Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein’s office said on Thursday that she had Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a complication of the shingles virus that can paralyze part of the face, and contracted encephalitis while recovering from the virus earlier this year.
Feinstein, 89, had not previously released those medical details, although she said in a statement last week that she had suffered complications from the virus. The longtime California senator income of an absence of more than two months on May 10 after weeks of questions about her declining health and whether she would return to the Senate.
Adam Russell, a spokesperson for Feinstein, said the encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, “resolved shortly after he was discharged from hospital in March.” Feinstein continues to have complications from Ramsay Hunt syndrome, Russell said.
Russell confirmed both complications after The New York Times first reported them, raising questions about whether she hid the extent of her illnesses. When she returned last week, Feinstein was using a wheelchair and was noticeably thinner, and at times appeared confused when speaking to reporters or being led down halls.
“The senator previously disclosed that she had several complications related to her shingles diagnosis,” Russell said in the statement. “As discussed in the New York Times article, these complications included Ramsay Hunt syndrome and encephalitis.”
Feinstein’s face has appeared partially paralyzed since returning to the Senate, sparking speculation as to whether she had suffered a stroke. Ramsay Hunt syndrome is a complication that occurs when the shingles virus affects a facial nerve near the ears. It can also lead to hearing loss.
Encephalitis can also be caused by shingles. Brain swelling can have a number of different symptoms, including personality changes, seizures, stiffness, confusion, and problems with sight or hearing, depending on the Mayo Clinic.
Feinstein’s aides said last week that she was still recovering from her illness and would operate on a reduced schedule. Since coming back, she’s missed a few votes where she wasn’t needed. On Wednesday, for example, she missed the first three Senate votes of the day but ran for the last two, in which the margin was much narrower.
Feinstein faced questions for several years about her clearly declining health and mental acuity. In February, Feinstein said she would not run again in 2024.
But some Democrats have been pushing for her to leave sooner. A member of the California congressional delegation, Democratic Representative Ro Khanna, called on her to resign as she stayed away from Washington for more than ten weeks, and several other House progressives echoed her call. his call. And Senate Democrats grew increasingly anxious during Feinstein’s absence because they were unable to confirm some of the President Joe Biden’s Judicial Candidates with a slim majority of 51 to 49.
As Democrats fretted, Feinstein made an unusual request to be temporarily replaced on the judicial panel while she remained out of the Senate. But Republicans last month blocked a vote, saying there was little precedent for a temporary committee replacement and they didn’t want to help Democrats confirm the most partisan justices. Others said they thought the Democrats were unfairly trying to push her out Office.
Two weeks later, Democrats said Feinstein would return to Washington.
A senator for more than three decades, Feinstein had a groundbreaking political career and broke down gender barriers. She was the first woman to serve as chair of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in the 1970s and San Francisco’s first female mayor. She rose to the position after the November 1978 assassinations of then-mayor George Moscone and city supervisor Harvey Milk by a former supervisor, Dan White. Feinstein found Milk’s body.
In the Senate, she was the first woman to head the Senate Intelligence Committee and the first woman to serve as the first Democrat on the Judiciary Committee.