Bill Feltt was upgraded from stable to fair condition Saturday, but his doctors tell him he is lucky to be alive.

Feltt, an English instructor, was upgraded to fair condition at Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes, Ind. after he was admitted Tuesday in critical condition. On Thursday he was upgraded from critical to stable condition.

Feltt, 46, is being treated for a basal skull fracture, a brain hemorrhage and a sinus infection.

“I guess I am progressing pretty well,” he said.

Feltt was released from Sarah Bush Lincoln Hospital Sept. 2 after he was treated for severe bruises to his chest and head. His injuries were suffered when he was attacked by six to eight men in their 20s at 1:50 a.m. on Aug. 27 on the southwest corner of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

The day after he was released from Sarah Bush, Feltt said he started to experience symptoms he hadn’t felt before.

He was feeling dizzy and nauseated with pain in his neck and lower back. He also suffered from bad headaches and a fever.

“I’m feeling better,” he said. “Overall, I’m feeling better than before when they let me out previously. The day after they released me it suddenly went downhill.”

A CAT scan at at Sarah Bush revealed no fracture or bleeding in Feltt’s head, but a second CAT scan on Tuesday at Good Samaritan Hospital showed a fracture at the base of his skull and a brain hemorrhage. A third CAT scan Saturday showed bleeding in Feltt’s brain had stopped.

“It was a very small amount (of blood) but enough to cause some symptoms,” Feltt said. “They said it’s not unusual for them to disappear quickly like that.”

Blood has built up behind Feltt’s eardrum, and the problem may cause him to partially lose hearing permanently. However, he said doctors will not know how much, if any, hearing will be lost until swelling goes down and he undergoes a hearing test.

Being readmitted into the hospital was an emotional setback for Feltt, but he managed to find a silver lining in his distress. The additional hospital time has given him the opportunity to truly reflect on his ordeal and understand the severity of his condition.

“I really hadn’t grasped the idea of how serious this was,” he said. “When all these doctors started telling (me) how lucky (I am), including a neurological surgeon, I had to take it seriously.”

Feltt said his doctors have told him his skull fracture could have caused brain damage or even death.

“I want to get back to work,” he said. “As soon as they give the OK, I’ll go back. I just want to make sure next time I’m 100 percent.”