Since the last time I updated this blog, lots has changed for the better.  We had Matt’s eyes checked last week and it turned out he has double vision which was not a big surprise since that kind of issue is common but never brought up by most doctors attending someone that has had Matt’s trauma.  The eye doctor treating Matt knows the issues that can be present but are comonly overlooked.  She diagnosed Matt pretty quickly, a 2 1/2 hour evaluation, and has us placing a patch on one eye at a time throughout the day.  By the way, Matt’s eyes appear very healthy and intact which is a huge relief since it is also common for some one’s eyes to sustain physical damage with the kind of trauma Matt had.  So with the patch and exercises that they sent us home with has helped Matt make amazing progress.  He can see and it can really be noticed when you walk into the room.  He looks right over at you and is seriously looking at everything, even at a distance.  Spencer even has noticed and commented on his focus now.  When Matt sits up now he doesn’t seem so disoriented.  It’s only been a week!  Yesterday when he was sitting up in bed he reached out and touched at first a photo that was hung over his bed.  Lisa told Matt to hold it if you want, it’s OK.  He did!  It was a photo of he and Lindsey, he held it and looked at it like he was recalling the time.  Matt had his second therapy with the eye doctor this past Tuesday and when the doctor came in she tried some things and commented on how well he was doing, tracking much better than he was last week and seemed to track better without lenses.  It looks like what he sees is much more organized than it has been and I think that in turn is making his brain work to see things the way they are supposed to appear.  The reason Matt has been seeing double is the muscle control of each of his eyes.  He has not been moving his eyes together all the time so even if they are a little off target it confuses what he is seeing and he has not been able to process it and when he tries, it exhausts him.  Now with one eye covered he can see one of everything and it makes more sense.  Once that happens it frees up his ability to progressother things that are going on.  That’s the way the doctor explained it and that’s what we are seeing in just one week.  Matt will be down for eye therapy every Tuesday and after the forth week the doctor will do another evaluation.  It will be interesting to see what happens in the next weeks and months to come.  With all of this that Matt is much more involve in the day to day routine.  He participates in his daily grooming, combing his hair, lifting his arm when we ask him for washing, with moving his mouth and tongue as we work with him to form words which we can see he is working at and hopefully will be coming soon with all the focus and attention he now has.  All good stuff! 

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Today Matt made his 2nd trip down the hill, his 1st down the hill trip for rehab.  He did great!  He’ll be going down to RB on Friday for his 2nd session with Spencer at a rehab gym.  We also booked an appointment for Matt to have and eye exam and evaluation the 2nd week of November.  We know there are some visual defecates and hopefully with the evaluation we can get some corrective therapy going that will only help with all the other therapies and make things easier for Matt to deal with.  All part of the process and the long road to recovery. 

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The latest on Matthew’s recovery is that we continue to get him up sitting and standing, usually when Spencer is here but he is training Lisa and I how to manage this on our own.  Lots of body mechanics but we’ll get it.  Matt looks great, he has definitely gained all his body weight back and has been really healthy.  We do get him sitting up on his own hands off and we are getting him to sit up straight.  Matt’s right arm and leg are more dominant than his left side but over the past week and a half he has been moving his left side allot more and that has Spencer really motivated to focus on his left side.  Matt pulls his arm in when asked over and over again.  When Matt stands he is now supporting himself with his left leg and that’s huge.  We are continuing to work on exercises to strengthen his neck muscles so he can support his head for longer periods of time and that is steadily increasing.  Matthew has also become allot more vocal in the past 2 weeks.  He’ll just let out a moan or like last night he just started to sort of ramble and ramble on while we were in his room.  It didn’t make any sense but it’s like he is experimenting with the sound.  This morning while Lisa and I were in the kitchen having breakfast and talking about Matt speaking he let out this sound, we ran into his room and there he was wide eyed and sort of grinning like he was aware of what he had done and was all proud of it.  I sense thing are going to move forward vocally.  We all hope sooner than later.  We purchased a van this past week and took Matt out for a ride on Saturday night.  He did fine so today Lisa and Jerry are  going to take him down the hill to see how he does and if that works out Matt will probably be heading down the hill for doctors appointments and more rehab in the next week or two.  We’d like to thank you all for your continued support and prayers, this is a long road but I feel when this is all over I could write a book.

