# What do the dopers think of the Kate Middleton brouhaha **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 11, 2024, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723 "2024-03-11T23:52:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 23
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/441 "2024-03-23T21:24:46Z")
Incidentally, Chris Murphy, the junior US senator from Connecticut, embarrassed himself over this thing yesterday. He was scheduled to appear on CNN at 2pm to discuss the anniversary of the passing of the Affordable Care Act but was bumped for coverage of the Princess of Wales. He tweeted something about being “bumped for this much more important topic,” though he later deleted his tweet. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/442 "2024-03-23T21:29:38Z")
Exactly so. I wonder if it’s one of those weird parasocial things where we feel like we ‘know’ public figures well enough that they owe us detailed information about which particular testicle, left or right, has what kind of cancer. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/443 "2024-03-23T21:37:59Z")
Bad photo doings. Bad no info on her well being. Bad, idiotic ranting forevermore about affairs, stis, cosmetic surgeries (yeah, I did it too) But look at the _good_ she could do. Her MIL came forth about eating disorders, aids, bombs and did a helluva lot of good. I hope she does. Whatever kind of cancer it is. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/444 "2024-03-23T21:53:59Z")
Do we _need_ Kate Middleton to be open about her cancer diagnosis to bring attention to this disease? I’m old enough to _vaguely_ remember when Betty Ford went public about her breast cancer diagnosis and then the NBC correspondent Betty Rollin wrote a memoir about her breast cancer but these events were in the mid 1970s, or roughly fifty years ago. But today? Are people unaware of cancers and needing education or advocacy? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/445 "2024-03-23T22:03:56Z")
I’d say yes. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/446 "2024-03-23T22:05:06Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > But today? Are people unaware of cancers and needing education or advocacy? It was a very big deal when Ford spoke about her breast cancer publicly in the 1970s, when “cancer,” in general, and breast cancer. in particular, was still something that people were uncomfortable speaking about in public, to the point that it was considered by many to be a taboo topic for public conversation. People like Ford helped to break that taboo. But, at this point, there is still a great deal of advocacy that’s needed, particularly around getting screenings. For example, this [Guardian article from last year](https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jan/23/cervical-cancer-record-number-women-england-not-screened) cites an NIH study, showing that over 30% of English women (ages 25-64) are not up to date on their screenings for cervical cancer, and many have never been screened at all. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/447 "2024-03-23T22:08:02Z")
Is that from lack of knowledge of the need for screening or laziness? ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/448 "2024-03-23T22:13:43Z")
The unwillingness to confront one’s own or a loved one’s mortality. And the potential (uncovered) medical expenses. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/449 "2024-03-23T22:14:29Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Is that from lack of knowledge of the need for screening or laziness? Probably both, as well as fear (as @ThelmaLou just noted, while I was writing this), concerns about discomfort during the test, and generally busy schedules – and, at least in the U.S., financial concerns, due to being uninsured, or under-insured. The Guardian article actually touches on a lot of that, as well as how seeing public figures having to deal with the disease makes it more relevant to the public. > [@](#): > > Cancer Research UK’s head of health and patient information, Julie Sharp, said: “Some people can find cervical screening uncomfortable or painful but there are ways to make your appointment work better for you. When booking, ask for a longer time slot, so you can speak through any concerns you may have. And remember, you are in control of your appointment. You can ask the nurse to stop at any time, for a different sized speculum or to try lying in a different position.” > [@](#): > > Prof Peter Johnson, NHS England’s [national](https://www.england.nhs.uk/cancer/strategy/our-governance/) clinical director for cancer, said: “There are lots of reasons why somebody might not want to come forward – embarrassment, inconvenience, uncertainty – but please speak to a healthcare professional if you are unsure.” > [@](#): > > ## Case studies > > **Hayley Prince** , in her 40s, from Manchester > > “I put off my smear test. As a single, working, mum, I often could not get an evening appointment so, as life got busier, making the appointment ended up being something I completely forgot about. It was Jade Goody’s passing that jogged my memory to go. When I was diagnosed the only word I heard was ‘cancer’ and I broke down. I had a radical hysterectomy and they found it had spread to my lymph nodes in my groin, so I had chemotherapy and radiotherapy too. It’s so important that we stop as many people as possible from going through what I have. We’re now at an all-time low of cervical screening uptake, but we can change that.