Kathy Bates is a well-known and recognizable name in the United States. The actress, who has had success on both the stage and in films, had her debut in the dramatic psychological thriller Misery, for which she received an Academy Award nomination. Away from the camera, the celebrity has a rough medical background.
The actress, who has previously won two Golden Globes and two Primetime Emmys, is best known for her roles in the ninth season of Two and a Half Men and the NBC sitcom Harry’s Law. On the other hand, Bates was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2003.
As a result of her battle with the disease, she underwent a hysterectomy (the surgical removal of the womb) and nine rounds of chemotherapy. Bates was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012, two years after she had recovered from the illness.
With a strong family history of breast cancer and after discovering that both her mother and aunt had the disease, the actress decided to have a double mastectomy, which involves removing both breasts.
“When the doctor told me I had a tumor in my left breast, I exclaimed, ‘Make mine a double,’” I explained. Take them both out. “I wasn’t going to take any chances,” she explained in a previous interview with Practical Pain Management.
“My family is awash in breast cancer. My aunt, mother, and niece all died due to it.”
Despite testing negative for the BRCA breast cancer gene, the actress bravely undertook surgical surgery to reduce her chances of cancer reoccurring. She handled her sickness with grace.
The American Horror Story star battled two types of cancer and lost her uterus and breasts as a result, but her struggles were not done because she also got lymphedema.
According to SurvivorNet, lymphedema is a disorder that causes swelling in the arm and hand, primarily due to an accumulation of extra lymph fluid, a clear fluid that circulates through the lymphatic system and aids in the body’s defense against sickness and infection.
“Then I had lymphedema,” Bates explained on The Kelly Clarkson Show in 2019.
“I’m not sure you’ve heard, but they remove lymph nodes to treat cancer. When your lymph system is compromised, fluid typically accumulates in the affected leg.
Bates admitted to being annoyed when she found she had lymphedema while still recovering from breast surgery.
“As soon as I woke up, I felt a peculiar sensation, almost like a tingling, in my left arm,” she told SurvivorNet.
“I went nuts. I raced out of the exam room and out the door. What precisely am I doing? I wondered as I hugged a pillow to my chest while still wearing my drains. I’m standing outside in the middle of July. It’s hot, I’m still recuperating, and I don’t want to injure anyone.
I was outraged beyond belief. I believe it resulted from having battled cancer twice and knowing that this affliction would always be with me.
“I felt bitter and depressed. I assumed that my professional career was over and that everything was finished.
The NHS advises that lymphoedema be treated as soon as possible to prevent it from deteriorating.
It is believed that 10 million people in the United States are impacted more than ALS, MS, Parkinson’s, muscular dystrophy, and AIDS combined.
Nobody knows about it, and if we’re huge ladies and go to the doctor with swollen legs, they tell us to “just go eat a salad,” she continued.
It worsens, it is incurable, and it advances. There are around 50,000 persons who have grown up with congenital infections; they can admit you to the hospital.
The NHS continues to emphasize that lymphoedema’s primary symptoms can be treated using measures that limit fluid accumulation.
