Update - 7/25/06
As you can probably guess, there is alot to share with you that has happened in the last week. Let's begin with the therapy at ResCare. The physical therapist has been working with Matthew to be on his stomach and work at lifting his head up and then getting up on his elbows. He has to have help with the positioning of his body and it is alot of work for Matthew, but he does it.
Matthew has also advanced from drawing a straight line to a circle to drawing a face with his left hand. Yeah! The therapists are continuing to work with his right arm to build strength and control of his muscles. Matthew is also nodding his head a little more for "yes", but it is harder to do than gesturing "no". He will shake his head "no" quite readily. The speech therapist has ordered trial touch-buttons for Matthew to use for communication. Hopefully he will learn to use the touch buttons to respond with clear answers to questions.
Matthew is making efforts on his own to work with his right hand. When he's sitting in his wheelchair, he'll use his left hand to position his right hand on the arm of the wheelchair securely and then his right fingers will grasp the arm of the chair to keep his arm from falling to the side. If it falls to the side and he loses his grip, then he uses his left hand again to move the right hand back to the right position and hold on again.
Matthew hasn't been vocalizing any words since he's been home, but he is shaping his lips for certain letters like "mmmm" or "p". They have also noticed Matthew talks in his sleep - not in words that or understandable, but a mumble. The important thing to note about this is that his voice inflection fluctuates when "talking" in his sleep and that is a good sign.
It's also great to see Matthew greet people by shaking hands with them with his left hand. He'll initiate the action when someone comes up to him and asks him how he's doing.
Matthew's legs are getting stronger. When someone puts his shoes on, Matthew will move his legs together and in the past he couldn't move his legs at all on his own. The therapists still can't apply full pressure to Matthew's left foot because of the previous wound that hasn't totally healed and this is preventing extensive therapy with his foot. The good news is that part of the scab has fallen off so that is a great sign.
There is progress all the time with eating meals. Matthew is eating full meals at lunch and supper and he opens his mouth completely. There is less of a struggle with the apraxia (total or partial loss of the ability to perform coordinated movements - from dictionary.com). Matthew is also sucking food off of the spoon and he's getting closer to sucking from a straw.
Last week Matthew was taken to the optometrist that has been his eye doctor for several years (she was very gracious to the family after the accident in providing replacement glasses to the boys). She examined his eyes and found the optic nerve is in great shape and there isn't any scarring to his eyes. Without Matthew being able to respond with words to let her know what he sees, she says his eyes look very healthy.
This past Monday Matthew was going to see a podiatrist in Sedalia about an in-grown toenail (which has improved with soaking in epson salts). The podiatrist was also going to discuss options for the left foot and possibly recommend a brace to help remedy the "turned-in" angle of his foot.
Before the accident, Matthew would often watch movies or sit back and relax with his left hand resting behind his head. The family has noticed that gesture is back and he will rest or sleep with his left hand behind his head.
Andrew and Matthew have played finger wars a few times (Matthew, with his left hand). Andrew usually wins, but when Andrew's not looking Matthew will "snake walk" with his fingers and sneaks in a win. Sorry, I can't describe a "snake walk" because I'm not sure what it is, but those who play finger wars regularly will certainly know what that is.
Matthew gave his mother a kiss for the first time - he touched his lips to her cheek and showed his appreciation for all she's doing for him. But his mother is not the first one to get a kiss. Matthew also gave Helen, one of his night nurses a kiss on the hand. She has been very kind in her care for him and Matthew was considerate in showing his appreciation of that as well. Maybe Matthew is a "lady's man" because he also responds VERY well in therapy when his girlfriend, Paige goes along to ResCare.
This weekend there was an informal gathering of friends to spend time with Matthew at the house. Matthew was very happy to see his friends! Matthew's caregivers have advised that being with his friends and having them talk normally with him, carrying on conversation with him and around him in a natural atmosphere may very well spur Matthew to speak. It's been said that words may "come out" naturally when it's without any effort, as opposed to struggling to form the words in therapy.
Thank you for your patience in waiting for an update from me. This past week was hectic at work and then we had power outages in St. Louis so I couldn't get online to make a report. Things are also hectic for the Kurz family so we don't get to talk on a daily basis.
Blessings on your day!
