All in all i believe i have coped v well with my diagnosis 4 years ago. It has impacted my life but it hasn’t ruled it and I am the same person as i was. I am no more and no less grateful for all that life has given me! However (i know you were waiting for a but!) 2 things in 2 days have greatly irritated me. A newish gp dared to change my perscription from Nolvadex to Tamoxifen after 3 years and a very dear and close friend things I’m in denial as I have chosen to get on with life.
I’m happy to report that the gp backed down almost immediately and changed my script back to nolvadex (he obviously didn’t reckon on talking to a PhD chemist). However i’d be keen on hearing from others how their friends coped with the situation. This may seem a bit of a frivolous topic but i hate people feeling sorry for me. Has anyone experienced similar???
People often comment on how well I’ve coped and I’d had a few comments about whether I’m dealing with everything… everyone reacts differently and I have had maybe 2 or 3 really horrible days where I’ve been upset but generally I’m very upbeat and just want to get on with things as normally as possible because like you… I know cancer is part of my history now and something I’ll always have to deal with but cancer isn’t everything!
My friends reacted differently, I have 2 best friends. One was amazing throughout, very supportive but didn’t smother me and gave me space and my other best friend to begin with acted liked nothing was happening, almost like she didn’t care… I knew she did but it was hurtful at the time… things got worse when my onc thought my cancer had spread and told me I’d have a few months if it had and when I told her she was really cold. Luckily, it hadn’t spread and she is now on board and really great. I think I’ve been very lucky with everyone… although there are a few people that feel uncomfortable around me or don’t know what to say… especially because I do make jokes about having cancer and take the piss!
The one person who does the feeling sorry for me is my Mum… its her way of being supportive but it really gets on my nerves! I also tend to get it from older people, with the head tilt… and its awful and the rest!
I’m 24 and having my radio at the moment so god knows how I feel when I get four years down the line like you, but I hope I still have an attitude like yours!