Inhofe, 79, who is seeking a fourth term in office next year, said the massive blockage was discovered last week during a routine doctor's visit. He returned home to Tulsa and had emergency surgery on Friday at St. John Medical Center.
"The discovery shocked me as I had no visible symptoms that something was wrong," Inhofe said in a statement Tuesday. "Today, I am feeling great and am fully engaged with my work here in Oklahoma."
Inhofe's spokeswoman, Donelle Harder, said the senator is expected to be away from Washington for about two weeks until doctors clear him to fly.
"I know he's already staying very engaged, as much as he can be from Oklahoma, but in regards to actually casting a vote, it could be a just a couple of weeks," Harder said.
Inhofe is expected to be released from the hospital as early as Tuesday afternoon.
"I may miss some upcoming votes on the continuing resolution, but my doctors agree I will return soon and even stronger to continue the fight to protect Oklahomans' freedoms," Inhofe said.
Two of Inhofe's arteries were 100 percent blocked, a second was at 90 percent, and a fourth had 75 percent blockage, Harder said.
A former mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma's second largest city, Inhofe also served in the U.S. House before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1994. He won re-election twice and is seeking a fourth, six-year term in office in 2014. He will face Democrat Matt Silverstein, 32, an investment planner and political newcomer from the Tulsa area.
Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe
http://accesswdun.com/article/2013/10/266490