i'm so grateful for your advice and your concern everyone. :-) i called an old vet of mine and she responded the same way as you guys. she said it'll take sandy a few weeks to go completely back to her normal self again but there IS a possibility that it'll take her 8 weeks to trust me and strangers again; that's when the kittens will be 3 months old and independent, she'll have nothing to be defensive/speculative about. i'm devastated that i won't accompany the kittens as they grow and develop.
and i already miss having sandy sleep by my feet. but late is better than never. and anyway she's already back to her normal playful self around my family members, and she's completly harmless (as long as they don't glance for a split second at a box, haha) so i'm hopeful that she recovers from her trauma sooner than expected. but until then, i'll have to keep her and her kittens isolated, but while showering her with cautious attention. (daily supply of salmon catfood! she loves it. and my housemaid's grooming her every now and then).
again, many thanks for your advice and concern. ^_^ been really helpful, to sandy's situation and to me, i feel much better than i have been these past few days. much appreciated! thank you so much