Having to curb my sense of humor.

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Helen321
Helen321 Member Posts: 1,459 Member
in Colorectal Cancer #1
I tend to deal with life's dilemmas through humor. Called this my new facebook. My sister didn't see the humor. I'm usually the one who makes lots of corny jokes. I try to keep them tasteful. After spending the week hearing how everyone's father, brother, cousin, father's friend's uncle's cousin's grandfather died, I am glad to be in a good place and my sense of corny humor is restored. I've also flatly told everyone to cut the death stories. I can't believe how many people do that.

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  • Karen63
    Karen63 Member Posts: 25
    #2
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    gallows humor
    Yes! I understand your humor! I also have had to listen to people tell me about how so and so died from what I have - thanks a lot! Keep those encouraging stories going :)

    Also, I have chuckled about what I consider the "buzzards circling" syndrome. Old friends who have heard from half across the country about my "challenge" (how in the world does news like this travel so fast!) and they want to e-mail me and get all the details.

    I wouldn't have time to do anything but answer them! I do realize that most of the time they are contacting me from concern (I am beginning to move forward a bit I guess) and want to find out about me and how I am doing, not really being nosey....

    I hope you are feeling better, Helen...
  • Helen321
    Helen321 Member Posts: 1,459 Member
    #3
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    Karen63 said:

    gallows humor
    Yes! I understand your humor! I also have had to listen to people tell me about how so and so died from what I have - thanks a lot! Keep those encouraging stories going :)

    Also, I have chuckled about what I consider the "buzzards circling" syndrome. Old friends who have heard from half across the country about my "challenge" (how in the world does news like this travel so fast!) and they want to e-mail me and get all the details.

    I wouldn't have time to do anything but answer them! I do realize that most of the time they are contacting me from concern (I am beginning to move forward a bit I guess) and want to find out about me and how I am doing, not really being nosey....

    I hope you are feeling better, Helen...

    Thanks Karen, I am. The
    Thanks Karen, I am. The first three days were super hard. Today seems almost normal. A few weird thoughts here and there. I have four sisters and one of them said she loved me 12 times in one day. I counted just so I could tell her at the end of the day. lol She had that coming. I told her she doesn't have to worry about my cancer because she's loving me to death. I got my mom in on the joke since we are the two non-mushy people and we started making kissy noises and telling each other we loved each other all day.
  • Luckygirl2
    Luckygirl2 Member Posts: 308
    #4
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    Helen321 said:

    Thanks Karen, I am. The
    Thanks Karen, I am. The first three days were super hard. Today seems almost normal. A few weird thoughts here and there. I have four sisters and one of them said she loved me 12 times in one day. I counted just so I could tell her at the end of the day. lol She had that coming. I told her she doesn't have to worry about my cancer because she's loving me to death. I got my mom in on the joke since we are the two non-mushy people and we started making kissy noises and telling each other we loved each other all day.

    Glad you are feeling better
    And have your humor back! I had a family member on my husbands side that I finally said I could noy see anymore if they kept on telling me....I hope they got everything I hope the treatment works ... I hope.. I hope... GGGRRR, :)
  • maglets
    maglets Member Posts: 2,576 Member
    #5
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    Luckygirl2 said:

    Glad you are feeling better
    And have your humor back! I had a family member on my husbands side that I finally said I could noy see anymore if they kept on telling me....I hope they got everything I hope the treatment works ... I hope.. I hope... GGGRRR, :)

    meet
    Helen this is Karen....Karen this is Helen

    so glad you two met.....you are starting this journey at the same time

    now I just want to tell you about my Aunt Gertie who died of fingernail cancer.....hahaha just kidding!!!!!

    hugs to you both

    mags
  • JayhawkDan
    JayhawkDan Member Posts: 205
    #6
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    maglets said:

    meet
    Helen this is Karen....Karen this is Helen

    so glad you two met.....you are starting this journey at the same time

    now I just want to tell you about my Aunt Gertie who died of fingernail cancer.....hahaha just kidding!!!!!

    hugs to you both

    mags

    You gotta laugh...
    Yeah, I get so sick of the Uncle Bob and Cousin Mary stories. And glad you've got your sense of humor back! Speaking of gallows humor -- my office volunteers to deliver Meals on Wheels and a group of us were discussing a new schedule. And I said, (I thought kiddingly) "you know I'm only doing this to have another item for my obit..." It got instantly quiet and people looked at me kinda stunned. I just said "I told you folks I was gonna joke my way through this," which allowed them to laugh it off. It made me realize that people tend to be very nervous about the subject and scared they're going to say the wrong thing.
  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 Member Posts: 6,742 Member
    #7
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    Humor
    Don't ever lose the humor because that will get you through any type of situation, including to have to give your butt checks up to someone you've never met. Heck more people have seen my behind than ever before but I'll still make a joke about it (not always) but when the opportunity rises I'll take it. Glad you are feeling better. Sometimes the first initial shock is the worst but you had a double whammy with only 9 weeks in between. I'm thinking they must have missed something the first time, but glad you discovered it now. Welcome to the board. Keep up the good spirit