Mario

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Just wanted to thank everyone who supported the Matt Ruiz Golf Tournament.  All the sponsors, participants, supporters, family and friends.  The tournament was a huge success and a good time for all.  Really want to give a special thanks to Lindsey Smith for coming up with the idea and working so hard to put it all together and make it such a success!  We love you girl!  Net proceeds will go directly to support Matthew in his rehabilitation.  Kaiser insurance still has not provided knowledgeable or consistent therapy and we have all seen this for months so when Matt came home it was time to find someone like Spencer, a private therapist hired by the family and has brought Matt such a long ways in a short period of time and given us all hope that he will make a successful recovery.  Spencer knows Matt’s injury and how exactly to approach treatment and continues to move Matt forward. We are now purchasing a van to transport Matthew down the hill for doctors visits and rehabilitation that Lisa and I are working out with hopefully some kind of insurance coverage and plan on supplementing that therapy along with continued sessions with Spencer who has been a God send.  We have started taking photos and will post some soon so everyone can follow the recovery.  Once again, Thank You all so very much, this is a long road but with continued thoughts, prayers and support from all of you we will make it.

Love you all,

Mario, Lisa, Brittney and Lindsey

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Matt has had his 8th physical therapy session with Spencer and what progress.  Spencer has  Matt going a full 3 hour session and for the 2nd session now has Matt sitting up on his own hands off!  Once Matt gets comfortable with it which takes a couple of minutes, Matt sits completely on his own while we stand back and watch.  He also has Matt standing straight up leaning on a lower back support and holding on to Spencers shoulders, head straight up on his own.  This goes on for about 5-10 minutes at a time.  Today Spencer had Matt standing 3 times while Matt just looks around and we point out artwork andhave Matt track whatever we are using to grab his attention, usually photos, Lisa or more artwork.  It’s an amazing thing to watch especially when you consider Spencer has only been working with Matt the past 3 weeks.  Lisa andI have been real busy, I’ve been busy with the business getting the cash flow back up so I’m not around every session but I hear what is happening when I’m not there and then when I see it I realize that this is the right thing and this momentum we have to keep it going aggressively.  That’s exactly what we are doing now.  I am rigging up more equipment to get Matt standing for longer periods of time on his own.  We all see with each time this happens it gets easier for Matt and it opens up even more that he can do.  Lindsey has her hands full with organizing the upcoming October 4th Golf Tournament and is looking for volunteers to help her on the course.  If anyone has the time please contact Lindsey at: Lrsmith31@yahoo.com

Thanks,

Mario

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Matt has had his 4th visit from his private physical therapist on Sunday and combined with what we have all done and what Spencer is doing, things are really progressing allot faster than I would have imagined.  Spencer really knows how to read Matt and puts things together in a process that really shows in the outcome.  He’s got Matt doing things that I didn’t think he was ready to be doing.  I’m talking purposeful movements on command.  Reaching out, holding himself up laterally and in a full forward lean, it’s just amazing!  He even asked Matt to reach out and hold himself up by grabbing Spencer’s shoulder and Matt was doing this even as Spencer was physically pushing Matt stressing him to see if he could still overcome the stress and support himself.  Matt did that more than once under stress which is really showing how much Matt is pushing himself as he’s being pushed.  Quite a site.  We also had a speech therapist come out Monday and she gave us things to work on with Matt with some goals, once those are working, Meagan will be back out to work on the next group of things.  It’s all a process and Matt continues to move forward.  Lisa had him up in a chair today for about 7 1/2 hours, a new record.  Spencer and I are working on a harness system to get Matt standing for longer periods of time, that way he can build a tolerance for that and work on taking steps so we can get that walking thing going on while all this other stuff in going.  We have 3 days booked with Spencer this week so Matt will be busy.  Feel free to stop by and visit.  We ask that you call the house ahead an hour or so before just in case Matt is in the middle of something or we’re not together.   If you need our home phone number feel free to email me a note at: sdmario@cox.net

Thanks all for your continued support.

