The Hollywood talent manager and producer was hit by a car on PCH ten days ago.
Only good news.
When Joan arrived at UCLA she had a bleed/bruise/subdural hematoma next to the brain. Yesterday’s C-T scan reveals no further bleeding and indicates that the existing fluid is appropriately on path to being reabsorbed and thus dissapated. As a result the doctors feel confident enough to remove the monitoring device from Joan’s head. One less wire.
The MRI revealed that Joan’s spine is in good shape and, pending the results of some small additional tests, the doctors plan on removing the support collar from Joan’s neck and chest. One less device.
Joan’s lungs have made great progess. After the accident there had been a great deal of fluid pooling in the lowest areas of the lungs. That fluid has been successfully drained and as a result the doctors have removed one of Joan’s chest tubes, and will imminently be removing the other. Two less tubes.
In the same manner, the doctors are no longer concerned about the pooling of fluid in Joan’s abdomen. All of the internal bleeding has apparently been caught and the abdomen has been drained.
Joan responded to one of the Neuro residents by opening her eyes, appearing to see him, recognizing his commands, and answering appropriately. She won’t do this for me.
The humerus surgery is still planned for Friday. The surgeries to her legs where they inserted a rod/pin/nail and where they repaired her ankle were complicated and involved additional procedures which the doctors will re-examine on Tuesday. The break to the pelvis and to the clavicle require no surgical intervention.
Joan remains on a ventilator, but she has made sufficiently good progress that the staff is adjusting the device so that Joan will be breathing along with the ventilator, preparing her lungs for the shortly anticipated removal of the breathing apparatus.
I know this is a lot of detail to absorb, and that this update refers to a number of injuries that had not been previously referenced. The point, however, is that in each of these areas Joan has made good, strong progress.
