Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva spent his first “stable” night after hip surgery on Friday, and began physical therapy sessions on Saturday morning, his aides announced. doctor
Lula, 77, “spent the night in stable condition, walking in the morning and undergoing physical therapy sessions” in his room at the Sirio Lebanés hospital in Brasilia, according to the latest medical bulletin.
The doctors who operated on him said on Friday that everything is “fine” and that he will be discharged “on Monday or Tuesday at the latest.”
But Lula will have to suspend his hectic travel schedule: he will be confined to Brasilia for at least four weeks, although he wants to “work normally” during his recovery.
His doctor, Roberto Kalil Filho, assured, however, that he is “confident” that the head of state will recover in time to attend the United Nations Climate Conference COP28, which will be held in Dubai at the end of November.
This is an important appointment for a man who established himself as a champion of the environment and promised to eliminate deforestation in the Amazon by 2030.
Short operation
The operation, a total hip replacement to relieve the pain of osteoarthritis, took more than an hour.
After placing a hybrid prosthesis, doctors “took advantage of Lula’s good response to anesthesia” to perform minor cosmetic surgery to correct drooping eyelids.
At the beginning of the week, the former union member expressed himself as “very optimistic” about the upcoming operation, hoping to finally stop the pain he suffered for more than a year and put him in “bad condition.”
“To make myself better (…) I’m sure I’ll be fine when I come back,” he said on Tuesday during his weekly program “Conversation with the President,” which was broadcast on social media.
At first, Lula had to use a walker “to keep her balance,” surgeon Giancarlo Polisello said Friday. However, the president does not want to show even the slightest sign of weakness in front of the cameras.
“You won’t see me with a walker or crutches,” Lula said, revealing that she made this decision on the advice of her official photographer.
