(DailyDig.com) – California Democrat and retiring senator, Dianne Feinstein, was said to have been discharged on March 7 from the hospital while recuperating from shingles.
At the age of 89, Feinstein is currently the oldest senator in the United States Senate, having been first elected in 1992.
The retiring legislator was absent from all votes during the last week because she was getting medical care in San Francisco.
In light of her absence and the ongoing illness of John Fetterman, a Democrat senator from Pennsylvania, the Senate is now evenly divided at 49 votes each. This includes the 3 Independent senators, typically voting with the Democrats, which causes concern in the leadership.
Those over the age of 60 who have already had chickenpox are more likely to get shingles, a painful but mostly harmless rash. The rash of shingles is unpleasant and often appears on one side of the body or face, as described by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Blisters form during this rash, and after 7-10 days, they scab over and the rash clears up completely in 2 weeks at the most.
Feinstein has expressed her appreciation to everyone who has sent her good wishes and to the medical professionals at the hospital. She is now undergoing treatment at home and hopes to make a speedy recovery so that she may return to the Senate soon.
Last year, Feinstein made it public that she wasn’t going to run for reelection at the conclusion of her current term. Many other California Democrats have declared their candidacies for the seat, including Representatives Katie Porter, Barbara Lee, and Adam Schiff.
She has been reducing her workload as of late, declining to become the Senate’s president pro tempore and stepping down in 2020 as the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee. The senator serving the longest from the ruling party is normally appointed to this post. Patty Murray (D-WA) is the current ranking senator on that committee.
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