Wooden Hospitalized But Doing Well

By Bruin Basketball Report

Former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden was hospitalized for treatment of a possible recurrence of diverticulitis. He was admitted to a Los Angeles-area hospital Sunday because of bleeding
in the colon.

He's absolutely doing fine,'' daughter Nancy Muehlhausen said. "He's laughing and cracking jokes. He looks good.''

Wooden had four blood transfusions since Sunday. Doctors
could keep Wooden in the hospital for a couple of more days, but
Muehlhausen said her father was doing well.

"Dad is in good spirits,'' she said. "He lost a lot of blood but has gained his strength back thanks to the transfusions.''

Wooden was hospitalized for three days in April 2006 for
diverticulitis, a condition in which inflammations occur in pockets in
the colon. It can lead to serious infection if contents from the
intestine leak into the abdomen.

Doctors now feel he suffered from a reaction to a combination of medications, including one for arthritis, Muehlhausen said.

Patients with mild diverticulitis are usually treated with
antibiotics and placed on a liquid or high-fiber diet. In severe cases,
surgery may be required to remove the diseased part of the colon.

Wooden was scheduled to speak Wednesday to the Kansas State University athletic department but had to cancel.

(photo credit: AP)