Chukka had another surgery today, Magda says she is exhausted. She also said that overall Chukka is really focused on immmediate comfort and breathing and getting temp down. It is good she is focused on immediate future and what she can control.
Axel is arranging the purchase of a DVD player for her, paid for by some friends in the US. It will play DVDs, CDs and MP3s, I will put out a call soon. Send to updated address.
Nothing too dark and be careful of sudden surprises, like the Monty Python skit where they start eating someone's mother. So no Monty Python. Simpson would be good.
IN the meantime, Claudia has sent her a Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Dish, and some South Park. Thank you all so much on the German team, and all of you out there. Having you there is such a help and encouragement.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Friday, May 11, 2007
Postal Rates Increasing Monday!
On Monday, May 14, international 1st class airmail will increase to $0.90 (90 cents) per ounce.
(Domestic going up to 41 cents -- good to remember when you pay your bills.)
Don't forget to send all cards to corrected address (see sidebar). Some have already come, although tjey may have been delayed due to wrong address.
(Domestic going up to 41 cents -- good to remember when you pay your bills.)
Don't forget to send all cards to corrected address (see sidebar). Some have already come, although tjey may have been delayed due to wrong address.
Updated Address
Innsbruck Medical University
Unfall chirurgie
Intensive station
für Patientin Carol Sachs
Anichstrasse 35
6020 Innsbruck
Austria
Cards only.
Unfall chirurgie
Intensive station
für Patientin Carol Sachs
Anichstrasse 35
6020 Innsbruck
Austria
Cards only.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Email from My Mother
Just got this from my mother:
"Magda arrived today and we saw C this afternoon. Her temp was up, her breathing good. She sucks little ice pops--ice in a syringe. She may be alittle bored. She definitely is not giving up. She´s as feisty underneath as ever." -- Sally
Also, she should be able to get the cards in the ICU. None have arrived, but I guess it hasn't been as long as it feels.
"Magda arrived today and we saw C this afternoon. Her temp was up, her breathing good. She sucks little ice pops--ice in a syringe. She may be alittle bored. She definitely is not giving up. She´s as feisty underneath as ever." -- Sally
Also, she should be able to get the cards in the ICU. None have arrived, but I guess it hasn't been as long as it feels.
She's talking!
Chukka was extubated a couple of days ago (this means they took the tube for the heart/lung machine out of her windpipe) and is now able to talk. Overall, she's doing quite well medically. She still has a fever.
She knows about her legs. I can't imagine... Please put a short comment and your name -- perhaps I can print the comments out and snail mail them to my mother in her hotel. All we can do for now is send her our support and love.
You can also still send her cards -- eventually she will move out of ICU into another ward, and she can see them then. I think they will matter to her.
She knows about her legs. I can't imagine... Please put a short comment and your name -- perhaps I can print the comments out and snail mail them to my mother in her hotel. All we can do for now is send her our support and love.
You can also still send her cards -- eventually she will move out of ICU into another ward, and she can see them then. I think they will matter to her.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Photographs from England
Last week I posted URL links to some photographs taken when Chukka was in England. A couple of people think it would be nicer for them to be visible in the blog, instead of just linking to them, so here they are. The other people along with Chukka are me, Chukka's nephew Olaf, and her niece Iona.
Michael (aka Micky)
St John's College, Cambridge
Michael (aka Micky)
St John's College, Cambridge
Dovestones, in the Pennine hills
Dovestones again
Taking It Slow
I'm trying to slow down today, and not make any of the thousands of calls I could make. Magda is gong back to Austria tomorrow (Thursday). I did call and suggest that she take some children's books -- maybe they can read out loud to Chukka. I think you must run out of things to say, and I remember being read out loud to when we were kids, it might be kind of soothing. I also suggested they try to track down any cards that might have arrived, and then they could read those to her too.
I like to think of the ICU as a quiet safe place. Of course it's very frightening to be in, or to go visit, but the reality is Chukka's body and spirit ahve traveled very far, and she is in a sanctuary designed to help her come back. It's a separate space with just one patient. The lights are low. There is a one-to-one ratio of nurses to patients there -- each patient has a dedicated nurse that just sits and watches the patient and the machines -- kind of tending the sacred fire at a temple. I think in general ICU nurses are very calm and very calming, they are very familiar with this deep place that Chukka is in. And they are highly qualified; this is a specialty and I'm sure not everyone else is suited. Everything is very contained. This is the best place for her to be.
There has been a minor setback, they can't go ahead with the rest of the surgeries quite yet, so she will be in ICU at least a week longer. Everything is fine, just this delay to take care of her changing condition. I haven't heard anything new since Magda's post, but I"m sure she ocntinues to get stronger and more conscious.
