Up date on Matt 11/29

To everyone,

First off I would like to again thank everyone for their support! You have all provided such wonderful emotional and financial support. When I have time I will personally send each of you who donated a card, showing just how your donation helped Matt (but no fighting over who got to buy him his foo foo shampoo). You all have been incredibly selfless during this time of economic hardship. I know many of you are students or just getting into the job market. I also figure some of you are much like Bo and I and are just starting to carve out a niche for yourselves or yourselves and your families, I am grateful for your sacrifice.
My guess to is that there are a lot of you like Matt who were so passionate is took them awhile to find there way, to those I say MATT would take passion over a paycheck any day, HIZZA!!!!

(f anyone is interested I would be happy to type up something filling you in on Matt's life, he has many adventures. He has always loved and been loved along the way. I know many of you were in and out of touch. To these people I say:

"They say everlasting friends can go long periods of time without ever speaking and never question the friendship. These types of friends can pick up like they just spoke yesterday, regardless of how long it has been or how faraway they live. They don't judge or hold grudges. They just accept. They understand that life is..........
They will always be friends, they will always be there for each other, they will always love each other, and most important they WILL ALWAYS BE FRIENDS."

( super cheesy but true, plus I am too tired to catalog my brain for something better)

I also want to thank yo for your understanding about me having NO TIME to update the blog. I am working on getting Internet ( Matt was helping when he moved out to Spokane and was with us. He was so amazing as an older brother!) When we moved we lost sharing with the library. I should have it up and running within the week ( if things permit). I need wireless for the whole house at a pretty high speed ( you can watch nursing video's at home, instead of at the school if you have a high enough speed). If any of you tech savvy people can tell me the best route to go that would be great. Me and Matt were going to pick up a router from craigslist and now I can't remember what kind on Internet he said to get after. If anyone has a few good ideas, it would make updating SO much easier. I have so much to share and am also glad to hear that all of you have not faded away. I would like to start updating more as things are now changing on a very fast basis, sometimes daily. I repeat Matt is stable and alive and nobody needs to panic! So again thank you and I will try to sit down every night or two from now on even if to just type a few sentences. You have all been so great by following the Blog, I feel I should better to inform you on Matt's condition.

UPDATE ON MATT

Matt moved to the nursing home on Monday afternoon. ( If anyone needs he address, please ask and I will post it) . I was there for transport, and as things go it is as far away as it could be. It is about the same distance as Post Falls only harder to get to because, you can't jump on the freeway. He seemed uncomfortable at first and very agitated. After they moved him I gave him a massage and changed his linens. We then listen to some Jazz and read two books ( I try to change it up) He seemed much more relaxed after we got settled.

He is very sensitive and now that he has a roommate (who watches TV, screams, and etc..) it is difficult. I am trying to get him moved into a room with someone a little more at his level.

The Nursing Home has four stars out of five but that is there score. I give them a big finger ( guess which one, sorry to offend anyone). They are a typical nursing home. I would even say under average, as I have worked at nursing homes here in Spokane. The Doctor is in twice a week, but has over 60 patients. He specializes in geriatrics, so I would not count on a lot of Nero help for new treatments ( although I am working on it and there are still some ideas) Doctor G ( who is way cool, and they only one who gave Matt a chance) is still consulting with us. She has been amazing and given a lot of extra attention to us. She once told me on a phone call "you can't help but fall in love with Matt" Amazing even in a coma, Matt gets a women to fall in love with him Lol.

He does have a nurse everyday but she also had many patients, so the care is at a level way less than in Idaho. He will still get respiratory therapy, Physical therapy, and Occupational therapy.

I am working closely with all of these people. I will be able to update you more as he is there longer.

THE BIG NEWS IS: that he contracted pneumonia on Thanksgiving and has now been moved to the ICU at Providence in Spokane. He is stable! He has all the things that go along with having Pneumonia: fever, trouble breathing, lowered immune system, longer trach but not bigger in diameter, etc...

He is stable and is not in danger of dying! However, pneumonia is never good for someone in his condition. They are starting him on antibiotics. They still start will a general like Leviquin and then after his sputum sample comes back they will be able to isolate what kind of pnemonia it is and treat it with more specialized antibiotics, an antibiotic that is just for that strain he has.

The good news in he is in ICU. HUH you ask, well the care is better there and he is monitored all the time. The people who take care of him are at a higher caliber. THE BIGGEST THING IS I AM WORKING ON GETTING ANOTHER NEURO DOC TO LOOK AT HIM. I am guessing with my persistence and maybe a call from Doctor G , we can make it happen :) She works within that hospitals group, so I am very hopeful. However, I do not want to raise any hopes. Everyone up till now has said there will not be a good outcome, except Dr. G and she said that as the most optimistic. She also said that we are fighting MAJOR ODDS and that realistically there is a little chance he will wake up. Everyday that he does not wake up is MAJOR. If he doesn't wake in around 3 months for the accident, she can almost tell us 100 percent that he will not. Then you have to take into consideration in what state he will wake up in? if at all. I am sorry to be so harsh but that is the reality of this situation and I want everyone to feel we are being upfront. Although it seems things we are going bad, I think HOPE IS ALWAYS AMONG US AND MATT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A FIGHTER

I would like to assure you we are doing ALL we can!!!!!!!! We are doing everything we feel Matt would want us to. I am even having a medicine man and Shaman come in ( can you even imagine the look on Matt's face if he knew I was trying this)

I am home for a moment and will be back up to hospital shortly. I will then update the blog.

