"I'm a little emotional today, but good, very good," he told reporters.

The embattled 30-year political veteran walked out of Hahnemann University Hospital about noon, his son and daughter by his side, and said he expected to return to the campaign trail in two weeks.

Fumo, 64, scheduled for a corruption trial in September, also faces pressure from three Democrats hoping to oust him from his First Senate District seat in the April primary.

But it was his health scare that was on his mind yesterday.

"It's like an elephant's foot is on your chest, just pushing and pushing," he said of the heart attack he suffered at his Green Street home March 2 that required an emergency angioplasty.

Fumo, who had undergone back surgery in February and has a history of heart trouble, said that the "unbearable" pain from his heart attack caused an outburst of emotion unusual for him - tears.

"I try not to cry much in life, but I was crying and screaming for about an hour," he said.

Fumo said that doctors found total blockage in his right coronary artery and 50 percent blockage in his left coronary artery.

Howard Eisen, chief of cardiology at Hahnemann, said that the doctors were able to keep Fumo's "door-to-balloon time" - the time he entered the hospital to when a balloon was inserted into his artery to return normal blood flow - to 62 minutes, well under the recommended maximum 90 minutes.

Eisen and Daniel McCormick, director of cardiac catheterizations, also credited Fumo's family's response time for his swift recovery.

"The amount of time it takes for the patient and their family to recognize trouble and get to the hospital is called that 'Golden Hour,' " Eisen said. "Time is muscle. The more time you lose, the more muscle you lost."

A small stent was put into Fumo's right coronary artery to allow normal blood flow, McCormick said, but Fumo's left coronary artery will remain 50 percent blocked.

"No one is thinking about a bypass," Eisen said. "Just close follow-ups."

Doctors ordered Fumo to convalesce for two weeks before hitting the re-election campaign trail. Fumo said it would be another week after that before he returns to Harrisburg.

"I have made a deal for two weeks and I will try to honor that," Fumo said, adding that he will be videotaped for several pre-scheduled appearances in the upcoming weeks.

Fumo faces three opponents in the Democratic primary: union leader John J. Dougherty, community activist Anne Dicker and lawyer Lawrence M. Farnese Jr.

In September, he faces an even bigger challenge - a federal trial on 139 charges, ranging from fraud to obstruction of justice, for allegedly misusing funds from a charity to support a posh lifestyle.