The Michael Schumacher Career/Injury/Recovery Thread

+1

Fingers crossed as well !

 

I didn't see his head hit a rock, but I'm glad he survived.

 

Thank you for your inputs in this thread.

 

Obviously I am speculating here from afar...
His situation is, has been, divided into successive stages, as are all trauma situations like this.

First is surviving the impact and getting to expert medical care...check.

Second is surviving the initial damage directly to the brain in the hyper-critical first day or so...it appears a check can be placed here.

Third is surviving the hospitalization, that is no other events intervene (pneumonia, pulmonary emboli, renal failure, etc....this list is long). Given that he is an elite athlete and seems to be receiving astonishingly detailed care I have no grave concerns about these issues, but...

Fourth will be the longer recovery and the evolving discovery of the true depth of injury to the brain. This is a complete unknown to every single human being on the planet. Speculation here is futile and should be avoided lest the speculator desire to appear as a charlatan.

Regarding bleeding and further clots I am quite sure all bleeding has stopped at this point. The majority of these hematomas, "clots," are likely to be extradural or subdural. This is statistically speaking and given that these are the ones amenable to surgical evacuation which they have done twice now. Hence my assumption of their location. Furthermore, Michael's brain is young and unlikely to have sheared off intracerebral blood vessels which is much harder to do with blunt trauma as opposed to penetrating trauma. These sorts of hematomas are not as likely to result in specific motor or sensory losses like a stroke does. Seizures are always possible but may not manifest for years, and usually are more associated with temporal lobe injuries, since we do not know the location of his injuries speculating here is fruitless. A very worrying issue is diffuse axonal injury which can manifest in numerous brain processing tasks from completing simple tasks, to emotional instability to name just two of dozens of issues. Again, this is in the future and pointless to speculate on now.

My armchair take from thousands of miles away...Michael has survived the two most critical periods, and now all we can do is have faith in the expert care he is receiving, have faith that he is "superhuman" in his conditioning and more importantly in his phenomenal powers of exerting his will, his discipline, and his burning desire to always overcome any challenge.

As I have stated in many posts I see him as one of the greatest champions the world has ever seen in any sport and I would never count him out. I expect he will surprise the world with a brilliant recovery and we will once again be cheering "Schumi" across the world and staring at each other with that puzzled amazed wonder that he has made us do so many times....smiling to each other, shaking our heads, and saying..."how does he keep doing that?"

This is my most fervent hope and belief. I feel this has hit so hard to so many of us because he is a superman, and supermen aren't supposed to fall so easily. Only a villain of equal power can challenge a superman, and a stupid ****ing rock on some stupid ****ing ski slope just doesn't qualify in my heart!

Go Schumi!

 

Thanks to all those who have posted with their various areas of expertise.

Watching the mass market media reports two things struck me. First they do an awful job getting the facts right. Just once I'd like to hear about his philanthropy.
Second it seems that most, if not all, of the fans holding vigil are Tifosi. Not many MB logos to be seen.

 

Great post! Go Schumi!

Sincerely,
Andrew.

 

He didn't really fare very well with MB. He was done, having peaked with Ferrari. To my knowledge, he actually began and ended F1 with MB, bookends to a stellar career and legacy.

 

Updated info and pics here:

Michael Schumacher still fighting for life after hitting FOUR rocks in ski accident | Mail Online

Photos show the actual rock he hit.

 

Looks like that skier landed on his bottom first and also did not hit his head directly on a protruding rock though...

 

Thanks for the posts Drs, great insight.

I can't help but wonder if he indeed makes a good recovery if he is going to have some sort of blood clot related issue or heart attack at a later date just as happened to de Villota. Her injury was a more penetrating injury as far as we know though.

 

The clots he currently has are essentially bruises of the brain. The "normal" bleeding that occurs after injury,... and then the blood clots as the bodies response in order to stop the localized bleeding and then allow healing.

Heart attacks usually occur when clots occur at sites of plaque (think of this as a local "injury",... although the injury is the chronic buildup of plaque,... that for some reason suddenly causes and acute clot). There are other causes of heart attacks,... but these are less common. There is not much reason to be concerned about any increased risk of heart attack than before the injury.

Now,... blood clots in the peripheral veins are another issue. These can form purely from inactivity. All of us move our arms an legs constantly. Even in our sleep,... we move,.. muscles contract and relax. But when immobile, blood can cease to move. Clots can form, most commonly in legs but also in arms, in the deep veins (known as DVT's). This is a serious concern. It is these clots that if they break loose, travel to the heart,.. then lodge in the pulmonary arteries (pulmonary artery embolism). This can be suddenly fatal. This is not rare and is a serious concern.

The good news is this is well known. I'm sure his doctors are taking steps to reduce risk. Schumacher is certainly in air inflatable stockings (these sequentially inflate and deflate to keep blood moving). They will be doing periodic ultrasounds to screen for clots. There are medications to reduce risk of clots forming, and others to treat if needed... as well as implantable filters to catch clots if needed.

I'm confident this issue is being addressed appropriately.

 

the above is a good comprehensive update thx for the link

 

That is such a wonderful sentiment and expressed so compassionately ! I truly hope his family is hearing similar words from the Docs that are attending to Michael (and attempting to inform and comfort them by extension) --- they need to hear an inspirational message such as that right now !

I think I understand why you chose Oncology.......and, I mean that as a sincere compliment to you

 

Thank you all for helping one another get through this. Without fchat I would be more of a mess. Cheers.

 

On a lighter side, when MS wakes up, what if he asks 'What year is this?'

I hope someone replies '1999. Ferrari needs you badly..'

 

And Michael replies: "you silly doofus, I'm told I hit my head on a rock - but I damn well know it's not 1999. I'm not driving in F1 anymore, but - - running the circus in the future ?? ..... hmmmm"

Michael - we are all here to share, support and comfort, whatever it is that your mind and body is experiencing, to hold you tight, and give you the love and support that will ultimately help you recover from this crazy nightmare "setback".

A loving fan - just one of many millions,

Hank

 

Went to racing school several years ago. One of my fellow students had an accident at the school several months before. When he woke up in the hospital he did not know who he was or who his family was and had no memory of what happened. He decided to retake the school after he was well.

When Schumi wakes up he may not remember much. Hopefully, he will remember everything over time and be healthy.

Get well soon.

 

+1

much needed levity, thank you

 

That made me smile! Thank you!



Jedi

 

Could this have reduced the impact?

Swedes Develop Invisible Bike Helmet

 

That's pretty cool. A head airbag.

 

+1

Understood by all I believe.

Thanks for articulating a response I'd been trying to come up with.

Beautifully stated!

Just to add once again, the power of positive thought, prayer, whatever you want to call it, has been shown to help. Let's keep it coming folks!

Cheers,
Ian

 

Thanks to everyone for their constant updates & input on Schumi's condition; especially the medical experts. Once again Fchat is the best source for accurate information without the BS.

All the best to Michael & wishing him a full & speedy recovery.

 

The "Centre Hospitalier Universitaire" (CHU) of Grenoble has confirmed about an hour ago that they will NOT provide an update of M.S health situation today.

Rgds

 

That's appropriate. Sounds like the situation is in "wait and see" mode now, and that can go on for a long time with no significant change in status.