Thursday and Friday, March 21st

He's doing very well, all things considering. Even Dr. Doom has found some hope. Today, as Lori and Abby were leaving the room, he managed to raise his hand near his mouth and blow them a kiss.

Let's see, what else ... he's writing lots these days and almost all of it makes sense, although he does seem to have moments when he's not quite understanding or making complete sense. His sedation is minimal and he's usually awake when folks visit. He's in good spirits, as always.

There's still little to no control or movement on his left side; almost all of his activity is with his right side. He opens his eyes frequently and, since they removed his arterial catheter, can move his head, slightly, from left to right. They took a CT scan on Thursday and the results show that the swelling hasn't increased, nor has he had any additional bleeding. For the time being, he's on the road to recovery - although, everyone has consistently said that it will be a very long road. Most estimates put his recovery at or longer than 12 months. He's going to need lots of encouragement in the months that come, since it's going to be a long, hard fight back.

His fever seems to be, for the most part, under control. Interestingly enough, the doctors are now saying that his lethargy wasn't due to swelling in his brain, but the fever. Now that that's under control, he's much more alert (that and he's getting ever less sedation).

He's very aware of where he is, why he's there and what's got to happen to get through recovery.
He's also dropped ~13 pounds since he was admitted, which is good news, since his weight has been a persistent complaint of the doctors.