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Well, Matt’s been home since Monday the 25th in the pm.  We were scrambling a little in the begining  but it’s all starting to settle in a bit now.  Matt has had a couple of rehab people that earlier this week but finally we had  a therapist in today that really knew what was going on and it was amazing to say the least!  He asked allot of questions then spent about an hour stretching Matt’s body.  He brought in a bench and then things really got interesting.  We first put shoes and socks on Matt and that was about a 10 minute adjustment.  Then we got Matt up onto the bench and sat him up.  What an adjustment but after about 10 minutes you could see Matt start to relax and hold himself up, it was amazing.  Every time Matt was pushed, he’d stress over it at first then you could see him adjust and start to take over on his own.  Then Spencer, the therapist, had him put some weight on his feet, slowly and very patiently.  Matt tolerated this increasingly well.  Then Spence looked over and said we are going to stand him up and that we did, all the way up standing while Spencer was supporting him, all 6 feet 2 inches.  It was spiritual.  What a moment after 5 months on his back, outside of when we all had him up in a chair, Matt was on his feet with a little help looking right across at Lindsey.  We did this twice then sat Matt back down and he sat there like sitting now was not such a big deal, holding his head up, looking a bit tired but after 2 1/2 hours of working like that, he deserved to be a bit tired, we all were emotionally exhausted.  Spencer was just amazing but I think as he saw what was happening, he had to keep pushing and Matt kept going.  What a feeling and what a relief!  We have all been saying that if Matt gets pushed he will do it.  It’s been a long and frustrating road to this point but now seeing that having him home and having control of what Matt is receiving as far as care and therapy and having someone like Spencer who is truly interested in helping Matthew and not being directed by some corporate bean counter, is just such a day and night contrast.  We have scheduled 3 more sessions for the next week to give Matt a rest in between because we all know he will be a bit sore and give us time to pick up more equipment for the next session.  Lisa and I are still looking for a van to transport Matt out of the house in the coming weeks so if anyone has a lead we are in the market for a handicap minivan and a speech therapist also that can help us out at the house with Matt.  Thanks again for all the positive thoughts and please keep Matt in your prayers because we all know that Matt’s real doctor is not of this world, we are all only the tools for doing his work.

Sincerely,

Lisa, Mario, Brittney, Lindsey, Joan, Jerry and Matthew

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Well, we tried but Matt is not quite ready for inpatient rehab now even though the doctors and therapist all agree on one thing, Matt has made and is continuing to make amazing progress.  The doctors report is stressing that we continue doing whatever it is that we are doing and to keep asking for follow up evaluations because as he put it, there is definitely some healing going on here.  Therapist have said that the more intelligent someone is the better the outcome as well as youth and heath all factor into what everyone sees an a potentially good outcome.  Matt has all of this in his favor, it just takes time and allot of love and attention.  That’s why we have all decided that what’s best for Matt is to come home and with the therapist Kaiser provides and what we learn from them we can provide much more than what’s happening at the Kaiser hospital.  Lisa and I also have professionals from the outside as well as equipment coming in the next week to provide a constant program of rehab to keep things moving in the right direction.  It will be allot of work but we won’t have the constant issues of commute times that are time that we could and should be spending with Matt as well as the constant love and in home environment that will all help Matt in a positive way.  It’s all about providing the best possible care and highest quality time for Matt now.  We thank you all for your work and effort in keeping Matt’s best recovery in mind and ask for your continued prayers and positive thoughts and energy flowing in our direction.  We all know that Matt feels the love.   We will keep you posted on when he will be home as well as how we work out visitation times once we are at home and settled. 

Love you all,

Mario, Lisa, Brittney, Matthew, Lindsey, Joan and Jerry

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Matt had a visit and evaluation by a well known physical medicine Dr. Stenehjem from Sharpe Rehab. The doctor introduced himself to Matthew and asked Matt to do different things. Matthew did what the doctor asked him to do confirming what we the family, friends and other professionals and concerned hospital staff that have been watching Matt over the past several weeks are observing.  Matt is making definite progress even from just 3 weeks ago when Sharpe’s Debra Morebello was out during Sharpe’s last evaluation.  Yeah Matt!  Doctor says there is definitely some healing, rewiring so to speak, going on.  Dr. Stenehjem did tell Lisa  after the he had been in the room for about an hour that reading Kaiser’s chart and their evaluation of Matt is quit different than what he sees visiting with Matt.  Dr. Stenehjem said Matt is right there and not unresponsive or vegetative as the Kaiser charts indicate.  As Lisa explained to the doctor what she sees when the Kaiser doctor does in the 2 - 3 minutes he spends with Matt during his quick evaluation asking Matt to perform 3 or 4 different tasks in that short period of time it’s apparent there is a lack of brain injury understanding in regards to assessment and treatment.  Dr. Stenehjem we’ve heard from other rehab facilities in the area has a very solid reputation in the brain injury rehabilitation community.  He is a very well-respected PMR (physical medicine/rehab) physician.  There does seem to be a definite buzz on the floor now that a Sharpe Rehab doctor has been in and walked away with such positive comments and upbeat outlook.   A hopefully independent and objective report now will be submitted to Kaiser and I would guess to the State for review.  We’ll keep you posted as things develop.

