From The CNN Wire - Sources: S.D. senator undergoing surgery at Washington hospital(Sen Tim Johnson)

[Kadie]

Wednesday, December 13
POSTED: 11:13 p.m. EST, December 13, 2006

Editor's Note: The CNN Wire is a running log of the latest news from CNN World Headquarters, reported by CNN's correspondents and producers, and The CNN Wire editors. "Posted" times are Eastern Daylight.

Sources: S.D. senator undergoing surgery at Washington hospital
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota was undergoing brain surgery Wednesday night at George Washington University Hospital after being hospitalized earlier in the day due to stroke-like symptoms, two Democratic sources familiar with his condition told CNN.

Johnson, 59, was taken to the hospital Wednesday morning after he appeared to suffer stroke-like symptoms, although a spokeswoman for the senator said subsequent evaluation showed he did not suffer a stroke or a heart attack. Staffers told CNN Johnson was conscious when he was transported to the hospital.

Johnson spokeswoman Julianne Fisher said the senator was in the Capitol Wednesday morning conducting a conference call with South Dakota reporters when "his speech pattern slipped off."

Fisher said the senator was able to walk back to his office in the Hart Senate Office Building, then began having problems with his right arm. He thought he was all right, she said, and went to his desk, but came out a few minutes later and "it was apparent he needed help." (Posted 11:13 p.m.)

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/12/13/wednesday/index.html?section=cnn_latest

also posted in this thread...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2914939

[SmellsLikeDeanSpirit]

1. This doesn't sound good at all :(

[alittlelark]

32. Go here... light a candle

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2914642&mesg_id=2914642


His family is getting the link

[NovaNardis]

40. Very cool

About the candles that is. I hope he is OK.

[mod mom]

2. Thanks for posting this separate from the other thread so others see it.

Best wishes for Sen Johnson and his family.

[Kadie]

3. .

Thanks for suggesting it have its own thread.

Thoughts and prayers going out to Sen Johnson and family tonight.

[nebenaube]

4. amost sounds like he was dosed?

Why was he in surgury if the subsequent evaluations had no significant findings?

[SmellsLikeDeanSpirit]

5. I was thinking maybe a blood clot, but i'm no doctor

[Higans]

6. Agreed, Sounds to fishy to me. he was probably poisoned by GOP

[SquireJons]

7. Radiation Sickness?

Perhaps Putin called his good buddy dubya with a little friendly advice.

[dapper]

54. Maybe Mickey Mouse...

err, never mind.

[Jawja]

57. You know, I don't

doubt for one second that he was poisoned. Not one second.

There are too many conveniences have happened in favor of this criminal government for me to believe otherwise.

One of those conveniences being the death of Paul Wellstone and control of the Senate last time around. :tinfoilhat:

[badgerpup]

8. Let's not panic just yet...this could be 'left-handed luck'

That's when you're walking along, minding your own business, and you trip, sprain your ankle and land face first in a mud puddle...
and thereby avoid the low-flying 747 that would have otherwise removed your head.

If they're catching something now, it could very well be avoiding something much bigger down the road.

[SeattleGirl]

9. Yup.

Hopefully it's something that will heal quickly.

[JI7]

10. best wishes to the Senator

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. I am no doctor but it sounds like he had a

transient ischemic attack... otherwise known as a mini stroke

They leave no obvioous marks,

A stroke team was consulted and beleive it or not surgery is sometimes required after a TIA to avoid a stroke

take this with the grain of salt but that is what I heard when I was a medic years ago

To add a link to management and treatment

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1230

[TahitiNut]

13. Could it be an aneurism?

If so, it'd seem to me to be hopeful that they think it's operable. :shrug:

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. It could

the symptoms earlier in the day are classic for TIA's

Why I am not that shcoked that he is in surgery.

He is either getting tob billing insofar as medical care is concerned, or VIP medicine... lets hope for the former and
not the latter.

That said, an aneurism, iirc could also have signs and symptoms similar to a TIA.

As I said, I am NO DOCTOR, so take this with a huge grain of salt

[JMDEM]

24. A TIA has all the symptoms of a stroke but passes quickly

This is not a TIA -- not if they operated. And it is probably not a blood clot, because they would dissolve that with drugs. It is probably an aneurysm. They probably detected a bleeding blood vessel in the brain and need to go in and repair it before a whole lot of nasty permanent damage is done to the brain.

If it was a larger vessel that was starting to leak, I hope they got to it in time, because if a larger vessel goes, you are in deep doo doo very very quickly. I should know, because my father died that way.

