Patterson recovering from second surgery

Four days and two surgeries later, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson is recovering after a car accident in Auburn Hills Friday.  The latest surgery was on Monday.  His staff says recovery is going well.

Tuesday was the first day a senior leader in Patterson's office filled in for the county executive at a Rotary meeting.

In and out of surgery, is the leader of Oakland County alert?  It depends on when.

"He's conscience and communicating when the doctors let him be," Chief Deputy County Executive Gerald Poisson said on Monday.

Patterson is running for re-election this year.  How robust of a campaign will he have with injuries in tow is to be seen.

Doctors say age does play a factor in all of this.  Patterson is 73 years old, and keep in mind the types of injuries we're talking about, a broken hip, broken leg, broken wrist and more, and because of that, it's going to be weeks of therapy in the hospital and then there's the recovery after that.

"Any subset you look at whether it's heart disease, lung disease, orthopedic injuries, age is a disadvantage in terms of your nutrition is usually depleted, some of your defenses are depleted.  So, we'll be hoping and praying that he's got the reserves to bounce right back," said Dr. Joel Kahn with the Detroit Medical Center.

He also explained the challenges that likely lie ahead.

"So you really get stress on every part of the system.  Your heart is stressed because there's pain, there's discomfort, there's fluctuations in your blood pressure.  I'd be worrying about lungs.  I understand some ribs may have been broken, and you've got to breathe deep to avoid pneumonia and clear your lungs."

Any time after surgery doctors worry about blood clots, and in Patterson's case with a broken leg and hip, it's likely being monitored closely.

"Anybody lying in bed in a hospital, in an ICU, you're going to worry about that.  There's going to be measures taken to prevent them, but when you have a hip and a leg injury where you're actually maybe close to the veins that are involved, you are going to worry about blood clots like Mayor Bing had."

Possion said the budget is the biggest thing on the county's plate and Patterson is still calling the shots, but with painkillers it's a tall order.  Meanwhile, well wishers are hoping he is up and about soon.

It's likely that Patterson will have to use either a cane or a walker after this depending on how quickly he heals.

If you would like to show your support for Mr. Patterson, you can send a donation to The Brooksie Way at P.O. Box 81576, Rochester, MI  48308 in lieu of flowers.