VonAppen visits
Cayetano in hospital

The coach and the governor patch
things up over a bottle of Pepto

By Mike Yuen and Paul Arnett
Star-Bulletin

The feud between Gov. Ben Cayetano and University of Hawaii football coach Fred vonAppen has ended in a room meant for healing.

With doctors extending to the weekend the hospital stay of Cayetano, who collapsed early Tuesday because of a bleeding ulcer, vonAppen yesterday paid Cayetano an unexpected visit at Queen's Hospital and extended a bottle of Pepto-Bismol.

"Governor, I think you can use this," vonAppen said, jokingly.

It was the first time the two had met face-to-face since Cayetano launched a stinging attack on vonAppen last week, accusing the coach of being ungrateful of efforts -- including his -- to bolster community support of the football program and upgrade the team's facilities.

VonAppen, who has repeatedly questioned the state's commitment to the program, appeared shocked by the ferocity of Cayetano's statements. But he stood by his earlier remarks and countered that he was not ungrateful.

Even in the wake of Hawaii's 17-3 upset victory over Minnesota on Saturday, it appeared that the relationship between Cayetano and vonAppen would remain chilly.

But vonAppen explained it does not serve any useful purpose to continue with what he called "a quasi-feud."

VonAppen added: "I gave him a bottle of Pepto-Bismol and he asked that I autograph it.

"Hopefully, we can put this thing behind us because it wasn't good to have a house divided and expect to get too far along here. We both have short fuses and see things a little differently, but I think open dialogue is better for the situation than to get upset and have firefights."

Cayetano, who is recovering in a neuroscience intensive care room, said his emergency hospitalization derailed plans to visit the football team to offer his congratulations and say how proud he was of the squad's season-opening win.

Cayetano added he has accepted vonAppen's invitation to visit the team after he is released and is feeling feeler.

Dr. Michael Nagoshi, who is treating Cayetano, said the governor could be released this weekend.

That's later than initially expected. At first, it was believed that Cayetano could have been discharged as early as yesterday or today. The discharge date was subsequently pushed back an additional day -- to tomorrow -- before the announcement that it could be this weekend.

First lady Vicky Cayetano said her husband lost consciousness and crumpled to the floor when he got out of bed shortly before 1 a.m. Tuesday.

Cayetano, 57, yesterday received his second infusion of blood, slightly more than a pint, since his blood count is not at "an optimum level," Nagoshi said.

Cayetano's first blood infusion, also a bit more than a pint, occurred Tuesday after he was rushed by ambulance from the governor's mansion to nearby Queen's Hospital.

Nagoshi said Cayetano will remain on a liquid diet.

The antibiotic treatment for the governor's duodenum ulcer, caused by a bacterial infection, will start after he is on a diet of solid foods, Nagoshi said.

The ulcer is tiny, only 1 centimeter in diameter. It has stopped bleeding.

The duodenum is the first section of the small intestine, between the stomach and the middle part of the small intestine.