HERE WE GO AGAIN........
As most of you are aware, Matt has not been feeling so well.  He has actually never recovered from his first two heart surgeries.  He has been having chest pains each day. 
A few weeks ago, he was given a stress test to see if he would be able to begin cardiac rehab.  He was able to push through the inclines and tension on the treadmill test, however his heart wasn't as strong as Matt's mind. 
His team of doctors at MGH have decided that the best course of action is to have another heart surgery.  The procedure is similar to the catherization for stents however the doctors go thru his collateral arteries to go to his blockage at a different angle.  The procedure has been performed about 50 times and these doctors have an 85% success rate to opening up the blockage.
He is scheduled to have this surgery this Wednesday, March 5th.  The procedure should take about 4 hours.  He is expected to be in the hospital for 5 or so days. Should this surgery not work (however with all of us praying it should!) then these are the doctors that will advocate for him to have a bypass.  I pray that they will just walk out of the OR with smiles telling me he is clear!!!
I will be updating the blog with each piece of news that I receive.  And I honestly hate that I can't talk to each and every one of you to answer questions individually, but life has me going in a million different directions.  I will be happy to answer anything here or on facebook as I sit and watch the nurses take care of him, I'll be able to communicate. 
PLEASE pray for him ~ for a successful surgery, for a quick recovery and for a much more healthy life!  He needs this and he definitely deserves this!!!   Feel free to share this page and ask for positive thoughts and prayers from anyone! 
Thank you for caring enough to read this page!  I'll update again on Wednesday! 
xoxox
Jodi

Awesome appointment!

Matt had his follow up appointment with his new cardiologist Dal-Bianco at MGH.  Matt's levels are all going in the right direction.  The inflammation marker (for his pericarditis) is trending down.  His red blood cell count was very low in the hospital (8.7) it should be around 14.5 - as of last week it was 11.8 so they are very happy with that improvement.  Although Matt is a long way away from being able to play sports, he did get an ok to start walking more briskly, slowly jogging and being able to exert himself more.  The doctor said for him to listen to his own body and judge it by how he is feeling. 
A lot of people ask if a bypass is needed - and the answer is no.  He's not a candidate for a bypass because the surgery would not make a difference in his blood flow.  His heart is functioning well ~ I don't know what this number means, however this is what we are told:  The cardiologists like to see it at 50....and Matt's is at 56.  If that makes any sense.
He will be able to start cardiac rehab after the new year.  His medications will remain the same for another month and he will be able to slowly wean off of a couple. 
I am extremely optimistic that he will make a full recovery and will be on the lacrosse field by next summer!  There is no keeping him down! 
THANK YOU all so very much for taking the time to read the blog, send us a positive email, text, note, card etc in the last 8 weeks.  It is so amazing how many people care and we are truly blessed by our friends and family.

Happy Homecoming!!!!

Matt is HOME!  After all the ups and downs of his hospital stay, he was released yesterday!  We are so happy that he is home ~ the kids (and of course the dogs!) are elated! 
The unfortunate part is that the surgery was not as successful as original thought.  His flow around is right artery is still very limited.  He appears to have pericarditis however his CT scan on his chest does not show it!  He does have all the symptoms so the doctors are treating him anyway.  His lung is re-inflating and healing on it's own.  His blood levels are back to normal.  He came home with a slew of new medications. 
The doctors have limited his activity level tremendously.  And if you know Matt, this is the hardest part!  NO LACROSSE FOR ONE YEAR!!!!  Matt is very upset about this as that is his "thing" ~ how we get his "stink" out.  No spinning, no heavy lifting, no running....he can walk and use light weights.  I feel for him.  As hard as it is to hear we are all saying in our heads "it could have been worse" but I think he will snap if another person says "well the alternative was...."  He knows.  But when you love something as much as he loves his LAX games and his buddies, this totally sucks for him.  His heart has suffered some damages and needs time to heal!
Even though he's been down and out so to speak - he still had the new house worked on and this morning had me pick out the windows and doors!!!  He won't miss a beat on that one!
In the meantime, the girls are giving him a list of things they want him to do with us "as a family". I don't think they will allow him out of their sight for a few days! 
THANK YOU to each and every one of you who has kept us in your thoughts and prayers!!!!!  THANK YOU to everyone who put Matt on a prayer chain, a prayer list etc!  I know he was prayed for around the globe and it very much appreciated!!!

