Judge Gamble recovers

Judge David Gamble, 51, was home recovering over the weekend after physicians found heart blockages and performed surgery Thursday.

Gamble, of the 9th Judicial District Court of Douglas County, had angioplasty surgery after being admitted to Carson-Tahoe Hospital Tuesday.

His wife, Diane, said Gamble was feeling chest pains and thought he was having a heart attack while watching the World Series with a neighbor.

She said Gamble received four stints to improve blood flow to his heart. She said surgeons found blocked arteries in the right and left sections of his heart. The surgeons went in through his arm and put two stints on each side to improve blood flow.

"It is miraculous the way things went," she said. "Seeing how much blockage there was, I don't know what would have happened.

"Now, there is a river of blood flowing and I think he will be 10 times smarter."

Gamble's law and motion court calendar was rescheduled last week, according to a bailiff. Gamble said Friday he expects to be back "full steam" next week, so there shouldn't be a delay in the caseload.

"I am real fortunate," he said.

Diane Gamble said she was scheduled to attend a concert Tuesday evening, but decided not to, which was advantageous because she said her husband would not have gone to the hospital without her insistence.

"I was scared to death," she said.

She said Gamble will be changing his diet and exercise regimen, but otherwise he is in good spirits and had been joking around with hospital staff.

Gamble has been a judge in Douglas County for 16 years.