Sen. John Fetterman's doctors say the Pennsylvania Democrat did not suffer a stroke before his hospitalization Wednesday for feeling lightheaded, his spokesperson, Joe Calvello, said Thursday evening.
Fetterman "received the results of his MRI. According to John’s doctors at The George Washington University Hospital, the results of the MRI, along with the results of all of the other tests the doctors ran, rule out a new stroke," Calvello tweeted.
The senator, who had a stroke in May that compromised his speech processing capabilities for months, began to feel lightheaded after a lawmakers' retreat and was taken by members of his staff to George Washington University Hospital, Calvello said Wednesday.
On Thursday evening, Calvello also tweeted that Fetterman was "being monitored with an EEG for signs of seizure — so far there are no signs of seizure, but he is still being monitored.”
Fetterman, 53, remained in the hospital Wednesday night as doctors ran additional tests.
"He is in good spirits and talking with his staff and family," Calvello said Wednesday night.
In October, amid a tight race for the Senate seat with Mehmet Oz, Fetterman said his stroke and recovery “changes everything” but that it would not affect his ability to serve in the Senate.
“I don’t think it’s going to have an impact,” said Fetterman, who resumed his duties as Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor in May but did not begin appearing at public campaign events until mid-August. “I feel like I’m gonna get better and better — every day. And by January, I’m going [to] be, you know, much better."
His primary care physician provided a medical update that month, stating that Fetterman had "no work restrictions and can work full duty in public office."
The month after his stroke, Fetterman said that the stroke was not the first time he suffered symptoms of a heart condition. In 2017, his doctors diagnosed atrial fibrillation — an irregular heart rhythm — and a decreased heart pump but he did not follow up with doctors or take the recommended medication, he said.
