WASHINGTON — Maggie Inouye, the wife of Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, was being treated yesterday at Walter Reed Army Medical Center for blood clots and fluid in her right lung.

The small clots and fluid were found during a recent exam, said Mike Yuen, spokesman for the senator, a Hawai'i Democrat.

"She is now undergoing a process of draining out the fluid and dissolving the blood clots," Yuen said. "The doctors felt that during this process, having her in the hospital was better than treating her as an outpatient."

In November 2004, doctors at Walter Reed removed a cancerous growth from Maggie Inouye's large intestine and 3 to 4 inches of the intestine on each side of the growth. The 81-year-old has been receiving radiation and chemotherapy treatment since then.

Yuen said that once the current procedure is completed and Inouye is discharged, she will resume her chemotherapy treatments.

Maggie Inouye and the senator were married in 1949, after he proposed to her on their second date.

In February, the senator missed a vote on the Senate floor after being summoned to Walter Reed, where his wife was scheduled for her chemotherapy treatment.

"I decided to be with my wife, especially since this was Valentine's Day and we have been married for nearly 57 years," he said.

After arriving at Walter Reed, the senator learned that his wife was so exhausted that a decision was made to postpone the chemotherapy and use radiation treatment instead.

Reach Dennis Camire at dcamire@gns.gannett.com.