Medical Report March 11, 2007

Today is March 11, 2007, we docked in a small village near New Nazareth, close to Jerusalem, on the bank of the Rio Salimoas in Brazil.

Martin is feeling well and he is in good physical and mental health.

We have been able to protect him from the bouts of cold and pharyngitis, which has swept through the rest of the team and crew members over the course of the last week.

A portion of the team has been quarantined to the confinement of their rooms as a wave of illness has plagued the group ranging in severity from the common cold to bronchitis as well as exacerbations of asthma. All these conditions are being treated, but they need to run their course.

Martin’s BP has stabilized in the normal range, on average 126/84 with the resting HR in high 60s. He has lost almost 30 lbs since the beginning of the swim, with current weight at 224 lbs.

Dermatities issues in his popliteal fossae bilaterally as well as in his groin are giving him the most difficulties. His face has been doing much better recently because of the tideous sun protection with creams and the mask. He has complained of muscle aches in the past, therefore we are adding large amounts of glutamine and Vitamin C to his diet.

His energy level remains high despite having finished 3400 km of his swim. Mentally he is in good spirits, however we are undergoing about 40 min of cognitive behavioral therapy each evening. Martin’s spirit is unwavering and he is continuing to swim with full speed.

Last week I performed surgical debridement of the R medial foot of one of the crew members since he received third degree burns while operating a motor. I redress the wound daily and it has healed very nicely.

This morning I had to perform a tooth extraction on one of the crew members with a tooth abscess.

Since the majority of the team members are sick, we have put up several hemmocks on the boat and made several hospital beds, so I can monitor the patients closely and continuously.

We are hoping for the fast resolution of the epidemic of the virosis and other infections which caught us off guard.