HOLLYWOOD, Fla. -- On a day Joe DiMaggio once again fought back when his outlook turned bleak, the doctor leading the team treating the Hall of Famer said another setback could be close at hand.
"He could go sour in five minutes and he could walk out of the hospital six weeks from now," Dr. Earl Barron said Tuesday. "I would certainly not want to predict."DiMaggio 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 baseball star might not make it much longer.
"We called the family because, frankly, we thought we were getting down to the last road," Barron said.
DiMaggio, recovering from lung cancer surgery, is fighting pneumonia in his good lung and an intestinal infection.
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 for the 84-year-old former New York Yankees center fielder.
DiMaggio has shown a remarkable ability to fight back from several serious setbacks since the cancerous tumor was removed from his right lung on Oct. 14.
But Barron cautioned: "Don't walk out of here and say 'Joe DiMaggio's in great shape.' Everything is relative. You and I are in good shape. He's hanging in there."
DiMaggio will likely be in the hospital for many weeks to come, 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," said DiMaggio's friend and attorney, Morris Engelberg. "I'm worn out. I can't get excited by any good news."
Barron denied a broadcast report that DiMaggio had lapsed into a coma, saying his level of consciousness was down because he was sedated.
"At times he's very unhappy because he's confined," Barron said.
But he's still been a good patient.
"He's an excellent patient. He listens to what you tell him," Barron said. "I have no complaints about him as a patient."
DiMaggio entered Memorial Regional Hospital Oct. 12, with Barron heading a team of six doctors treating him.
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 Nov. 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. "We're playing this day-by-day. Today is good. Tomorrow, who knows?"
Even if DiMaggio is eventually discharged from the hospital, he will never have the same quality of life, Engelberg said.
"Machines are keeping him alive. He's been in the ICU for 58 days. He's got every hookup known to man. He's being fed through tubes," Engelberg said. "If he recovers, he won't be the same. He'll never have the quality of life he did."
Barron refused to speculate on whether DiMaggio would ever leave the hospital. Doctors anticipate other problems and must treat any complications as they occur, Barron said.
"They've done a sensational job with him, I don't think he could have gotten better care," Barron said. "The proof of it is when he walks out of the hospital, God willing."
Barron, who has treated DiMaggio for five years, is keenly aware of why so many people admire his patient.
"He's an icon. He's an amazing person. He's the greatest player that ever played," Barron said, sitting in an office filled with baseball, football, hockey and basketball memorabilia.
"He may not have hit 70 home runs, but he did just about everything else," he said. "I lose an awful lot of sleep. I'm constantly thinking about it and discussing it with my peers."