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First Lady Melania Trump Is Back to Work and “Doing Really Well” After Undergoing Kidney Surgery
First Lady Melania Trump is on the mend! The 48-year-old is back to work and "doing really well" more than two weeks after undergoing kidney surgery and three weeks since she was last seen in public. "She’s been involved in several internal meetings with staff all last week, and that continues this week," Melania's spokesperson Stephanie Grisham revealed on Tuesday, May 29.
"We’ve been going over initiatives and other long term planning for events such as the Congressional Picnic and 4th of July," Grisham told People. It's unclear at this time when Melania will return to the full capacity of her public duties.
Earlier this month, the FLOTUS took to Twitter on Wednesday, May 16 to give the nation an update on her health. "A sincere thank you to Walter Reed Medical Unit and to all who have [sent] good wishes and prayers! I am feeling great and look forward to getting back home [to the White House] soon," Melania wrote at the time.
One day earlier, Melania's husband, President Donald Trump, similarly Tweeted about the First Lady's condition. "Our great First Lady is doing really well. Will be leaving hospital in two or three days. Thank you for so much love and support!" he wrote on Tuesday, May 15.
It was previously revealed that Melania underwent an "embolization procedure" on Monday, May 14 to deal with an ongoing kidney issue, which her office described as benign. "This morning, First Lady Melania Trump underwent an embolization procedure to treat a benign kidney condition," Grisham said at the time. "The procedure was successful, and there were no complications. Mrs. Trump is at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and will likely remain there for the duration of the week. The first lady looks forward to a full recovery so she can continue her work on behalf of children everywhere."
Though President Trump did not accompany his wife to the hospital before her surgery — according to CNN, he remained at the White House — Donald, 71, did visit Melania in her recovery room on three occasions prior to her return home. While Melania is expected to be just fine, this is the most major surgery a first lady has ever undergone while her husband was in office since Ronald Reagan's wife Nancy Reagan had a mastectomy in October 1987.
It is unclear whether the surgery was planned or done on an emergency basis, and no futher details were given about what specific condition Melania has. If you're unfamiliar with what a kidney embolization involves, Healthpoint describes it as "the deliberate blocking of the blood flow to the entire kidney, or a portion of it, by the placement of a blocking agent in a blood vessel (artery). A variety of agents can be used to block the blood vessel including gelfoam, PVA granules or metalic coils."
NCBI says the process can be used in the treatment of a variety of health issues, including "conditions such as symptomatic hematuria and palliation for metastatic renal cancer, renal tumors, treatment of angiomyolipomas, vascular malformations, medical renal disease, and complications following renal transplantation." Again, Melania has not explained what issue she was treating. We wish her a speedy recovery!