I have identified a "top candidate" for a hospital when she comes back here in a few weeks. When I jump back into the fray, I will start working on the American insurance side, and getting information about how they will make that "transfer". Today, I am truly trying to make none of these calls. As you can perhaps see, I've taken the time to add her address and a link to the sidebar on the blog. If you have other links you think might be useful, you can post them in the comments, or send them to the chukkasupport AT gmail.com address. I may not manage to get all of them up -- it's so hard to stay organized -- but I'm sure you'll forgive me for any mistakes.
I like to think of the ICU as a quiet safe place. Of course it's very frightening to be in, or to go visit, but the reality is Chukka's body and spirit ahve traveled very far, and she is in a sanctuary designed to help her come back. It's a separate space with just one patient. The lights are low. There is a one-to-one ratio of nurses to patients there -- each patient has a dedicated nurse that just sits and watches the patient and the machines -- kind of tending the sacred fire at a temple. I think in general ICU nurses are very calm and very calming, they are very familiar with this deep place that Chukka is in. And they are highly qualified; this is a specialty and I'm sure not everyone else is suited. Everything is very contained. This is the best place for her to be.
There has been a minor setback, they can't go ahead with the rest of the surgeries quite yet, so she will be in ICU at least a week longer. Everything is fine, just this delay to take care of her changing condition. I haven't heard anything new since Magda's post, but I"m sure she ocntinues to get stronger and more conscious.
I have identified a "top candidate" for a hospital when she comes back here in a few weeks. When I jump back into the fray, I will start working on the American insurance side, and getting information about how they will make that "transfer". Today, I am truly trying to make none of these calls. As you can perhaps see, I've taken the time to add her address and a link to the sidebar on the blog. If you have other links you think might be useful, you can post them in the comments, or send them to the chukkasupport AT gmail.com address. I may not manage to get all of them up -- it's so hard to stay organized -- but I'm sure you'll forgive me for any mistakes.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
in between Austria visits
I got back last night and am going back to Innsbruck on Thursday.
We have been able to see Chukka twice a day. She is getting more concious each time, but knew our voices (and could nod0 the first time. She asked (via writing, thank you to the nurse who thought of the paper and pen) for water -- whcih she cannot have at the moment. But we could wipe her face with a damp cloth, and the nurse brough a big bowl of ice with peppermint which is cooling and we could just do that for her.
The nurses -- 'sisters' they are called -- are all really lovely, to a man. It is some consolation to leave her in their capable, calm and caring hands.
We are sorting the practicalities, one at a time.
The support here is amazing, I hope Chukka will be able to hook into it sometime soon. For me, its great to know that there is a support network ready for a future phase as we are going through this hard early part.
Thank you.
Magda
We have been able to see Chukka twice a day. She is getting more concious each time, but knew our voices (and could nod0 the first time. She asked (via writing, thank you to the nurse who thought of the paper and pen) for water -- whcih she cannot have at the moment. But we could wipe her face with a damp cloth, and the nurse brough a big bowl of ice with peppermint which is cooling and we could just do that for her.
The nurses -- 'sisters' they are called -- are all really lovely, to a man. It is some consolation to leave her in their capable, calm and caring hands.
We are sorting the practicalities, one at a time.
The support here is amazing, I hope Chukka will be able to hook into it sometime soon. For me, its great to know that there is a support network ready for a future phase as we are going through this hard early part.
Thank you.
Magda
Monday, May 7, 2007
No real changes
Just very busy, arranging insurance, thinking about where she can come to here, things like that. When she comes back, she will need to go to a hospital for inpatient rehabilitation for some time.
Her home would be very very difficult to make wheelchair friendly, the front steps alone are about 10 steps, opening onto a narrow driveway, it's hard to imagine being able to build a temporary ramp that would be stable enough. This kind of situation is repeated thorugh out the house, so truly making it safe would be a challenge. There are many options, I think best not to commit to one before we can get an idea of what she wants. I think when she gets into rehab here, she will meet people in a similar situation and get more of a picture of what she will want.
She does not know of her condition, it might be a while before they tell her.
I must say the overseas office for her insurance company was very good at least on the phone, we will see how that all plays out...
Her home would be very very difficult to make wheelchair friendly, the front steps alone are about 10 steps, opening onto a narrow driveway, it's hard to imagine being able to build a temporary ramp that would be stable enough. This kind of situation is repeated thorugh out the house, so truly making it safe would be a challenge. There are many options, I think best not to commit to one before we can get an idea of what she wants. I think when she gets into rehab here, she will meet people in a similar situation and get more of a picture of what she will want.
