'Everything else checked out fine. There were no surprises,' Christie said Watch video
Gov. Chris Christie talks to the media shortly after being discharged from Somerset Medical Center in Somerville this evening. Earlier in the day, he was brought to the emergency room because he was suffering from shortness of breath. SOMERVILLE — Gov. Chris Christie was released from a Somerville hospital early this evening after spending the day there because of an asthma attack.
"It's been a long time, I think since law school, since I had to go to the hospital for my asthma," Christie told a crowd of reporters gathered outside the Somerset Medical Center. "Everything else checked out fine. There were no surprises."
Christie, 48, said he instructed State Troopers to take him to the hospital about 10:30 a.m. after experiencing "some real lightheadedness" and shortness of breath on his way to a bill-signing event in Hillsborough.
After administering several tests, including a cardiogram and chest X-ray, doctors ruled out cardiac problems, Maria Comella, the governor's communications director, told reporters earlier in the day. She said the doctors concluded his difficulty breathing was related to his asthma.
This evening, Christie said he was tired, but otherwise feeling fine.
Though he said he was unsure about whether to go to the hospital, "the first thing I thought about was my kids; when you have four kids you don't take chances."
Though Christie himself acknowledged concern about being overweight, he said he didn't think that affected today's incident. However, he reiterated what he has said in public — that he works out with a trainer in an effort to slim down.
"I think the weight exacerbates everything," he said. "The lighter I am, the healthier I'll be. It's one of the major struggles of my life. I'm working on it."
Christie, who has suffered from asthma since he was a teenager, said he used his "rescue inhaler" that he keeps with him, when he began experiencing the onset of the asthma attack, but that this time was different because of the lightheadedness.
Christie said that he called his chief of staff, Rich Bagger, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, other administration officials, his wife and his children to let them know where he was.
During the day, he said he spoke to a number legislators, including Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester), who Christie said reached out to him to wish him well. The call ended an almost month-long silence between the two men, who had a public falling out over Christie's budget cuts late last month.
Christie also tweeted at Senator Majority Leader Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex), saying he wanted to "kill two birds with one stone" -- let the public know he was okay and keep up with his habit of wishing legislators a happy birthday.
Buono tweeted: "We all have you in our thoughts today. Hope you are feeling better."
He responded, "Thx 4 your thoughts ... And BTW, Happy Birthday."
At the Statehouse, Guadagno carried on business as usual.
Earlier in the day, when asked if there would be a transfer of power, the governor's spokesman, Michael Drewniak, said: "That was never a necessary consideration. He was never incapacitated, has been alert throughout and is in contact with senior staff from the hospital."
In addition to cancelling the bill-signing ceremony in Hillsborough, Christie also called off an appearance on the radio call-in show "Ask the Governor" scheduled for 7:30 tonight on 101.5 FM in which he was to take questions.
Instead, he said he planned to go home, put on shorts and a T-shirt, and spend time with his daughters.
Tomorrow, he said, it would be back to business — a workout in the morning, several meetings and a dinner.
By Megan DeMarco and Ginger Gibson/Statehouse Bureau Staff
Star-Ledger staff writers Chris Megerian and Jarrett Renshaw contributed to this report.
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