Back in Baltimore!

Hello, Hello from Baltimore -
Well, we have been here now for just over one week. - Matthew had all his pins removed last Monday - out of surgery around 5pm. Once he awoke from surgery he's was great. No pain, no troubles at all. Dr. Paley came to speak to me after the surgery to let me know that he did not put rods into Matthew's femurs and that we were to see Dr. Standard in 2 weeks. (Matthew had let it be known to the doctors that he didn't want rods and that we'd do whatever was needed to avoid them - so we have to stay at least for 2 weeks). When we see Dr. Standard on the 2nd of April, he may say we have to come again in another two weeks. - so at the moment, we are just waiting and waiting, and waiting some more!
Matthew's legs are in great shape, he can get over 90º bending both legs and they both seem quite straight too - he's taking calcium and vitamin D to help things along, and I have him doing some stretches now and then to try to limber him up.
Any calls, emails or msn contacts would be most welcome!
If anything changes, we shall fill you in.
Talk to you soon, take care,
Pam & Matt

Almost time for first Exray...

We've made it thru just over 1 month at home!

Matthew's been going to Eagle Ridge for therapy 4 days/wk for 1 hr, and it has been going well. When we left Baltimore, he had tightness in his left ankle and right knee. Therapy has completely fixed the ankle tightness and we have almost managed to straighten his right knee. Matthew has been attempting to lie on his stomach with his shins hanging over the end of the bed so that the fixators in his shins pull them straighter. Then, once he rolls over, we put a 5lb dumbell on his fixator to help push it flat - and it seems to be working.

He has graduated from using the walker to using 2 canes and sometimes only 1 depending on where he is. So, all in all, things are progressing nicely.

He has an appt. tomorrow before therapy to have his first set of exrays taken to send to Dr. Paley, and I'm dying to see how they look - I fully expect him to be almost ready to go for removal.

I emailed Dr. Paley a while ago re: removal as he had mentioned using rods to reinforce Matthew's legs once the pins are removed. Initially I didn't want that to happen, but afterwards thought that maybe it wouldn't be so bad if it meant he could walk immediately. However, when Brittany came home with rods and instructions for no weight bearing on top of it, I had to re-think that one.
I tried to clarify it with Dr. Paley but he said he decides during the removal surgery! - I'll have to keep at it until I get a concrete answer.

So, things are going smoothly, still no pin site infections and all the kinks seem to be working themselves out.

Hopefully we haven't much longer before we can be all done!

We'll keep in touch and let you all know how the exrays look and what Dr. Paley has to say about them.

Talk to you soon,

Pam

Home Sweet Home!

Well, after a hellish day trying to travel - we finally arrived home - 7 hours late!!! If it wasn't fog in Baltimore, it was high winds in Vancouver! But, we finally made it. Through it all, Matthew faired quite well. We actually ended up with bulkhead seating on the first leg (supposed to be the emergency row, but the exit door was only on one side, so it worked out perfectly) - but lost it for the ride home! - At that point it was either squeeze in, or wait another 3 hours for another plane - that they couldn't even guarantee bulkhead seating on either. - So, we roughed it - with a capital R! We couldn't have handled another minute.

As nice as it is to be home, it is always a rough transition from being able to spend every hour just focused on Matthew, how he is, what he needs to do etc., to being dropped right back into 'real life' ! - I'm sure it'll take at least a week to smooth out the wrinkles!

So, once I've managed to un-pack and re-organize things, I should just have enough time to wrap, and hopefully bake a little, before the big day!

We want to thank everyone for your support through all of this - if it wasn't for all our wonderful family and friends, Matthew would never have been afforded this fantastic opportunity. - Once he is finished with therapy, we think he'll just about reach 5'2"!! - All that, including 2 perfectly straight legs, adjusted hips and elbows, longer arms and increased self confidence you can surely see. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

Much love everyone, we'll do an occasional post during the consolidation and perhaps a few extras as he goes back for the removal.

Take Care,

Happy Holidays.

Pam, Al, Matthew and Samantha
xo

Only 2 more sleeps!

Matthew has come thru the muscle release/knock knee surgery pretty well. 1st night was rough - as to be expected - but he now is moving around almost as easily as before he went in for it. His left ankle is still quite stiff and tender to put weight on, but he'll have to push it to get the range of motion back. He is to do more walking to help that along. He has therapy 2xday Mon-Weds, and we are supposed to hook up with Dr. Paley sometime on Tues. between his surgeries for a last once-over before we leave. I think it'll be positive as Matthew is doing so well. Michelle the therapist is quite pleased with what he has been able to re-gain anyway. Once we are home we may have to schedule in therapy 3-5 days a week, and gradually leave the wheelchair behind as before. Paley advised on last visit that it will be 3 mos. before we go for removal, but will check that on Tues........

