I can't say I find any aspects of my cancer or treatment funny but I do make dark jokes about myself and my cancer however not about other people.
Multiple surgeries, several hospital and GP visits a month, medication, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, constant pain, declining physical ability, mental health problems, trying to keep positive to spare the feelings of friends and family. All conspire to be able to find anything funny about cancer. However I do enjoy life, see the funny side of things and laugh a lot.
I'm struggling to think of anything funny about having cancer.
Yes, I've had 'amusing' incidents with medical staff (when my leg suddenly swelled with lymphoedema & my dressings nurse told the consultant 'it looked like an elephant's ***) is one of several 'titters' along my 16 year cancer journey. I also laugh with my fellow cancer patients about my 'Nora Batty' compression tights I wear for my lymphoedema, but otherwise - no, there is nothing remotely funny about cancer & it's treatment in my view - and that's something coming from a 30 year served Police Officer who has the darkest humour!
I was in the waiting area for radiotherapy where they had Good Morning Britain on the TV. They were talking about 'grief' and then I noticed the man in front of me was reading 'The final hours'. Laugh or cry?
Definitely laugh. My son reckons Im lucky having cancer because I get free toothpaste (prescription only) and free parking at the Hospital. I did have a laugh at my first visit to hospital. Finding the waiting room full I sat in the empty adjoining waiting area and wondered why nobody else was availing themselves of all the space. On reading the posters on the wall I found I was sat in the STI clinic. Had to laugh. As with cancer there is still a stigma around this.
When diagnosed I had to have major surgery to remove all the nodes in my groin & pelvis. They had to move my bowel aside to get to the pelvic nodes which meant I was in excruciating pain for 12 hours due to the air that was trapped in my stomach (I was warned this would happen). I couldn't sleep & the next morning I looked like death. An 80 year old lady in the opposite bed had had the same op 3 days before me & recognised my discomfort. In a soft Irish accent this little old lady shouted across the ward 'Angela, if you have to fart, fart!' You can imagine the uproar on the ward & at least it made me laugh!
