Dec. 15 (UPI) — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Sunday was discharged from a hospital after emergency surgery Monday for a brain bleed. Lula, 79, described his successful recovery at a news conference and said he will be working from home in Sao Paolo until Thursday.
“This here is not an interview, this is simply a session to say thanks. To thank, firstly, God, who has looked after me in a very generous manner,” he said.
Dr. Rogerio Tuma, a neurologist, said the situation related to a fall at his home in October and was not to a disease.
Lula said he became aware of the seriousness of the situation after his surgery on Tuesday
“I’m going home calm and certain that I’m cured and that I need to take care of myself,” he said. “I need to stay calm for at least 60 days or so, but I can go back to work.”
He was suffering from headaches and was diagnosed with an intracranial hemorrhage.
Silva had been experiencing a headache and drowsiness while meeting with leaders of Congress at the Planalto Palace on Dec. 9, according to El Pais.
Lula was first taken to a hospital in Brasilia and then to Siro-Libanes Hospital in Sao Paulo to have it drained after an MRI.
Doctors said they had performed a craniotomy, a procedure in which part of the bone is surgically removed from the skull to treat the bleed and relieve the pressure. The bone is then replaced.
Lula canceled his participation in a series of international summits.
He became president on Jan. 1, 2023, edging out far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro.
During the campaign, he often joked that he had “the energy of a 30-year-old”.
Lula underwent surgery to have a lump in his throat removed in November 2022 and was fitted for a hip prosthesis in September 2023.