Well - didn't manage to hook up with Dr. Paley today. We were told he'll meet us for sure tomorrow ?!? - sure hope so as that's all we have left! - He is still improving at therapy, but we have lots of questions we need him to answer before we leave.

We'll try to do a quick post tomorrow night - but can't promise as we'll be quite busy!

I have already got 3 cases packed since the weekend - rather eager to get home!

See you all soon,

take care!

Pam and Matt

Gotta go in for a quick fix!

Therapy at 11 - meet with Paley at 12:10 - got update from therapy re: status - has improved greatly over last two weeks, but still has one tight knee and ankle. When met with PA today advised biggest concern was that legs are straight and even. Paley came in advising that he does have about 5-10º of knock knees. The angle is coming from femur and only way to correct it is to do new break just above kneecap, and basically open a wedge that will alter angle and correct knees. He is also concerned about left ankle as flexion has not returned. So, tomorrow we are going in for another quick surgery. This will completely correct knees and give his ankle (perhaps both) an easier time of adjusting to new limb length. After this he will get back all his ankle flexion that he started with. Surgery time is 1:30 pm, have to be there for 11:30. He also advised to still keep to 2 hrs therapy a day until leave. So - we shall talk to you tomorrow and let you know how things went, Matthew hopes to make it a day surgery. Ciao!

Time to catch up!

It's been a while! - nothing much has happened over the last few weeks., - same old, same old. - We did however, decide to do a day trip. We drove down to Washington, (1hr away) and did the tourist thing! - White House, Washington's Monument, Reflecting Pool etc. Matthew will attach some pics. From there we went down to Potomac Mills Outlet Mall (ext. 1/2hr) and did some Christmas shopping! - the mall has over 200 outlet stores in it - and we managed to get quite a bit done!. F/U with Dr. Paley - on Monday at 9:45 - got there 10ish, had exrays by 11 (from front). Paley came in and we went over the fact that Matt's shins are ok - once legs are straight the 'knock knee' look will disappear, and that as they were bent, exray was bascially useless to determine length gained. Sent us back for exrays from side for actual view. Initial exray showed femurs at 5.6 and tibias at 4.8, new exray showed actual length for femurs at 6.2 and tibias 5.4 - quite a difference! - So, all in all, Matthew has gained 11.6cm - or just over 4.5" from this surgery. He should come out of this with his legs straight and even. We have officially stopped turning and Dr. Paley has instructed Matthew to get as much therapy over the next two weeks as he can get - so he is now scheduled for 2 hours a day with a bit of a break in-between. Once done, the plan is to have a quick lunch and then go to the pool where he will work a little more, but mostly let the heated water soothe him. Our next appt. with Paley is on Dec. 4th - at that time, he suggested that if there isn't a big improvement from therapy by then that he will consider a muscle release at that time - his delay in doing it is that he wasn't 100% certain that he needed it and didn't want to open him up and find there wasn't much he could do. So, now we wait again. As he has stopped turning, there should be much better results from therapy, so, we'll see..........

Well - this is now the 27th - after a week of therapy, his left leg is almost straight, but the right is still being stubborn. We even took Friday off and went to New Jersey with another family for Thanksgiving (US), managed to visit with Marlo and family while we were there too, and even got more Christmas shoppng in! - Unfortunately, it was crazy for driving! - took us 6 hours to get there and 71/2 to get home! - should have taken 4! - Oh well, now we can say we've been to New Jersey. - Marlo and family had wanted us to visit this weekend. - Dec. 3rd., but we are now thinking that we'll stay here - it's quite a distance to go for a quick weekend. - Also, we don't want to miss any more therapy as our next appt. is on the following Monday. I think we'll try to go up for a longer visit when we come back for pin removal.

So, we should be all caught up now - sorry for not blogging more frequently. But, the count down is now on - only 17 days left to go! -

Must say though, sure don't miss the snow they are all getting at home!

Take care all, talk to you again soon,
Matt & Pam

Gotta Slow it down...

