Fetterman’s Condition Much Worse Than Expected After Devastating Update

Democratic Senator John Fetterman’s hospital stay has extended beyond initial expectations due to his symptoms worsening.

Due to his extensive health issues, including experiencing a stroke while campaigning, the senator admitted himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Wednesday to address symptoms of “clinical depression.” On Friday, NBC News revealed that Fetterman is anticipated to have an extended hospitalization.

NEW: A senior aide to Senator Fetterman tells me he will likely be in inpatient care for clinical depression for "a few weeks."

— Dasha Burns (@DashaBurns) February 17, 2023

“A senior aide says it’s been difficult to distinguish the stroke from the depression – saying it’s hard to tell at times if Fetterman is ‘not hearing you, or is he sort of crippled by his depression and social anxiety,’” Burns added in another tweet.

A senior aide tells me both the staff and Fetterman himself were taken by surprise by the severe onset of depression.

The aide also says this hasn't compromised his ability to do the job going forward, and he will be back to work once he has taken care of his mental health.

— Dasha Burns (@DashaBurns) February 17, 2023

The senator’s aide shared that after having discussions with the senator about the difficulties he has encountered since his stroke, the senator has been facing challenges adapting to his altered circumstances and grappling with concerns about his value as a person.

Glenn Greenwald added this:

This is one of the saddest stories I've seen in politics in years.

And we must remember that this NBC reporter, @DashaBurns, did her job by honestly explaining her observations of Fetterman, and she was subject to a protracted, vicious hate campaign led by other journalists: https://t.co/usIWAYV6dI

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) February 17, 2023

Fetterman had a stroke last year before winning the Pennsylvania Senate race in a fiercely contested election. His office announced this month that he was hospitalized after experiencing dizziness but tests have excluded the possibility of another stroke.

On Thursday, his wife Gisele Barreto Fetterman tweeted out: “After what he’s been through in the past year, there’s probably no one who wanted to talk about his own health less than John. I’m so proud of him for asking for help and getting the care he needs.”

https://twitter.com/giselefetterman/status/1626302959276511236?s=20

Gisele continued, saying “This is a difficult time for our family, so please respect our privacy. For us, the kids come first. Take care of yourselves. Hold your loved ones close, you are not alone.”

https://twitter.com/giselefetterman/status/1626302961432363008?s=20

On Friday, Biden showed his support saying on Twitter: “John, Gisele – Jill and I are thinking about your family today. Millions of people struggle with depression every day, often in private. Getting the care you need is brave and important. We’re grateful to you for leading by example.”

John, Gisele – Jill and I are thinking about your family today.

Millions of people struggle with depression every day, often in private.

Getting the care you need is brave and important. We're grateful to you for leading by example. https://t.co/V3rGZSKrM4

— President Biden (@POTUS) February 17, 2023

Fetterman was getting “more and more reserved with staff” one aid said.

“This isn’t who he was when he was early in recovery” from the May stroke. “This is a much different beast.” However, resignation “was never discussed, not even on the table in any sense.”

“Post-stroke depression is very, very common. Estimates are somewhere up to a third of patients with stroke will have depression at some point after their stroke,” said Dr. Lee Schwamm.

Lee added, “[Fetterman] had a life-threatening stroke and extraordinary treatment and amazing recovery, given where he started from, but has been under extraordinary stress and demands on him from the moment his stroke happened, and his recovery has occurred in the scrutiny of the public eye, and those are all recipes for behavioral health disorders.”

Due to his auditory processing challenges, Senator Fetterman depended largely on a tablet to transcribe spoken words for him. The severity of his hearing difficulties is unpredictable, and they tend to exacerbate when he is in stressful or unfamiliar situations. The senator has likened the experience to attempting to decipher the garbled voice of the teacher in the “Peanuts” comic strip, whose speech is incomprehensible.

It was reported on Thursday that Fetterman checked himself into Walter Reed medical center to “receive treatment for clinical depression.”

His transition has been “extraordinarily challenging” due to”strains of his recovery, which left him with a physical impairment and serious mental health challenges, ” ThePoliticianInsider reported.