The Michael Schumacher Career/Injury/Recovery Thread

And to add to that:
- Blood supply to the brain was already compromised due to his motor cycle accident.
- He actually died in the helicopter and they had to resuscitate him (a little factoid that is often overlooked). That's how serious it was.

 

Yes good points. To add, to be a broken record again, had be been a commoner he'd already be dead. He would not have even made it this far to have been forcibly put into that semi-vegetable state to begin with. So now they have to keep him alive. It is a family-created Catch-22. They must now accept that they are painted into a corner and persist in the insanity of keeping him alive.

 

I understand what you're saying and why you are saying it but I don't agree with you.

 

Interesting. I always thought it was a low speed fall.

The most distressing thing about these situations is that we cannot ask the patient. The patient may very well have written instructions to keep them alive for as long as possible, but now they are sitting there as a vegetable do they still agree with what they wrote all that time ago?

The previous post about a person being kept in a vegetable state for 20 years is just the most horrific thing I have ever heard about. Hopefully the persons brain was not fully functioning because if it was that is the worst solitary confinement I have ever heard of. All you MS fans out there, would you want that for MS? I wouldn't even want 1/100000000000th of that for Pironi after what he did to Villeneuve.
Pete

 

In all honesty, despite that I personally can't know, that is highly unbelievable. This is the family's doing, specifically the wife. Michael did not write: "If I am a vegetable then keep me alive with machines and permanent nurses and doctors on staff at our house for the rest of my life until I die. Use all of our money no matter what to keep me going."

Yes and that is exactly what they're doing. It is inhumane and selfish--not intended that way at the beginning--but it has now been almost 1 year. Had MS's family not had a bottomless pit of money from the beginning of this process then he would have already died. I'm just repeating myself again. A parakeet in a bird cage is more alive and has a better way of life than Michael Schumacher.

 

Thank you for the above information. I was not aware of either of these issues. Any optimism I did have has now decreased by an order of magnitude.

What happened in the motorcycle accident and did any source indicate the exact type and/or location of these bleeds?

 

Me too, I thought it was a relatively speaking low speed hit, but he got very unlucky how he hit his head, the rest just does not bear thinking about, so sad.

Thing is, I watched a program on folk in a totally paralyzed coma state, and put basically, they reckoned a lot have their support machines turned off, but are aware they are alive but cannot do or say anything about it ...

 

+1
for all I know that was a well established finding after checking the camera footage and witnesses. No idea why people repeatedly bring up adrenaline-junkie-high-speed nonsense.

 

From memory (which could be wrong), I think it was his left vertebral artery that became either ruptured or occluded in the motorcycle crash.

Anyone have a link to a source?

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Very bad news from philippe streif this morning on europe1 ,french radio.
He said mickael is paralyzed,can't talk,and communicate only by eye's movements.
He said jules bianchi case is even worse with huge huge handicaps if he wake up.

 

yep, I think that's what has been established for quite a while.
Would be interesting to know to what degree that communication is happening, e.g. if there is an awake person that only has the eye movement as a communication tool, or if there is 'reaction' to stimulation which is labelled as communication. Does anyone know more?

 

No doubt.

With the first sentence, you'd be surprised how few such individuals have 'living wills'. On the second, I'm an optimist, but that's just delusional IMO.

Entirely possible; that's exactly what happened to my cousin. If he had left written instructions, he could have been sedated, disconnected, and be gone in a few days. Not 20 freaking years of the worst hell you can imagine (he supposedly had brain function, but fully paralyzed). I'd gladly go thru the pain and suffering even without sedation. It's likely such individuals could be in excruciating pain for being in a bed for months anyway. Even without a living will, it's just plain selfish and cruel to maintain somebody alive like that IMO. Even the religious approach is pure BS; if we hadn't taken antibiotics for an infection during our lives, we all here would be dead by now. So we're all basically living in 'borrowed time' since the first time we took a medicine, or had a surgery to save our lives. A sensitive subject. But we all can take a lesson, and make sure to put something in writing to avoid putting ourselves AND our family in that predicament, if the unthinkable happens. Have a good one.

 

Yes I agree back with you.

We cannot know what the future technologies can do even 3 years from now. Stem cells can do wonders. That Europe is politically freer in that area does give some hope. But they haven't done that yet to MS and it is unknown if that would actually be a remedy. Brain trauma is one of the most complex and unknown of traumas, varying so much from case to case.

