Melania Trump was quietly admitted to the Walter Reed Medical Center and she underwent kidney surgery today, with nothing said to the public until the surgery was over. It wasn't until about 3 PM on Monday that the news of Melania Trump's procedure broke on the TV news stations as "breaking news."

The official statement coming from Melania's office is that she was experiencing an issue with her kidney, which prompted doctors to perform this procedure. Thankfully this problem was benign.

Melania underwent an embolization procedure and it was successful, reports Stephanie Grisham, the communication director for the first lady.

Serious medical procedure

Her stay at the Walter Reed Medical Center is expected to last for the rest of this week, reports Grisham. Donald Trump is expected to visit the hospital sometime this afternoon to see his wife. According to CNN News, Melania is the first U.S. first lady to undergo such a serious medical procedure while in the White House since Nancy Reagan.

Back in 1987 when Ronald and Nancy Reagan were the occupants of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Nancy underwent a mastectomy.

Roselyn Carter had a lump in her breast removed in 1977. Then there was Betty Ford who was diagnosed with breast cancer just weeks after moving into the White House. She had a mastectomy back in September 1974 as a result of that diagnosis.

Symptoms unknown

Fox News described this procedure during their live broadcast on Monday afternoon. They report the procedure as being similar to a heart catheterization, but they go into the kidney area instead.

Melania, who turned 48 in April, was admitted to the hospital on Monday morning. It is not known what symptoms she had before seeking medical attention for this problem. Fox News reports that after this procedure, the patient must stay still, so this may explain why she is expected to stay put in the hospital for the rest of the week.

Doctors who have not treated Melania Trump are saturating the Monday afternoon news broadcasts describing symptoms that Melania might have endured leading up to her diagnosis. This includes pain in the lower back and nausea

Donald Trump keeping in touch

Fox News reports that Donald Trump spoke with Melania before the procedure and then he spoke with the doctors who performed the procedure once it was over. The procedure was a complete success and Melania can look forward to a full recovery.

Another well-known name in Washington also went into surgery on Monday, former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He underwent cancer surgery which entailed removing a tumor from his pancreas. Reid's prognosis for recovery is listed as "good."