Part of the major problem with strokes is that they can either be a blood clot or an aneurysm -- same symptoms. If you give clot dissolving drugs and it turns out to be an aneurysm, you can kill the patient right now. So they need to be very very careful.

The location is critical. If the leak is in the outer areas of the brain, then it mainly causes damage by putting pressure on the brain, although some areas would be starved of oxygen from the leak itself. If it is in the brainstem or lower (more primitive) areas of the brain, this is very serious.

I'm not a doctor, but I've had two close relatives suffer from strokes, and I've picked up some information in trying to educate myself.

[Bumblebee]

16. It depends. If it is aneurysm, judging by the symptoms, it's Grade 4 --

moderate to severe, and the prognosis is not great, with or without surgery. I hope it's not aneurysm but fear it is.

[Horse with no Name]

31. That's what is sounds like to me

:(
The patient is never "right" after one gets clipped if they survive, regardless of where it is.
Prayers to his family, and to the country.
A successful clipping generally leaves the body, but the brain is pretty damaged.

[still_one]

36. not trying to spread false hope, but Biden did O.K.

[Up2Late]

35. I think you might be right, I posted a link below.

It sounds almost exactly like what happened to one of my Mother's friends a few years ago.

[capi888]

59. Sounds like aneurysm

My Sister had an aneurysm Feb of 2005, Sen Johnsons symptoms sounds similar. She was in the hospital for 6 weeks, then home. The knowledge the medical community have now, makes aneuysm's less fatal. They have marvelous technology. Happy to say, my Sister is doing wonderfully! Her mind is great, not on serious medication, and is doing all she did prior to having the aneurysm. Aneurysm's are a condition that now that is treatable. My Father had an aneuysm in 72 and died, he was 59, now all that has changed. So I have hope for Sen. Johnson and prayed for his recovery. I am sure he has the BEST Dr. so keep the faith.. Oh I also lit a candle...

[JMDEM]

14. You don't have surgery for a TIA -- This has to be more serious NT

[JI7]

19. is that what Harry Reid had ?

[nadinbrzezinski]

20. You got me

I caught this one on the afternoon, and have followed this for a while.

I know an uncle of mine had one, he did not follow up and died six months later from a severe stroke

They do vary in severity

[Bumblebee]

21. I think he had a mild stroke

[me b zola]

44. As you have noted, the first word in TIA is transient

What Senator Johnson is ailing from could be any number of things, but not likely a TIA. TIAs do not require hospitalization let alone surgery.


edited to change 'almost anything' to any number of things. Clarity.

[Bumblebee]

12. WP has something of an update but not really...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/13/AR2006121301509.html

Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson Falls Ill, Undergoes Surgery

[Botany]

17. Could be a good thing too.

His problem today alerted doctors who then did a a work up ....
found a problem and went after it tonight w/ surgery.

Looking forward to seeing Sen. Tim Johnson up and kicking butt
in January.

[Bumblebee]

18. Me too! Thanks for that!

[pdxmike]

22. this doctor's opinion

Given his symptons, and IF he had surgery, I bet he had a hematoma evacuated. Did he have an intracranial bleed due to stroke, tumor, vascular malformation? Less likely possibility is a subdural hematoma. A ruptured aneurysm causing a subarachnoid bleed typically causes excruciating pain rather than neuro deficits acutely.

I'll send you my bill.

[Bumblebee]

25. and your prognosis depends on what caused it?

[Botany]

28. Check is in the mail Doc .... 2 ?s

my degree is in plant bio but could I be close in my guess ... # 17?

What is a TIA that has been talked about?

[pdxmike]

30. TIA= transient ischemic attack

now typically called RIND for reversible ischemic neurological deficit. But the name says it all. By definition, they resolve without permanent sx.

[Botany]

33. o.k. I will double your pay

Could his "problem" be a good thing?

It showed a problem and "they" went after it and treated it with
surgery? Such as a bulge in a blood vessel?

[still_one]

37. They are also precursors to a stroke

[alittlelark]

38. The doctor is in the house!!!

4 years, 86 posts, and no star.

[Bozita]

41. IMHO, he's legit.

Check his earlier posts.

[Radio_Lady]

46. Hi Mike. You've been here since 2002 and only 86 posts? You must be

a busy doctor! What's your specialty?

Thanks for the information.

Warm regards,

Radio Lady in Oregon
(PBS radio host on "Golden Hours" at Oregon Public Broadcasting)

[pdxmike]

62. nope. not too busy

I guess I'm mostly a lurker at heart.

I'm a Radiologist. I can't tell you how many MRI or CT scans I've read on people who've presented just this way.

