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Posted 10/7/2011 9:37 PM (GMT 0)
I wonder how many men are not wearing blue PCa bracelets because they would rather not advertise the fact that they may have PCa? Well, I am not ashamed to admit it and would gladly discuss it with anybody who wants to know more about it. We need to get the word out. This is one small way to do it.

snake

Posted 10/7/2011 9:40 PM (GMT 0)

1snake said...
I wonder how many men are not wearing blue PCa bracelets because they would rather not advertise the fact that they may have PCa? Well, I am not ashamed to admit it and would gladly discuss it with anybody who wants to know more about it. We need to get the word out. This is one small way to do it.
snake

The problem is few guys want to know about it until they are diagnosed with it. I've never been ashamed to admit I had PCa quite the contrary but few want to hear about it. It's human nature
Posted 10/7/2011 9:45 PM (GMT 0)
i don't wear bracelets, but I talk to everyone about it. Sometimes is doesn't have the desired effect. Today I told the doorwoman I had cancer and she started to cry right there in front of me.
Posted 10/7/2011 9:53 PM (GMT 0)
I wear my GFMPH NY #3 PCa baseball cap with the pin Tatt2man gave me as often as I can. I saw a lady at a store today canvassing for breast cancer. I had to mention it to her (cap and pin) before she clued in...I talk about it as often as opportunity allows...maybe that's not enough.

Mike
Posted 10/7/2011 10:44 PM (GMT 0)
My wife has worn the bracelet since my last visit to the Uro. They had both lapel pins and bracelets in a jar at the receptionist. My wife works in customer service and has had several conversations about PCa when people notice the bracelet. (I know, I should get one too).
Posted 10/7/2011 11:52 PM (GMT 0)
A really great friend of mine gave me a blue "pin-on" ribbon. I wear it a lot, and have no issues with discussing PCa. I have "educated" more than one nurse or family dr about the meaning of Gleason score. Many, if not most, general dr's do not have a clue about what it means.

K
Posted 10/8/2011 2:51 AM (GMT 0)
Guys we are a part of the problem. The Pink everywhere is because these gals got out and made lots of noise. They raddled all the cages.

On the other hand we all know guys that have never mentioned to anyone that they have had PCa or know anything about it.

I ware my PCa pen that I got from Bronson (tatt2man) at my GFMPH Gathering every time I have on a dress shirt. Time for us to make some noise!

Think about it. A woman is assured that insurance will cover Breast Reconstruction after Breast Cancer. Today many of us have insurance that will not cover an implant for ED for no reason.

OK, I'll get off my soap box.


Cajun Jeff
Posted 10/8/2011 3:03 AM (GMT 0)
Jeff,

Implant? Get them to pay for a real month's worth of Cialis.

I have to admit that I can not be open - it would be the end of my employment, and therefore my insurance (I am not yet of retirement age, and have no "extras"). Outside of the workplace, I discuss it, but inside - totally off limits.

I do volunteer at health fairs as often as they occur, and work with a regional PCa group.

Posted 10/8/2011 10:09 AM (GMT 0)
PCa is an awkard cancer, becasue of the parts of the body affected by it the disease and its treatment.

I often feel like everyone else knows what PCa invovles so that if I were to wear a braclet or badge it would almost feel like I was wearing a T shirt with a slogan printed on the front in large capital letters that said:

"My penis doesn't work properly
I can't ejaculate any more
Urine may be dribbling out of me
while you are reading this etc"

These are topics that are not actually something I want everyone (or anyone) to know about or discuss with me.

Pink is about boobs, something which most of us find quite easy to discuss. If however the commonest cancer among women had been cancer of the labia, vagina, anus or cl*toris I don't think it would have become something the rest of the world would have been happy to discuss with women in public.

It's not just about guys being uncomfortable talking about it, it's about the reasonable perception we have that other people are going to feel uncomfortable about hearing about it. I haven't even discussed the effect of PCa on my sex life with my sisters or brothers-in-law. ln fact one of the greatest things about HW is the ability to discuss this topic fairly openly as most of us are in the same situation.

As Davidg said it's often hard enough dealing with the way others respond to the fact that I have cancer, the way they might espond to me telling them details of changes to my bladder control or my sexlife is a road I don't feel like going down and it is hard to explain much about the PCa without going into the awkward details.

Alf
Posted 10/8/2011 11:04 AM (GMT 0)
about a year after my RP I discovered that we had a bracelet so I bought a bag of ten. A few weeks later was Thanksgiving and my family asked what the bracelet represented and I told them and offered a bracelet to anybody who wanted one, I don't remember seeing any of them wearing one. A few weeks later having dinner with friends they asked about the bracelet and again I offered them bracelets and a couple of them wore them for quite a while. about six months later I had a Uro appointment and of all people to ask, the nursing assistant taking my blood pressure asked what the blue bracelet stood for.

In the year and a half that I wore the bracelet those were the only times I was asked about my blue bracelet. I'll talk to anybody about my journey, including all the gory details, but only if it comes up in conversation. Perhaps it's time to start wearing the bracelet again.

Ken
Posted 10/8/2011 5:57 PM (GMT 0)
LOL...I agree with Alf.
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