4/10/04, Saturday Afternoon

Author: Tom Truax
Subject : 8 weeks

It was good to see Dan today for the first time since his Valentine's Day incident.  He was definitely Dan, all there with a little fuzz around the edges.  I stayed for about 70 minutes, and he talked non stop.  Coherent, fluent, alert, and energized.  He is aware and remembers most of his life.  February is a blank.

They plan to move him to a less supervised facility on Monday.  He looks forward to moving on.  By his own admission, he has been a challenging guest at The Rehabilitation Institute of Santa Barbara.  He is at odds with his doctor, and doesn't agree with his medication or some of the daily requirements.  They had him on an antidepressant, but he insisted that they discontinue that medication.  He is currently on a blood thinner to reduce the potential for blood clots, and also pain medication, which he insist he doesn't need, and he definitely doesn't like the side effects.

Physically, he looks good.  His mechanical injuries are mostly healed, but some will need additional physical therapy.  He tracheotomy hole is healed as well as the other numerous holes they poked in him (chest tube, stomach tube, exploratory surgical scar, plus..?).  I would guess his weight is about 20 pounds less than before, but he isn't thin or weak.

He has trouble coordinating his eyes, and will often wear a patch over alternating sides to avoid the conflict. He can see out of the individual eyes, but has trouble using both at the same time.   His balance is a bit off, partially because of his eye trouble.  He can walk ok, but is sometimes a bit unsteady.  He did some jogging the other day.  Some of his therapy includes basketball, and fielding the baseball.  He did 40 laps in the pool the day before.

He reads ok, and uses the computer.  The postings signed by him are actually keyed by him.  He hasn't been watching TV.

He sometimes mixes the details of past events, but seems to grasp the major stuff despite not being always clear if it was Joe or Jim.

Unfortunately, he has the perception that his mother and daughters are attempting to control his life and take some of his assets.  I don't personally believe that his mother is trying to take advantage of his situation, and hopefully he will come to realize his perceptions are incorrect.

From what I saw today, I would expect Dan to make a 90% recovery, and he is past the big hurdles.  He may take a year or two to achieve maximum recovery, but I would expect him to reach the 75% mark within a couple of months.  After the emotional roller coaster we all went through, it was very comforting for me personally to walk into his room, look in his eyes, and sense that he knew me instantly.

Dan will be physically able to fly again, but may choose not to.  He is a fun and compassionate sole who will always be part of us and continue to contribute in his own ways.

My visit lasted solo for about 45 minutes.  His daughter Kim arrive and stayed about 20 minutes, but she left for her Saturday night date shortly after Bob Hurlbett and Sarah dropped in.

I stopped by to see Frank on my way home.  We went out in his garden to check on the Cactus Dan planted for him when he was our President.  Frank's garden is in full bloom this time of year, and looks great.

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