Our dear friend Mick - May He Rest in Peace!

[Gaybutton]

I received the following information today:

_____

 

Mick the night manager of the Cafe Royal Bar was taken to Bangkok Pattaya hospital a few days ago with uncontrollable shakes and very high blood pressure. Yesterday the doctors there said they believe that whilst there he has now suffered a stroke and appears to be paralyzed down one side it doesn't look very good for him they say.

 

As they don't have a Neurosurgery department or surgeon at Bangkok Pattaya hospital he was transferred overnight to the Bangkok Medical Center in Bangkok.

 

As you know Mick ran the Soho bar in Pattayaland Soi 1 for some years.

[Guest Oogleman]

A prayer and best wishes sent from London for a nice man.

[PattayaMale]

I always liked Mick. Sorry to hear about his problem too. I wish he would have been transferred to Bumrungrad. I have much more confidence in that hospital.

[Guest ButterballBruce]

I'm sorry to hear this about Mick. He's a good guy.

[PattayaMale]

It seems that the stroke that was reported earlier has fortunately turned out to be something else. Mick is NOT paralyzed on one side, but is certainly not out of danger either.

 

I was told that the hospital will open an artery that is closing in the back of his head, going through an artery in his thigh.

 

 

[Guest gayaffairs]

I know many people have heard the news regarding Mick of Café Royale. To clarify things the following will be appearing in the Weekly Report Newsletter from http://www.gayaffairspattaya.com which will be published on Thursday, June 12, 2009.

 

"We are pleased to report that Mick from Café Royale underwent a surgical procedure on the evening of June 10, 2009 at a hospital in Bangkok (not Bumrungrad). The surgeon is happy with the procedure and we all wish Mick a speedy recovery."

 

 

[Gaybutton]

Dear friends,

 

Unfortunately, Mick has taken a serious turn for the worse. He had problems breathing and had to be put on a respirator. He then experienced what was called a brain spasm. Tests indicate more possible problems with areas in the brain. He is not conscious at this time which could be caused by medication or by the brain spasm. Doctors are doing all they can and hope that this can rectify itself. All any of us can do is wait. The doctors, at this time, can not give us a very positive prognosis.

 

Tim & Tom

[PattayaMale]

Dear friends,

 

The situation remains very critical. The doctors have said that they do not

anticipate any more scans, procedures, or interventions today. They have

advised us that the prognosis for improvement or recovery is almost

non-existant. We can all only hope and pray for him.

 

More as we have any more information to tell you.

 

Tim & Tom

 

Received 6:30 pm June 11

[Guest shockdevil]

So sorry to hear that his condition has worsened. I will pray that he pulls through with a complete recovery. God can work miracles when doctors are stumped.

[PattayaMale]

Hello to everyone,

 

I just got off the phone with Tim who informed me that Mick had a peaceful and uneventful night. He has spoken with the doctor who informed him that there was a slight improvement in his reflective response to stimulus. The doctor was pleased with this but also wanted Tim to know that this improvement did not change the continuing prognosis.

 

The doctors have said that their intentions are to monitor Mick for the next few days before trying to arrive at a decision for the next course of action.

 

If any other information becomes available I will certainly pass it on to all of you.

 

Tom

[Guest Lapos]

Mick Cockroft, the night manager in Le Cafe Royale, is still seriously ill in a Bangkok hospital and knowing that his many friends and associates are anxious to be kept up to date regarding his progress I am including here the latest email from Tim and Tom who are on constant watch over Mick and are receiving first hand information from the doctors and hospital staff. This email is current as of 6.30 p.m. Saturday the 13th of June.

Dear Friends,

 

We wanted you to know about todays developments. At times Mick was semi-conscious and able to respond to voice commands. When asked to move his fingers and toes he was able to do so. He was also conscious of people in the room and by squeezing his hand he was able to show that he knew who was there. At one point this evening he opened one eye and saw Kan and then smiled.

 

The doctor asked him whether he had a headache and Mick was told to respond by holding up one finger for yes and two fingers for no. He held up two fingers and the doctor was pleased and told us that this meant that he did not feel that any surgical intervention was needed to relieve any brain swelling and that the medication seemed to be working to reduce the swelling.

 

We asked the doctor what today's signs meant. He said he was happy with todays events but that there was no way to predict anything in the future.

 

He did say that hopefully in the next few days they would checking to see whether Mick could breathe on his own without the help of the respirator. He did not know when this would be done as he wanted to make sure that all his vital signs were stable first.

 

We will keep you posted daily. Thank you for your e-mails of support for Mick.

