Crown Princess Mette-Marit diagnosed with chronic lung disease: October 2018

[carlota]

Originally Posted by fortimo

I remember when they were after their wedding in Salt Lake City for the Winter Olimpic and when they came home, she was seriously ill with her lung. She was also in hospital for a while. It seems she has this problem for years. And that she smokes, made it sure more worse... I am very sorry for her, for her kids, family and friends. ��

she still smokes? i thought she gave that up some years ago. her face does not look like a smoker's face (who usually have quite bad skin and 'carved' cheeks, both of which are not the case for MM, who has a lovely complexion and a full face).

[Tirilschatz]

I think a "smoker's face" develops on people who smoke a lot. My late aunt had such a face and she smoked heavily. You don't neccessarily have those features when you smoke maybe once or twice a month.

[Duke of Marmalade]

While smoking certainly doesn't help, I doubt the illness was developed because of it. Autoimmune illnesses can be caused by various reasons, eg going through a stressful period in life, it can even be inherited. I almost knew nothing about it until my mother died within 6 weeks because of autimmune hepatits. She never drank alcohol apart from a glass here and there for festivities, so it came as a shock to us. A transplant might have helped but she died of organ failure before it could come to this, the illness progressed very quickly. It basically came out of nowhere.

I feel for Mette Marit and hope she has many years ahead with life quality. We are all in god's hand, but in addition to that she has access to the best doctors around, I hope this makes a difference. She's far too young for such an illness what is really tragic.

[ROYAL NORWAY]

Originally Posted by carlota

she still smokes? i thought she gave that up some years ago. her face does not look like a smoker's face (who usually have quite bad skin and 'carved' cheeks, both of which are not the case for MM, who has a lovely complexion and a full face).

Well, as I wrote in post 80: She stopped after she was diagnosed with pneumonia in 2002, although she is still known (and photographed) as a ''party-smoker or occasional smoker.''
But as her doctor said in the court-statement: ''There is broad consensus that it is not related to environmental or lifestyle-factors, which is the case with other more common types of pulmonary fibrosis.''

[HereditaryPrincess]

Originally Posted by ROYAL NORWAY

And then to some other posts:


Well, The Crown Princess (although mostly CP Haakon) has been criticised for a lot of things by the Norwegian media, but (with the exception of some Danish/Swedish journalists) I've never seen anything about her workload.
BTW: So sorry to hear about your struggle, HereditaryPrincess!
And ''people trying to arguing with you on public transport, because you don’t look disabled,'' is just so RUDE and SO UK (even seen some people in London, who could barely walk, being yelled at).

I've seen criticism here on the forums about Mette-Marit's workload as well as other international discussion sites on the internet, though I don't know how that was perceived in Norway at the time.

[ROYAL NORWAY]

I meant in the Norwegian media!

But I have (of course) seen it on this forum, even defended her in several PMs here.

[LadyFinn]

Article in VG (paywall)
Behandles for sykdom_ Kraftig reduksjon i antall oppdrag for slottet

Expressen quotes the article
Sjukdomen stoppar Mette-Marit från jobb
Translation

[Muhler]

Thanks.

A 73 % reduction in her workload from the year before her illness was made public to afterward. That's quite a lot!
From 126 official events to 34.

[MARG]

As diagnosis has taken a load off Mette-Marit I think. There was always this sort of intimation that it was lucky Norway was s small since the Crown Princess didn't really do much. On occasion this was true but not as a rule.

I think the negative optics of skipping parts of a state visit yet being seen out and about had people scratching their heads.

It seemed like she has only just achieved a hard won acceptance from the people of Norway before the affects of this disease started to really make it's presence felt and when you are tired and worn out nobody understands because it is an unseen and unknown condition.

Mette-Marit looks so healthy and robust it is hard to believe how serious her condition is, but if a 73% cut in workload is what it takes to keep her feeling well I'm all for it. Rather she saves her energy for when she has it.

Like this latest bike ride. It is possible that a year ago she wouldn't have had the stamina to do it and you can't really plan ahead on when you are going to feel well.

[eya]

In the course of her recently trip to Germany, Crown Princess Mette-Marit spoke with the Norwegian TV channel "NRK" about her illness.

