Sen. John Fetterman hospitalized after feeling lightheaded, staff says

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., was hospitalized Wednesday after he complained of feeling lightheaded, according to WPXI.

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Fetterman, 53, who had a stroke last May, began to feel lightheaded after a lawmakers’ retreat and was taken by members of his staff to George Washington University Hospital, Calvello told reporters.

“Initial tests did not show evidence of a new stroke,” Joe Calvello, Fetterman’s communications director, said.

Fetterman defeated Dr. Mehmet Oz in a tight race for the US Senate seat, and said at the time that his recovery from the stroke would not affect his ability to serve in the Senate, The Associated Press reported.

Following the stroke, Fetterman resumed his duties as Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor, however, he did not begin appearing at public campaign events until mid-August.

Fetterman released a health report from his primary care physician in October that said the lieutenant governor was “recovering well from his stroke” and concluded that he “has no work restrictions and can work full duty in public office,” WPXI reported prior to the election.

“I feel like I’m gonna get better and better — every day. And by January, I’m going [to] be, you know, much better,” he said at a campaign stop prior to election day in November.

Doctors diagnosed Fetterman with atrial fibrillation in 2017, but he did not follow up with doctors or take the recommended medication, he said.

Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heart rhythm.

“I had a stroke that was caused by a clot from my heart being in an A-fib rhythm for too long,” The Washington Post reported Fetterman said in May. Doctors were able to “quickly and completely remove the clot,” he added. “It’s a good reminder to listen to your body and be aware of the signs.”