Here is the latest on Dick Buckingham. Larry Dent PS Just bought a 62
356 Porsche. Street driver, not vintage racer. Shame on me.
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From: "larry duffield" <l.duffield@comcast.net>
To: "Elna & Larry Duffield" <l.duffield@comcast.net>
Subject: Update on Dick - 3/02
Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2004 19:08:10 -0800
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Hello All - Here is the latest information on Judy and Dick - they arrived in
Seattle Sunday afternoon and Dick is at U of W Hospital, at least for a while.
Judy doesn't think they will keep him in his present room for long...she is
hoping that he will stay at the hospital a little longer though....especially
since medical insurance covers that but when he moves out of the hospital,
that won't be a covered expense.
I went to see them today and I was encouraged because when I came in the room
and spoke to Dick, he looked at me. I am not sure he recognized who I am but
at least he seemed to realize I was there. Later, when I touched his foot, he
also looked at me again. I don't think he can follow a conversation or retain
what is going on around him, at this time. The physical therapist came in
while I was there and worked with him. She said that he was responding more
than he had yesterday to commands and trying to lift his foot. The left side
of his body seems paralyzed...or at least has much less movement than the
right side. He has had some tightening of some tendons in his right foot and
hand so they have him in braces to keep those tendons from atrophying...2
hours in and 2 hours out. He has a tracheotomy and they are going to reduce
it (right now it is the European method that is about 8 cm.) down to 6 cm.
then 4 cm. and finally will remove it since he is breathing pretty well on his
own. Judy will be meeting with the Neurologist and staff tomorrow sometime
and will find out more then. I'll talk to her tomorrow and then send out
another update.
Judy is doing quite well. She has a good friend staying with her through this
week and Dick's brothers and her sister are all planning on coming out and
spending some time with the two of them. Judy wants to have people visit him
but it needs to be short visits of around 15 minutes or so...the therapist
said that he gets very tired out after a short time of interaction. I
certainly noticed that after the therapist's visit. Then they sat him up in a
chair...he was pretty tired and kept closing his eyes. Judy feels that he is
much more alert now than he was in New Zealand. He is responding to some
commands. As yet, there is no prognosis for his recovery...I think it is just
a "wait and see" proposition, at least for awhile.
Elna
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