“ > > **Syeda Nusrat** , 41, from Yorkshire > > Nusrat said she did not pay attention to her screening invitations as she did not know what the procedures involved, nor was women’s sexual and reproductive health outwardly discussed within her Pakistani culture. “There are so many myths attached to cervical screening and women’s health [that] make people fearful. But the reality is far different as my experience was very straightforward and it has made me more open to coming forward for other checks, like mammograms.” ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/450 "2024-03-23T22:36:43Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > A hysterectomy doesn’t require a 2-week hospital stay afterward, though. As I mentioned upthread, the royals’ hospital of choice is more of a five-star resort that happens to have a medical staff, and it’s not like she has to worry about her insurance covering an extended stay. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/451 "2024-03-23T23:40:15Z")
I’m going to predict that in a few months the two Wales will sit down with a serious but Royal friendly reporter to tell their story. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/452 "2024-03-23T23:41:30Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > and it’s not like she has to worry about her insurance covering an extended stay. Well, yeah. She’s British. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/453 "2024-03-24T00:12:21Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > A hysterectomy doesn’t require a 2-week hospital stay afterward, though. Off the top of my head, i can’t think of anything where you expect a 2 week hospital stay upfront. Rabies? Sepsis? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/454 "2024-03-24T00:21:33Z")
Liver transplant? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/455 "2024-03-24T00:38:07Z")
Yeah, probably. My mother had her kidney (and a tumor on it) removed and she wasn’t in the hospital for two weeks. I think it was about a week. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/456 "2024-03-24T00:47:26Z")
Well, two weeks in hospital are not foreign to me, after surgery. Unfortunately. Infection. Subsequent problems arising from the surgery. Accidents. Bleeding. Pre-existing conditions. Not every thing is equal for every patient. I’ve walked out of a hospital (well, rolled out) from a serious facial reconstruction, 3 days later. And went in for an outpatient surgery where I ended up in hospital 3 weeks and months in rehab. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/457 "2024-03-24T01:06:59Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > As I mentioned upthread, the royals’ hospital of choice is more of a five-star resort that happens to have a medical staff, and it’s not like she has to worry about her insurance covering an extended stay. I don’t think _anyone_ wants to stay in the hospital any longer than necessary, away from family and home; especially not someone with young kids. Two weeks in hospital for a hysterectomy with no complications is not believable in any way, and completely unnecessary. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > Off the top of my head, i can’t think of anything where you expect a 2 week hospital stay upfront. Rabies? Sepsis? I mentioned a couple reasons upthread. Post #125. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/458 "2024-03-24T01:07:25Z")
Complications though are not known in advance. FWIW my wife is scheduled for getting her uterus ovaries and Fallopian tubes out in a few weeks. “Robotic” laparoscopic. Plan is out same day and told just no lifting more than 20 pounds but expect to be able to drive and work within the week. We are planning travel a couple of weeks later. Even allowing for the usual optimistic surgeon talk. Royals be different. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/459 "2024-03-24T01:30:41Z")
I had to have that done last August. I wound up spending 2 nights in the hospital, but that’s because I did some vomiting after surgery (I do NOT recommend upchucking after abdominal surgery - UGH! that was _painful!)_ and they wanted to make sure I was OK before sending me home, especially since I live alone. Well, that’s an example of how you might wind up staying a bit longer than originally planned, stuff happens. I was allowed to start driving again in… a week and half? I couldn’t go back to work for several weeks because my job expects me to be able to lift up to 40 pounds, but I was certainly up and around within 2 weeks. Not moving real fast but definitely moving. I was back to work with no restrictions at all in about six weeks (although the surgeon did put limits on certain types of exercise outside of work for awhile, that was annoying). But mine was a fairly uncomplicated case - no prior surgeries to cause adhesions, no scarring/adhesions from endometriosis, my largest fibroid could still be handled without an open procedure, etc. Other women have had much more complicated situations with longer recovery times. And, as I’ve already mentioned - a lot of people are assuming Kate’s surgery involved “lady parts” - we actually have no idea if it did or not. She might have had some sort of intestinal problem. Or - well, I don’t know. But women have more organs in their abdomens than just a uterus and its accessories. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2024, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723/460 "2024-03-24T01:54:26Z")
Most of the organs are in the abdomen… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723.md?page=22) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-the-dopers-think-of-the-kate-middleton-brouhaha/998723.md?page=24)