DiMaggio still critically ill but stable
Posted: Wednesday December 09, 1998 07:34 PM
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DiMaggio has shown remarkable ability to fight back from several serious setbacks AP |
HOLLYWOOD, Florida (AP) -- Joe DiMaggio's latest battle against a
lung infection left him in stable condition, though one of his doctors said
Wednesday he is still critically ill.
The most important step is to get him off the respirator that is
helping him breathe, said Dr. Earl Barron, who is leading the team of
doctors treating the Hall of Famer.
"If we get him off the respirator, we will then transfer him to a
rehabilitation floor and get him back on his feet," Barron said.
DiMaggio, 84, recovering from lung cancer surgery on October 14, is
fighting pneumonia in his good lung and an intestinal infection.
He battled back from a 102-degree fever, and his white blood cell
count was down from the weekend, when doctors told family members and
friends that the former New York Yankees
center fielder might not make it.
His condition was so grim at that time that doctors gathered
DiMaggio's family, including his brother, Dom, and even discussed signing a
"do not resuscitate" form.
DiMaggio has shown a remarkable ability to fight back from several
serious setbacks since the cancerous tumor was removed from his right lung.
"We're dealing with a man 84 years old," Barron said. "The greater
percentage of patients that age who had gone through what he's gone through
probably would not have survived at this point. But he's a tough guy."
It's impossible to predict how long DiMaggio will remain in the
hospital, Barron said.
His improvement began after doctors inserted a tube into DiMaggio's
trachea on Monday to suction the infected area.
But friends and family know that the most recent upturn should not
cloud DiMaggio's overall health picture.
"He's still in a lot of trouble," DiMaggio's friend and attorney
Morris Engelberg said Tuesday. "I'm worn out. I can't get excited by any
good news."
Barron said that DiMaggio's family is holding up well, considering the
circumstances.
"When you're dealing with a person you love there's setbacks and
there's good times," Barron said. "It's really hard to come down from the
highs and back up from the lows each time."
Barron said DiMaggio's level of consciousness was down because he was
sedated. "We keep him sedated because it's a very anxiety-provoking
situation for anyone and here's a man who's not used to being confined," he
said.
DiMaggio entered Memorial Regional Hospital just north of Miami on
October 12.
Since his surgery, he has suffered recurring pneumonia in his left
lung. Besides treatment with three antibiotics, he also has had fluid
drained from his lungs several times. His blood pressure dropped so rapidly
on November 16 that a Catholic priest was summoned to administer last
rites.
The past weekend was particularly frightening.
"I thought he was near death," Engelberg said Tuesday. "We're playing
this day-by-day. Today is good. Tomorrow, who knows?"
Barron, who has treated DiMaggio for five years, said that even though
DiMaggio was admitted under a fictitious name, some patients in the
hospital know he is there. "What amazes me is the popularity of
this man," Barron said. "I walked onto another floor, into another
patient's room and they asked me 'How's Joltin' Joe doing?' It's just
astounding."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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