Chemo

Hello Shar, let the tears come…..there’s no shame in tears and it’s a waste of precious energy trying to fight them! I eventually stopped crying and you , hopefully, will too!  Hopefully you will soon know exactly what the overall plan is and this will give you a bit more a sense of control.

receiving a diagnosis of cancer, I think, is like an earthquake to our whole sense of being. All taken for granted certainties are shaken to the core, our lives change and we are, naturally very very frightened about a future that looks so very unpredictable and not what we had planned.

We are frightened, too, for our menfolk - frightened that they will struggle with the treatment, frightened of side effects and scared silly that  they might not survive and that we will be left alone…..it goes on and on!  It’s torture!  It’s not helped by the health system pressures - backlogs, strikes , staff shortages etc etc. which all make us uncertain about whether we can access the right care on time.

But, you have got this far and you are still ‘fighting’ your husband’s corner!  you’ve got far more strength than you realise!  

you have constantly said your husband is ‘laid back’ or ‘relaxed’. since  life has settled to some extent for us in this new ‘cancer’ world, my husband has said that he could see how distressed I was and that he felt he had to protect me. He also said that getting the diagnosis was such a big shock that he just could not express anything.

just to add, I’m still frightened of what the future might bring but I look for small positives and joys and live more for today…..

I send you a big hug and my thoughts are with you both. You are not alone in this xxx

Thank you xx

I had this chemo, still on decapeptyl. I was told 10’s of years. Just taken things day by day. 4 years post diagnoses

Shar,

With all the treatments available now it's possible to enjoy a fairly healthy life for several years with this disease. I'm a fewcweeks away from 10th anniversary from diagnosis of advanced prostate cancer.

Wish you both well