Start spreading the news …

da-da, da-di-da … da-da, da-di-da … (to the unmistakable tune of “New York, new York”) …

Was really nice to hear from Mf from the sunny (? I didn’t get time to ask about the weather) south of France today and to know that she (as well as all those other people ot there) was keeping up with events. Thank you. Was also nice to get offers of help and support from Jd’s piano teacher, who had only just yesterday had been discussing prostate cancer. So while being ill may not be fun, it is appreciated how people rally round.

Anyway, anyway, anyway (as Dawn French would say) this time next week (10th March – Gm’s birthday – must get a card!) I shall be settling down in my own private room in hospital (a priviledge afforded to soon to be radioactive people) looking forward to another general anaesthetic wavy line moment on wednesday – followed by two weeks lounging around at home – can’t be bad – almost a price worth paying I hear you ask?!:-)

Fight the good fight?

Have been dipping into some online support groups (e.g. a US one, and at Cancer UK.

Interesting to see how often the “war on cancer” analogy comes up (a point made by others elsewhere too), although for me its more about reaching an accommodation – how do I live my life around this at the moment. The current phase is quite time intensive, but I am looking forward to the time when this is all behind me and I can (hopefully, assuming no persistent side effects) get on with a “normal” life, much as others have done – like the guy in the US who was diagnosed aged 30 and had laproscopic surgery. Note to self: must stop each good news story from making me think “did I make the right decision?”.

Focussed blogging

I have not blogged anything over the last week and a half – i.e. the Christmas vacation period. This is partly circumstance, with no time to spare in the run up to Xmas, and partly choice.

While blogging is good for recording my thoughts, I am not sure if I want to spend every day thinking about my situation. While prostate cancer is something that has happened to me, it is not my whole life. So while a daily discipline of writing is good, maybe the time is better spent on other stuff (like nagging the kids to have breakfast, or putting up the new bathroom cabinet, or sorting out the money).

I am also probably not dedicated enough to be part of the blogsphere. The viewing for my blog has gone up a bit, with the first comment showing up. This has lead me to read some other people’s blog (e.g. this US blog) but I haven’t got the time to contribute lots to theirs, so why should I expect people to be interested in mine. Twitter would be faster, but so less informative – although the spontaneous nature might means its more reactive and spontaneous rather than requiring focussed attention. I guess I am still an “old school” kind of person, choosing to spend what little time I have talking to the people who count in my life, most particularly Mp, rather than broadcasting to people I have yet to meet.

Anyway, based on my experience of reading other blogs, if I get spare time I will sort out this blog to make it more usable, i.e. searchable/browable, so that if people do find it they don’t have to wade through it all.

Life goes on – blog or no blog

Missed a post yesterday – shows how little the computer can go on at the weekend, and while putting the timer on in outlook, I notice another 30+ emails backed up from yesterday (a saturday) – and life just goes on as normal.

Except its not normal – its Christmas! Spent some of yesterday putting up the Xmas tree, and writing cards. Didn’t want to do the whole round robin thing – haven’t really got the time, and would I want to tell everyone the news in a card? Its certainly a down beat way to spoil a Christmas. Not that it would really – everyone seems to have a story of major illness, whether it is a brother (Lc) or sister (Lc) or father (Kc) or uncle (Hc) and that’s just four people at work.

Still not sure about this blogging business. Have told a couple of people about its existence to mixed reactions. Nf seemed confused, Of hadn’t time to read it while Zc was moved. If its mission is therapy it might be working, but the news management and public information remit isn’t happening at present. Not sure if I have the ego for this.

Why blog?

A big question to ask is why am I writing this? Some people suggest writing a diary can be useful for cancer patients/sufferers (which term is best?), but for me one of the key things is the lack of information about early onset prostate cancer.

A quick, or even extensive search on the web (I hate the term googling – but hey, what’s so bad if I can live with hoover and fridge?) shows very little information, and even less that is accessible. Mp says she’s getting fed up reading the stock phrase that “prostate cancer is typically a disease of older men, and very rarely found in those under 50″. Really reassuring – and so nice to know that I am a special case. Of the 38,000 new cases in 2005 (from memory and a website whose authenticity I can’t remember) only 38 year under 50.

I guess this is where I should put in a disclaimer that any facts and figures or references in this blog should not be relied on and should be independently verified. If I had the time, (and the buzzer’s going again) I would put in a link to my favourite disclaimer from Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy.

So why a blog, rather than a diary? This is just going to have to wait for another time.