Senator Says She Was Hospitalized With Facial Numbness

Days after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, one of the oldest senators, caused concern by freezing up during a press conference, one of the youngest senators has disclosed that she is dealing with a health issue. Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama said Monday that she was hospitalized over the weekend in Montgomery after she "experienced a sudden onset of numbness" in her face, CNN reports. The 41-year-old said she is now at home and her recovery is likely to take several weeks. The condition, she said, is not life-threatening.

"Doctors determined that my symptoms were a result of swelling of a facial nerve, most likely caused by a post-viral infection," Britt said. She said a specialist from the University of Alabama at Birmingham "subsequently evaluated me on an outpatient basis and concurred with the prognosis and course of treatment." Britt, the first female senator elected from Alabama, started serving her first term last year. The Hill notes that the Senate broke for its August recess days ago and senators aren't expected back in Washington, DC until after Labor Day. (More Senate stories.)