A Good Sense of Humor Helps!

Hi,
I was at a party and a friend came up and said 'I hear you've got bladder cancer now you look remarkably well' she was I am pleased to say amused when I said 'I guess you're looking in the wrong place but what are you doing this weekend?'.

I still rekon that Urology is the most exact science in the medical field 'cos its the one area of to take cancer seriously on a 'suck it and see basis'!

Variations on this comment - NO don't go there!!!

Bladder cancer has advantages! It wakes you up because it tends to happen when nurses were in the main tending to take less interest in that part of your anatomy! 8 or 9 in one day! Just seems to me they are being selfish relative to the nurses I knew when I was 20!

Do you know how you can tell someone with urinary tract cancers?
They can't pee in the dark 'cos they want to check the claret!

I LOVE THIS THREAD!!! Perfect medicine for a rough day or sleepless night! THANK YOU!

:)Thanks, Wendy.... I think you are right - approach it with humor...It actually came up last night on a date, as we were talking about health insurance. So many people today aren't offered affordance insurance through their employer, and this guy has none. He calls himself "self-insured"! I mentioned that I could NOT even think of losing my health insurance, so I decided to tell him why.... he looked WAY concerned, but I told him I would probably be around another 40 years with most of my parts intact, according to good statistics, and he looked a bit relieved! (I have an HMO that is covering everything at 100% so far, and I'm very happy with my PCP and my urologist AND the hospital system is good, so I am very lucky so far).

Maybe it will be nice to have someone to drive me to my cystoscopies every six months.!!!.. I went through the diagnosis and last procedure alone.... bummer. Although my original TURB, my Mom was there at the hospital the whole time, and drove me home and tucked me in bed (I don't care how old you are, it's nice to be tucked in by your Mom...)!

:

lhpdogs wrote:
" What do you do about dating, folks? I am just starting to date again, after a very painful divorce (I'm 47).... when do you tell someone? ,.<> Do you think it might be fair to tell them sooner, just in case they don't want to date someone with a time bomb ticking over their heads? <>

Ooh, that's a tough one! And you're so young...It occurred to me that anyone worth getting involved with will love you warts and all, or they aren't worth getting involved with. You should look at this blc dx as a chronic condition that you can most probably get old and die of old age with. Sometimes it does not return, this is a fact. My sister is living proof, she had one or two recurs in the first year or so and nothing since, 8 yrs ago this month since her diagnosis.

I suppose it wouldn't hurt to approach the whole issue with humor and as little drama as possible (at least in the beginning!).
All the best to you,
Wendy

I have spread the word to family, friends and co-workers that BC has a high rate of recurrance.

I am hoping it will ward off the "well-meaning" sympathy, when and if it does recurr. My Dr. says that it WILL come back. So I am trying to head it off at the pass.

I had one County Official (I work for Local Government) say to me,
"I'm sorry to hear you have cancer. I had been thinking that you had lost a lot of weight".
I could have told her that I had just spent hundreds of dollars at Weight Watchers, (which I had) but I felt it to be wasted breath.

She did not gain my vote for re-election.

I believe that everything happens for a reason.
That must be what caused me to log on to the forum today.
I needed your humor, and was so surprised to see so many others that have gotten some of the same off the wall comments.
Having lived with BC for 7 years now, I still am amazed at folks who comment, "What, you still have cancer?" Shows how little folks know about this beast.
Thanks for the list of comments.
It brightened my day