Tue 6-Apr-10 PM

Mostly status quo this morning; the main change is that Simon was breathing completely on his own yesterday for 2 separate four-hour periods, did well, and will probably breathe on his own for even longer today.  He still gets a rest between these periods by being back on "ventilator assist" for a couple of hours, but within 2 or 3 days, he should be on his own completely.  His high blood pressure is being aggressively treated, and seems to be stabilizing at an acceptable level.  He is still on a low dose of the sedative propofol, which is being used mainly to prevent arousal that results in blood pressure spikes.  They hope to get even better control of his blood pressure, so the propofol can be discontinued completely.

Yesterday one of the nurses came into his room with a perplexed look on her face and said, "Did you know that some people at the School of Veterinary Medicine in Davis [California] sent the nurses a box of dried fruit and other goodies??"  The gift was organized by Lynelle and David Maggs and supported by quite a few other fans of Simon at Davis, and the nurses here were most impressed that Simon has such caring friends even so far away!!  One of the nurses said the accompanying card made her tear up!!  The entire staff here has become very aware of how well-respected and well-liked Simon is, across the US, Australia, and other places!

Ann