American actress Kathy Bates is a well-known and recognizable name. The actress, who has seen success on both the stage and the movie, broke through in the suspenseful psychological thriller Misery, for which she won an Academy Award. But away from the camera, the celebrity has a troubled medical past.
The actress, who has also received two Golden Globe Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards, is most recognized for her work in the ninth season of Two and a Half Men as well as the NBC series Harry’s Law. Bates, however, was given a tragic ovarian cancer diagnosis in 2003.
She underwent a hysterectomy (the surgical removal of the womb) and nine rounds of chemotherapy as a result of her battle with the disease. Disaster struck once more after Bates overcame the ailment, this time in 2012 when she was told she had breast cancer.
With a strong family history of the disease and after learning that both her mother and aunt had breast cancer, the actress decided quickly to undergo a double mastectomy, which involves removing both breasts.
“I exclaimed, “Make mine a double,” when the doctor informed me that I had a tumor in my left breast. Remove them both. She is quoted as saying, “I wasn’t taking any chances,” in a previous interview with Practical Pain Management.
“My family has a river of breast cancer running through it. My aunt passed away from it, as did my mother and niece.
The actress boldly underwent surgical treatment to reduce her risk of cancer returning despite testing negative for the BRCA breast cancer gene. She handled the sickness with grace.
The American Horror Story actress battled two different types of cancer and lost her uterus and breasts in the process, but her struggles weren’t done because she also acquired lymphedema.
According to SurvivorNet, lymphedema is a disorder that causes swelling in the arm and hand, usually due to an accumulation of extra lymph fluid, a clear fluid that passes through the lymphatic system and aids in the body’s defense against sickness and infection.
Bates stated on The Kelly Clarkson Show in 2019: “Then I had something called lymphedema.”
“I don’t know whether you’ve heard, but they remove lymph nodes for cancer. Whenever your lymph system is compromised, the fluid will frequently back up in the affected limb.
Bates acknowledged feeling irritated when she discovered she had lymphedema while she was still healing from her breast surgery.
She stated to SurvivorNet: “As soon as I woke up, I noticed a peculiar sensation, almost like a tingling, in my left arm.
“I lost my mind. I sprinted out of the exam room and out of the building. What am I doing? I wondered as I held a pillow to my t*ts while still wearing my drains. I’m standing outside in July, it’s hot, I’m still recovering, and I don’t want to injure anyone.
I was furious as hell. I believe it was the result of having battled cancer twice and realizing that I would always carry this illness as a memento.
“I was resentful and depressed. I believed that my professional career was over and that everything was finished.
The NHS cautions that lymphoedema must be treated right away to prevent it from getting worse.
In addition to limb swelling, other signs in a body part affected by the condition include:
a painful, weighty sensation
Having trouble moving
continual skin infections
brittle, taut skin
Skin folds beginning to form
growing wart-like growths on the skin
leakage of fluid through the skin.
Bates has taken it upon herself to serve as the national spokesperson for the Lymphatic Education and Research Network as a result of her experience with the ailment, where she has learned some fascinating data about the condition.
According to estimates, 10 million people in this country experience it. “That’s more than ALS, MS, Parkinson’s, muscular dystrophy, and AIDS all together.
No one is aware of it, and if we’re large ladies and visit the doctor because our legs are swollen, they tell us to “just go have a salad,” she continued.
It keeps getting worse, it’s incurable, and it progresses. There are roughly 50,000 people with congenital infections who have grown up with them; they can put you in the hospital.
The NHS is still emphasizing that lymphoedema’s primary symptoms can be managed by employing strategies that limit fluid accumulation. These methods consist of:
putting on compression clothing
maintaining your skin
using specialized massage techniques, eating a healthy diet, and exercising frequently.
