Update Wednesday 08/18/2010:

MATT IS ON THE REHAB FLOOR!!!!! This is a huge step and now he just needs to work at what his goals will be for him to be home. He was officially medically released to get moved and so they did it today. He is excited and anxious for what lies ahead but he is determined so that is a good thing!!!!

Update Tuesday 08/17/2010:

Over the weekend Matt had his room changed he is now in room D112 with his own shower!!! Matt had decided to have the doctors decrease his pain medication because he was just feeling way too out of it and was sleeping way too much. He didn't like it and neither did the doctors. Because of... that he is now more awake during the day to be able to get in some good PT time and so far he is impressing the therapists. We are hoping by the end of the week he can be medically released to go up to rehab. He has been getting outside on nice days as well. Keep thoughts and prayers coming....Matt thanks everyone for all of your well wishes!!!

UPDATE Sunday 8/8/10:

Matt seems to be adjusting to the loss of his leg well. He keeps making lots of jokes and is in good spirits! Good news on the kidney front: they will be removing his permanent dialysis catheter soon because he is urinating a lot on his own & they are very pleased with his progress! So he may have had his last dialysis treatment! Keep your fingers crossed!

UPDATE Thursday 08/05/10:

 Matt is out of surgery and they were able to save his knee! All things look good right now so keep praying that things heal up fast and Matt will not need any more surgeries and he will be able to leave the hospital soon!

PLEASE PRAY!

Please pray for my brother this morning as he goes into surgery to remove his lower leg....I love you Matt! XOXOXOXO

Update Wednesday 08/04/2010:

Matt's amputation surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning. Please keep him in your prayers and pray that the surgery goes well and the doctors are able to amputate below the knee.... XOXOXO Mathew!

Update Tuesday 08/03/2010:

So today Matt called me to update the blog for him. Matt and his doctors have decided that the wound on his leg just isn't getting better and because of that and running the risk of Matt being in and out of surgeries and risk of infection as well they have decided to amputate. Matt is aski...ng for lots of prayers due to the fact that they are not sure at this point if the amputation can be BK (below the knee)...if it is below the knee he will at least have the joint and it would be an easier time physical therapy wise. So please we are all asking everyone to say a little prayer for Matt. They are thinking the surgery for that may be Thursday or Friday, however Matt has also spiked some fevers and until that subsides surgery will be held off...unless of course it is the leg that is causing the fevers. Matt is in very good spirits about all of this, he has come to terms with the fact that he wants a better quality of life and with a prosthetic he can.

Update August 1, 2010:

Matt was doing well today. He was up in his chair for most of the day and the only thing he had to do was get his dressing changed which takes about an hour and is very painful. He has another procedure on his leg tomorrow and possibly dialysis so tomorrow he will be very tired. Keep thoughts and prayers coming...he is doing better but he still has a long way to go.

Update Wednesday 07/28/2010:

Today Matt had another procedure on his leg wound and also had a more permanent catheter for dialysis inserted into his chest. The good news is that HE PEE'D on is own today - not really something that you wanted to hear I know - but hopefully it means that his kidneys are starting to come back! The Dr's say that we will have to wait & see but it is a good sign! Matt is still having lots of pain from his leg wound. He is able to self medicate his pain with a button he calls his "jeopardy button". He tries to use it sparingly during the day so that the medication doesn't run out at night when he needs it most to sleep. He is enjoying having visitors...just make sure to call or text him before you come so that he can let you know what a good time is to visit!

UPDATE!!!

Thanks you everyone for visiting Matt! He is really enjoying having company. Also, he has been asking for a lot of food from the "outside" and unfortunately, Matt needs to be on a restricted diet. Please refrain from bringing in outside food/candy for him - even if he calls you and begs you to bring him something :-( We all want the best for Matt and for him to recover as soon as possible, so please check with his Dad/Mom (Leon/Lynn) regarding bringing any food in to him! Thank you!

Update Tuesday 07/27/2010:

Matt was doing well today...He is having another surgery on his leg tomorrow and dialysis so tomorrow he will be tired I'm sure...It's good to have the Matt back we all know...even his frustration is back...no patience EVER!!!! LOL

Update Saturday 07/24/10:

Matt is FINALLY out of ICU! Yeah!!! He was in VERY good spirits today, seemed like the old Matt, but is still just very tired at times. He would like to start having visitors, but Matt said to give him a call before coming to the hospital to schedule visits around his PT, dialysis and resting.... You can also call Lynn or Leon as they will also know the best times for visiting. Matt does have his cell phone with him. He does still have a lot of pain, but the nurses are giving him "the good stuff" :-) Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers they are obviously working cause he is getting better every day.

Update Thursday 07/22/2010:

So Matt said to me today he really pushed himself with PT today. However his foot was really bothering him after that and for a few hours. He said the pain was just throbbing today. We aren't sure if it's because of the wounds on his leg or if some nerves are starting to come back with fee...ling for him. They gave him some pain meds and thankfully he slept. He also said he slept well last night for the first time in days. Dialysis went well today. He actually is ok with that and the doctors are optimistic that within the next month or 2 they may regain function but for now this is what has to happen. He calls me occationally to get him movies...poor thing doesn't have much to do. His appetite is good in the beginning of the day but he gets so tired at night it's not so good. He saw Bri again today. His spirits are good...we are hoping for him to be out of ICU soon but unfortunately they can't tell us when just yet...it's a day to day thing there.

Update Wednesday 07/21/2010:

Matt was more sleepy today...I think not sleeping much at night is catching up to him. He saw Brianna for the first time today since all of this happened. It was a nice visit for both of them. Dialysis is scheduled for tomorrow. He had a 1/2 hr of PT tod...ay and Matt realized how weak this has all made him...however the therapist said he did well...but Matt has no patience...guess he will have to find some and soon...another good day.