Lydia (redhead) Irelyn (in the back) Matt and Ciara.  Raya is not pictured.  They LOVE their Daddy!

A mellow day....

Today started off nerve racking, not because of Matt's condition, but because of Lahey's delay in sending Matt's records.  I went to Lahey myself and again had a difficult time in obtaining the records - but persevered and got what we needed.  By the time I arrived at MGH it was close to 2pm. 
The doctors decided to give Matt a rest day - no testing as originally planned.  Matt's levels have all come back to the normal range - which is great!  He has about 8 bags of IV fluid!!!  They do not see a need for a transfusion at this time.  His iron levels are low - he lost a lot of blood somewhere which is why those levels were low - so that's a simple pill. 
Tomorrow is the big test day - we will find out what is going on with his heart.  They will only let him walk about 20 feet until they know.  I'm not sure of the length of stay that he will endure with this pericarditis - and I don't care as long as he gets better.  We will also start to investigate the issues with his lungs and other things.
I'm so glad his doctor gave him a break today.  It was much needed.  He wasn't exhausted - had a tiny bit of color (I told him to sit in the sun in the window cause he burns so easy, he could get a little color) and was able to eat half of his lunch.  He was laughing and making fun of me so I know his spirits are higher.  I noticed he popped on facebook for a few minutes too!  Feel free to go to his page and say hello!  I'm sure he'd love to see how many people are following his status! 
Thank you ALL for the continued thoughts and prayers - posts, emails, texts etc.  Each and every one makes me smile! 

There are certain events that make you appreciate life.....

I will explain that in a second....
Matt's blood level (red blood cells and platelets) are still low however the doctor said the transfusion is a last resort measure.  He has an extremely high level, in his blood, that measures inflammation.  The doctors know he has pericarditis however they believe he may also have myo-pericarditis and the think that is why that number is so high.  Pericarditis if I understand correctly is fluid or inflammation around the heart.  The myo part is just another part of the muscle that could possibly also have this inflammation. 
They also did find his lung collapse and something wrong with his lower right lobe.  Another group of physicians from pulmonary will evaluate him tomorrow to make sure there is no inflammation somewhere else and to check his lung. 
He still is having pain but it's more manageable now.  They will start the treatments tomorrow.  Today there are letting his body chill out (so to speak)
So that title has to do with something that happened to us today.  A gentleman was wheeled in to our room by two paramedics.  By the sound of the conversation, the man had a long ride in from New Hampshire.  I overheard the paramedics giving the nurses the rundown - he's had a lot of heart issues in the past.  Within 5 minutes of the paramedics leaving, the nurses were performing CPR, loud alarms were going off and our room was FILLED with nurses and doctors.  Our nurse came in and led us out of the room to the family room to wait.  We were not allowed back in our room - not even to get our belongings!  We were "upgraded" to a beautiful room with a view overlooking the Charles River.  We can see the Citgo sign, the bridges etc.  Unfortunately, our room change was due to unfortunate circumstances.  Matt was extremely upset.  He will have nightmares for weeks. 
Before I left I hugged him a little tighter.
Thank you Lord for keeping Matt here with us! 

Low blood pressure

Matt's blood pressure dropped really low last night.  There is something going on with his kidneys and he is really dehydrated.  They are pumping him with IV fluid.  They are not sure if he has internal bleeding or not and HE MAY NEED A TRANSFUSION!  Yikes!
They staff is trying to put together all the pieces as Lahey has not sent all the results from tests.  Which had me on the phone with the legal department this morning.  I have not had a return call but I will be on the phone again soon!

Arrived at MGH!

Matt was finally transferred to MGH !  The doctor said he does have pericarditis which they believe is causing him all this pain.  They are going to give him the appropriate medications for treatment.  Tomorrow they are going to run through a whole new set of tests.  He still has no color and his breathing is labored but now I know he is in good hands!
The doctor here is unsure if he truly does have pneumonia so they will look at everything and maybe run tests for that as well.
Thank you all sooooooo much for your support!