On Wednesday, 89-year-old Dianne Feinstein came to the Senate in a wheelchair and announced that she will be working a limited schedule due to the side effects of shingles. After contracting shingles, Feinstein missed approximately 100 votes during her nearly three-month absence.
According to the Mayo Clinic, adverse effects can include lasting pain known as postherpetic neuralgia, intense eye infections that may cause vision loss, facial paralysis, or issues with hearing or balance.
Due to her health issues and worries that her absence may impede the confirmation of President Joe Biden's judges, Feinstein received calls for resignation, even from her fellow Democrats. She is currently a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which conducts the hearings for confirmation.