Michael Schumacher/Formula 1

[Renegadenemo]

I used to dive with a lad whose dad had died after falling off the top of the fuel tanker he drove - one of those big Esso jobs. He'd landed on his head on the concrete and had a long spell of lucidity before he went downhill, which included getting a little fighty - a very common symptom of TBI, apparently.
His son told me how he initially refused to accept that his dad had gone so he asked to see what he said had been called 'deep pain tests' or something like that. He said one of them was to put the point of a biro into the flesh between the base of the fingers and push it in really hard but it brought no reaction.
Having said that, my mate Steve from around the corner was given a very poor prognosis after his stroke. Paralysed gut so doubly incontinent forever and fed through a tube. 24-hour care for the rest of his days - it was dreadful.
Nowadays he's the same lad he always was, albeit somewhat cripply (that's what I tell him) and he whizzes around on an electric scooter between training with the aim of doing the coast to coast cycle ride in aid of stroke charities.

[Terminator]

Latest news report issued today.

"Michael Schumacher's family have allayed mounting fears about his condition by revealing they still "strongly believe" the former F1 World Champion will recover from the life-threatening skiing accident that has left him in a coma for almost two months."

Give me a shout Bill with that Coast to Coast trip I'll ride with you, you know me I like a challenge even at 50
Novie

[Renegadenemo]

http://formerf1doc.wordpress.com/

[rob565uk]

Interesting stuff, obviously the thoughts of a highly-skilled and experienced Doctor, clearly explained for non-medical people like me. I do think however there is a limit to the usefulness of hypothesising and I believe we are close to that limit. Let's just pray for a good outcome.

[Terminator]

Corinna Schumacher spent the saddest birthday of her life on Sunday sitting at the bedside of her stricken husband with her children, her brother-in-law and her father-in-law speaking words of love and encouragement in a bid to rouse him from his coma.

Corinna turned 45 on Sunday with - as Austrian news website Format put it - "recovery for Michael Schumacher seeming all the more improbable."

Medical experts around the world have reached the same opinion - including a former F1 doctor.

"Corinna Schumacher is 45 years old. It's a sad birthday, because the state of health of her husband, the formula 1 record World Champion Michael Schumacher, gives little cause for hope," it added.

"Nine weeks after the skiing accident of her husband it is emerging ever more clearly that he will not completely recover from his traumatic brain injury. Medically this would border on a miracle - something that Corinna wished for on her birthday."

Doctors now believe it will indeed be a miracle if Schumacher will ever again be the personality he once was.

On Monday Schumacher entered his 65th day in the coma in which he was placed on December 29 last year following a low-speed ski-accident at the French Alpine resort of Meribel.

Only time will tell.
Novie

[Renegadenemo]

Only time will tell.

I know everyone wants him to make it but the sad message was in that first press conference when they said he had lesions right left and centre of his brain. Looks like his final legacy isn't going to be to f1 at all but to raising awareness of brain injury.

[quicksilver-wsr]

Pleasantly surprising news about the man Schumacher today ...

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112857

"Where there is life there is hope."

Nigel

[Terminator]

Thanks for that Nigel only just got back myself from a funeral I attended today. Not the best of occasions at any time.
Cheers
Novie

[Renegadenemo]

A superb doco here - you'll get the relevance.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... e_of_Life/

[Renegadenemo]

I suppose there's not too much relevance because the miracles usually happen to victims of hypoxic rather than traumatic brain injury and Schuey has bashed both hemispheres and his brain stem according to the second press conference way back when; but it was interesting to watch a brain injured patient emerge.