The difference between cancer life as a royal and as a "lesser mortal"

[sixtyandsomething]

not to derail other threads..

I have nothing against the Princess of Wales, I am sure she is a lovely person and I wish her well. however, let's not pretend she is facing the same struggles as the rest of us.

I bet you £10 she hasn't had to deal with any of these! (feel free to add your own)

-40+ calls to DWP, often being left on hold for 2 hours or more
-many months delay in benefits being processed, leaving you without any income at all
-DWP advising you to "find a food bank"
-struggle up the hill on crutches to get a bus to chemo
-appointments delayed and cancelled, blood tests lost and repeated, regular system "crashes" leaving medical staff with no access to your notes.
-never seeing the same medical professionals twice.
-consultant appointments cancelled when you have already travelled several hours to the hospital
-telephone appointments you have to sit and wait by the phone for, for the whole day
-worry on crammed full bus when you are CEV
-getting off bus because it is too full
-getting of bus because you are vomiting
-sitting on the pavement for 3-4 hours after chemo in the dark and rain, because you are CEV and don't want to get back on a crammed bus in the rush hour
-commuters swearing at you because you move too slowly
-commuter kicking you out of the way because you move to slowly, and doing it with an air of indignation, like they feel seriously injured by having to touch something so disgusting with their foot
-minimum 18 hour wait in A and E before being admitted with infection - once it was 28 hours
-further many hour wait in ER before being admitted to wards.
-spending night on chair in corridor, after being admitted to a ward
-being asked to vacate chair in corridor so doctor can perform ECG on patient who is currently standing up with nowhere to sit
-being warned by hospital staff to sleep in your glasses so they are not stolen
-having to buy a constant stream of new clothes, and having to go to charity shops - on steroids? go up two sizes, no chemo? go down 3- surgery? get front opening everything, in a range of sizes.
-not being able have a clean the house, wash up, open the window even, without calling a friend to come and help.
-council refusing to empty your bins because you are not capable of moving them to the right place at the right time
-giving away your pets because you can't take care of them, or afford them
-being told the waiting list to see a physiotherapist is around a year

I could go on

I am so grateful for the treatment I have had, and I hope the Princess of Wales does well and recovers, but the two situations are not the same, even slightly, even if the disease is.

It's not a race to the bottom. No matter how shit you have it, there will be someone worse off. To the mother-of-nine in sub-Saharan Africa, facing cancer with young children, with no possibility of treatment and her children facing being sold into prostitution or an abusive orphanage once she's dead, you are incredibly lucky.

The PoW has cancer. It is shit. Is it as shit as your experience? Probably not, although you have no idea what she's actually going through behind closed doors, in the spotlight with 3 small children. It's still shit though.

And you can bet if a "lesser mortal" with cancer was out and about in the same way Pearson and others would be whining that their benefits should be stopped

Yes.
Some people clearly have an overwhelming urge/impulse to prostrate themselves before the powerful.
I guess they lack impulse control.

So what, there are rich people and poor people, how much equality do you think we need in the world?

I feel inappropriate asking these sorts of questions so please take my comments as concerned rather than prurient!

I think in these cases it must have more to do with emergency surgery. I know in my situation there was discussion and consensus about the approach, staging etc etc and meeting with the surgeon and anaesthetist prior to surgery. Obviously in emergencies the “first do no harm” doesn’t come into it, they need to relieve the symptoms that put you in A&E in the first place.

Again apologies. My heart goes out to anyone else dealing with cancer because those of us in the “club” know how rubbish it is.

You can't really believe that? She will have access to treatment and drugs that will not be available on the NHS. There will be no delays in her treatment, and she will see the top Drs in this field. All of these things improve outcomes.

I’m sorry you have had such a bad time. But you have no idea what she’s being treated for or how that’s going. You’ve just filled in the blanks with resentment and hurt and gotten yourself to a point where you are comparing yourself to someone you’ve never met.

Perhaps take a step back from the situation to have a moment. This is not at all healthy.

