Blogging is Smart and Cathartic

I started blogging shortly after my diagnosis, at first so that I could quickly share updates with family and friends who are scattered around the country (and frankly, because I didn't want to retell the same story a thousand times over).  It has been wonderful to get those words out of my head and on to "paper" as it were.  It helps me process.  You're welcome to take a look at my blog, too, if you're interested:

My Left Breast:

http://nancysbreastcancerjourney.blogspot.com

thx for sharing! i think that i could learn to blog with wordpress...

and i agree that i would decline my hubby's offer to go bald-tho mine won't!

Hi—I'm glad I found this conversation. I follow a lot of good breast cancer blogs, but I haven't found one yet specifically for/by older women (I'm nearly 70). Do any of you know of one? I have a couple of blogs on other topics (on Tumblr & Blogger), but I'm interested in starting a new one. I want to share updates with family, but I love PhunkyMonk's Victoria's Secret comment: "I wanted the news out of me, where it would do less harm." Like NancyHB and Melly1462, I've been writing and it really helps me dissipate anxiety. I'm an illustrator, so I seem to add drawings to maintain a sense of humor. Lumpynme, I hear wordpress is really good. Hope you decide to do it.

Agreed Melly - even if only keeping it as a personal type journal, I think blogging is cathartic too - have done 3 others before & want to do one for this *thing* but have just been dragging my heels in getting started.  Still have way too much information to digest before my first tx Thursday, so figure I'll get my rear in gear after...grandiose plans of ambitiousness, yes?

Just read you entire blog, Phunkymonk Kendra - couldn't stop until I was right up to your latest entry.  So well done - so funny, too!  

Also had read your's last week, Janet - you are so close to me: big wave across the lake to you!  You both had me laughing out loud - thank you for that, I'll soon be able to really commiserate...

I'm saving yours for later this week, Nancy --- 

Cindy 

I started blogging for basically the same reason... to get it out. I have so many mixed feelings and sometimes it is just easier to work them out when I write them down. I am going to go check out everyone else's blog. This is mine   bluecollarlesbian.blogspot.com  Come Visit!

I started my blog (Breast Cancer?  But Doctor....I hate pink!) when I was first diagnosed.  The reason I started it had nothing to do with catharsis and everything to do with sleep.   I wanted my family and distant friends to NOT call me.  I didn't want to repeat my treatment details or have to say the same thing over and over.  So, I decided to put all the information in a blog and decided to try to make it readable and as entertaining as I could so that they would not ignore it and call anyway.  I knew if I put "doctor appointment friday at 10:00" they would call, but if I made it interesting and funny, they would leave me be.  And for the most part, they have done exactly that.  Now that it has a lot of readers though, my dad has taken to saying, "Don't let me know through your blog."  Arg.

But, aside from that, it turned out to be an excellent thing to do for me emotionally.  You can work out problems in writing, and also, when you know you are going to share something, you look at it in a different way.  Since my blog is based on humor, rather than sitting in the infusion room scared or freaked out, I would try to find the funny stuff that happened.  When you are looking for the good and interesting, you find it.  And, that helps you with your experience.

For those who don't want to make their medical history public (and for most people, I would recommend you not do that) you can write a blog and only give the password to friends - that way it's not open to the general internet.

For me, I didn't mind it being public because I knew this was going to be my last job, beause I work for government (a school too) and they can't fire me "at will." (not that they would but some people might have jobs where they aren't so safe) and I am easy-going when it comes to questions about myself.  I have found the support that I get from blog readers to be amazing and I love each one of them.  But, if you have a natural ability to write, keeping a blog or journal really helps frame your experience for you and I highly recommend it.

It also helps that so many people have told me that my blog has helped them know what to experience with treatment and helped them personally.  It's very gratifying.  So, definitely, if you don't mind making every detail public than write it out.  If you make it a litany of complaints, you probably won't build up readership but that isn't the point for most people anyway.  Sometimes, complaining in writing makes you feel better so don't worry about who might find it - write it for you. 

Just read some of your blogs, Nancy and PhunkyMonk and they are really great. Got some tears in my eyes. I, too, started blogging with this cancer journey. I'm only sharing it with a few people though. Seems like I can't quite let all of my feelings out there for the world to see, but I've been able to at least trust a few friends. So many of them don't comment on the blog itself, but instead send me a quick email to comment. Has that been the case with any of you?

Agreed it's therapeutic and also a way to inform others without sending myriad emails or making calls.  In some ways it actually might be easier for complete strangers to read as well as other women going through BC. Thanks for bringing up the topic.