ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- It hasn't been an easy stretch for cornerback Tracy Porter.
Prior to the team's Week 6 game in San Diego, he experienced symptoms similar to those he felt in August when had what was diagnosed by the team's medical staff as a seizure. He stayed behind in Denver and was held out of the game.
"Have you ever had a seizure before? It's a pretty scary thought process," Porter said Friday. "Thankfully I came through. Things are steadily going in a positive direction for me, and I can only hope that it continues to go in that positive direction, that I continue to improve."
This week, Porter saw limited, non-contact participation on Wednesday but did not take part in Thursday or Friday's practices, and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against his former team, the New Orleans Saints.
Porter said he feels "pretty good" after a doctor's visit on Thursday, and that's he's taking things day by day.
"Everything looked normal, but they still want to make sure that I'm 100 percent healthy if they put me out there on the field, so that's the only thing I can ask for," he said.
The cornerback might be required to take medication to ensure he doesn't have seizures going forward, but that at this point the doctors "haven't put a finger on the cause of it."
"You want to know the cause of it, but if they can't pinpoint it, they say it's a good thing and it's not likely you're going to have any more," Porter said. "With them saying that, that takes a little stress off my chest. That makes me feel a little bit better."
He said working out hasn't been a problem, and he played in the team's first five games of the season after his August seizure, even taking home AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
For all those reasons, the fifth-year veteran is hoping to return to the playing field sooner rather than later -- possibly as quickly as this Sunday night against the Saints.
"I've been preparing this whole week as if I was playing," he said. "Watching film, studying these guys. The only thing is that I wasn't physically out there at practice. Mentally, I'm prepared, but if they say I'm not ready, then I just have to wait."
Head Coach John Fox said the team's doctors and trainers have been evaluating Porter and his progress with his best interest in mind, and the cornerback said he will respect their decision.
"This is not your typical football injury – sprained ankle, busted up knee – so really the player's safety is what's paramount right now," Fox said. "In this case it truly is day-to-day. It's nothing to mess around with, but I'm not going to deny him the right to play if he's healthy to play. Just like any player, we're concerned with their well-being and we're not going to put them in a position to hurt them, so that's why he's day to day."
While Porter waits to see when he will be cleared to hit the field again, he has appreciated all of the well-wishes he has received from friends, family and followers on Twitter.
"People have been calling and checking on me," he said. "Numerous people on Twitter said they had the same problems and for me to hang in there. They're doing fine, and I'll be fine. The responses have been overwhelming, and I really appreciate them."
