@peterj116
I was retired when I got cancer but I have had many conversations under many different social circumstances. Good for you for discussing it. I sort of felt out my conversation from person to person. For a quick explanation, especially women, I would tell them about having prostate cancer and that I was being treated but thank goodness I did not have to do chemo or hormone treatment. For guys, I would apologize for proselytizing and then ask them if they check their psa. I felt if someone wanted to ask additional questions, male or female, fine, but if a guy decided to get psa added to their blood test to catch something early, it might help them.

If you get asked by many people about your health, at least most people care enough about you to bother to ask. For me, the sympathy issue was less important than the opportunity to potentially help someone with info and to this day, answering questions about my experience is cathartic for me. There are so many misconceptions about the realities of prostate cancer, for many reasons.

Good luck with your treatment.