Congressman John Dingell of Michigan’s Twelfth Congressional District has served longer than any other Congressman in history. He’s also doing well after his catheter ablation surgery.
Dingell opted for radiofrequency catheter ablation to address his a-fib condition.
The Detroit News indicated that he was up and doing work from his hospital room. Dingell returned to work last week. The congressman is expected to maintain a light workload until he retires.
In spite of the apparent success of the surgery Dingell plans to retire at the end of his term. Of course, after 30 terms his recent brush with atrial fibrillation is probably not the only reason why he’s walking away from his seat.
Still, he is quite the go-getter.
U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township, knew Dingell had to miss votes in the House the last couple of days — something rare for the congressman. Dingell is known to race in his red scooter through the basement of the Capitol complex to avoid being late for any vote.
“I’m looking forward to seeing him back on the floor real soon in his regular chair,” Kildee said.
It is, of course, too soon to tell whether Dingell is done with a-fib or whether or not he will, as many do, require a second procedure to put an end to his condition for good. Much will probably depend on how much rest and relaxation he is able to get after leaving what must be a very stressful and high-intensity career.
It seems like it would be a risk to continue in it even to the end of his term, but Dingell has been described as anything but a quitter, so it’s probably no surprise that he’s doing just that!
I don’t know what I’d do in his situation.
It’s a story that demonstrates that a-fib touches everyone.
What would you do if you were in his shoes?
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