays that fit over each finger and help him straighten the fingers again. He's been working on grasping small objects on one side, moving his arm across his body, and releasing the object on the other side. It's pretty amazing to watch.
He's also still horseback riding since they have an indoor arena and it seems to be the highlight of his week. I don't know if I've written this before, but when he first started, they made reigns for him with a single bar in the middle that he could control with one hand. Now they have the reigns separated with a handle on the right side that he can grip and he's controlling the horse with both arms. All the trainers comment on how great Matt and Norfie are matched - they work really well together.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
A better version
2009 - hospital waiting room.2010 - the parents' house.
We have the most to be thankful for this year.
Friday, November 19, 2010
the anniversary
It all started in the dark, early morning of 11/19/09 - a Thursday last year. A policeman pounded on my door, woke me up and left me with a scrap of paper - an ER number to call 2 1/2 hours away where Matt was fighting for his life. I know that I did not understand the full gravity of the situation at the time. Either his doctor was selective about the information she gave me or I just chose not to believe that it could be that bad. She told me they were sending Matt up to Dartmouth for surgery and that I should meet him there.
By the time I got there, he was already in surgery and I still had no idea what had actually happened, so when his surgeon finally came and talked to me was when my world turned upside down. He said that Matt's accident was really bad and that if he lives, he might never walk or talk again. He had suffered a serious skull fracture above his left ear which had caused a blood clot that they had to remove. Then it became a waiting game - I saw Matt once that afternoon for a few minutes and then later that night when they finally moved him into the ICU. I didn't take any pictures when he was there because I didn't want to remember, but I've found that I will never forget how he looked the first time I saw him - all the monitors, tubes and bandaging. It still seems unreal.
Now fast forward a year (if only that was actually possible) and as you know he's walking and talking and showing no signs of slowing his progress. I know that we would never have come from that low to where we are now without everything everyone has done for us along the way - from the first group of visitors at Dartmouth to the cards, comments, thoughts and prayers we still receive today. Thank you for everything that you do - we are truly blessed to have you all in our lives.
By the time I got there, he was already in surgery and I still had no idea what had actually happened, so when his surgeon finally came and talked to me was when my world turned upside down. He said that Matt's accident was really bad and that if he lives, he might never walk or talk again. He had suffered a serious skull fracture above his left ear which had caused a blood clot that they had to remove. Then it became a waiting game - I saw Matt once that afternoon for a few minutes and then later that night when they finally moved him into the ICU. I didn't take any pictures when he was there because I didn't want to remember, but I've found that I will never forget how he looked the first time I saw him - all the monitors, tubes and bandaging. It still seems unreal.
Now fast forward a year (if only that was actually possible) and as you know he's walking and talking and showing no signs of slowing his progress. I know that we would never have come from that low to where we are now without everything everyone has done for us along the way - from the first group of visitors at Dartmouth to the cards, comments, thoughts and prayers we still receive today. Thank you for everything that you do - we are truly blessed to have you all in our lives.
Friday, November 12, 2010
November already
I've been going to Matt's therapies with him a lot lately because it is so great to watch how he's progressing - and he can never really explain to me afterwards how awesome he's doing. (and since the hospital wifi is my only internet connection, I haven't had time to blog, even though I've had a lot to blog about.) So here's a rundown of the last couple weeks:
PT - Matt's really working hard with his hamstrings and they are slowly progressing. One exercise he's been doing is to lay on his stomach and try to lift his heel up by bending his knee. A few weeks ago, it was nearly impossible and we had to help every time. Now he can lift his lower leg by himself and he's using therabands (which add resistance) to strengthen the muscles. He's walking around the house without his cane at all and goes on short walks outside without it, too. He carries it with him, but tries to not use it - unless he's also going without the brace, in which case he still needs the cane.
OT - We all know Matt's wicked strong and it was only a matter of time before things clicked, but now that they have, his arm control is picking up quite rapidly. It's still really hard and requires a lot of concentration, but he's been able to straighten and bend his arm without any assistance. What used to require e-stim to engage, now only requires muscle massage and some of the time his biceps will engage without anything at all. At the end of the last session, even the muscles that make the wrist bend up were working with very little massage.
It's all very amazing and exciting to see - I'll try take another video soon! He's actually just starting another OT session, so I'm going to go watch what he does today.
PT - Matt's really working hard with his hamstrings and they are slowly progressing. One exercise he's been doing is to lay on his stomach and try to lift his heel up by bending his knee. A few weeks ago, it was nearly impossible and we had to help every time. Now he can lift his lower leg by himself and he's using therabands (which add resistance) to strengthen the muscles. He's walking around the house without his cane at all and goes on short walks outside without it, too. He carries it with him, but tries to not use it - unless he's also going without the brace, in which case he still needs the cane.
OT - We all know Matt's wicked strong and it was only a matter of time before things clicked, but now that they have, his arm control is picking up quite rapidly. It's still really hard and requires a lot of concentration, but he's been able to straighten and bend his arm without any assistance. What used to require e-stim to engage, now only requires muscle massage and some of the time his biceps will engage without anything at all. At the end of the last session, even the muscles that make the wrist bend up were working with very little massage.
It's all very amazing and exciting to see - I'll try take another video soon! He's actually just starting another OT session, so I'm going to go watch what he does today.
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