Dr Paley appt at 2pm - went early right after therapy, so got there about 1pm. Went for quick lunch back to house, then waited in clinic until 7:45 pm! Weren't sure if he was going to say Matt had to stop, or that he'd change fixator to correct shin and do muscle and nerve releases - But, instead, he says shins aren't as bad as look because his knees won't straighten. So, reduce turns to 2 over 2 for 2 more weeks, then we will determine at that time what is the next step. I advised he has to keep in mind that we are leaving on Dec. 14th. He wasn't too happy at having a deadline, said he couldn't work that way - that we definitely wouldn't get max. potential. We advised that was just fine. Matt feels that anything he gets now is a bonus. So he reluctantly agreed to work with us on the date. - So, I guess we'll have to see how it goes over the next two weeks. If the contracture doesn't get any better, we'll insist on a release as we want to go home with straight legs that are equal in length that only need exercise when we return, and no correction. I think I'll send an email to him to verify that we'll have enough time to do corrections before we leave if they are needed at that visit (20th). So if I hear anything back from him, I'll let you know - talk to you later!

May have to stop!

Well, it is getting much harder! Just this last week Matthew's ankles and knees have tightened considerably. So much so that we think Dr. Paley will be telling us he either HAS to stop lengthening or undergo a muscle release. Matthew had initially decided that he would stop before needing that additional surgery, but it seems things are now out of our hands. His knees and ankles have tightened so much this last week that he cannot straighten his legs by himself. Only after much work can a therapist push them straight. On Friday we were concerned about this and continuing lengthening over the weekend, so we had Dr. Paley paged. He responded by advising that as long as Matthew doesn't have any nerve trouble symptoms that he can continue lengthening over the weekend and then come to see him on Monday instead of next Thursday. So, Matthew has decided that if he can have the circular fixator put on at the same time as the muscle release and perhaps even a nerve release, he will do it. Then, as soon as there is a hint of tightening after that, he will stop completely. From this surgery he has gained approx. 4". This takes him to about 5'1" ! - which is actually 2" more than he initially hoped to get from all this at the beginning. He has had his back and arm straightened, his shins and hip flexion corrected and gained all this length which has made him much more able to function in this world built for people at least 5' tall. So, we shall see what happens at the meeting tomorrow and let you all know what will happen. Other than that he is doing well. The pool therapy is working out nicely. We go every day M-F after land therapy, and he gets to walk in the water, and do other exercises to help build up his muscles. He hasn't had any infections yet, although we are wondering if one may be starting - sometimes it is hard to tell if it is an infection or whether it is just that the pins sights are being pulled by the lengthening. Either way, if this new sensitivity doesn't subside by tomorrow, we will start on antibiotics, just to be sure. So, take care, and we'll fill you in tomorrow as to the outcome of our FIRST meeting with Dr. Paley this trip. Talk to you then!

2nd Follow Up Appt.

Follow up appt. Dr. Standard at 10am then Land therapy with Michelle, then pool with Marlo. It's been a rough week. Tightening is happening quite a bit now. Have to force ankles to be able to get them to neutral position, and work on knees to keep them flat, although knee bending is still good at 90º. Exrays show 4.25 cm on femur and 3.75 cm on tibias, but the tibias are going into valgus position - (bowing). So, that means that about 2 weeks before leaving we have to change apparatus on shins to make corrections. Dr. S noted that bone growth is still really good and advised to slow to 4 turns on femurs and 3 on tibias which may help soft tissue 'catch up' a little. Also advised he can do standing transfer which may also help ankles and prep Matt for standing exray as we get nearer date to leave. Dr. S believes he should be able to continue lengthening with no problem and to follow up in 2 more weeks - have appt. booked with Dr. P already for that. So, by next appt. we shld be around 9.7 cm/ just under 4". As initial goal at onset of surgeries was to gain 12", Matthew has decided that he will continue lengthening until he is told he has to stop - but will not do a muscle release to go further. As of today's measurements, in total, he has already met that initial goal. With basically 6 more weeks left of potential lengthening, anything he gains now is a bonus!

Went to the new pool today!

Had new foot plates made today - old ones were too short and were creating nerve trouble in foot. We then went to therapy which went well, then we immediately loaded up and went to the pool. - It was great. There were only 8 people in the entire pool, it was nice and warm, and Matthew and Marlo finally got some weight bearing /exercise, although we may find that we've over-done the first day. We plan to go M-F right after therapy each day. So glad we found it!

We Got Pool!

Therapy went well today - had a shower this am and it always seems to make Matthew feel better - He is really looking forward to getting to the pool, so I sure hope it works out. Anil (head of therapy at Sinai) advised chlorine level needed, so as long as we are in the ball park, we are going to go to this new pool. - Well, we're going in! - the Wellness Center called this afternoon and advised that they keep their chlorine level at 3, which meets the specs at Sinai. We'll sign up tomorrow and let you know how it goes. Take care.

