Clinton walking hospital halls after surgery
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Three days after undergoing quadruple coronary artery bypass surgery, former President Bill Clinton was up and walking Thursday at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, his office said in a written statement.
"He's in good spirits and has been able to take short walks in the hallway outside his room," the statement said.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry told the National Baptist Convention in New Orleans that he had just spoken with Clinton.
"He wanted to send his very best and he is doing very well," Kerry said.
Clinton was moved out of the intensive care unit Wednesday and into a regular hospital room, where he is expected to continue to recuperate for several days.
Clinton, 58, underwent the operation Monday to bypass the clogged arteries.
Clinton went to the hospital Friday after experiencing mild chest pain and shortness of breath.
An angiogram showed he had blockages in some coronary arteries, caused by fatty plaque over the years, doctors said.
Clinton's exercise and diet routines in recent years were well known, but when he left office in early 2001 his cholesterol level was at 233 milligrams per deciliter, above the upper edge of normal, which is 200. Most doctors recommend even lower levels.
Clinton's LDL, or so-called "bad cholesterol" level, was 177 and jumped 40 points in the last year of his presidency. Normal is considered less than 130.
In a telephone interview Friday with CNN's "Larry King Live," Clinton said, "I've had some difficulty ever since I got out of the White House in getting my distance up in running.
"And I just had a feeling a couple of days ago I had to have it checked, when I finally got some tightness in my chest. And I hadn't done any exercise. That's the first time that ever happened to me."
