Docs Trying To Help Stephen King

The pneumonia that kept Stephen King hospitalized for 10 days has "pretty much resolved itself," his spokesman said.

But King's Bangor lawyer, Warren Silver, said Wednesday that "since he's in the hospital, the doctors want to work on his general health and leg issues to see if they can alleviate some of the pain that he's had."

King, 56, continues to experience pain in his right leg after being hit by a van as he walked along the shoulder of a road in North Lovell in 1999.

He's being treated at Eastern Maine Medical Center.

The best-selling author was diagnosed with pneumonia before his trip last month to New York to receive the National Book Foundation's 2003 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.

His condition worsened when he returned to Bangor, and doctors diagnosed him with an abnormal accumulation of fluid in the membrane surrounding one of his lungs. King then underwent surgery to remove the fluid.

King was taken off oxygen last weekend and the tube that had been inserted in his chest to help eliminate fluid and scar tissue was removed Tuesday.

"The chest line was a real comfort issue because basically, it really inhibited him lying down," Silver said. "He's feeling physically much better (and) he's able to walk."

King's books include "Carrie," "The Shining" and "The Stand."