Sen. Kirk Suffers Stroke Affecting Arm, Leg, Face CHICAGO (AP) - Sen. Mark Kirk has undergone surgery to relieve swelling from a stroke that affected his left arm and leg and face, but surgeons said Monday he appears to recognize those around him and is responding to commands. The Illinois Republican is in intensive care at Northwestern Regional Medical Center, and it's unclear how long his recovery could take or whether his full movement would be restored, doctors said. "We are very hopeful that when we get through all the recovery, all those functions will be intact," said Dr. Richard Fessler, the neurosurgeon who performed the surgery. This morning, he is doing quite well. I am very happy with his current status. Kirk, 52, checked himself into Lake Forest Hospital over the weekend before being transferred to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where tests showed he had suffered a stroke. Kirk's office said he had a tear in the carotid artery on the right side of his neck. Carotid arteries carry blood to the brain; carotid tears are a common cause of strokes, which can involve blood clots traveling to the brain and causing bleeding there. Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin said he was shocked to learn of Kirk's stroke because kirk appeared to be a picture of health. "I want him to get well and come back to Washington as soon as possible," Durbin said Monday. Sen. Joe Manchin, with whom Kirk planned to sit during Tuesday night's State of the Union Address, issued a statement calling Kirk a "dear friend and truly a great American." He said he's confident Kirk "will make a speedy recovery and I will do everything I can to support him and his family until he is able to join us back here in Washington." Kirk was elected to the Senate in 2010, winning the seat formerly held by President Barack Obama after a hard-fought election that often focused on questions about his own honesty. Kirk at times exaggerated his record in the Navy Reserves. He incorrectly said he had been named intelligence officer of the year and took part in the invasion of Iraq. He said he came under fire while on a military flight but wouldn't provide details and stopped making the claim when questioned about it. I'm not perfect. I made a mistake and then apologized," Kirk said in a 2010 interview with The Associated Press. Going forward, the question we have and the choice we make as to who our senator is has a lot less to do with what happened in the 20th century and a lot more with what's happening in the 21st century. Associated Press writers Lindsey Tanner in Chicago, Christopher Wills in Springfield and Andrew Taylor in Washington contributed to this report.