Tim & Tom

 

If anyone wishes to receive regular updates regarding Mick's condition please send your email address to info or Email

[Guest Lapos]

Concerning the progress of Mick Cockroft here is the latest news received today, Sunday the 14th, from Tim and Tom.

 

Dear Friends,

 

Not much has changed since yesterday. Mick is still semi-conscious at times and during those times seems to understand who is in the room and can answer simple yes or no questions by either squeezing his hand or showing one or two fingers. Just to show that he still has a sense of humor in the midst of all this madness, when he was asked to "show me one finger" he responded by "showing me his middle finger."

 

He is able to open his right eye about half way and he indicated that he could see and understand who was in the room.

 

The doctors are still monitoring his situation closely and will wait a few more days before seeing whether Mick can breathe without the respirator.

 

Thank you again for your e-mails of concern, All of your best wishes are being passed on to Mick.

 

Tim & Tom

 

If anyone wishes to receive regular updates regarding Mick's condition please send your email address to info or Email

[Guest Oogleman]

Thanks for the updates. A lot of people outside of Thailand know Mick and care about him.

[Guest Lapos]

To all of Mick's concerned friends here is the latest update email received from Tim & Tom at 2 p.m. today, 15/06/09.

Dear Friends,

 

There is not too much to report today. Mick's physical condition appears to be the same as yesterday. He is sleeping a lot of the time as his body heals.

 

The doctors have said, however, that they are pleased with the progress he so far has made, coming so soon after the problems occurred.

 

They tried to take Mick off the respirator earlier but he was still too weak to breathe on his own. The doctors have said they will try again in a few more days.

 

We once again thank you for your words of support and best wishes for Mick. Be assured that they are being passed on.

 

Tim & Tom

 

For up to date information send your email address to Email or Info

[Guest Lapos]

Here is the latest email update on Mick Cockroft's condition, received today at 2 p.m.

 

Dear Friends,

 

Today Mick saw the cardiologist who was pleased with Mick's progress and his strength.

 

Mick was quite animated this afternoon and was, once again, able to recognize people in the room and understand what they were saying.

 

The neurologist will be seeing Mick later today and we should find out in the next few days about the plans for future tests or procedures. We will keep you posted.

 

Tim & Tom

 

If anyone wishes to receive regular updates regarding Mick's condition please send your email address to Email or to Info

[Guest Lapos]

This is the most up to date information on Mick Cockroft's medical condition, received today, 17/06/09 at 3.30 p.m.

 

Dear Friends,

 

Thank you again for your e-mails of thoughts and best wishes for Mick. We are passing them on to him daily. According to the nurses he had a quiet night last night.

 

The doctor is pleased with the progress that Mick is making but cautions that he is at a stage now where progressions will come slowly. They took him off of the respirator today and he was able to breath on his own. Breathing on his own tired him out so they reconnected the respirator after awhile so he could rest more comfortortably. They plan on taking him off the respirator for short periods daily to allow Mick to breath on his own and build up his strength.

 

The doctor also said that he feels that Mick is slowly getting stronger and this is confirmed by the strength of his grip.

Although no date has been set for the next set of scans it will be happening once Mick is a bit stronger. Once the scans are complete they will be able to tell if the swelling has receded as well as where there might be other damage. The doctor is concerned about the damage being to the back of the head where motor coordination is controlled but this can only be confirmed once the scans are completed.

 

A rehab specialist has been called in and will start working with Mick regularly to exercise his limbs and help with mobility.

 

We will keep you posted on the developments.

 

Tim & Tom

For regular email updates please send your email address to Email or to Info

[Guest Lapos]

Here is the latest update on Mick Cockroft's medical condition, received Friday morning, 19/06/09 .

 

Dear Friends,

Today a CT Scan has been done and the object of this was to ascertain if the swelling had gone down which it has thankfully. The attending neurosurgeon had a team standing by in case it was necessary to intervene to relieve the pressure. That was not necessary which is a great relief.

 

The other purpose of the CT Scan was to look again carefully at the original problem area, the abnormal artery, to see if this is stable or if it presents any further potential problems. Once again the doctors were pleased to see that everything was ok with the artery.

 

The CT scan has also revealed that the bleeding that had taken place has stopped which is also good news.

 

There was a small blood clot found in the area of infarction but the neurologist says that this will in time take care of itself.

 

Mick has also had a chest X-Ray done to check on an area of the chest that is not expanding as it should. The tests showed an infection and a chest doctor was brought in who has examined Mick and started him on a treatment regime to clear up this infection.