Rachel Asburry
Matthew's godmother
Matthew has also advanced from drawing a straight line to a circle to drawing a face with his left hand. Yeah! The therapists are continuing to work with his right arm to build strength and control of his muscles. Matthew is also nodding his head a little more for "yes", but it is harder to do than gesturing "no". He will shake his head "no" quite readily. The speech therapist has ordered trial touch-buttons for Matthew to use for communication. Hopefully he will learn to use the touch buttons to respond with clear answers to questions.
Matthew is making efforts on his own to work with his right hand. When he's sitting in his wheelchair, he'll use his left hand to position his right hand on the arm of the wheelchair securely and then his right fingers will grasp the arm of the chair to keep his arm from falling to the side. If it falls to the side and he loses his grip, then he uses his left hand again to move the right hand back to the right position and hold on again.
Matthew hasn't been vocalizing any words since he's been home, but he is shaping his lips for certain letters like "mmmm" or "p". They have also noticed Matthew talks in his sleep - not in words that or understandable, but a mumble. The important thing to note about this is that his voice inflection fluctuates when "talking" in his sleep and that is a good sign.
It's also great to see Matthew greet people by shaking hands with them with his left hand. He'll initiate the action when someone comes up to him and asks him how he's doing.
Matthew's legs are getting stronger. When someone puts his shoes on, Matthew will move his legs together and in the past he couldn't move his legs at all on his own. The therapists still can't apply full pressure to Matthew's left foot because of the previous wound that hasn't totally healed and this is preventing extensive therapy with his foot. The good news is that part of the scab has fallen off so that is a great sign.
There is progress all the time with eating meals. Matthew is eating full meals at lunch and supper and he opens his mouth completely. There is less of a struggle with the apraxia (total or partial loss of the ability to perform coordinated movements - from dictionary.com). Matthew is also sucking food off of the spoon and he's getting closer to sucking from a straw.
Last week Matthew was taken to the optometrist that has been his eye doctor for several years (she was very gracious to the family after the accident in providing replacement glasses to the boys). She examined his eyes and found the optic nerve is in great shape and there isn't any scarring to his eyes. Without Matthew being able to respond with words to let her know what he sees, she says his eyes look very healthy.
This past Monday Matthew was going to see a podiatrist in Sedalia about an in-grown toenail (which has improved with soaking in epson salts). The podiatrist was also going to discuss options for the left foot and possibly recommend a brace to help remedy the "turned-in" angle of his foot.
Before the accident, Matthew would often watch movies or sit back and relax with his left hand resting behind his head. The family has noticed that gesture is back and he will rest or sleep with his left hand behind his head.
Andrew and Matthew have played finger wars a few times (Matthew, with his left hand). Andrew usually wins, but when Andrew's not looking Matthew will "snake walk" with his fingers and sneaks in a win. Sorry, I can't describe a "snake walk" because I'm not sure what it is, but those who play finger wars regularly will certainly know what that is.
Matthew gave his mother a kiss for the first time - he touched his lips to her cheek and showed his appreciation for all she's doing for him. But his mother is not the first one to get a kiss. Matthew also gave Helen, one of his night nurses a kiss on the hand. She has been very kind in her care for him and Matthew was considerate in showing his appreciation of that as well. Maybe Matthew is a "lady's man" because he also responds VERY well in therapy when his girlfriend, Paige goes along to ResCare.
This weekend there was an informal gathering of friends to spend time with Matthew at the house. Matthew was very happy to see his friends! Matthew's caregivers have advised that being with his friends and having them talk normally with him, carrying on conversation with him and around him in a natural atmosphere may very well spur Matthew to speak. It's been said that words may "come out" naturally when it's without any effort, as opposed to struggling to form the words in therapy.
Thank you for your patience in waiting for an update from me. This past week was hectic at work and then we had power outages in St. Louis so I couldn't get online to make a report. Things are also hectic for the Kurz family so we don't get to talk on a daily basis.
Blessings on your day!
Rachel Asburry
Matthew's godmother
posted by Randy Asburry @ 6:11 AM
2 Comments:
At 12:13 PM,
Anonymous said…
excellent news!
At 9:32 PM,
Anonymous said…
I met Matthew's mother this evening at a Shaklee meeting and saw the album of his accident and struggle. May God Bless him and his family and his community. I must say his mother showed amazing strength and faith in describing this debilitating and sad situation. I am impressed and praying for the best for Matthew and his entire family.
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