TN,
Interesting you ask the question about
your husband keeping a low key...This is an article that was done just last week for our charity event and I was asked the exact same question by the reporter...
www.lvrj.com/news/event-seeks-to-raise-awareness-for-prostate-cancer-130388598.htmlThe fact is that men are not like the girls in discussing ailments such as cancer. I even have a guy in my support group that has not told his wife about
his diagnosis. I certainly do encourage men to talk about
their ailment. When I talk about
my experience it very commonly
opens a conversation that results in sharing information. Many times I
open up, and other men tell me that they are very glad to have met me. That they were dealing with the same thing and had no one to talk to about
it. That's when I tell them that they need to talk about
it to understand the disease better. There are support groups that make talking about
the disease easier and I have yet to meet anybody that didn't benefit by
opening up.
But this disease is very personal. Some men feel "less of a man" because of the tribulations they have encountered. I think the girls can be tougher than us in that way. Tribulations from ailment tend to get the girls talking and men not so much.
I am not sure where exactly you are in SoCal, and I assume SoCal, but there are several UsTOO chapters down there and there are some great guys in them that I have met. Offer it to your husband. I believe that when he sees how other men deal with this he may feel more comfortable in a conversation about
prostate cancer.
Here's a link:
www.ustoo.orgIn the bottom center is a link to "Find a Chapter Near You". These chapters are
open to men and women alike. There's a lot of education and sharing going on in them. You will find more of Ahrling's patients and others too.
Good luck! Stay positive...
Tony