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Radiation causing constant urge to urinate and burning
Prostate Cancer | Last Active: Mar 24 9:36am | Replies (39)Comment receiving replies
I usually (always?) limit my posts to comment on my own personal experience.
At first I assumed yours was well intentioned and you are entitled to your self promotion. But it was quite the lecture. I don't like to be told by a stranger that I am "doing a disservice" when you know nothing of my circumstances. Did you know, for example, that all of my family live on a different continent? Did you know that my mother is 92 and I'd like for her to live on without worrying about my health. You don't know that I work remotely and that most of my close friends live in different states. You don't know who came with me on bell day and have been a fantastic help through this.
I am not ashamed of my prostate cancer in any way. Why would you say that? Why would I write comments here? I told the OP: "Don't suffer in silence and embarrassment."
Due to my particular circumstances, there are people I love who cannot help me in any way and I personally feel that they do not need to carry the burden of knowing. The people who need to know, know, and I take one for the rest of the team. You do you.
Going forward I'll be happy to not bother spending time adding my 2c. I can now confidently leave it to you to opine on everything, especially since you speak "for the majority on this forum".
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It sounds like you're having a tough time, and of course, you don't want to feel like you're being lectured (even if that wasn't someone's original intention).
My own experience is that sharing my stage-4 cancer details with family and friends (including my then 80-year-old mother) was really tough at first — heartbreaking, even — but eventually turned out to be a positive experience. I learned that people loved me unconditionally, not just because I was strong and helpful, and that was one of the few actual gifts cancer has given me. It's also been important to them (both remote and nearby) to be on this difficult journey with me since 2021.
Of course, everyone's experience is different, but if you do see an opportunity where *you* think it might be appropriate to share with the people you love, I think you won't regret it.
Best of luck, whatever you choose.