Think we have a pool!

Had exrays done to check that Matt's femurs are ok at the turning schedule we are doing - and were told all looks good. So we'll continue the same until his next full follow up on the 27th. Got a prescrip. for Baclofen - a muscle relaxer - that will hopefully make life easier. Went to view a pool that is nearby to see if they will accept fixator patients as we are told it will be at least another 2 months before Sinai gets their's fixed! Turns out it is only 20 mins away, The director used to work at Sinai for 23 yrs., has a soft spot for all that they do and is willing to let us use the pool. He is calling tomorrow with their chlorine levels, and if all looks good, several families here at the house will be using their pool for the next little while. We are all very happy! It will make the kids recuperation much easier, and 3 months will cost the equivalent to one aqua therapy at Sinai!We couldn't have found it at a more needed time for Matthew as his joints are getting so tight. Ttyl! take care.

Still doing well, for the most partl.

We went down to the Inner Harbour with Marlo and family on the wknd. We had an early dinner - (thanx to Marlo's Aunt & Uncle for treating us all!), then did some shopping. It was a nice day. Sunday was an at home day as weather wasn't the greatest. Matt is having trouble sleeping at night - legs and feet getting crampy from lack of use. I'm trying to find a pool we can go to for exercise. But, he is still doing well on bends and flexion. Today (Tues) he got 100 and 105º on bends and his ankle flexion is still good - and all that with no meds - Mom forgot to give it to him!! He is getting stiff, but he's ok. So he is still doing well - almost at 2.25". We have an appt tomorrow for ex-rays to check his femurs to make sure we aren't turning too fast as we've been doing 5 turns every other day for a bit - hope we can stay on that schedule as we're not going to be here for full 3 months of turning otherwise. Just need to be sure that it won't cause troubles if we do, so we'd rather be safe. So, we'll talk to you all later in the week - still love to see some mail....hint, hint!!! Take care.

Matt Wuz Here!

Had a rough nite - kept waking up all through the nite - was late for therapy too. It wasn't Matthew either - he acutally slept quite well! Michelle says to make sure stretch hamstrings and ankles over weekend. Found a pool close by that does therapy - going to try to check it out tomorrow. It's only 13 mins. away. Could be good. Matthew left his mark on our room - a 'Matt Wuz Here' insignia - he ran his wheelchair into the wall and made a nice 'mailbox' slash in it! - I'm sure the house'll be impressed! No big plans for the weekend, other than getting out of the house. Talk to you later, take care.

We Got Mail!

FInally got some mail and our movies all at the same time yesterday! So Exciting! Many thanx to Cameron - Matthew's 3yr old cousin - for sending us special cards to let us know he is thinking of us. It meant a lot to both of us. Thanx also to D, N & the girls too! Therapy is getting a little tougher. The hamstrings and ankles are needing attention and the stretches are not fun! But, Matt gets through it all like a trouper! He is pretty wiped out for a while after therapy as it is such a workout. While he is there today I plan to take the extra van seat back to the rental place & re-sign for the 2nd month. Then we'll have more room in the van when it comes time to leave. 63 more days! Talk to you all over the weekend. Hope everyone is doing well - Take Care.

2nd Follow up

Had appt. with Dr. Standard at 11 am - Paley is away again. Therapy at 2pm. Meeting went well - growth measures 2.5 cm on femur and 2 cm on tibias - have to speed femurs up to 5 turns every other day and keep tibias at 4 as new bone is filling in very fast - will get exray done on 18th to make sure not turning too fast, then next appt. will be on 27th. Asked Michelle to concentrate on ham strings as they are getting tight. Had Pizza brought in again, then read and watched movies til late. Talk to you soon, - Please send mail!

Doing well with therapy.

Was supposed to talk to James Cox on Friday - re: fin. aid request, but he left early - need revised estimate for therapy 5 x / wk x 1 hr. as there's no pool. Matthew was fantastic at therapy! - 95º and 105º bends and ankle flexion is still good!! Couldn't believe it - we'll have to see what happens after the weekend. Weather wasn't the greatest - had a couple of lazy days - computers, tv, computers, caught a movie, went to mall - same old, same old. Hopefully weather will be better next week so we can get out a bit for some fresh air. Monday is our next full follow up, so we'll let you know how that goes. Hope all is well with everyone at home - Miss you guys! talk to you soon, M & P.

