Maggie Daley Showing Improvement In Hospital
CHICAGO (CBS) Chicago's first lady, Maggie Daley will stay in a Washington hospital for at least one more night. That's the word from her doctor here in Chicago, but he also says Mrs. Daley seems to be improving.
"She's in good spirits. She's doing much better," Dr. Steven Rosen told CBS 2's Mai Martinez Saturday.
Mrs. Daley was hospitalized Friday in Washington for what Rosen describes as "significant discomfort" in her right leg. He talked with his patient Saturday afternoon from Georgetown University Medical Center, where she remains hospitalized.
"She had a wonderful night's sleep," Rosen said. "The pain is improved, but still there. We're going to ask the doctors at Georgetown to keep her for another day or two until she's feeling up to coming home."
Dr. Rosen believes the pain Mrs. Daley is suffering is related to the metastatic breast cancer she's been battling for years. Earlier this year, her leg was fitted with a titanium rod to help prevent her cancer-infected bone from breaking.
LISTEN: Dr. Steven Rosen
Podcast
Podcast
"Hopefully, this is just what we refer to as a micro-fracture, something that you don't detect on imaging studies," Rosen said. "Because the bone is somewhat fragile, it can cause a lot of discomfort, but it doesn't necessarily signify that the disease is getting worse."
But Rosen says he won't rest easy until he's examined Mrs. Daley himself. Then he'll figure out how best to proceed with her therapy.
"You're always concerned, because the disease is in the bone, that there could be progression," he said.
Dr. Rosen says Mrs. Daley's cancer showed no signs of that during her most recent complete evaluation just a few weeks ago.
"She's done remarkably well for the last decade," he said. "The overall disease in her body is no more than it was seven, eight years ago."
Dr. Rosen says Mrs. Daley is taking medication to control her pain, and she's also working with a physical therapist to minimize the weight she places on her leg.
Mrs. Daley was visiting Washington this week when she was hospitalized.
