Tells Baseball Stories, Jokes Day After Brain Surgery : Reagan Making an ‘Excellent Recovery’

Former President Ronald Reagan is making an “excellent recovery” from a surgical procedure that drained excess collected blood from the surface of his brain, a spokesman said Saturday.

Reagan told baseball stories and jokes to his staff Saturday morning, after spending a “quiet and restful night” following the procedure Friday, Reagan spokesman Mark Weinberg said in a prepared statement.

“He looks great. He feels great. His spirits are terrific,” Weinberg said. “The doctors and nurses at the Mayo Clinic are completely satisfied in every way.”

Watches Baseball Game

The former President watched part of the baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and the Kansas City Royals on television before drifting off to sleep Friday and was in “excellent spirits” Saturday, Weinberg said.

He said that Reagan, who had a portion of his head shaved for the procedure, jokingly told his staff Saturday morning: “I guess my barber can have the week off.”

The surgical procedure, according to Weinberg, lasted slightly more than an hour. He said that physicians at St. Mary’s Hospital believed the collection of “old blood” on the top of the right side of his brain was caused by Reagan being thrown by a bucking horse two months ago.

Weinberg said that Reagan had developed no symptoms from the condition, which sometimes include headaches, drowsiness, inattentiveness or incoherence of thought.

“He was completely unsymptomatic,” he said.

Found During Physical Exam

The buildup of blood and other fluids between the brain and the skull is known as a chronic subdural hematoma. Weinberg said that it was found during a routine physical examination at the Mayo Clinic, where the 78-year-old Reagan and his wife, Nancy, had routine physicals performed Thursday.

The fluid was found during a CAT scan, he said. The CAT scan procedure is not ordinarily a part of routine physical examinations, but Weinberg indicated that it was performed on Reagan as a follow-up after his July 4 fall, which occurred at a friend’s ranch in the Mexican state of Sonora.

The Reagans had intended to return home Friday, after their checkups, but the former President’s physicians recommended that the fluid be removed in a routine procedure at St. Mary’s, a Mayo Foundation hospital, Weinberg said.

Mrs. Reagan Visits

“This morning President Reagan read several newspapers and visited with Mrs. Reagan and members of their staff,” he said. Later, he and Mrs. Reagan, who spent the night at the hospital and intended to do so again Saturday, had lunch together.

A spokeswoman for Mayo Clinic said telegrams and flowers began pouring into the hospital Saturday. Among those who have conveyed their good wishes are President and Mrs. Bush; former Presidents Gerald R. Ford and Richard M. Nixon; British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher; former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger, and the Rev. Billy Graham.

Reagan was awakened shortly after 6:30 a.m. Saturday and underwent a routine follow-up CAT scan, which showed the evacuation to be “progressing exactly as had been anticipated,” Weinberg said.

“Because of President Reagan’s rapid recovery, physicians this morning (Saturday) removed the drain that had been placed at the time of surgery yesterday,” he said.

No Word on Discharge

Weinberg said that Reagan was to spend the rest of the day reading and resting. He declined to say when Reagan would be discharged. “He will go home when the doctors tell him he can,” he said.

The hospital, respecting the wishes of the family, is releasing no information on Reagan’s condition. Weinberg, Reagan’s official spokesman, has been issuing prepared statements and declining to answer questions about the former President’s condition.

At one point Saturday, he walked away from reporters without answering any questions because television cameramen ignored his order not to film him. He returned an hour later and held a televised press conference.

The relatively common neurosurgical procedure that was performed on Reagan is done under general anesthesia. It consists of drilling small holes about the size of a dime, known as “burr holes,” through the skull and drawing out the fluid.

Neurosurgeons not connected with the case said that the operation was usually successful for patients with the former President’s health.