Doctors monitoring Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill.., who suffered a stroke over the weekend, expressed optimism on Tuesday that he will recover.
“He acknowledged the questions that I've asked him,” said Dr. Richard Fessler, a neurosurgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago at a Tuesday news conference. “He was happy to see me.”
Fessler said that Kirk asked for his BlackBerry.
The senator likely faces a long recovery and potential permanent loss of movement on the left side of his body because of the stroke affecting the right side of his brain. Doctors said on Monday that the stroke resulted from a carotid artery dissection in Kirk’s neck. They removed a piece of his skull to treat swelling, in what doctors have called a sign of the seriousness of the procedure.
Fessler said that Kirk will remain in intensive care for five to seven days, according to the Chicago Tribune. The piece of Kirk’s skull will be replaced in another surgical procedure when the swelling in his brain goes down.
Kirk has "slight facial paralysis on his left side," Fessler said. But he said that Kirk "is doing very well" and pronounced himself satisfied with the senator’s current condition.
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