Hoping and praying that the last boy and the coach and remaining medics and accompanying staff make it out ok today.
Anxiety meds make sense. Of course they can act as sedatives as well depending on the dose, and as the children won’t have had the meds before, there will be some sedative effect as a side effect unless they give a tiny tiny dose... which I don’t think they’d do. I think they’d be giving a decent loading dose to make sure nothing goes wrong, as panicking would be so dangerous down there.
Am very familiar with anxiety drugs as I use them for a heart condition, but also, I use them as a sedative/ calming effect when having quite frequent MRIs, as, oh the irony and pathetic ness considering the thread, I’m claustrophobic in them.
Anyway, I use them, a single/double dose, combination of propranolol and diazepam, to make me very drowsy, although not knocked out, but able to drift away mentally so I can stop myself panicking. I’m able to follow instructions and can snap into reality if needed. The propranolol is needed as the diazepam doesn’t quite cut the mustard, I can still spiral out of the effects it gives and have a panic attack, but with the combination of an -olol as well, it keeps my heart rate down which physically stops my body from spinning off into uncontrollable panic. Which is what you’d need in that journey. A cast iron safety harness as it were, so they can’t lose it.
I can imagine it would be needed to make a terrifying journey through the caves just about bearable probably.
And it would make sense of a recovery time afterwards too, not recovering as in ‘coming round’ from an anesthetic, but the drugs wearing off and just coming out of the mental state the experience of getting through those tunnels would have put them in.
My heart and soul goes out to them, and I pray that they have that last bit of strength to get through this.
I got left in an MRI machine and forgotten about for a couple of hours, lights turned off, strapped in and unable to move, let alone get out, no one hearing me scream... it about 7 yrs ago now, and it’s given me horrible claustrophobia. That whole experience took 3hrs and 40minutes, and it was terrifying. So, I feel a complete coward compared to these amazing children and their coach. I don’t know how they’ve survived all that time, mentally as well as physically. They are truly bloody amazing. Just for managed to endure it. Words fail me.
I just keep sending all my strength and love and hope to them...
(And sorry I mentioned EM earlier!!! You’re right. Positive only. Amazing that they’ve got to number 11. Just bloody amazing).