Arteriovenous malformation info

Blue Girl, Red State has some info on the possible prognosis for some people with Senator Tim Johnson's condition. I certainly hope her optimism proves out:

I have a little bit of personal knowledge about this topic. In 1973 my father had what was then called a Cerebral Hemmorhage. It was caused by an arteriovenous malformation. He underwent eleven hours of surgery and the compromise was corrected. He was hospitalized for 36 days, back on active duty 90 days after his discharge from the hospital and his only long-term deficit was he lost his sense of smell.

Not everyone who experiences a cerebral hemmorhage as a result of an arteriovenous malformation is as fortunate as my father was, but we are making great strides in the treatment of neurological trauma. Recovery with little compromise is rapidly becoming the norm.

What potential deficits the Senator may experience could vary widely and will depend on what area of the brain was affected and how much brain tissue was compromised. This information has not been made public. He may come out of it like a shiny new penny, or he may be paralyzed or unable to speak.

The only thing I can say with absolute certainty right now is this: All of the handwringing about the senate changing hands is premature at best. Everyone needs to relax. The guy only had surgery last night. He is still being sedated because any time the brain is subjected to any kind of trauma, including surgery, there is swelling. As long as there is swelling there is no accurate measuement of deficits, and we are about 36-48 hours away from being able to make any accurate assessments.

Yet even with that note of caution, I am optimistic about the Senator's chances to recover and resume his duties. It is certainly premature to sound the death knell for the Democratic senate, so for the love of all that is sacred (the Constitution, the Magna Carta, the Insurrection Acts, Posse Comitatus, Habeas Corpus) stop borrowing trouble.