Limb Lengthening

Had land therapy today with Michelle - she is still pleased with status, then changed strut and had stitch removed with George. Out for dinner with Marlo and Lois - enough leftovers for all day tomorrow! House is very full with lots waiting to get in - busy place. We signed up for Netflix when we got here, but we're having trouble with getting mail! - Keeps getting sent to next building - it's very frustrating - we've only received 2 movies so far. We'll have to pull out the old favourites this weekend. Have a good weekend, Talk to you later.

Another easy day!

As therapy isn't until 2pm, we get up around 11 am, then meet Marlo and Lois for lunch at the cafeteria before heading to therapy for 2 pm, which is still not being a problem. We got back around 3:30 to find that it was Pizza night again. After doing a little work in our room, we went out and joined everyone for Pizza then had Marlo and Lois back to our room for a movie - another day is done - only 71 more to go - not that we're counting or anything !?! Take care.

New Month - New Therapist

Land therapy was with Michelle today. She is a therapist I had on the first leg surgery. I still managed to get 85º & 90º on leg bends, but the whole session took way too long. Too many breaks while she worked on other people, I'm gonna have to say something tomorrow if it happens again. By the way - it sure would be nice to get some mail! - Anybody, Anybody... (mailing address is on earlier blog) We have our next appt. for follow up booked for the 9th too - so hopefully all goes well between now and then. Well, see y'all tomorrow.

Trip to Zoo.

Went to the zoo today - saw more action there than I have ever seen at any zoo. - Polar bears were swimming laps, Rhinos were out and about, Gazelles were running, Chimps were swinging on ropes, Leopards were growling at us - it was pretty cool. Had another yummy meal supplied by the Buonforte family -many thanx for that! - Then it was back to the TV for us! Wish we could think of other stuff to fill our endless hours with. Matthew and Marlo have been doing puzzles - think that should work for them for a bit anyway. Talk to you later.

Long Weekend

We made plans to go back to Columbia mall with a couple of other patients/families on yesterday, and spent the day there - we left at 11:30 am and got home at 8 pm - We caught a movie matinee (The Guardian - which was really good), did a bit of shopping - Matthew's $25 winnings were burning a hole in his pocket - then had dinner at Cheesecake Factory (Umm, Umm, Good!). It was a good day. Today we stayed home, watched a couple of movies - had a pasta dinner compliments of Marlo's family from New Jersey, then will do some therapy/stretches before calling it a day. We going to try to go to the Baltimore Zoo tomorrow - although it may be closed - again due to Yom Kippur. Marlo and family got tickets to go and asked us to go along, so as we haven't been before, thought we'd check it out. Talk to you Monday.

1st Clinic Follow Up Visit

1st Clinic meeting was today - For lengthening turns Matthew has been doing, 4 RFemur, 4 LFemur, 6 RTibia and 3 LTibia - since the problem with the locking nut dropping out - but as the tibias are now caught up Dr. Standard wants us to do 4 all around for 2 more weeks - then to go in for next clinic appt. on the 9th, (I'm thinking I'll have Matthew take extra calcium to help build bone) - then we will see if we can speed up - Dr. advised that if we go too fast, the new bone may end up being weaker and thinner/narrowed, and we don't want that happening, so will see how he is doing first. He is still getting 90º on knee bends, his ankles are flexing well and everything looks good. He has reached 15 mm on femurs and 8 mm on tibias so far, so we are doing well. Monday is Yom Kippur, so the hospital is closed, which means we have a long weekend from therapy coming up. At the cafeteria today they were playing bingo for employee appreciation day. We thought it was just for employees, but Matthew played along for fun anyway. Turns out anyone can win - so he did just that! - On the final game it was to 'cover the board', and he tied for winning with an employee - they got $25 each! - Too funny! - He wants to go to the mall tomorrow! For those of you that like to write - he'd love to get a card or two - they can be sent to: Hackerman-Patz House, 2434 W. Belvedere Ave., Baltimore, MD, 21215 Attn: Matthew Drake, rm. 101. Well, have a good weekend everyone, talk to you soon, take care!

All goes well.

Finally got an appt. for ENT - at 2pm today. Hope everything can be fixed up. Therapy is going well - still able to get to 90º. Therapist says he is going very well - no problems. After therapy had quick lunch with Marlo and Lois, then left for appt, downtown. Was given prescriptions for decongestant, antibiotic and nasal spray - hopefully these will do the trick. They want him back at the end of Oct. to do a hearing test - so we'll see then if it all makes any difference. On the ride there and back, Matthew got himself into the front seat with his knees slightly bent resting on cushions. Much prefers riding forwards instead of sideways, and doesn't give him any pain, so I think that's what he'll be doing from now on. It's movie night at the house tonite, so that should be fun, Talk to you all tomorrow. Take care.