And again, MS is where he is now only because of money--the millions of dollars spent to save a vegetable. Most brain trauma/vegetative cases would be dead by now, the average family lacking the fiscal backing to sustain the cliffhanger state that MS has gone through.

Perhaps MS will become like Christopher Reeve. But eventually he died from infection. This is all very sad and I'm not taking it lightly. I'm frustrated over how the human attachments have created another problem.

 

If I remember correctly, soon after the accident Philippe Streiff told reporters that MS was "out of danger" - and it was shot down by the hospital and management. Streiff claimed his contact was one of the surgeons at the Grenoble hospital.

 

I find it extremely surprising if they really don't. MSC is/was a highly intelligent individual, obviously neither of us can't know for sure but I'm pretty optimistic that he would indeed have such a living will. He knows he's not immortal.

RE the 2nd bit: My time frame was just an example, not when i expect it. All I'm saying revolutionary things are being discovered daily, whose to say it's impossible?

 

+2

BS.

Indeed..... As noted;

Yup. If these folk would even look back thru this very thread (not easy, I admit!) they would see photos and indeed videos of the area where the accident took place. It was just a little area between, basically, two cat tracks. There is no possible way he was going 'fast' - it wasn't steep enough! Further, witnesses confirmed he had in fact just helped a buddy to his feet and was simply skiing out of the area. 'Speed' & '30-40ft through the air' is some of the biggest BS I've read in a while, and BS is deep around here right now.

We can't? If, and I accept it's a big if, he's actually able to communicate with his eyes, surely Corinna has asked him the question and received his answer?

That some here are now implying Corinna is being cruel & selfish I find nothing short of disgusting.

That most of us would be long dead without his family's financial wherewithal is totally & completely irrelevant. That his loving wife & family are able to go far beyond what most could attempt is irrelevant.

That some are suggesting there's some sort of 'religious zealotry' or similar BS going on I also find heinous.

I remain convinced that he has one of the most solid 'medical directive' contracts ever written and that Corinna and her advisers would/will honor those directives.

Godspeed Michael
Ian

 

I respect your opinion. But in my opinion extreme measures continue to be taken because the situation remains extreme. Why are the weekly expenses so extreme? Because the situation is extreme. It has been brought to this level and is its own tragedy.

 

He was dead for a few mins? This is news to me..

I was under impression he was conscious and was talking. But when he arrived at the hospital his limbs was moving 'involuntarily'

That already sounds scary..

 

i think both statements are with regards to the motorbike accident?

 

If he can communicate then he can and my comment is irrelevant. I was talking about cases where the patient can't, and IF MS can't.

If MS can't then I do have to ask why he is being kept in this uncommunicative state instead of being let go ...
Pete

 

Thanks! yours too.

Sure, I think we all realize the situation is dire. However, I'm not so sure that's the case;

- The gutter press - primarily Bild in Germany & the Daily Fail in the UK, roughly analogous to the National Enquirer here in the States, are the only sources of these stories. (They've been parroted elsewhere but no confirmations that I'm aware of.)

- I can't believe it's possible to build a (quote) "multi-million dollar mini hospital" (end quote) even in Switzerland without someone talking. Just the construction material, equipment & crews etc would garner notice around Laussanne. I suspect the family may have added a little 'extension' or similar for easy access, but a 'mini hospital' I find absurd. In fact, this whole story was denied by Sabine. But no matter, it's been reported by Bild, so it must be true.

- the "100K per week care costs" is another tale from the gutter press. These reports also claim "20+ full time staff". I questioned this at the time - if he's truly comatose, why does he need 8 "medical professionals" at his side 24x7? I can see a doctor or two being on standby, maybe a few physical therapists, a tech or two for the equipment, nurses etc, but a constant 'bedside vigil' from 7-8 professionals 24x7? Again, absurd IMO.

I freely admit I'm no doc, but the little I do know tells me most of these claims are nonsense. I don't think he'd have that staffing level in an ICU(?).

As always, my 02c
Godspeed Michael,
Ian

 

He was conscious after the fall but had already uncontrolled limb movements. Then he fell unconscious and was airlifted. In the helicopter he died and they had to bring him back.

 

No

 

Much has been made about the eye lash fluttering and his reaction to stimuli. We don't know how much there is or not.

Even if true I'm not sure he would actually understand a DNR question at this point. Remember he is paralyzed not because of a spinal injury but because of the brain not working as intended

 

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