Illinois U.S. Senator Mark Kirk was back in the hospital this weekend to have his gall bladder removed.
Kirk went to Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital on Saturday, complaining of pain in his upper abdomen.
Dr. Kim Sobinsky says those symptoms are associated with a number of different problems.
"Sometimes it's hard to separate that from having a heart attack. But his heart checked out OK, everything was fine, and everything pointed toward the gall bladder."
So Sobinsky, a surgeon, removed Kirk's gall bladder Monday morning. He says the recovery time is short, that Kirk should be up and about and leaving the hospital within a day. He says patients can live a normal life without their gall bladders.
The procedure means Kirk will miss Senate action in Washington this week. He returned in January after spending most of last year recovering from a stroke.