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Just to make it a little easier for everyone, Mario and Lisa have drafted a letter for you all to send to our officials, if you are having trouble - or don’t have a lot of time to come up with your own. Simply Copy and paste the following letter and then use the following contact links to raise your voice!

Fax above signed letter to for fast response:

• Senator Dianne Feinstein  (D - CA)  202-228-3954
• Senator Barbara Boxer    (D - CA)  202-224-0454
• Representative Darrel Issa  (R - 49)  202-225-3303
• Representative Brian Bilbray   (R - 50) 202-225-2558
• Rpresentative Bob Filner  (D - 51)  202-225-9073
• Representative Duncan Hunter  (R - 52)  202-225-0235
• Representative Susan A. Davis  (D - 53)  202-225-2948

Also Email:

• comments@help.senat.gov
• http://gov.ca.gov/interact

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Hey everyone.  We have had more than one therapist and 6 rehab centers from the outside that have Lisa and I have contacted and become aware of Matt’s progress and level via visits and consultations from the outside.  They have all come up with the same general conclusion.  Matt does respond very well with just a little professional stimulation and would benefit greatly to inpatient rehabilitation.  Ya Matt!  The issue has become apparent in the past week that if Matt is denied inpatient rehab at this point, he would have a near zero chance of ever receiving inpatient rehab. All he would receive is  limited to very little home therapy provided by Kaiser and as an only possible option down the road would be limited therapy as outpatient and that would be dictated by an insurance company down the line.  All the “professionals” outside of the “Kaiser Network” agree that Kaiser is being neglectful and doing Matt much more harm by holding him captive in the non rehab oriented Kaiser Medical Center that he is now in.  All have acknowledged that Matt needs and would benefit greatly now from “intensive Physical, Occupational and Speech therapies managed by a Physiatrist not a General Practitioner of Family Medicine that has been the case since June 11, 2008 when Matt was first admitted to the Kaiser Medical Center under over whelming pressure and threats from Kaiser case managers and doctors at Palomar Medical Center.  The same pressures were being applied in regards to Matthew coming home without therapy and Kaiser insisting that therapy would be provided by Kaiser Home Health once he was brought home.  The urgency to bring Matt home now has lessoned this week because of an appeal I filed with the State of California and a grievance filed with Kaiser.   Matt’s electronic chart at Kaiser which I have read on occasion is all scripted for Kaiser to achieve the goal of just moving Matt through the system in what they are continually trying to do we all know in the most cost effective manner to minimize costs and maximize profit.  Matt is a very young, achieved, educated, talented and motivated young man.  All that have ever met Matt know this.  Kaiser has this, as it was put to Lisa and I in the very beginning “wonderful and efficient “3 Billion dollar networked computer system that allows doctors and administrators the ability to manage patients efficiently”.  One would have to conclude: at a distance without ever, or at the very least, very minimally, ever visiting a patient and getting to know a person like Matt.  We feel that something has been lost in this distant, don’t get to personally involved way of ”HMO Health Care Management”.  This approach we feel along with the monetary motivation is what is driving the decisions being made and directing the lack of therapy that Matt needs.  Matt needs your help at this very critical time in his life.  We are asking that you send an appeal to the California State Governor’s Office and show your support and concern for Matt’s care.