[Radio_Lady]

63. I've read up on the condition but must admit, I've never heard of it before.

Thanks for your post. You're OK after the storm here, right? Hope so...

[karmaqueen]

23. My 38 yr old Niece had surgery for aneurysm

She laid unconscious from 8:30 Am until late into the afternoon when someone found her. She made it through the surgery and in six months was fine. She had no lasting effects, She had slurring and short term memory loss for a month or two. There is hope if this is what happened. I am praying for him.

[Bumblebee]

27. Her age was a factor, I am sure -- but he is said to be in good shape...

[williesgirl]

26. At least he's at Washington Hospital Center - one of our best.

[Erika]

29. Let us all hope for the best for him n/t

[Up2Late]

34. Sounds like a Brain Aneurysm, not as bad as a stroke, but still dangerous.

I think they are caused by a weakness in the wall of an artery that bulges out like a balloon and presses against the brain.

I think if you catch them before they pop, you're usually O.K.

<http://www.brainaneurysm.com/>

[durrrty libby]

53. Didn't Sharon Stone suffer from that condition?

She recovered very quickly
I hope the same for the Senator.

[capi888]

60. Sister had aneurysm in 2005

Wrote thread above...she is doing great.. feels wonderful . 6 weeks in hospital, had great Dr. and is back to her usual self...She feels great.

[XOKCowboy]

39. Ya know to hell with the balance of power...

I just hope everything works OK for him.

[NaturalHigh]

42. Same here.

I pray for the best for Senator Johnson and his family.

[still_one]

43. I understand your point, but there is nothing wrong with being concerned about control of the Senate

There are potentially tens of thousands of lives that could be jepardized by this shift in power

Perhaps I am being over dramatic, but maybe I'm not

Right now we have a president who does NOT want to follow the Iraq study groups recommendations, who wants to spy on Americans without getting a warrant, who wants to privitize social security and medicare, and a lot of other things

No, I am concerned about the balance of power, and I am not ashamed of it

[renate]

45. I agree... basically, I think we're praying/wishing for two separate things

He's a good guy. We want him to be okay. That's one thing.

A separate concern is what happens to the Senate. That's another thing.

I don't think anybody is callous for acknowledging that his recovery has implications not only for him and his family but for the country and even the world.

[mvd]

47. I agree

Since he has to be OK for the worries about the balance of power to stop, I don't think people are disrespecting him.

[Radio_Lady]

48. The networks went all over the various scenarios this evening.

I don't know Senator Tim Johnson (although he shares a common name with a prominent doctor in Boston, who went on to work with ABC). I certainly hope that Senator Johnson he makes it through this night after brain surgery.

However, we know that this was a hard-fought midterm election and the Democrats just barely won the Senate.

If a Republican Governor tipped the balance back to his party by appointing a Republican Senator, I think it would start a revolution... honestly, we would be blown away by that kind of turn of events.

Two stolen elections and now this.

It's something we need to talk about right up to the beginning of the next session of Congress!

http://www.millikin.edu/alumni/outoftheblue/2006/february/Images/TimJohnson.bmp
Dr. Tim Johnson

[mvd]

49. That would just be so disheartening

I don't want to think about it. But the Repukes have no shame. :-(

[SmellsLikeDeanSpirit]

50. As long as he is still breathing and alive, they can't do nothing to his seat

He can just come in and vote and leave again if need be, if this is really bad.

[Sleepless In NY]

51. Kick for Lighting a Candle

Praying for the Senator & His Family.

[PDittie]

52. Condition described as critical

as noted by kos:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/12/14/14814/677

An ER doctor's best guess:

http://allbleedingstops.blogspot.com/2006/12/reading-tea-leaves.html

[Vinca]

55. Let's try to remain positive. He got immediate treatment and

he's getting the best care available. People survive massive strokes these day and come back to lead a normal life. In particular, I'm thinking of Barbara Snelling, wife of a former Vermont governor and elected Lt. Governor in her own right, who was no spring chicken when she was knocked down during her campaign. It's possible the Senator will come back 100%.

[illinoisprogressive]

56. Sounds like a blockage of some kind

The only thing that makes sense is a blockage. It can cause a stroke type symptom and you do have surgery. But, from what I have heard about this, if caught in time, you rebound pretty good and are back to your life.

[Maryland Liberal]

58. Just wondering...

Will the Bushie come to the hospital to visit??

[The Wizard]

61. The Senator

would be better off getting a visit from Dr. Kevorkian. At least you know Kevorkian would not be there with ill intent.