The mental and physical challenges Kate faces: I know how patients like her feel, writes DR. MARTIN SCURR, and she needs her family more than ever
“What a relief to finally be finished with my chemotherapy treatment.” The Princess of Wales’s words yesterday succinctly summed up the mood of many who have undergone this life-saving but gruelling therapy.
The good news is that any nausea, loss of appetite, and other side effects of chemotherapy that she may have experienced are behind her and her strength will increase. Catherine has undergone adjuvant chemotherapy, a treatment used to remove malignant cells that may have escaped surgery to remove cancer. When giving a patient a powerful cancer drug, doctors must weigh the benefits of this vital treatment against the potential long-term risks, but Catherine’s previous good health, and her diet and lifestyle as a lean, fit young woman, will provide a foundation on which her physical recovery can be built.
Kate meets Prince William in the emotional video she posted about her recovery
The emotional impact of diagnosis and treatment can be lasting, however: many people struggle with life after the disease, and low mood is one of the most common long-term effects. It takes time to process your feelings, fears and priorities. As Catherine acknowledged yesterday, a cancer diagnosis “brings you face to face with your own vulnerabilities in a way you’ve never considered before, and with that a new perspective on everything.”
“Life, as you know, can change in the blink of an eye,” she said. A cancer diagnosis can pull the ground out from under you — it destroys our plans and our vision for the future.
And yes, there is a lot of hope and light after the treatment. She does look beautiful and happy, but I can imagine that the princess feels exhausted and has little energy. She would like to reserve that energy for her children.
It will take time to rebuild her former dynamics and I can only hope that she is spared too much by expectations – both at home and here in the world. If I were the princess’s doctor, I would want her to have a long recovery period, perhaps even a year, away from the usual traumas of life – to give her the space to focus on diet, sleep, meditation, regular exercise and some fun, some pleasures – an occasional massage, a little ‘pampering’. Maybe even a regular psychotherapy session with a well-chosen therapist.
As with any patient who has undergone intensive treatment for a serious illness, we should not expect her to be “ready to go” right away.
As for what her family – and indeed the families of anyone who has had cancer treatment – can do, it is important to support her, as hers clearly is. This means providing care without cotton wool, but also recognising that they are no longer bulletproof. The fear that their disease might return haunts many cancer patients, a fear that can be heightened when they undergo the regular scans or blood tests for tumour markers to monitor this. This creates horizons in your life that add to the burden of anxiety, a background of anxiety that is pervasive. It takes strength – and support – to keep that natural worry in check.
She is not yet out of the woods, but The Princess of Wales has our hopes and affection as she continues her journey shared by so many people around the world. We wish her well in this next phase of her recovery.
