Reflections after my cliff strike: advice for friends/family of the injured
I had a pretty serious cliff strike just before Christmas 2011, where I spent my share of time on various operating tables, and was kept in a chemical coma for a few days afterward. I have ZERO complaints about the care that I received, but there are things that happened that I have very vague or no memory of, and there is no good record of for me to look back on. From my own reflections, I have some suggestions for the friends and family visiting an injured person in the hospital:
1) Take at least a few pictures (and some video if you can) EVERY time you go visit, regardless of whether they are attached to life support and unconscious or wide awake and cheerful. Actually, make that ESPECIALLY if they are in the first condition. It may seem ghoulish at the time and you may feel bad about it, but the injured person will probably thank you later. Take pictures of the person, but also take pictures and video of the entire room/surroundings (more on that later). Quite often, there are a LOT of changes that happen in the first few days that are good to document; this can help clarify the recovering person's questions.
When the person recovers and they are reasonably "there" mentally, let them know that the photos and video exist, and that you will give them the material and discuss what is in each photo when the injured person feels ready. Also tell them that you will not show them to anyone else in the meantime, and let the injured person decide what happens with the photos after that point.
I lost about 5 days in a chemical coma, and there are only a precious few photos of that period. I have vague memories of the ICU, but unsurprisingly, these memories don't really jive with reality. I looked like hell, but these photos were really important to me after the fact, and helped with the healing process later. When I had a "down" day, I could look at these photos and remember just how far I had come already, and get fresh motivation to continue my recovery.
The pictures/video of the room would have been nice when discussing what I remember of the ICU, when I was semi/barely conscious. Some of the things I remembered were real, some weren't.
Also, I find the videos of when I was really drugged up and saying/doing silly stuff to be absolutely hilarious after the fact. The friends taking the video at the time felt really bad about doing it, but we all agree later that it was great. I can appreciate that not all people would think such video of themselves was funny, but let THEM decide later whether to delete it or not.
If in doubt, err on the side of too many pictures and videos. They can be deleted later, but if you don't have it, you can't decide what to keep and what not.
2) The FIRST TIME you go visit, bring a hardcover, lined notebook (A5 is a good size) and a couple easy-writing pens. Laying in a hospital bed, you have a lot of time to think, and writing down your thoughts is a good way to pass time. It also serves as a diary later, where you can write medications, rehab training, Dr. visits/advice and just random day-to-day stuff.
When I came out of the coma, I had some very profound and amazing thoughts/experiences that I really wish I could have written down, see this thread. However, I didn't have anywhere to write these thoughts down and many of these thoughts are now lost to me. I tried writing Notes on my iPhone, but that is hopeless when your hands have been injured. Bad handwriting can usually be deciphered later by the writer.
When interesting things happen, visitors should feel free to write them in the book as well.
In my case, it took nearly a week after coming out of the coma before my head was working more or less properly and I could remember things clearly day-to day. Having the book to write in really helped with that.
3) If the injured person writes you a note or something on a piece of loose paper, KEEP IT, even if you think it is insignificant. Especially if the person is heavily drugged. These "little things" can add a lot of colour and depth to later discussions of that time.
Other peoples' wishes may be different, but these are things I have now discussed with the guys I jump with after my experience. My list is by no means exhaustive and a discussion of other thoughts/experiences is welcome.