She does not know of her condition, it might be a while before they tell her.
I must say the overseas office for her insurance company was very good at least on the phone, we will see how that all plays out...
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Oops - retraction
Earlier I posted a little more about her condition than is now up in the previous post. Mum and Magda point out that her privacy is important, so although I know everyone wants to know, we also cannot know what she would or would not want public.
So if you put anything up about that, please take it down if possible. Things do travel very fast...
So if you put anything up about that, please take it down if possible. Things do travel very fast...
Still waiting for full details
Someone asked if we knew more about the accident and Chukka's condition. There's another surgery today; perhaps after that Mum and Magda will talk to the surgeon, and then they will try to go to the polic station tomorrow and look at the accident report. Those are two very hard things.
Magda can't stay; she is leaving to go home around noon on Monday; she has to get on a train Tuesday morning and travel to give a talk. After that my mother will be alone in Innsbruck.
I do know a little about the circumstances of the accident. European trains lock their doors one minute before departure as a safety memasure. I wouldn't know that, and neither did Chukka -- we traveled a lot in Europe when we were kids, and you could just pull a door open no matter what. She was trying to get on the train back to Prague, saw the train, and tried to open the doors. Then somehow she fell. Where she fell or exactly what happened after I still do not know.
All organs are fine. The legs of course are amputated above the knee. There are some other injuries, but Mum and Magda think it is best to respect her privacy as much as possible, I think they are probably right. There is no paralysis, again I think no trauma to the head.
At some time the surgeon -- the head of the clinic is taking Chukka's case -- will give Mum and Magda a full briefing, although if there is more to be done, they cannot make a final assesssment & so will not be ready to give full details. Doctors don't like to speculate in public.
The wounds are infected and she has a high fever -- there are some risks there.
Once she is back here and they have made their medical assessment, she will have to go through rehab, maybe in a rehabilitation hospital. She will have to be trained how to do many things that we all take for granted. They will also likely work on building up body strength. She will need to use both her upper and lower body in ways she has not before. They do believe she will be able to have prosthetics, but that will take some time until the wounds are fully healed and can take the pressure, and again there is a lot to be learned in terms of how to control them.
The hospital will presumably also have counseling services and support groups. Since they have not spoken of concussion, she may have been conscious during the accident (that is very painful to imagine) and then there will be postraumatic stress -- I won't call it a disorder, because it is perfectly natural.
I have to stop thinking about this all the time, irght this moment I know I am spinning out of control a little but it is not so easy to stop it. Your comments and support mean a lot to me. It matters so much that you are all there for her, and of course I know you are all part of her support team, all of you.
Magda can't stay; she is leaving to go home around noon on Monday; she has to get on a train Tuesday morning and travel to give a talk. After that my mother will be alone in Innsbruck.
I do know a little about the circumstances of the accident. European trains lock their doors one minute before departure as a safety memasure. I wouldn't know that, and neither did Chukka -- we traveled a lot in Europe when we were kids, and you could just pull a door open no matter what. She was trying to get on the train back to Prague, saw the train, and tried to open the doors. Then somehow she fell. Where she fell or exactly what happened after I still do not know.
All organs are fine. The legs of course are amputated above the knee. There are some other injuries, but Mum and Magda think it is best to respect her privacy as much as possible, I think they are probably right. There is no paralysis, again I think no trauma to the head.
At some time the surgeon -- the head of the clinic is taking Chukka's case -- will give Mum and Magda a full briefing, although if there is more to be done, they cannot make a final assesssment & so will not be ready to give full details. Doctors don't like to speculate in public.
The wounds are infected and she has a high fever -- there are some risks there.
Once she is back here and they have made their medical assessment, she will have to go through rehab, maybe in a rehabilitation hospital. She will have to be trained how to do many things that we all take for granted. They will also likely work on building up body strength. She will need to use both her upper and lower body in ways she has not before. They do believe she will be able to have prosthetics, but that will take some time until the wounds are fully healed and can take the pressure, and again there is a lot to be learned in terms of how to control them.
The hospital will presumably also have counseling services and support groups. Since they have not spoken of concussion, she may have been conscious during the accident (that is very painful to imagine) and then there will be postraumatic stress -- I won't call it a disorder, because it is perfectly natural.
I have to stop thinking about this all the time, irght this moment I know I am spinning out of control a little but it is not so easy to stop it. Your comments and support mean a lot to me. It matters so much that you are all there for her, and of course I know you are all part of her support team, all of you.
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