President Trump Gives Another Melania Update After Hospitalization and ‘Kidney Procedure’

A day after First Lady Melania Trump was hospitalized for a kidney procedure, President Donald Trump says she’s doing “really well” and is expected to leave the hospital soon.

“Our great First Lady is doing really well. Will be leaving hospital in 2 or 3 days. Thank you for so much love and support!” Trump wrote early Tuesday morning.

Trump was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Monday morning to treat a benign kidney condition. A White House spokesperson reported that the procedure was successful without any complications and President Trump gave an update Monday afternoon saying Trump was in good spirits.

“This morning, first lady Melania Trump underwent an embolization procedure to treat a benign kidney condition. The procedure was successful, and there were no complications,” White House Communications Director Stephanie Grisham said in a statement Monday.

“Mrs. Trump is at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and will likely remain there for the duration of the week. The first lady looks forward to a full recovery so she can continue her work on behalf of children everywhere,” she continued.

As far as learning more about the first lady’s condition that required the procedure in the first place, CNN’s chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, said certain benign tumors can be treated with an embolization procedure, but that cysts do not typically get embolized.

Embolization, according to the National Institute of Health, “cuts off the blood supply to a certain part of the body.” CNN also reached out to Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, a urologist at Orlando Health in Florida, to asked what she would use embolization for.

“(I’d use it for ) something called angiomyolipoma, which is basically a benign growth of the kidney that has some fat in it and some cystic components,” Brahmbhatt said. “These are usually benign but if they grow they can cause bleeding around the kidney, they can cause bleeding in the urine, they can cause pain as well.”

He went on to explain that the procedure is usually low risk, though he understood why the doctors want Trump to stay in the hospital for the remainder of the week.

“The full lesion may not have been completely embolized and sometimes you need it done again,” Brahmbhatt said. “Or there could be bleeding around the kidney or bleeding where you actually go through and get into your blood vessels.”

President Donald Trump did not initially accompany Trump to the hospital, but announced he was headed there hours later.

“Heading over to Walter Reed Medical Center to see our great First Lady, Melania,” the President tweeted on Monday. “Successful procedure, she is in good spirits. Thank you to all of the well-wishers!”

Many were caught off guard by the news, as there was no word of the First Lady’s condition until Monday. Just last week, she unveiled her “Be Best” campaign, an undertaking which she hopes will help diminish and ultimately end bullying and cyber-bullying.

If she was suffering from her kidney condition at the time she gave no indication. Many have interpreted the First Lady’s every move as a cryptic hint about her husband’s dealings and his infidelity. Comedians and commentators often note how little she cracks a smile in public, relating it back to the president’s many alleged affairs over the years, and last month she even became a viral meme when she wore a wide-brimmed hat that prevented President Trump from kissing her.

Still, those jokes may not be far off, according to the First Lady of France, Brigitte Macron. After she and her husband returned from a visit to the White House last month, Brigitte Macron told French newspaper Le Monde that Melania Trump is under strict supervision from the Secret Service.

“She cannot do anything. She can’t even open a window at the White House. She can’t go outside,” Macron said, according to a translation by The Guardian. “Everything is interpreted, over-interpreted. She’s someone who has a strong personality, but works hard to hide it. She laughs very easily, at everything, but shows it less than I do.”