Since it has been awhile, here are a few random updates:

We still have seen no movement out of Matt's left hand but I am still working on it.
I have some time to research things, but Steph has been a great help!!! If you have any information that you think helpful you can email me directly at katherine_hardie@yahooo.com it will be easier for me to get it and put it into action if it is something that can help. However, please remember that every brain injury and person's physiology is different. Matt has shearing which is very severe. You may see people walking 2 months after waking up ( in-fact we had a friend in a coma 3 months, who can, with impairment,walk and talk now. This only took him two months to do in rehab. So please understand every brain injury is not the same. If it would be helpful and is ok with Rich, I could post the MRI and some doctors reports. I am not sure if that would be helpful or not, please let me know.

He is opening his eyes less and less often, but it is common for him to be exhausted easily.

INFO FROM WHEN HE WAS IN IDAHO

In Idaho he could move his right hand, HE EVEN DID A THUMBS UP!!!! and looked at me. There was some conflicting reports but some people though the was tracking for about 30 seconds.

He could wiggle his toes. In fact Ally made a CD of camp K songs that really got his toes moving. Who knew that Matt was a closet hip hop/gangster rap lover lol. He cannot some his left leg and he can slightly pull up his right.

He only sweats through the right half of his face ( not through armpits, feet, etc..) this shows extensive damage to his left side. He also mostly likely has damage to his right as well.

In Idaho has right hand started to posture, which is different from contracting. From what the physical therapist said, range of motion cannot fix this problem ( I do continue to do range of motion, along with salves and massage.) The posturing is directly related to the Neurological damage. We tried a splint, but it would only cause him to not be able to use his right hand. It lame terms it was not correcting the posturing. It was only keeping his arm down from raising to his chin, not correcting his hand.This is problematic because if Matt's hand postures in this way, he will hav no use of it.

This leads me to the next issue. His head has started posturing to the right in Idaho and has gotten so bad that it cannot move. It is basically stuck looking to the right. Again, they think this is neurological. I am trying my best to keep working on it and at least get it centered, but it may never happen. I can assure you that I am keeping him as comfortable as possible, even though he is in this position. I got an a great gel pillow from Idaho ( shhh the nurses and pt gave it to me) and have found a way to place the pillows so he is the most comfortable.

Matt is still in a clam-shell brace when up in a wheel chair. He does not have to wear it in bed. Although this makes me worry about spine alignment, it is much more comfprtable for him.
He still has many fractures in his back (none paralyzing) .
They have assured us that he does not need surgery and that if we continue the clam-shell and alignment in bed, they will heal on there own.
I am still not convinced that his back does not need surgery, but at this point it is not an option. However, I do continuly bring it up to everyone:)


Matt has been listening to music, Although, I cannot play all music he likes yet ( might be to much stimulation) I am slowly playing more of his favorites. You can only listen to so much classical and etc.. for Nero help. He still is an avid reader, yet he prefers for me to read to him. This is great way for me to feel superior for all those years back when we were little and I wanted to play Yahtzee and he wanted to play trivial pursuit.
We have been reading a range of books, but are up for suggestions.

I have also been working with cards. Since he can no longer communicate with his right hand, I have been trying to get him to communicate with his eyes. I feel that this is easiest way for him. I am working on getting him to track right now, which is difficult BUT I THINK HE DID IT FOR THE FIRST TIME ON THANKSGIVING!
I think he looked down at the cards. He then looked up and down at another card.
Again, please do not get overly excited. They say that family is often delusional about reactions. However, I think we are more prone to understand his non verbal cues and that is why I am continuly working on having him be able to communicate anyway he can.

I am going to wrap this up as I am heading back up to hospital. As a said I will try to update teh blog after I have been up there tonight ( it might be very late or early morning)
Right now I while he is in ICU, i am just working on his comfort level and beating that pneumonia.
When he is healthy enough and back at teh nursing home, we will continue to work on his physical, and occupational therapy ( theirs and mine) .

I wish I had more time, as their is so much I would like to say..............

You all have been incredible and I think Matt would be very happy and proud to see a group of people band together for a cause. He often talked about many of you to me. To those I know and those I don't.......Matt held his friends very close to his heart. He may not have always been teh first to call or the first to call back ever lol, but know that all of you had a special place in his heart.

To his new and old friends of Matt's and anyone in between: know that I am doing my best to take care of Matt as I think he would want and as I know he would do for me. The only thing that sucks, is Matt would have already had this figured out ( man I loved that brain, in fact I loved everything from his often cheese smelling feet to his curls.

I wish I could post some quote to leave you all with, that would leave you with some sense of peace but I think right now the best advice I can give is to: take care of yourselves, live life, appreciate the day, think of Matt when it is good for you, have a fearless compassionate attitude toward your own pain and that of others, and most importantly love and be loved as Matt is and did.

Know that anyone of you are welcome anytime at my home.

On a side note: I am looking into Hospice of Spokane. I know that we would all want Matt to have ANY options available as we continue this journey.

Sorry if this post is out of order, little time and very tired.