Update Tuesday 07/19/2010:

Matt is getting better everyday, however he is still in ICU so he doesn't get much rest. He gets tired easily so we are still asking everyone to be patient. We all know there are many family and friends who want to see him and hopefully it will be soon. He had dialysis today and it went ver...y well. His white blood cell count is still high but it was slighly lower than yesterday so it is moving in the right direction. He is watching his movies and making friends with his nurses...he shaved himself today and was very whitty. He still doesn't have feeling in his left foot and asks us to massage it for him. The wound vac is still on his leg to help heal the open wounds he has from the swelling which is somewhat uncomfortable for him but all in all he is in good spirits. He starts physical therapy tomorrow as well...all in all a good day...

UPDATE: Monday 07/19/2010

Update Monday 07/19/2010:Matt looked great today and is less "bitchy" for lack of a better word. He was actually apologizing to nurses and to us for the way he had been but he couldn't help it. He had his pick line changed and his port for dialysis. His white blood cell count is up but he has no fever so sometimes t...hose can be the reason so they changed them to see if that will help. He will be on dialysis daily for a little while because every other day just isn't helping filter his blood enough. He talked to Bri today and it was emotional but good I think for both of them. He wanted me to let everyone know that he appreciates all the prayers and thoughts coming his way. Today he realized how serious it was. He is in some discomfort and they give him morphine as needed, but that makes his belly not so good...he ate some today as well. Slow progress but great progress...really great!!!!!

Update Sunday 07/18/2010:

Matt is doing a little better today. He still gets very aggrivated because he still doesn't understand why he can't just get up and do stuff or leave. He still can't comprehend the extent of what had happened. So we, along with the wonderful and patient nursing staff, take him with a grain o...f salt. We try to explain things to him but he is just not at that point of understanding yet. So because he is still in ICU we are still limiting visits to immediate family. We thank you all in advance for your patience and understanding. As soon as he is more Matt we will let everyone know when he can have more visitors. The chest tube came out today and dialysis is now down to every other day. His progress is slow but good...keep him in your thoughts and prayers...everyone is impressed with how well he is doing and how far he has come.

Update Saturday 07/17/2010:

So Matt today is more Matt...he isn't happy with being in the hospital and wants to go home. Unfortunately he still doesn't comprehend the extent of what really happened and how bad it was. The nurses try and tell him he needs to stay and heal but he doesn't know why. All of this is normal... and said he will be more himself in a few days...Still good to see Matt's personality coming through. All good progress for him!!!!!

UPDATE Friday 7/16/10:

GREAT NEWS! The breathing tube is out! Matt is still in the ICU, but all meds are off and he is starting to talk! He is still very tired and needs his rest but his is on his way back to his stubborn self! He wanted to have ginger ale & right now his stomach is still iffy, but he was asking the family to smuggle it in for him! Keep wishing him a fast recovery...he seems to be on his way!

UPDATE Thursday 7/15/10

Matt is doing well again today. He had another round of dialysis this morning. After that they let him breathe on his own (without the vent turned on) for 2 hours and he did great! He is getting anxious and frustrated because of the tube in his mouth & wants it out NOW! Hopefully it will be very soon!

WHAT HAPPENED????

HOW IT ALL STARTED….
On Friday afternoon July 9, Matt was having some chest pain and lots of pain/tingling in his legs.  He called 911 and was taken to the Catholic Medical Center in Manchester.
When he was assessed in the ER they found that he had an aneurysm on his aortic arch. Friday evening he had emergency heart surgery to replace his aortic valve, his aortic arch & the bases of the three major arteries off the arch the feed his brain. He got through the surgery and was in very critical condition on Saturday. Sunday morning he needed to go back into surgery to do a bypass on his femoral artery as he started to have no circulation in his left leg. He remained very critical for the remainder of the day.
UPDATE FOR MONDAY 7/12/10
Matt is doing better today. He is moving his feet, which is great b/c they did a femoral (leg) artery bypass in his left leg yesterday (Sunday) morning. The bypass repaired a tear in the artery, so we were concerned about the function of his leg but everything is working fine today. He is moving more (still sedated) but he will respond to voice & touch and he will nod or shake his head if asked questions. He still has a breathing tube in & it will be in for a while, however that is ok - his lungs are fine the tube is just in so that he can rest and his body can concentrate on healing the other parts that need to heal. Kidneys are not working that well right now but they are still working and for now they aren't going to do any dialysis. His chest x-ray & kidney ultrasound both came back normal. More good news for today!
UPDATE FOR TUESDAY 7/13/10
Things were really good today! Matt had his eyes opened a lot and was very responsive. His nurses say that his heart is in great shape. His blood pressure is pretty stable and he is on very minimal blood pressure meds. He still is fully breathing with a breathing tube but having him on the tube allows his body to rest and heal. He had a round of dialysis today to clean his blood some and hopefully give his kidneys a rest & time to heal. That is really his biggest hurdle right now. Overall a really great day!
UPDATE FOR WEDNESDAY 7/14/10 M
att is no longer on any blood pressure meds! (which were really all the meds he was on aside from his sedative meds). He went through another round of dialysis today. The surgeon was in this morning to remove some fluid in his lungs which has occurred because of all the fluid that was pumped into his body during and days after the surgery. They were able to remove all the fluid and he/his BP tolerated the procedure very well. They are continuing to do “Aquapheresis” to remove excess fluid that is in his body. He's taking 8 breaths on his own and 10 with the machine. Good day so far!!!