King stricken with Bell's Palsy
By Bret Hayworth Journal staff writer | Posted: Wednesday, April 18, 2007
It's a condition that first arose in March in Washington, lasted through the U.S. House of Representatives two-week recess and now continues as Congressman Steve King is back in D.C.
King, a Republican from Kiron, Iowa, has been stricken with Bell's Palsy, which has caused his face to droop. King spoke about the condition from his Washington office Tuesday, saying while he's scaled back public appearances, he's still doing the work expected by his western Iowa constituents.
King described finding the left side of his face sagging about three weeks ago. "It just showed up one afternoon. I just noticed that my face wasn't feeling right," he recounted.
He consulted a doctor, who told King it was Bell's Palsy, a form of paralysis caused by malfunction of the facial nerve. King said it is caused by a virus and constricts nerves.
"It is really very common, I keep finding out," he said. Two of his sisters-in-law have been stricken by Bell's Palsy, which generally is short-lived, but can last for up to a year, the congressman said.
A supporter of four-laning U.S. 20 in western Iowa, King was a prominent no-show for the U.S. 20 Summit in Sioux City Friday. It was announced he was sick.
King had been in Moville to speak to the Moville Chamber of Commerce on April 10 and had plans to attend the summit. "Last Thursday morning, my measure was, could I whistle? By Thursday morning, I could whistle a little bit. I thought I was better," he said.
But six hours later, the palsy "went after my right side," so King canceled the summit appearance.
King said it is "considerably more unusual to have it on both sides," but he expects the Bell's Palsy to be gone in about two more weeks.
"It is nothing that slows me down. I still worked on the yard," King said. And, he said that he's been able to handle his congressional work.
Said King, "It is a very, very minor thing, from a health perspective." He said his palsy condition was put in perspective when speaking to an Iowa soldier who'd suffered burns from an improvised explosive device while serving in Iraq. The soldier, King said, "is making his real, permanent affliction a positive in his life" by advocating for more medical care for veterans.
King cited going to a Judiciary Committee hearing before the Easter recess "with only one side of my face to work with." But he said that didn't prevent him from calling out "one of the liberals on the Judiciary," Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., who got a lashing from King for calling "the Holocaust a Christian tragedy. You can't let those things pass. (Cohen) blamed it on Christians, the Nazi-committed Holocaust."
Added King, there's "no backing down when I'm called to duty."
Bret Hayworth may be reached at (712) 293.4203 or brethayworth@siouxcityjournal.com
King, a Republican from Kiron, Iowa, has been stricken with Bell's Palsy, which has caused his face to droop. King spoke about the condition from his Washington office Tuesday, saying while he's scaled back public appearances, he's still doing the work expected by his western Iowa constituents.
King described finding the left side of his face sagging about three weeks ago. "It just showed up one afternoon. I just noticed that my face wasn't feeling right," he recounted.
He consulted a doctor, who told King it was Bell's Palsy, a form of paralysis caused by malfunction of the facial nerve. King said it is caused by a virus and constricts nerves.
"It is really very common, I keep finding out," he said. Two of his sisters-in-law have been stricken by Bell's Palsy, which generally is short-lived, but can last for up to a year, the congressman said.
A supporter of four-laning U.S. 20 in western Iowa, King was a prominent no-show for the U.S. 20 Summit in Sioux City Friday. It was announced he was sick.
King had been in Moville to speak to the Moville Chamber of Commerce on April 10 and had plans to attend the summit. "Last Thursday morning, my measure was, could I whistle? By Thursday morning, I could whistle a little bit. I thought I was better," he said.
But six hours later, the palsy "went after my right side," so King canceled the summit appearance.
King said it is "considerably more unusual to have it on both sides," but he expects the Bell's Palsy to be gone in about two more weeks.
"It is nothing that slows me down. I still worked on the yard," King said. And, he said that he's been able to handle his congressional work.
Said King, "It is a very, very minor thing, from a health perspective." He said his palsy condition was put in perspective when speaking to an Iowa soldier who'd suffered burns from an improvised explosive device while serving in Iraq. The soldier, King said, "is making his real, permanent affliction a positive in his life" by advocating for more medical care for veterans.
King cited going to a Judiciary Committee hearing before the Easter recess "with only one side of my face to work with." But he said that didn't prevent him from calling out "one of the liberals on the Judiciary," Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., who got a lashing from King for calling "the Holocaust a Christian tragedy. You can't let those things pass. (Cohen) blamed it on Christians, the Nazi-committed Holocaust."
Added King, there's "no backing down when I'm called to duty."
Bret Hayworth may be reached at (712) 293.4203 or brethayworth@siouxcityjournal.com
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M.H. wrote on Apr 23, 2007 1:41 AM:
Not Surprised - wrote on Apr 18, 2007 8:20 PM:
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Jason wrote on Apr 18, 2007 10:50 AM: