Friday May 29, 2009
Day 31

True hope dwells on the possible, even when life
seems to be a plot written by someone who wants
to see how much adversity we can overcome.
True hope responds to the real world, to real life;
it is an active effort. ~ Walter Anderson

This morning Daniel appears rested and his nurse,
Tracy, reports that he had a restful night. He appears
relaxed and the fever is subsiding.
Daniel's vital signs are good. He did have a fever
yesterday afternoon and they have taken samples
of saliva and chest secretions to culture, in a
preventative effort to stop pneumonia or other
maladies. This will take 3 days to assess any
abnormalities. He is on specific antibodies this morning
for other minor issues. Blood was drawn for a blood
panel to look at vital parameters. His blood sugar is
monitored several times a day to determine insulin
levels. This morning he required a very small
amount of insulin.
Update: the blood panel proved negative and the
cultures are clear as of 5:00PM Friday.
At this moment, we don't know if the physical
therapists will work with him today. Physical therapy
has been postponed today.
The physical therapy, the fever, and the antibiotics
have slowed down Daniel's responses today. He has
had his eyes closed most of the morning. Today
the doctors have Daniel scheduled for another CT or
Cat scan. The result will probably be known tomorrow.
Update: Daniel is having the CT scan at this moment.

Yesterday, Daniel was transferred form the SICU to
the MICU- Medical Intensive Care Unit. After his
first surgery on May 1, he was allowed 30 days in the
SICU. Being in a more stable condition, the decision was
made to place him in the MICU. Tracy offered that when
a room is available in the Progressive Care Unit, he will
be moved to the 4th floor. It might be today.
The next move is to Villa Pomerado Acute Care Facility
next to the Pomerado Hospital in Poway. This would
probably occur as early as next week.

You might be asking yourself if these changes are the
result of rapid progress in Daniel's health. In my opinion,
the answer would be a negative. Cathy, Margarita, and
Victor feel Daniel would benefit from more time in the
MICU. As you all know, there are other forces at work.
Health benefit plans, specifically hospitalization benefits,
are determined by health insurance companies.
This blog is about Daniel's health and welfare. There are
other blogs that deal with the inequities and inadequacies
of the health care delivery system in the United States,
we will question and advocate on Daniel's behalf to insure
decisions contribute to his health, welfare, and recovery.

This is a long journey and we remain optimistic. The blog
is titled Hope for Daniel, we will not abandon hope.
Family, friends, acquaintances, even complete strangers
that have heard of Daniel, have all come together as a
support group, in unity, in solidarity with the one goal,
of seeing Daniel regain his health!
Family and friends have shared many anecdotes and
case studies of acquaintances or celebrities who have
emerged from weeks or months of being unconscious.
The case cited the most is that of Bob Woodruff, the ABC
news correspondent that suffered traumatic brain injuries
while on assignment in Iraq. He was comatose for five weeks.
Do a search on the Internet for a summary of his journey.

There is a tremendous amount of research being conducted
on the intricacies of the human brain and it's resiliance. The
duality of the brain and the mind has been studied for
centuries, there are new revelations everyday. Medical
science continues to be amazed by results that go counter
to the best prognosis of even the best neurosurgons,
neurologists, and brain injury specialists. The human spirit
is the intangible.

Take care of one another........

¡Presente!

Victor and Margaret Vega
Victor Jara
Victor Vega
Alfredo Vega
Priscilla Alvarado
Amanda Aguilar
Chuy Morga and Katie
Joe Hill
Adrian Gonzalez
Dolores Ibarruri
Irene Lopez
Lorenzo and Laura Torres
Augusto Sandino
Nina and Danny Alvarado