Therapy Video

ENT appt. coming up.

Woke late today - had to rush to therapy for 11 - then we went up to clinic for the exray to make sure the right leg was ok as a locking bolt on top part of fixator dropped off last week. It seems that we weren't gaining when we were doing the turns for a couple of days, so we now have to double the turns on his right shin to catch up to the left one by Friday. We have a complete follow up then for both full legs, so hopefully it will be good news. Got hold of extended benefits today too to organize coverage for emergency visit to ENT DR for Matthew - he is now nearly deaf at the moment! I don't want to leave him like this for 3 months so thought I'd see if we can get it looked at. We will get an appt. on Friday (hopefully) and see then. We were also told today that the pool is going to be out of operation for 2-3 months! They are trying to see if they can send us elsewhere. So, until then, we'll see how it goes with the showers instead. Talk to you later.

Ear troubles...

Today we went to Arundel mall, thought we'd catch a matinee and a good dinner. It took about 40 mins to get there as the rain was so heavy, everyone on the freeway was only going 40mph. Once we were there tho - the rain had stopped - which was lucky for us! Saw Gridiron Gang - was pretty good, then picked up what we needed, had a quick dinner and headed back. We got home just before 10. So we managed to 'waste' the day pretty easily! Tomorrow we have to get an exray done to be sure the lengthening is going ok, then therapy at 11. We sure are getting fed up of micro meals! - Bought Matthew multi-vitamins today as we aren't doing too well with nutrition! Big concern with him is his ears - they are so full of fluid he can hardly hear me two feet away. It is really bad. I've trying to find a natural remedy but haven't had any luck. I'm concerned that leaving it til we return will damage his hearing....If anyone has any great ideas, please send them along! - We'll talk to you tomorrow. take care.

Pool's Out!

Well, we went to therapy on Thursday only to find that they had a pipe break in the ceiling above the pool and it has been closed down! - If that wasn't bad enough, it was a sewage pipe!! - Eeewww!! So - we got up early for nothing! - land therapy wasn't until 11 so we had a couple of hours to kill. Still everything is going well still in that area. We had a group donate dinner again - pasta and salads, so that was nice, and afterwards we went out to see 'Snakes on a Plane'! It made for a late nite, but we didn't have to get up early. On Friday we were told that the pool will probably be down for at least 2 weeks!!! - It is such an important part of therapy too - it helps limber him up before land therapy and keeps all the pin sites clean and clear of infection. We are going to have to rely on showers for a while, so hopefully, we will do ok. There is an outdoor concert happening today (Sat.) and it is so close, we can hear it form here. We were told there are several bands playing all day so it will be interesting. We will probably go out for a while today too - just to break the monotony. So, we'll talk to you later! - Have a good day!

First Day of Pool Therapy

First day of pool therapy today - had to be there for 9 am! - first early morning in long time! Once there - took a bit to get ready - had to remove all gauze - rather gross, then rinse off - the exercises in the pool were pretty easy, but Matt said he sure felt that he'd been doing them later. Land went well - after we finally figured out who was doing it and where - got to 90º still. The shower after pool therapy was annoying - they have a new system - made a therapy cubicle into a 4 head shower - but only one patient in a wheelchair can fit at a time! - then, there's no where to put anything down where it won't get wet -- we eventually moved into one of the old shower rooms to finish up and get dressed - we'll work out a system quick enough, but I'm beginning to think we'll probably do real showers in the house. Had dinner supplied by hospital tonite - had turkey, and all the fixin's! - nice surprise. After dinner we had Marlo and Lois over for a movie. We'll call it a nite now as we have pool therapy early til the end of the month. Ciao!

Day 2

Land therapy today with Mary at 11:00 - took a tylenol 3 at 10:45 to help with knee bends. - All went just fine - again 85 & 90º on bends - therapist sd - as get more length will get harder to do, so we have to make sure we do extra bends at night to try to keep on top of it. Inside Edition is here today taping another patient - Matthew doesn't want anything to do with it! - can't help but wonder why?... things get very boring here - only so many times u can play scrabble, Trying to get hold of Wawanesa - extended benefits - see what they have to offer for out of country coverage. Another family was able to get assistance with accom. and travel now that surgery is covered - so I thought I'd see what they will do for us... Matthew finally found someone to do playstation with - think he's leaving this week tho' - just his luck. Well, we have our first pool therapy tomorrow - so we'll see how that goes - talk to you later!

