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Doctors feed Blaine after stunt
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Doctors have started to feed illusionist David Blaine after he completed his 44-day starvation stunt with only water for sustenance. Blaine was recovering in a private hospital in the British capital Monday where medics were giving him a nutritional drink packed with high levels of vitamins, his spokesman said. The magician experienced an irregular heartbeat during his time in the box suspended over the River Thames in London, caused by a lack of potassium and thinning of the heart's walls, according to a statement on his Web site. Thousands of fans cheered the 30-year-old American who burst into tears as he emerged from the box on Sunday night, saying: "I love you all forever." (Full story) Blaine had a sleepless first night out of his box suffering stomach cramps, according to gastroenterologist Professor Powell-Tuck, who is responsible for his care at the London Independent Hospital. However, initial blood tests have proved satisfactory, he added. His weight was recorded as 70 kilograms (11 stones) -- about 25 kg (four stones) lighter than when he entered the box. The spokesman said: "Continuous checks are being made on how his body is accepting and coping with this nutritional therapy in order to prevent complications arising. "Professor Powell-Tuck is expecting to maintain a series of assessments, including blood tests, over the coming days as Mr. Blaine gradually recovers. "It is currently impossible to predict how long Mr. Blaine will be required to remain in hospital, or to determine any long-term effect, though Mr. Blaine is being continually monitored by both nursing staff and electro-cardiograph telemetry." The stunt has captivated Londoners, with huge crowds gathering every day at Tower Bridge. Some threw eggs and golf balls at Blaine, others held barbecues underneath his box and one man was fined after trying to sabotage his water supply. Others bared their breasts and buttocks at him while some banged drums to keep him awake at night. But in the final week taunts were largely replaced by encouraging shouts and handwritten signs stuck along the fence around the riverside enclosure. Skeptics suggested he was being given more than water and may even have been getting nutrition from a coating on his box. But Blaine's team said the stunt was genuine. Earlier this week he told CNN he would never attempt such a stunt again. (Full story) This was his first stunt outside the United States. In May 2002, he stood on a 24-meter high flagpole in New York for 35 hours without a safety net. In November 2000, Blaine encased himself in a six-ton block of ice in New York City's Times Square for 58 hours.
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