John Karl Fetterman is an American politician who has served as Pennsylvania’s 34th lieutenant governor since January 2019.
He was the mayor of Braddock from 2006 to 2019, and he is a member of the Democratic Party. Fetterman is the Democratic candidate for the United States Senate in Pennsylvania in 2022.
Jhon Fetterman health
The cardiologist for Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman stated Friday that he has both atrial fibrillation and cardiomyopathy, in a statement that sheds further light on what caused the Pennsylvania lieutenant governor’s stroke in May.
Dr. Ramesh Chandra saw Fetterman for the first time in 2017 when he complained of swollen feet.
He was diagnosed with “atrial fibrillation, an abnormal heart rhythm, and a reduced cardiac pump,” according to him. Despite the doctor’s advice to follow up in the coming months, Fetterman “did not go to any doctor for 5 years and did not continue to take his prescriptions,” according to the doctor.
Fetterman is “fully compensated and stable,” according to Chandra, after receiving a defibrillator that “is performing perfectly.” The gadget was needed because of cardiomyopathy, a disorder that makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body, according to the doctor.
“For John’s heart, the best prognosis I can provide is that if he takes his prescriptions, eats well, and exercises regularly, he’ll be fine,” Chandra wrote. “If he follows my advice, and I believe he is taking his recovery and health seriously this time, he should be able to campaign and serve in the United States Senate without difficulty.”
The letter arrives weeks after Fetterman checked himself into a Lancaster, Pennsylvania, hospital on his route to a campaign event on May 13th. He had a stroke, and physicians used a thrombectomy to treat it.
A thrombectomy is a treatment in which surgeons enter the body through the groin and wind catheters up to the clot. While in the hospital, Fetterman won the Democratic Senate primary on May 17 and underwent a nearly three-hour surgery to install the defibrillator the next day. After a nine-day stay in the hospital, he was released on May 22.
With control of the evenly divided Senate hanging in the balance, Fetterman’s candidacy will be one of the most carefully watched Senate races in the country. The Democrat will face the winner of the Republican primary, which was decided by a recount between celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz and former hedge fund executive Dave McCormick.
Fetterman did not reveal earlier that he had been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation in 2017 despite repeated statements made during and after his stay in the hospital.
While Chandra’s letter sheds light on what caused Fetterman’s stroke, the doctors who performed the surgery on the candidate in Lancaster last month have remained silent.
Fetterman admitted that he “should have taken my health more seriously” in a statement posted Friday in conjunction with Chandra’s letter.
“The stroke I had on May 13 was not an unexpected occurrence. Even though I knew I wasn’t feeling well, I avoided going to the doctor like so many others, especially guys. As a result, I was on the verge of passing away “he stated “I want to make sure that others don’t make the same mistake I did.”
Fetterman admitted that he “didn’t follow up” because he believed that “reducing weight and exercising” would enough to address his heart problems.
He admits he was mistaken, saying his stroke was “totally preventable” and that his physicians told him that if he had “kept taking the blood thinners, I would never have had a stroke.”
“It’s not something I’m particularly proud of, but I hope others may learn from it,” he remarked. “So, please, pay attention to your body and recognize the indications. Because ignoring them, as well as avoiding the doctor because you may not like what they have to say, could result in your death.”
According to Fetterman, his doctors have told him to “relax, eat right, exercise, and focus on my recuperation,” and that it would “take some more time to get back on the campaign trail as I was in the lead-up to the primary.”
“It’s aggravating, especially because it’s my fault, but bear with me; I need a little more time. I’m still not back to 100 percent, but I’m getting there “”Every day,” he declared. “This contest is critical for Pennsylvania and the United States. I’ll be prepared, and I can’t wait to go back out on the trail.”