First Day of Turning!

We start turning today! - 4 turns for femur and 3 turns for tibia - We were up early - I couldn't sleep - kept thinking about all we have to do. Matt did his breakfast turn about 10:30 this morn., we had breakfast then went to the hospital to find where we were supposed to be for therapy. He did his lunch turn just before his land therapy evaluation with Lauren - Matt did well, but the knee bends killed him as they did before - although he did get 85 and 90º on them - it must have taken 2 months before we got that last time! After therapy we went to 'TropiCool' for a smoothie, then went to exchange the van for the one with rear air again ... oh yeah! We got back home and as I was putting the chair back together again, the belt broke that holds the base board in place on the wheelchair! Without it his legs drop down - we have to get a new one or Matthew will flip out!! After we got in from changing the van, his legs were still very sore/tender so he took 2 tylenol 3's - and they made him konk out for about 45mins. When he woke, he did his dinner time turns then we went to Walmart for a few supplies with Marlo and her family and got an icecream on the way home. He did the final night-time turn on his femur around 11pm then we called it a day. - See you tomorrow!

Lazy Sunday

Well, we had a really lazy day! - Got up around 11 !! - had quick brekky, then were both on computers through the early afternoon. As was good day - sunny - we went out for a walk around the hospital. Matthew didn't have any meds all day! - Cooked complete meal in microwave! - then back on computers til 8:30 for Amazing Race. Afterwards we did his exercise program - no problems with any of them. That was it - our day was done. Have to get up early ( :o ) for 1pm therapy evaluation tomorrow. We'll let you know how it goes when we're done.

Good Day Eh! (9/16)

Wow - I can't believe how much easier it is this time! (knock on wood) - Matthew only took 1 tylenol #3 all day yesterday, then 1 before bed. We did exercises, and as he lay back from the edge of the bed, he bent his legs back to touch the bed! - It took him a month or two to do this last time !?! Had uneventful sleep - woke around 8:30 and took 1 pill. When I got up around 10:30 ( :) ) I helped him turn on his stomach. We initially didn't think he'd be able to as he has 2 pins coming out of the front of his leg just below the knee, but it works and he says he'd prefer to sleep that way. So, we'll see how that goes. - I am going to see what kind of a knee bend he can get in this position - the therapists are going to be shooting for 90º. - Talk to you later today. ...Well - he managed about 60º on one leg and about 50 or so on the other - not too bad at all - I think we started last time with about 5º! - It's been a good day - we went out for the first time in the van with our new ramps and transfer board. - Was actually pretty easy - just a lot of work - once we get our initial van back (sent it back as ABS/Brake lights kept staying on) I think I'll take out the back seat, then I can drive the chair in without taking it apart - it will be much easier then. Matthew had a good day - again only tylenol 3, and has been eating much better. Tonite's plan is to change his gauze, do a little exercise and watch movies. Night all!

Friday the 15th...

Woke thru night at 3am then around 7:30- but Matthew didn't take any meds - pain only 1-2 out of 10!! - as his stomach's still very queasy. - got up around 10:30 - he had some apple juice and brought it all back - then stomach finally started settling down. I had to run up to hospital cafeteria to get milk, bananas a few other items as we have no food! - Matthew rested in house. - Getting better by the hour - still no meds all day - took a trip out into house few times, caught up on laundry - Matt moved onto couch in room to watch tv, and have a banana - ordered pizza around 7 and he ate about 1/2 slice - I even had trouble eating 2, but he kept it down. Watched a little more tv, got onto the bed had a chat with Al and then did all his exercises, I can't believe how well he is doing! : We came home from hospital early, he is having next to no meds. all day - and his exercises are proving to be no problem. On Monday we have our first land therapy evaluation and it will be interesting to see how he rates.

