Reagan Stays in Good Spirits, First Lady Says

Nancy Reagan said Friday that she and her husband were “surprised” when they learned he had a large intestinal polyp that would require surgery but that President Reagan remained in good spirits after his tests were completed.

The President was sedated during the procedure, which involves the use of a long, flexible tube to examine the large intestine.

But the First Lady’s press secretary, Jennefer Austin Hirshberg, said Mrs. Reagan reported the 74-year-old President was “counting the days until he gets back to work” and was doing paper work when she left him at Bethesda Naval Medical Center outside Washington Friday evening.