Feldkirch Hospital – Critical Care Unit

I spent part of Thursday afternoon talking to the team of physicians and nurses who care for Paul in the Feldkirch Hospital Critical Care Unit. When engaging with them one realizes just how fortunate he is to be so well looked after in what is a modern, well designed hospital.

In my last entry I reflected on where I sensed we were following the accident, and now on day eighteen, the combination of time and medical care is what is so important. The Medical Team has stabilized him. The tracheotomy procedure has been successful and this has made him more comfortable. However, his breathing remains assisted. He still has his physiotherapy sessions and is watched over constantly by “man and machine”. The drug regime inducing the coma has ended, but he remains well sedated to keep him comfortable.

His recovery rests, in great part, in their hands. This recovery process is marked by peaks and troughs and today they had to drain excess fluid from the brain. It is not always a steady, constant improving path and we need to remember this.

In a sense, the next steps are ones that Paul will take in his own time. The Medical Team remains content and feels that he is where they would generally expect him to be at this stage of the recovery process mindful of the enormous severity of the force of the accident and the blow to his head. I only learned on this visit that he had a fractured skull. They now watch for signs of movement, the coughs to deal with irritation in the throat, leg movements and the perhaps slight movements of the fingers. These are but some important signs and over the next several days and weeks ahead our hope is that we will see them. The doctors cannot place a definitive time frame on these signs. Everyone is different. We cannot expect something definitively will happen tomorrow or on the next day or next week.

Given Paul remains stable the physicians are starting to consider next steps in his recovery process and where best he can be cared for. They are reflecting on identifying, in the area, the best care environment and hospitals that specialize in head injuries and when it may make sense to move him. No decision yet has been taken. These decisions will be important steps in his recovery process and then he would move from the critical care environment into the high dependency environment. We are not there yet.

Penny remains in Austria in a charming family run hotel. They are looking after her very well, are so kind and thoughtful, and it is an easy walk to hospital. She spends time after 11.00am in the morning with Paul, leaves at lunch and then returns in the late afternoon for an hour or so. Graham is with her this weekend.

And so, as we all watch from afar, we must continue to manage our burden of time. We will be patient. Importantly, we will continue to offer up our prayers for Paul’s recovery and especially for Penny, Charlotte and William.

As ever, Charles