2 Days after surgery

Had a good night - slept quite well - only woke up when nurses came in to take vitals etc. Matthew was sleeping longer between med. pumps - up 8 ish - did a few exercises on our own ordered breakfast - Dr.'s aid came in to change all bandages - took quite a while, but was nice to get all cleaned up - finished around 10:30 - pancakes arrived - Matthew only had a little - started keeping food down tho. - PA also switched him to oral drugs - removing intravenous - thinking making blood level low (diluting) - so now is off PCPump and on oral - Percocet (oxycodone/acetaminophen) - but still makes him itch and have weird dreams - doesn't like it. - I had to race back to house to switch all belongings into room 101 - that Heidi had vacated. - then back to hospital - Matthew ate 1/4 sandwich and 1/2 cookie - had another pain pill - downgraded to only 1 (not 2) - but still making him itch - think we'll try tylenol#3 - he wants to leave tonite... have to see what PA says when comes in this pm - PA gave prescription for meds needed over weekend for discharge, but Dr. Standard came by and said it's too early (after I rushed to get meds) - but, when we called him back and he realized we had requested to leave not that hospital was rushing us out - he said OK! - Matthew just set new record for leaving early! - and for level of pain meds. - so we left the hospital and got to the HPatz house about 6-45pm. - Matthew rested in chair while I raced around tidying up the room as all I had time for earlier was to drop and run. - finally cleared everything away tho - Matthew still feeling effects of drugs - little nauseous - still having trouble keeping anything down - tho - watched tv and used computers in eve, had a shower then called it a nite.

Day after Surgery - 13th

Went to house to pick up wheelchair - quickly change - Matthew slept uneventfully thru night - commented few times on how little he hurts compared to last time. - So Glad! - When got back with chair - we did few exercises before therapy girls came by to practice - asked if we could get in chair by selves - therapist wanted to observe and offer help if needed. - Matt did it with no problems! - amazing compared to first surgery. I am so proud of him. Drugs are keeping him very sleepy - hasn't been able to keep anything down yet - but not really using pain pump either - so things are ok - Paley came by to check - advised turning routing, therapy on Monday, pool in about week, see Standard on 29th (he's away) - said he doesn't have to lie on stomach! - Matthew's happy about that one! Therapist came back to do few exercises - legs up and down, out to side, then pulling heel in to bend knee - he did really well with it all!.

Surgery Day

Matthew was taken into surgery at 11:00 - advised 6 - 8 hrs. - I sat in waiting room all day - left to get quick salad - played scrabble, read and waited and waited - he finally came thru to recovery at 7pm! - basically all looks the same apparatus except for his right leg as Dr.P broke the bone higher to fix straightening problem. He was in and out of alertness all night - could hardly keep eyes open. Plan to stay at hospital with him til we can go back to HPatz house.

September 10, 2006

Hi there! Friends from New Jersey arrived today - Marlo, her Mom and Dad. - Marlo is having surgery the same day as me. She just graduated too. We met them when I had my first surgery. It will be nice to have someone I know around that is my age. We went shopping this morning with Britt and Heidi, then met up with Marlo and family for dinner. Tomorrow we have to be up early to go to our Pre-Op appointment and talk to Bill the house manager to see if we can change to Heidi's room when they leave later in the week. - It is a little bigger and brighter which would be nice as we're here for so long, and it also is more accessible for my wheelchair, so hopefully we'll be able to make the move. When we went shopping today, I bought myself a pair of Oakley sunglasses - and I look hot! We've been up quite late since we arrived, but as we were up early today to go shopping Mom hopes we've broken that habit and will be able to get better sleeps, as Tuesday (surgery) night will be a hard one. So, talk to you later - we'll fill you in on what happens at the Pre-Op. TTYL! Matt and Pam.

We Made It!

We finally made our 7hr and 50min trip to Baltimore! We landed at 6:00am (Vancouver time) 9:00 Baltimore time. After going through the airport we located all our bags - which took a while to get all of it together, and we struggled to get it all to the side of the curb. We then had to wait 15min for the rental van (that we rented) to pick us up. we spent about an hour doing all the paperwork for the rental, and we finally got out of there around 10:30am (B.T.)

We eventually got to the Hackerman Patz house around 11:30 after we drove around a little. We unloaded then mom put everything away. I passed out on the bed in the middle of it all - I was so tired. Once we had a nap, we went over to the hospital to check things out, then went out for groceries. Such a fun day!

Well - gotta go - I'll fill you in tomorrow.

Hours Away...

It just hours away until we take off in the plane, I'm a little nervous and excited. Bringing everything I need including my playstation 2 and my DVD collection. Hopefully our bags aren't too heavy LOL. Well everyone I will miss you lots, and kids good luck on the new school year! I'll be back in three months so don't forget about me. I'll post when I'm in Baltimore. Bye!

The Plan

We leave for Baltimore September 6, 2006 around 10:00pm. We should be gone for about two to three months. The point of this part is to finish off the final leg surgery, which will give me another 4 - 6 inches of new bone, and that will leave me standing around 5 feet.