i've had a diagnosis of colonic cancer after a colonoscopy, and have a CT scan scheduled for week after next. This has come as a shock, so I have a lot to process. But one small immediate concern is how I deal with the required diet change, in dealing with my friends. I'm not thinking of the really close friends: I'll talk to them, as I will to my family. I live in a small village where i think of my neighboours are friends, and if it wasn't for covid we'd have been sharing meals and social events often: now, with ironic timing for me, we're on the verge of opening up again. I've been advised to follow a low residue diet,a big change for me, and that will be something I'll have to tell my hosts. But what reason do I give? I'd be glad to know of what others have done in this situation. I don't want to decline invitaions,if only for my partner's sake, but I don't feel ready for my condition to be common knowledge yet. I guess I'll just say it's short term doctor's advice because of a bit of a problem with digestion. A related question for me is how I avoid inconvenience to my hosts, and any sense of embarrassment for my fellow guests as they tuck into spicy food, vegetables, pulses etc - all things I love, incidentally! Bringing my own food or expecting my hosts to cook separately for me both seem bad options!
