May 20, 2008 9:00 pm US/Eastern
Gov. Paterson Undergoes Successful Procedure
Released From Hospital, Resting Comfortably At Home
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Gov. David Paterson, who turned 54 Tuesday, was admitted to Mt. Sinai Hospital on Manhattan's Upper East Side after suffering severe migraine-like symptoms overnight. (File)
Zack Seckler/Getty Images
Gov. David Paterson is recovering at home Tuesday afternoon after undergoing a procedure to relieve pressure in his left eye due to acute glaucoma. Paterson, who is legally blind, underwent an iridotomy - a routine, outpatient laser procedure. A hospital spokesperson told CBS 2, the governor's procedure went well, and he is expected to make a complete recovery.
Paterson, who turned 54 Tuesday, was admitted to Mt. Sinai Hospital on Manhattan's Upper East Side after suffering severe migraine-like symptoms in the early morning hours.
The governor was evaluated, and then given a series of preliminary tests. Dr. Steven Gruenstein admitted he was surprised to see the governor enter the hospital Tuesday morning.
"You usually don't admit someone for a migraine unless it is a very bad one. Of course, he's the governor, so you want to be very careful," he told CBS 2.
By afternoon, and the news of his diagnosis had spread throughout the city, Mayor Bloomberg noted playfully that today is Paterson's 54th birthday.
"I did send him a bottle of wine, hopefully he can drink that and have a good time," said Bloomberg.
The mayor couldn't speak directly to Paterson, so he used technology.
"I left a voicemail for him. We want him back. We need a good functioning governor."
The governor was reportedly conscious throughout the procedure, so there was no need to transfer power to the next in line, Senate Republican Leader, Joe Bruno.
Paterson's health has been a concern in recent years, with at least two hospitalizations.
In April 2006, when he was state Senate minority leader, Paterson was admitted to a hospital with chest pain and underwent a battery of tests, including a CT scan, cardiovascular stress test and echocardiogram. The tests came back normal and he was released after about 12 hours.
At the time, a Paterson spokesman said he had no history of heart trouble. A recreational basketball player who is legally blind, Paterson has run the New York City Marathon.
Last July, when he was lieutenant governor, Paterson fainted on an airplane on his way to Buffalo. He was briefly hospitalized and the following day had an angiogram at Mount Sinai, which was normal. Doctors said they found no evidence of heart disease.
Paterson, who resides in the governor's mansion several days a week with his wife, Michelle, also has homes in Harlem and the Albany suburb of Guilderland. His Harlem apartment is not far from Mount Sinai, on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
He was in the city to speak at commencement ceremonies at Columbia University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in history in 1977. He was to receive a medal of excellence.
Attorney General Andrew Cuomo will deliver the speech in his place.
Under the state constitution, New York was left without a lieutenant governor when Paterson, a Democrat, succeeded Eliot Spitzer, who resigned in March amid a prostitution scandal.
Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, a Republican, is next in the line of succession and would be acting governor if Paterson were out of state or became incapacitated or died.
Voters won't pick a new lieutenant governor until the next gubernatorial election in 2010.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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