Talking

Yes, I talk about it but not as much as I did at first.  But...I am incredibly verbal and being diagnosed with bc did not change that.  All my true friends know me well enough to know that I NEEDED to talk about it.  I process things verbally.

And, yes, sometimes I weird people out but I figure that's their issue, not mine. 

I'm with the above great women, you learn after a while who will or won't listen and when they Want to hear what you have to share.

I had my best friend who promised that when she had heard enough, she'd tell me.  It took a while since I had recon twice, but she listened every time--and finally I talke on here only.l

If someone asks, I'll talk and sometimes I'll drop it in a conversation about feeling better off Tamox or since dx, but I leave it there unless they ask questions.

Only things I really DO; remind women to do SBE and mammo.  I'v tried to convince one very intelligent woman to decrease her HRT, but she is certain that she could "only get breast cancer".  I was too shocked to ans. her. 

At first I just told people on a need to know basis...my family, people I work with who would or could be affected. But an actual discussion wasn't the norm--my sis called every week. Bless her and she supported me by phone. Step 1.

I work for my husband in an internal medicine office and I have placed a protocol for handling abnormal mammos, etc., that I think is helpful to our women dxed with bc or benign conditions. Occasionally, I speak with one of them sometimes revealing I had bc, other times not. That was step 2.

I have been in PT for my back-- disc problem--for some time and didn't reveal to the PT my whole health history, but I felt nervous about that because he's really working with me. So I told him one day. I actually felt relief that I had been honest. That was about the time that Hoda (?) from one of the morning shows revealed she had bc and had kept it to herself. She said she met someone on a plane trip who told her "Don't hog your journey." That really stuck with me. I have that phrase at my office computer. I likened it to hiding my talents under the bushes. I've learned a lot and do have a lot to share. So I'm more open when it seems appropriate, but I don't bring up the topic. Step 3.

BC is a journey.

I guess I've said this on other threads several times, but I tell no one and I've found that works perfectly for me.  I really hate, hate, hate people knowing my business.

OTOH, it's nice to have these boards to compare notes and get information which might otherwise be so hard to find.

Tina