Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, 46, has opened up about her chronic pulmonary fibrosis diagnosis that came last October in a tv interview in Norway that was filmed while she was on her literature train in Germany this month.
On the effects of the disease, Her Royal Highness remarked, “I am exhausted faster than before, so today I have to take more care of myself than I did before.” She added that she takes medications that assist in keeping track of her illness.
She also spoke about how chronic pulmonary fibrosis has allowed her to have time to herself, “I can decide more about my everyday life and I realise how good it is to me, I can just go for a walk and have more time to read, life has slowed down.”
Mette-Marit added that she finds it hard to talk about the disease, “I am well aware of my state of health, but I do not want him to get so much attention from outside, which is one of the reasons why I like my ‘new little life’ so much.”
The Royal Court announced the illness in October 2018: “The Crown Princess has undergone extensive investigations related to her health and an unusual variant of fibrosis has been detected in the lungs, according to the Crown Princess’s doctor, Professor Kristian Bjøro at the National Hospital. It is not yet clear whether the pulmonary disease is linked to a more extensive autoimmune disease process or if there are other causes that underlie the lung changes.”
Additionally, the Court said, regarding her slow-progressing diagnosis, there has been a “broad consensus that it is not related to environmental or lifestyle factors as is the case with other more common types of pulmonary fibrosis.”
When the diagnosis was announced, the Royal Court stressed that finding the disease early “is favourable considering the prognosis.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, pulmonary fibrosis “is a lung disease that occurs when lung tissue becomes damaged and scarred. This thickened, stiff tissue makes it more difficult for your lungs to work properly. As pulmonary fibrosis worsens, you become progressively more short of breath.”
