P34 -
A great man once said "there are no extraordinary men, only ordinary men under extraordinary circumstances". What you and me Ken and most of those here who had something more than G6 have gone thru are fairly "common" cancer stories. It is estimated that one in every three cancer patients suffers from depression, yet only one in seven ever seek treatment.
Much of this is likely due to the status of prostate cancer being one of only two cancers that affect
only men, the other being the less common but more "socially acceptable" testicular cancer. We get no public support. If you talk with other men our age you'll find that half probably have either been treated for prostate cancer or suspect they may have it but don't want to face it. Society in general has the attitude that if a man gets PCa he can just get it cut out and then get back to work. And doctors seem to treat us that way as well.
My life started going totally crazy around five years ago, and like Prato, had to FIGHT with my GP to get an antidepressant. In fact, it was Prato who convinced me that it was "ok" to be on AD's and encouraged me to be more aggressive about
it. And fortunately too, as I am now a better person for it... more stable, less volatile, and have fewer outbursts or episodes of crying. It's okay. We are after all, only human.
This is a "stress test", one of life's events that builds stronger character. The difference is where women can wear a scarf to disguise their baldness, men have to "man up" and continue as though nothing is wrong. The guys who have permanent incontinence or ED or are on lifelong hormone deprivation must say nothing about
it. To do so would be "unmanly".
So we got the "bad" cancer... the one that can kill you, but no one knows about
that. And with your tert 5 you will face a lifetime of uncertainty, just as much as my wife's lymphoma or any of the other more "popular" cancers. You never know if it is really gone, or if it will ever come back. And if it does, what will you be able to do about
it? And what will you lose in the process?
These are gigantic concerns. And for most men, the only ones who can even fathom what we feel inside are others who are trapped inside the same bubble. Best thing for you, P34, is to realize that most of us here are the same. The guys who "had it easy" are gone, left the forum, or more likely never sought support in the first place.
It takes me a good 20-30 minutes to compose something like this, then look it over and make edits. Unnecessary detail makes it seem like rambling. But this is our therapy. It's not like the one-liners you find in facebook. If I may suggest, try to break your thoughts into paragraphs... that makes your posts easier to read. You have a lot to say that would be valuable to the rest of us. Don't be afraid to say what you feel. That's why we're here.
BTW, isn't P34 that little can
opener that came in C rations?
EDIT - just remembered, that was the P38... Lupron brain!
Post Edited (RobLee) : 10/7/2018 9:53:30 AM (GMT-6)