short period. He could not determine the length of her treatment or the medicine she received, or whether another psychiatrist continued treating her or not. Castro considers that some of her outlandish phrases or projects, and her frequent periods of hiding from public view, may be explained by the disorder's periods of mania and depression, as well as being a regular political strategy. Eduardo Duhalde said that Néstor Kirchner once confided in him that she had a bipolar disorder, while she was having a violent outburst. During the United States diplomatic cables leak it was revealed that Hillary Clinton questioned Fernández de Kirchner's mental health and asked the US embassy whether she was receiving treatment or not; she later apologized to Fernández de Kirchner for those leaks. She said in her book La Presidenta that it was all a misunderstanding; it is her sister who suffers from bipolar disorder. On 27 December 2011, presidential spokesman Alfredo Scoccimaro announced that Fernández de Kirchner had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer on 22 December and that she would undergo surgery on 4 January 2012. The standard procedure in these operations is to expose the thyroid gland so that a pathologist can take a sample, analyze it looking for carcinogenic cells, and then decide whether it needs to be removed. In her case, this step was omitted and the gland was removed directly. After the operation, it was revealed that she had been misdiagnosed and did not have cancer. On 5 October 2013, doctors ordered Fernández de Kirchner to rest for a month after they found blood on her brain caused by a head injury she received on 8 August 2012. She was re-admitted to hospital and had successful surgery on 8 October 2013 to remove blood from under a membrane covering her brain. On 4 November 2021, Fernández de Kirchner was admitted at the Santorio Otamendi after doctors found out that she had a uterine polyp and had to undergo hysterectomy. On 6 November 2021, she was later discharged after a successful hysterectomy. Assassination attempt Electoral history Executive Legislative Ancestry Honours Foreign honours : Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Southern Cross. (2015) : Manuela Sánchez Award from the National Assembly of Ecuador. : Star of Palestine. (12 August 2015) : Grand Cross with Diamonds of the Order of the Sun of Peru. (22 March 2010) : Knight Grand Cross