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Kennedy released from hospital after seizure

Print | Comments () Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor January 21, 2009 11:48 AM

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By Susan Milligan, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- Senator Edward M. Kennedy left Washington Hospital Center this morning "in good spirits'' after suffering a seizure during a Capitol luncheon with President Obama and fellow members of Congress.

Kennedy's doctors are urging Kennedy -- notorious for his long work days -- to get some rest, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Democrat said.

The 76-year-old senator, diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor last May, collapsed during a luncheon on Tuesday to honor the Obama and Vice President Biden. Kennedy had attended the swearing in -- held outdoors in cold weather -- and looked remarkably well, smiling and joking as he witnessed the inauguration of a man he had helped win the presidency with a powerful endorsement.

But at a lunch about an hour later, Kennedy -- overcome by what a doctor said was fatigue -- was rushed to the hospital. Seizures are common for patients with malignant gliomas; Kennedy had a seizure in September and was released after a brief hospital stay in Massachusetts.

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Glen Johnson is Politics Editor at boston.com and lead blogger for "Political Intelligence." He moved to Massachusetts in the fourth grade, and has covered local, state, and national politics for over 25 years. E-mail him at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen.