Hi I've just turned 50 and after a few months of aches and pains I went to the doctor expecting to be told it was menopause! Blood tests a week later lead to the diagnosis of polymyalgia rheumatica and the steroids prescribed have worked wonders. Had an x-ray today and an appointment with a rheumatologist, to say I was floored when at the end she showed me my x-ray and the mass on my lung.
So my journey begins, waiting for MRI scan next.....
I don't want to tell anyone until I have the prognosis so next few weeks will be long, only told my partner and he's in bits, I'm a positive person and I will beat this x
My mum got diagnosed with lung cancer last week. She haven't told my other two brothers about it because I told her not to until we know more (we haven't figured out yet what kind of lung cancer is and what will the treatmen be). We haven't spoke about it since that day, I guess because she doesn't want to be a burden, like you said, but I'm dying to tell her that I want to go to all her appointments and be there for her, but I also don't want to talk to her and remind her of her condition, or pressure her to allow me to go because I know she would hate to see me suffering watching her suffer.
My point is, when you tell your family, you should probably talk through everything because they will probably want to help you and their only way to do so is to be with you. At least that is how I feel.
Thank you for putting it in the eyes of the family, I put my "daughter" head on rather than protective mother head and told them. I knew they'd be more upset at me for keeping it from them, it was as you say until I have the exact details I didn't want them to worry them anymore than need be but I knew they'd want to help and if they had accidentally got wind of what's going on I would of been devastated. I've ask that they come talk to me if they need support themselves.
From my point of view tell your mom how you feel, that you want to help and go to appointments etc. if she wants you to, Like me she might think she's protecting you but I've also been on the flip side of this with both parents having cancer so I can see both sides.
Hope the results are positive for her, I've got a week of waiting and it's going to be a long one x
Hi Derek, made me smile because I'm planning all the same things in my head but waiting for results before I act on them, dealing with it all with my usual humour but think the kids would actually throttle me if I talked funerals just yet and as you prove 3 years on ....
I think it really depends on each individual how you communicate the fact that you have cancer. Another factor is understanding how you think family members will react. I chose to let my wife and daughter know immediately, followed by close colleagues and boss at work - and my darts team (initial irrational thought was "will I be here for the whole of the season?"). Unfortunately one of the team told his wife, who is a notorious gossip, so the "rumour" began to spread. I, now, do not hide the fact or avoid saying the word "cancer", but neither do I go around telling all and sundry. My philosophy is cancer can live with me, rather that I'm living with cancer.
Do what you feel emotionally comfortable with - it's your choice, no-one else's.
hi john boy. one of my daughters was well up on immunapherapy when i was first diagnosed. .we spoke to ornacoligist on first visit. he told us i was already registered for it. began reading about it and it seems so good made us all happy. lucky i took to it. now on 14 months feeling good. total of 3 yr since first diagnosed.