And that’s how you talk to a cancer patient? 😂😂😂

Sounds horrendous. But my mum is a regular citizen and did not face any of these problems when she had uterine cancer. And the NHS was wonderful when my father had a stroke and eventually passed.
Have you no one to help with transport? Is there not a charity that can help you (doesn't MacMillan help with this kind of thing)?
Yes of course the Royal family and anyone else with money and/or support will have an easier time than those without. But don't be bitter about it, that is not going to help you at all.

@Poppyg123 My mother died of cancer. Her diagnosis was delayed because she waited a few months for a CT scan. We have no idea if she would have survived without this delay, but she may have. Delays do kill people. Royals do not experience this.

Sounds awful OP, but most of your struggles seem to stem from poverty not from your treatment directly.

I have had 9 months of cancer treatment as a 'mere mortal' and haven't had those experiences.

My DH was very supportive and took time off work to take me to any appointments that weren't local.
I work in a school in a low paid role but got 6 months full sick pay.

My NHS hospital and staff were, on the whole, brilliant and I felt I had good care in general.

Her status gives her access to very fast, very qualified medical treatment. It also gives her practical support for all the tasks of daily life. You must recognise that lacking those things makes a good outcome less likely.

I think some people are missing the context for your post as they may not be aware of that nonsense article in the Telegraph.

Yes, they help improve outcomes. But not all cancers are created equally.

Some cancers are treatable, some are more resistant and some are a death sentence that all the money and treatments in the world won’t overturn.

This

Agree with both of you, it’s embarrassing. OP had literally listed all the ways her experience will be different and they still turn up to say no it’s the same /won’t be any easier 🤡

Depends on the type of pre cancerous cells, but in Kates case a cancer was discovered during surgery. So it’s not pre- cancerous because a tumour was removed and the adjuvant treatment is to mop up any more stray cells. Preventative refers to treatment given when pre cancerous conditions are discovered - such as breast cancers in situ, when the cancers are encapsulated before invading local tissue. Once a tumour is discovered, treatment is no longer preventative, but adjuvant.

@sixtyandsomething I am being treated for cancer right now and had a truly traumatising experience just a few weeks ago of being discharged although I was very ill and shouldn't have been (there were no beds so I just had to go home). I could have died. Other experiences have been better.

I completely understand how upsetting it is. I know it is very painful facing your mortality feeling like others seem to be be more important, almost more worth saving, and we are forgotten. You aren't alone on this journey but it is very hard for anyone to appreciate this who hasn't been through it.

I am so sorry that you are going through this and hope your care gets better and you can heal as best you can in every way.

All of the things a NHS Cancer Patient has to go through is horrendous

BUT

She is still a young mum with young children and going through Chemo with the same worries about death and not being there for her children

Money, Wealth and Royalty will not stop her dying if the cancer spreads / Chemo doesnt work

@OneBadKitty I am glad you had an easier time. Six months full sick pay seems to only be available for a lucky few or better paid people. I do not know anyone with that level of entitlement. Even our local authority does not have such a generous policy. And that lack of entitlement puts people with serious illnesses into poverty.

YourOldAirPurifier · Today 17:56
I must have had all the bowel cancer symptoms as I was admitted to hospital with severe sickness. Sent for a ct then mmr scan on the Friday at noon. Consultant gave me the news a few hours later, they found a tumor.
I was transferred to another hospital that afternoon and the next day operated on. There was a blockage in my bowel, so was an emergency op.

@PoopingAllTheWay Money gives her a higher chance of surviving as she will have no delays in treatment and access to all relevant treatments and drugs. We know being treated by a consultant who is a specialist in your area of cancer improves your outcome as a patient. She will be seeing the very best.

People in more affluent postcodes have better outcomes than those in poorer ones. You can't seriously believe that.

True, but she doesn’t have all the other worries: finance, job, childcare, managing a home…and can focus on her health which has to be a positive in terms of recovery/preparing for further treatment etc.
Very few people are afforded that luxury.

My mother also died young, and of cancer, so I do feel your pain. What I was trying to say, was that the variables around Catherines' specific diagnosis, may be more important than those around meds, time frames , top notch medics etc when it comes to outcomes imho. I was really pleased to see her looking so well.