Hi Lee

Your proactive stance to living with cancer gives you the best life possible. Thanks for the info on the Penny Brohn charity.they seem to offer a lot of support in various ways and I may give a try.. Ive never suffered with stress before. Im not sure if it is the treatments affecting my endocrine system or just not having enough energy to deal with the normal setbacks that life brings. Family squabbles, money, plus friends keeping their distance because they are uncomfortable being around someone with cancer. Whereas living with cancer is the least of my worries. Going for a walk today then Sunday lunch at the pub. Hope you are keeping well.

Ed

Hi Lee and Ed glad to hear you are both pretty active and trying to enjoy life. I also try and keep busy and working part time at the minute as need some normality albeit sometimes very difficult.  It is interesting as I find the same that some friends find it difficult, probably more than I do!   This I found quite upsetting at first but then realised who really cares about our friendships…….  Plenty of friends who do not have to tip toe around me.  

Enjoy weekend and live life to full.

Hi Ed and Cosmopolitan.  I do admire you both for carrying on working.  I miss my job but know I couldn't do it now.  Funny I have not found any friends that keep their distance.  I have told them all I just want to be treated the same and carry on as normal.  I have just read an article on the Macmillan website about toxic positivity.  Really interesting and yes I do agree I hate it when people say 'You got this or stay positive'.  Now just realise they don't really know what to say and maybe say it to make themselves feel better.  I am finding the clinical hypnotherapy once a week with penny brohn is really helping me with stress. I grind my teeth at night and get worked up and am so much better since doing this.  Going to live my life to the full once I get out of bed :) .

Lee x

Hi Cosmopolitan

Good to hear from you. The work thing is important to me too albeit part time now. The physical exercise in my job is beneficial, the dreaded paperwork keeps my grey matter engaged and contact with people is essential for wellbeing. The stay away friends aspect is intriguing, is it a belief that cancer is contagious, or that you can't be fun and a laugh anymore because cancer is so serious and miserable. Or is it just because cancer makes for difficult conversation. I tell people to treat it as if I had broken my leg.. (ask how's your leg mending) then get on with normal interaction. I usually have very dark humour around the subject which my closer friends can appreciate but others recoil from. Enjoy every day even the ones that don't always go well.

Ed

Hi Ed I am not sure if they are trying to avoid the situation or just in their own little world.  Really get frustrated when they moan about a minor ache!!!   Or they are not happy at work.  And as you say they always tell us that we are  so positive.   My answer to that is I am not going to curl up and die!!!   Keep smiling