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Hi nihiole  and a warm welcome to the Online Community but so sorry to hear about your diagnoses and an extra warm welcome from across the pond.

The cancer journey can be such a stressful and challenging time but you have done the right thing in reaching out to a place where you can ask questions and getting support from others who are on the ‘exact’ same cancer journey.

This Online Community is one of the many services that Macmillan Cancer Support provided but it is very important to understand that Macmillan is a United Kingdom based charity so most of the Community members you will talk with are in the UK.

It is also important to remember there may well well be differences with regards to how treatment is provided and done as in the UK most treatment is provided though our amazing National Health Service and this is very different from the USA provision.

But that said let’s get you connected in.

The Community is divided into support groups (discussion rooms) so can I recommend you join and post in our supportive Prostate cancer support group. This group is a safe place to talk to others with a similar diagnosis, treatment experience, to ask questions and get support.

If you'd like to connect in with a group click on the (Bold) Group Link I have created above. Once the group page opens click on the black banner that says [click to join] at the bottom, or the [Join] button under "Group tools."

You can then introduce yourself by putting up a ‘new post’ by clicking in the box near the top right with + New or + (Depending on the device you are using) and you are ready to go. You could copy and paste the text from this post into your new post.

You may want to join and post in this group Living with cancer outside the UK as there are folks post from all over the world.

We also have our Ask an Expert section but do allow a few working days for a reply.

All the very best but do get back to me if you need further help

Hi Chris,

You are 1 day older (here) than me :) I don't have many wise words unfortunately, but i did wanted to reach out to you to say hi back.

Sorry to hear that you are currently on your dealing with things. You've absolutely done the right thing by asking, and exploring what telling them vs not telling them, might mean for you, and them. I find that all struggles we have, whether physical or emotional, always define us by the way we grow through these processes. 

I think sadness can be inevitable for some. But please know, from someone with a great deal with sadness. As much as it feel like it might break you in two. It doesn't my friend, it makes you stronger. It sounds very cliche, I'm sorry about that - I hate cliches (especially at the moment lol). But of all the things we have to be scared of, I can tell you honestly, there is no need to be scared of that.

I hope that this has in some way been helpful Chris. I'm not really in a great place today, but always keen to try and help others if i have a hand free to hold someone else, even for a little while.

Best wishes x