Figure Skating Flap In Salt Lake
Sen. Pete Domenici has returned to work after spending five days in the hospital undergoing extensive tests to find the cause of continuing pain in his right elbow.
The 69-year-old senator cast votes on two judicial nominations following his release from Walter Reed Army Medical Center on Monday.
"I am very glad to be back at work," Domenici, R-N.M., said. "I am grateful to the doctors and staff at Walter Reed for all they've done to pinpoint the source of this pain and set a course for getting past it."
Domenici injured his arm during a touch football game with his grandchildren during Thanksgiving 1999. He was told at the time he had pinched a nerve in his neck and he has undergone two years of therapy and had two operations since.
Doctors now attribute the injury to a pinched ulnar nerve in the senator's elbow. They do not believe further surgery would help the injury, said Domenici spokesman Chris Gallegos.
"It will take several weeks to adjust a medication regimen to make sure that we control the chronic pain and avoid any side effects and possible interactions from the medications," said Dr. Thomas Larkin of Walter Reed's anesthesiology and pain management department. "I do not expect this to be a quick process. If it were easy, it would have been solved much earlier."
"Overall, Senator Domenici is in very good health with excellent blood pressure, blood chemistry, pulmonary and heart readings," Larkin said.
Doctors conducted neurological exams, orthopedic tests, nerve conduction tests and magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, which is essentially a sophisticated form of X-rays.
Gallegos said doctors have asked Domenici to reduce his workload this week, but the injury would not affect his campaign schedule.
Domenici announced his plans to seek a sixth term on Feb. 1. Candidates for statewide office were filing Tuesday.
New Mexico Republican Party Chairman John Dehdahl said it is better that Domenici get the medical problem straightened out now than wait until the middle of campaign season.
"It's better than waiting until three months from now," said Dendahl of Albuquerque.