Thanks for the tip - I’ve just bookmarked the page on the link and will give it a go tomorrow - got to beat daytime tv!!! Only had mx last fri, so not capable of doing much more than watching telly/reading at mo - looking forward to a different programme! (Though my OH will think I’m mad for wanting to watch a programme about cancer… he couldn’t believe my last selection of library books…lmao… Cancer vixen amongst others!).
Hi muffett, I haven’t seen the programme but I read about it here, telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/7949770/The-Big-C-Showtime-US-TV-review.html
where it mentions the character has a terminal cancer diagnosis.
Mentioning this as I’m not sure, as I haven’t seen it, how obvious the programme makes it and guessing someone newly diagnosed with cancer may find it hard to watch as the series moves on.
Having bc secondaries myself I was curious how the writers would deal with a terminal prognosis but I’m not sure I want to watch it…if that makes any sense?!
Perhaps I will now I’ve read your feedback.
xx
PS…I like your idea of a steam room.
Belinda, it’s a good point - but I think that some of us, no matter how recently dx, just want to submerge ourselves in information/books/novels and entertainment too - a couple of the books I’ve read have been ‘true life’ and desperately sad - but it’s all fascinating/inspiring/motivating… and no matter how tragic an outcome, being able to found humour in this situation is of enormous help to me, personally.
I am well aware that other people would much rather not watch/read anything that may give a more ultimately negative prognosis, and that is absolutely their entitlement. I’ve always been the ‘greedy for info’ type, when pregnant, I watched every baby hospital programme, for example… feeling forewarned was forearmed, perhaps. Or maybe I’m just strange… equally possible.
Your point was far more eloquently made than mine, and it’s certainly worth sticking a caveat on - and please don’t think I do not appreciate how difficult it must be to have a dx of secondaries, or that I would ever make light of another’s battle - but for me, personally - the more laughter, even if at times grotesque, the better.
Hi Sophie, I agree, so much, I can only add some of the most lovely funny times I’ve had since my wretched diagnosis has been in the company of others with mets. In the past the secondaries forums have been descibed by a few as depressing which probably prompted my ‘warning’ as so many of us really don’t want to ‘scare’ others and I for one have not always posted when I’m having a cr*ppy time of it. But yes humour helps in all sorts of situations and at the most bleakest of times.
I still can’t decide whether to watch the prog or not though if only because I have the concentration span of a goldfish on my current chemo!
xx
Ooops Sophie, just to add I read both Ruth Picardie’s ‘Before I say Goodbye’ and Kate Carr’s ‘It’s not like that, actually’. If you haven’t already read them I think you might find them well worth a read.
Ruth’s sister Justine also wrote a moving book after Ruth’s death called ‘If the spirit moves you.’
xx
Okay at the moment there have been a few moments of tears watching this series but it’s so poignant to life, Take for example her 14yr old son still doesn’t pick his clothes up of the bedroom floor, mine are 22 and 24 yrs old and still don’t and why !!! Because we as mothers do it for them… But she’s trying now to teach her son little things like this and closing cupboard doors etc…
It’s really quite comical, okay it has it’s corny points too… I don’t think it will be played on UK TV purely because of the language, but even that’s funny, as I know personally I never used to swear until I was DX now I don’t stop swearing…
My advice is watch the first episode, and judge from there if it’s your cup of tea…
Thanks Belinda - I’ll look them up! Glad I didn’t come across as all militant and defensive in my post (huh, us newbies CAN cope…lol), I didn’t mean to sound that way at all, but was a bit anxious that I might have done
I’m off back to the library next week, so I’ll see if any of the Wiltshire branches have the books instore and try to order them in online first… must have reading material! Though, having said that - reading is so much more tiring this week than it used to be, lol, and this is only post mx, what the hell will I be like during treatment??
Teresa, I’m taking my laptop upstairs for an ‘early’ night tonight… and will start watching then. I’ll let you know tomorrow!! That’s if I haven’t stayed up all night watching…
My god, I can’t even watch the john lewis Christmas ad withoutcrying so I think I should give this programme a miss!
Sophie, I have always loved books but just couldn’t read books whilst
on Chemo asbrain too mashed. I ensuredi bought the times weekend editions as there are loads of supplements and magazines , which I could stillconcentrate on, plus got the times every day too. It kept me going, do I’d recommendit and suggest buying them this weekend, or a different decent paper perhaps, to make sure you’ve got stuff in. Am miserable if I hAve nothing to read!