"The effects of the illness are clear, she admits: "I'm exhausted faster than before, so I have to take more care of myself today than I did before," saying the medications work well so that her disease does not progress unchecked.
Within her role as Crown Princess, she enjoys having more time for herself because of her diagnosis. "I can decide more about my everyday life and I realize how good it is to me, I can just go for a walk and have more time to read, life has slowed down," says the mother of three.
However, she does not find it easy to talk about pulmonary fibrosis, as she herself explains: "I am well aware of my state of health, but I do not want to get so much attention from outside, which is one of the reasons why I like my 'new little life' so much. ""

https://web.de/magazine/unterhaltung...kheit-34111602

[Helen.CH]

Originally Posted by ROYAL NORWAY

Well, as I wrote in post 80: She stopped after she was diagnosed with pneumonia in 2002, although she is still known (and photographed) as a ''party-smoker or occasional smoker.''
But as her doctor said in the court-statement: ''There is broad consensus that it is not related to environmental or lifestyle-factors, which is the case with other more common types of pulmonary fibrosis.''

I then had the impression this comment was made to avoid new discussions about her younger years when she was using drugs.
Wish them all the best!

[LadyFinn]

Anders Johan Stavseng, court reporter at Se og Hör, has spoken about Mette-Marit to Svensk Damtidning.

Mette-Marit struggles with severe lung disease. Reportedly, the situation with the Norwegian princess is worse than what we in Sweden have realized.
- Crown Princess Mette-Marit's health problems are very serious, says Anders Johan Stavseng, court reporter at Norwegian Se og Hör.
- Lung disease is only getting worse and worse.
Mette-Marit has remained in the shadows since she was diagnosed. Anders rarely sees her when he watches the royal representation missions.
- Mette-Merit is probably much sicker than she expresses. The Norwegians are very worried about her and Haakon. The royal couple is also getting old, and King Harald is struggling with illnesses, he says.
Crown Prince Haakon is obviously incredibly worried about his wife. Anders describes it as "a great burden resting on his shoulders".
- When he becomes king one day he will have a lot to do, since Mette-Marit hardly represents at all. Princess Märtha Louise also receives few assignments, and Norway does not have a Princess Madeleine or Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia who can step in, says Anders.
- But the Norwegians like Mette-Marit a lot and have a full understanding that she focuses on her health and the children.
Mette-Marit sjuk – så mår hon nu _ Svensk Dam

[Muhler]

Thanks, LadyFinn.

But the credibility of Svensk Damtidning is not high, and I doubt a reporter from that weekly would be privy to so confidential information about a foreign primary royal.

So I think we can safely label this as: speculation.

[wartenberg7]

Originally Posted by Helen.CH

I then had the impression this comment was made to avoid new discussions about her younger years when she was using drugs.
Wish them all the best!

Well, everything about this has been discussed over and over again at the time when they got married (2001/ 2002!)... So, there is really no need to talk about it any longer as everything that need to be said has long been said....

[Tatiana Maria]

Originally Posted by wartenberg7

Well, everything about this has been discussed over and over again at the time when they got married (2001/ 2002!)... So, there is really no need to talk about it any longer as everything that need to be said has long been said....

I don't see how the speculative causes of her pulmonary fibrosis could have been discussed in 2001/2002, as her diagnosis was not known even to her at the time.

[MissJanet]

There is absolutely no known causal correlation between drug use and pulmonary fibrosis. Smoking can be a factor, but even that is random.

So stop making it Mette-Marits own fault.

[Tatiana Maria]

Originally Posted by MissJanet

There is absolutely no known causal correlation between drug use and pulmonary fibrosis. Smoking can be a factor, but even that is random.

So stop making it Mette-Marits own fault.

Who has been "making it Mette-Marit's own fault"? According to Helen.CH's interpretation, her doctors' announcement actively attempted to avoid causing speculation that her pulmonary diagnosis was the "fault" of any behavioral or lifestyle factors.

[MissJanet]

You! read your own post. It's called implying.

Originally Posted by wartenberg7

Well, everything about this has been discussed over and over again at the time when they got married (2001/ 2002!)... So, there is really no need to talk about it any longer as everything that need to be said has long been said....

Originally Posted by Tatiana Maria

I don't see how the speculative causes of her pulmonary fibrosis could have been discussed in 2001/2002, as her diagnosis was not known even to her at the time.

[Tatiana Maria]

I have indeed read my own post, and it implies that no one was speculating in 2001/2002 that Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby would be diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, even less the causes. I fail to see how it could be the opposite.

[MissJanet]

^^^Snort! Next you'll repeat that you are not biased against Mette-Marit. I'm already tired of this.