Friday, July 29, 2011
MANILA (Updated 8:38 p.m.) -- Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will have to spend the night at the surgical intensive care unit (ICU) of the St. Luke's Medical Center in Taguig City after undergoing a "risky" surgery Friday.
Orthopedic surgeon Mario Ver said they advised Arroyo to rest for three weeks not necessarily inside the hospital. Doctors earlier said that Arroyo may have to stay in the surgical ICU for seven to 10 days in case something goes wrong. She is expected to recover in less than seven days.
The former President was diagnosed on Tuesday with a damaged cervical spine with multi-level cervical spondilosis, which – if not treated immediately – may lead to paralysis.
She was taken to the hospital late Monday afternoon due to the recurrence of her neck pain. She also underwent physical therapy last month for cervical radiculopathy, a pinched root of nerve due to disc disease.
Ver and Dr. Juliet Gopez-Cervantes said Friday night that Arroyo, who is now a Pampanga representative, will need to undergo therapy once she has fully recovered.
Members of the Arroyo family – former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, and their sons Juan Miguel “Mikey” and Diosdado, and daughter-in-law, Kakai – were all spotted in the hospital during Arroyo's five-hour surgery