Matt (my little brother) went to the neck Dr yesterday. I don't remember if I told you or not, but he was supposed to have had an MRI on Wednesday but freaked out and wasn't able to complete it. The sound of the machine reminded him of when they were cutting him out of his car. Bless his baby heart.
Anyway, the Dr has ordered copies of the CT scans from the night of the wreck. Once he sees those (hopefully Monday or Tuesday) he will determine the next course of treatment. What he has is called "Internal Decapitation." Remember when race car driver Dale Ernhardt crashed his car and died instantly? Yea, that's what Matt has. His Dr said in the 15 years of medicine that he's practiced, he's never seen someone survive this injury. In fact, one of the Dr's partners came in the room and said he too had never seen someone survive so he wanted to see it for himself. Can we say MIRACLE with a capital M!
So.....there are three options depending on what the CT shows. They will either take him out of the cervical collar and tell him to be careful, that it's not as bad as they once thought; or they will take him out of the cervical collar and put him in a halo for awhile because he needs more stability; OR they will have to do surgery and insert rods, etc. and then put him in a halo. If they do the surgery he will lose 85% or so of mobility in his neck permanently. UGH! He's only 26-it just doesn't seem fair! So we wait until the first of next week until the Dr looks at the CT.
He also went to the head Dr that's in charge of his case. This Dr thankfully put him on some antidepressants for his emotions. He's really having a hard time in that area. Ever since Wednesday and that MRI, he's been very upset. When I talked to him Thursday he just cried and cried. Broke my heart. I think the Paxil will help him. He's also supposed to start neurotherapy, which is where they will try to "restart" and "reteach" the part of his brain that was injured so bad in the accident. There is no guarantee however that this will work.
Monday he goes to the shoulder Dr to see if he needs surgery on it.
When I talked to Matt last night, they were at Mom and Dad's and he sounded really good. He was home and that makes the majority of us feel better! He was in his safe place. They were going to spend the weekend there and then decide later when they'll go back to Warsaw. He says he's ok with losing movement in his neck. What choice does he have, I guess, huh?
I tried to emphasize to him last night the fact that again, he is a walking, talking miracle. I think in some respects his little brain may be able to start understanding that. I hope so, at least. He's remembering bits and pieces of his wreck, or at least stuff after the wreck, so maybe that means his little brain is trying to wake up. I hope.
Mom and I were talking tonight and like she said.....I think we get laxed in our thinking...that he's out of the hospital so he must be ok, right? Then he goes to the Dr and we get this news and it just drives home how fragile and bad off he really is. (Oh and the Dr said he has so many fractures all over his body that they've lost count!) I just still just continually praise God for keeping him alive, whatever the reason is. I love my little brother so much and just can't bear the thought of him not being here with us.
Please continue to pray for him. Please lift him and his wife up often. I know his wife, bless her heart, is trying to be strong for him and is doing a great job, but at the same time, she has her own fears and stuff to work through. Not only is she trying to take care of Matt, she's having to worry about finances and how they are going to pay bills with no paychecks, trying to figure out if she can go back to work, etc. I seem to be her sounding board and she's sent me a couple of emails telling me about that night and different things after that. I think she just has to get it out and for some reason, she tells me. I'm totally fine with that, but again, just feel so incredibly helpless and that kills me more than anything.
Thank you.
6 comments:
That is amazing what the Doctor said about Matt surviving with his type of injury!
I am sorry you have to hear him cry. It all sucks except for the fact that he's alive. It's just such a long road.
You know, it does suck that I have to hear him cry, but at the same time, I'm so thankful that he feels comfortable with me that he feels like he can cry and be real about it. He told my sister in law the other day that he's tired of pretending to be strong when he's not. Matt and I have always had a great relationship though and a very honest relationship. I've always wondered why we have such a bond, but I understand it now more than ever.
Siblings can have honest relationships? That's a new one for me :(.
I wonder how often he has thought recovery is too hard to live through and it would have been easier for him to die. I am sure Matt Glenn, the guy driving the MCC van where all but Maya died, had those thoughts while sitting in the hospital trying to breathe.
Those are some tough honest feelings that may be hard to forgive himself for feeling.
It makes me sad that you and your siblings dont have honest relationships. My oldest brother and I didn't get along well at all growing up, but the older we get, the better we get along and the closer we become. Of course marrying a rock star of a guy has really helped too, you know. :)
That's funny that you asked about how Matt wishes he'd died. That has come up a lot since this all happened. He doesn't understand and can't, because of his mushy brain, what a miracle that he is and how far he's already come. He has such a long road, but he's come so far. He gets discouraged and he wants to give up at times. He says "I don't want to do this" a lot. We all just keep encouraging him though and basically telling him that he doesn't have a choice BUT to do it, that he's here for a reason.
WoW! Praise God for that miracle, and I'll continue praying not only for his physical healing but also for his mental, emotional, and spiritual healing also.
OMGosh! I cannot believe he has that injury and lived to tell! Yes, truly a miracle. I pray he will understand that one day. It'll be amazing what his brain will let him remember and understand eventually. You're an awesome sister/sil!
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