Oct 30, 2007 11:30 am US/Eastern
Senator Ted Kennedy Back To Work After Surgery
WASHINGTON (WBZ) ―
Sen. Ted Kennedy is back at work in the Senate today for the first time since surgery earlier this month to clear a partially blocked artery in his neck.
"I'm feeling fine," the Kennedy said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "I think it's just about getting the energy level back ... The strength has been coming back daily."
The 75-year old underwent the surgery on October 12, at Mass. General Hospital after the blockage was discovered during a routine physical exam and MRI on his back.
The blockage was in Kennedy's left carotid artery, which supplies blood to the brain and face. Doctors say Kennedy's overall health is excellent.
His schedule today includes planned remarks on the Senate floor about children's health insurance and Amtrak funding, the weekly luncheon with Senate Democrats and a meeting about education legislation. Kennedy also plans to watch Tuesday night's televised Democratic presidential debate.
Kennedy had been resting at the family's Hyannis Port compound since the surgery. He was flooded with get-well greetings from Democrats and Republicans alike as he recovered, though "there was a kind of continuing sense from some of the Republicans that I maybe ought to stay in Massachusetts a bit longer," he joked.
Among those making a call was President Bush. "He was calling to wish me well, but we talked a little shop as well," Kennedy said. The senator said he used the chat to lobby him about the No Child Left Behind law. Kennedy played a key role crafting the five-year-old education law, which faces a tough renewal fight in Congress.
Kennedy also took time to watch the Boston Red Sox sweep the Colorado Rockies in the World Series. "What a time for the Red Sox," Kennedy said.
Kennedy said the staples on his neck were removed by doctors on Cape Cod. He has a routine follow-up appointment with his doctors in about 10 days, but does not anticipate any problems.
Kennedy has been bothered by an aching back since a 1964 plane crash, which killed a pilot and one of Kennedy's aides. Democratic Senator, Birch Bayh, from Indiana, who was traveling with Kennedy, pulled him from the wreckage. However, Kennedy suffered a back injury, punctured lung, broken ribs and internal bleeding. Because of persistent pain, the senator often leans on a wall or sits on a stool when he otherwise would be expected to stand for an extended period.
Kennedy is the lone surviving son in his storied political family. His eldest brother, Joseph, was killed in a World War II airplane crash; President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 and Robert was assassinated in 1968, when he was running for president.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Comments