Send Appeals to:

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

State Capitol

Sacramento, CA 95814

governor@govmail.ca.gov

Thank You,

Mario and Lisa Ruiz

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Hey everyone, It’s time.  After 2 weeks of going round and round within the Kaiser system we’ve come to the conclusion that they just won’t and can’t provide at the Kaiser Hospital, San Diego the appropriate therapy.  They have him there as a captive withing their system and because of the lack therapy he recieves we will have him brought home.  Lisa and I are in the process of buying equipment and setting up therapy for Matt at home as well as buying a van for his outpatient care.  We all feel, along with 4 rehab facilities from the outside of the Kaiser system that this is important  at this time for Matt.  We will probably have to contract a physiatrist on our own if one is not in the order for Matt when he leaves.  Matt is doing very well on his own now with all that we are doing, he continues to do things from one day to day the next that seem to indicate it’s all coming back together.  The nurses and Lindsey now have seen Matt repostion him self twice on his own from his back to one side and that’s huge from where he was just 4 months ago at the time of his injury.  We had Matt outside yesterday for an hour and a half and he did very well with that.  He watched the sunset on the clouds and you could see and only imagine what must have been going through his mind at the time.  We have our house almost ready for Matt’s home coming and are setting up furniture and equipment as we recieve it.  Thanks for your continued interest and support.  We will post a date of discharge when that is available.

Mario

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Hey everyone,  Matt continues on the long road to recovery.  We are still working out details with Matt’s insurance carrier in regards to his home care and rehabilitation.  That’s a full time job in itself but we’re getting through it.  Matt is doing lots more what they call “purposeful movement”.  Readjusting himself, no not the way you boys are thinking, I mean overall repositioning, rolling over in bed from his back to side.  That’s huge, it’s reacting to his environment.  That’s what we need Matt, keep it up!  He is slowly, day by day coming back.  We’ve been getting him up in a chair down stairs and outside now since last Thursday and it really seems to be livening him up.  He sits out and watches the people passing by, the wind in the trees, reacts to all the sounds, the sunset.  He’s coming back a little bit everyday, it’s all good. 

I have another meeting with the Kaiser crew the end of this week so will see what gets resolved, can’t wait to get him out of that place, I know he’s looking forward to it also, we all tell him all the time.  Keep you all posted as things develop

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Hey Everyone,  Just to give you all the latest.  Matt continues to improve, steady small steps but it’s all coming together.  The most dramatic thing of all is that he is starting to verbalize.  Not as clear and we all speak but there’s been enough of it this week that all the nurses have taken notice and are all talking about it so that’s really good to hear.  From what it sounds it’s not just nonsense.  He told a couple of the nurses that were in his room doing I’m not exactly what but were talking about something accident related and he spoke up and said ” stop talking “, don’t know, I wasn’t there, but that’s what they told us on Saturday.  Matt has on more than one occasion told a nurse “no” when they are about to do something that he doesn’t like.   We have all noticed with certain subjects like auto accidents along with certain people that come in seem to set him off and make him anxious so we think that that is all a good thing because with this and other things we ask of him and the way he responds seem to clearly  indicate understanding and processing of verbal conversation.  One thing that is a huge step is getting Matt to swallow on command now and I have gotten him to do it for me and for a couple of nurses who have documented it in Matt’s file for all to see.  Even with these improvements all the doctor that’s rounding this month and the case manager seem concerned with is saving cost and sending Matt home.

This weeks hurdle seems to be the direction of Matt’s additional treatment.  Lisa and I have been in communication with several people that have been in our situation along with other institutions in the Southern California area that treat patients with Matt’s injury.  The overwhelming consensus is that Matt should go to rehab first before coming home.  Kaiser Permanente seems to be moving away from this and have indicated that Matt needs to come home regardless of what we read or who we are talking too. 

I ask for all your continued positive thoughts and prayers for Matt’s continued improvement, strength to guide us through this continuing trying time in our lives and that the doctors, case managers and the other “powers that be” as Kaiser doctors seem to put it, will look at Matt as the smart, talented, wonderful and very loved young man that he is and make the right decision for Matt, not just look out for the most “cost effective way for the company” that seems to blind so many institutions in these “quality of life” and “continuity of care” decisions that can affect so many people for a lifetime whendecisions are made with and ulterior motive and not the care and compassion that health care should be all about.  “Thrive”, what does that really mean and for whom is it directed? 

I will update this blog as things develop.  Thanks for all your support.

Mario

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In an attempt to make things easier for Mario himself to communicate Matt’s progress, we made a new blog. Special thanks to Kristin for keeping us all updated thus far. You can still access her past blog posts on the right, along with a feed from Lindsey’s blog. Take it away Mario.

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