Sen. Johnson responsive after brain hemorrhaging

AP/NY Times:

Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson was recovering without complications from emergency brain surgery to repair bleeding in his brain.

Family and colleagues were encouraged by his progress Thursday, yet doctors said it was too early to say whether further surgery would be required.

Johnson suffered a brain hemorrhage Wednesday that was caused by a rare and sometimes fatal condition. His illness came just weeks before Democrats are to take control of the Senate by a one-seat margin.

Johnson was in critical condition at George Washington University Hospital but was described as recovering Thursday. The South Dakota lawmaker, 59, was on ''an uncomplicated postoperative course,'' the U.S. Capitol physician said after visiting him Thursday afternoon.

''He has been appropriately responsive to both word and touch. No further surgical intervention has been required,'' said the physician, Adm. John Eisold.

...

While his colleagues remain upbeat, it does not sound like Johnson is going to be jumping out of bead for a vote in the next few days. That could create a problem in leadership, even if he remains in the Senate, if he cannot attend and vote.

The Washington Times reports that Johnson's condition is still critical.

...

The South Dakota Democrat, who turns 60 this month, "was found to have had an intracerebral bleed caused by a congenital arteriovenous malformation," said Adm. John Eisold, the attending physician of the U.S. Capitol. "He underwent successful surgery to evacuate the blood and stabilize the malformation."

...

That does not suggest a return to "normal" healthy functioning.