 

The medical team say that his breathing is getting stronger and by Monday or Tuesday next week they plan to do a tracheotomy in order to clear his mouth of all the tubes that are necessary at present and this will help him with his breathing. After the tracheotomy they plan to have an ENT specialist see him to check nerves and reflexes in preparation for when he will be breathing on his own. At this point they want to get him out of the ICU into a private room which will be overall more sterile as it will not have so much traffic as a busy ICU unit. He will be moved out of ICU once he is breathing on his own.

 

His vital signs are all stable and as they should be, and he has started some physical therapy in order to maintain and build up strength in his limbs.

 

Earlier on today when Tom, Kan and Toy visited him they noticed that at one point after mentioning the name of one of his best long term friends his right eye opened completely which is something we have not seen before, up to now all we have seen is a half opened eye. Hopefully that is good also.

 

Finally, the doctor said that with a brain injury there are 3 main mileposts where they evaluate current and future aspects of recovery. These are at 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months. Mick was informed of this and we told him that once he was out of ICU we were going to work him hard and kick his butt for the next 6 weeks so that he could get better and in return kick our butts We asked him if this was ok and he actually nodded his head up and down.

 

More later,

 

Tim & Tom

 

 

For more regular updates send your email address to Email or to Info

[PattayaMale]

Thank you Lapos for keeping us informed. Also great thanks to Tim and Tom for taking such good care of our friend Mick. It is a wonderful feeling to know that our community in Pattaya is to be counted on.

 

Mick has always been a fighter and thankfully is.

[Guest Lapos]

Here is the latest update on Mick Cockroft's condition, received today, 20th/06/09 at 1 p.m.

 

Dear Friends,

 

There is not much to report today. Mick has been sleeping most of the day and the doctors are asking that he not be woken up or disturbed as a day of rest (without interruptions or tests) is good for him.

 

The doctors do feel that his strength is growing everyday which is a good sign.

 

Anyway, we will keep you posted on any developments as they occur.

 

Tim and Tom

 

 

[Guest Lapos]

Here is the latest update from Tom & Tim as they keep constant vigil over Mick. Also keeping vigil are Mick's Thai friends, Kan and Toi. This email was received Sunday 21/06/09 at 3.30 p.m.

 

Dear Friends,

 

Today was very much like yesterday. Mick slept most of the day and when he was visited he awoke for only a short period of time. Tim was able to communicate with him for a short time but then felt it best to let Mick continue resting.

 

The tracheotomy is scheduled for noon tomorrow and we should have further information from the doctors then.

 

Tim & Tom

 

For more regular updates send your email address to Email OR TO Info

[Guest Lapos]

Here is the latest update on Mick's condition from Tim & Tom, received 22nd/06/09 at 3 p.m.

 

Dear Friends,

 

Mick underwent the procedure for his tracheotomy this afternoon and all went as planned. He is now back in ICU and sleeping. According to Tim his face looks more comfortable and relaxed without all the tubing in his mouth and throat. Most likely Tim will not be able to speak with Mick's neurosurgeon until late tonight or early tomorrow so there is no other news or any other developments to report today. We are pleased that this procedure was successful and hopefully it will bring some relief to any discomfort Mick is feeling.

 

Tim & Tom

 

[Guest Lapos]

Here is the latest update on Mick's condition, received Tuesday morning, 23/06/09.

 

 

Dear Friends,

 

We wanted to let you know that the doctors feel that is necessary to do a surgical procedure today. They will be inserting something called a VP Shunt which will help drain fluid from the brain. This involves drilling a hole and inserting a catheter which will drain excess fluid and then remain in place to prevent the build up of excess fluid in the future.

 

We do not know what time this procedure will take place or how long it will take but we will send an update as soon as it is completed and we have spoken with the doctors.

 

Tim & Tom

 

[Guest Lapos]

Here is the latest update on Micks condition, received Tuesday afternoon, 23/06/09.

 

 

Dear Friends,

 

We wanted you to know that the surgery has ended and there were no complications. Mick is now back in ICU recovering.

 

The doctors will continue to monitor his progress and will do another CT scan to check status in a few days time. The goal still remains to have Mick off the respirator and into a private room as quickly as possible. The balance of today will be recovery and sleep for Mick. We will let you know if there are any other developments but if not we will update everyone again tomorrow.

 

Tim & Tom

[Guest]

Thank you for all the information. We do hope he continues to improve and recover fast!

[Guest Lapos]

Here is the latest update on Mick's condition, received Wed. afternoon, 24/06/09.

 

 

Dear Friends,

 

Mick is recovering well from the surgery yesterday. From all indications he is getting stronger. He was visited by some friends today and he was communicating and understanding.

 

Thanks again for all your e-mails of support for Mick.

 

Tim & Tom