It is tempting to put off telling other people about your cancer because the task of breaking the bad news simply feels too much. You may also feel that if you tell no one, then your cancer feels less real – if you don’t acknowledge it to the outside world, then somehow it doesn’t exist. After coping with your diagnosis and trying to absorb the news yourself, finding the right words to tell other people is not easy. Men can be less forthcoming than women in talking about their health and less accustomed to sharing and discussing such personal details with family, friends or the medical profession. Whether or not your family and friends were aware that you had a health problem, you know that they will be deeply shocked and upset by your cancer diagnosis and this makes the news harder to break.
You may also feel a sense of guilt at causing them so much worry about such a serious health issue, and that you are responsible for inflicting this pain upon them. Perhaps you also feel guilty that your cancer is in some way your fault, that you have ‘allowed’ it to happen and you fear that people will blame you for it. This may be irrational, but when you are under such stress your thoughts and emotions will be very confused. However, putting off telling people is more likely to make these problems worse than better for you, and people who thought they were close to you may feel hurt and upset that you didn’t feel able to talk to them sooner.
*37\118\2*
You must be logged in to post a comment.