    Kim
  • Doc_Hawk
    Doc_Hawk Member Posts: 685
    #8
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    Like Robin Williams once said ...
    "Humor: what a concept!" and I've been using it as much as possible. I keep meaning to go to the mall and have a t-shirt made up that says "Chemo-brain is contagious, you get it from your oncologist" but I keep forgetting.
  • Doc_Hawk
    Doc_Hawk Member Posts: 685
    #9
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    Annabelle41415 said:

    Humor
    Don't ever lose the humor because that will get you through any type of situation, including to have to give your butt checks up to someone you've never met. Heck more people have seen my behind than ever before but I'll still make a joke about it (not always) but when the opportunity rises I'll take it. Glad you are feeling better. Sometimes the first initial shock is the worst but you had a double whammy with only 9 weeks in between. I'm thinking they must have missed something the first time, but glad you discovered it now. Welcome to the board. Keep up the good spirit

    Kim

    Butt checks
    Hi Kim,

    During the first year of my fight, I had my rear looked at so many times that I started telling people that I felt like I'd been the subject of an Alien Abduction. For my final dose of rad, I had my best friend take a Sharpie pen and write across my butt "The Toxic Tushie! This vent has been known to release radioactive gases. Contents under pressure. Stay back 300 feet."

    The rad team had to take a picture!
  • joemetz
    joemetz Member Posts: 493
    #10
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    humor and bussards...
    i agree with you on he humor side of things... but often people don't know how to deal with the jokes. we cancer fighters are living with this and thinking about this all the time. And, in general... most people think of THEMSELVES more than 75% of their waking hours... they aren't thinking like we are thinking so often the humor to them is hard for them to hear or a shock to their thinking.
    but, they have to understand that "we need to laugh too" but often its hard.
    i hope you keep this humor every day!

    next up on your topic was the "death stories".
    when i was dx'd back in November my son who's a senior in high school told his counsoler about my cancer battle... and he replied with "yeah, that stinks... my dad died of that same stuff". (unreal) Some people just don't know how to communicate.

    keep your humor up!

    my best

    Joe
  • Helen321
    Helen321 Member Posts: 1,459 Member
    #11
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    maglets said:

    meet
    Helen this is Karen....Karen this is Helen

    so glad you two met.....you are starting this journey at the same time

    now I just want to tell you about my Aunt Gertie who died of fingernail cancer.....hahaha just kidding!!!!!

    hugs to you both

    mags

    lol you are too much!

    lol you are too much!
  • Helen321
    Helen321 Member Posts: 1,459 Member
    #12
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    joemetz said:

    humor and bussards...
    i agree with you on he humor side of things... but often people don't know how to deal with the jokes. we cancer fighters are living with this and thinking about this all the time. And, in general... most people think of THEMSELVES more than 75% of their waking hours... they aren't thinking like we are thinking so often the humor to them is hard for them to hear or a shock to their thinking.
    but, they have to understand that "we need to laugh too" but often its hard.
    i hope you keep this humor every day!

    next up on your topic was the "death stories".
    when i was dx'd back in November my son who's a senior in high school told his counsoler about my cancer battle... and he replied with "yeah, that stinks... my dad died of that same stuff". (unreal) Some people just don't know how to communicate.

    keep your humor up!

    my best

    Joe

    Thanks Joe, wow they even
    Thanks Joe, wow they even say it to kids, crazy!!! I hope you called the counselor on it. What they heck was he thinking! My cousin is buying me a Warrior Princess tshirt. I like warrior better than survivor. This is not a reality tv show. I might not be a band of female warriors taking on Greece but warrior is more a kick butt word. Speaking of butts . . .I'll have to use that line now=)
  • danker
    danker Member Posts: 1,276 Member
    #13
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    Helen321 said:

    Thanks Joe, wow they even
    Thanks Joe, wow they even say it to kids, crazy!!! I hope you called the counselor on it. What they heck was he thinking! My cousin is buying me a Warrior Princess tshirt. I like warrior better than survivor. This is not a reality tv show. I might not be a band of female warriors taking on Greece but warrior is more a kick butt word. Speaking of butts . . .I'll have to use that line now=)

    humor
    The fist thing Bill Crosby told his colonoscopy doc was," You know this thing was meant for things to come out-not go in!"I could almost
    do a comedy routine based on my cancer experiences.
  • lauragb
    lauragb Member Posts: 370 Member
    #14
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    Yes, the death stories seem
    Yes, the death stories seem to continue and I hear a lot of them in the grocery store. I think I'd rather someone give me a medal there like you mentioned in another thread than hear the details of Uncle Henry's cancer that just ate up his insides.

    Truthfully, I do hear some good things at the store too. I live in a small community and have become somewhat of a celebrity. That's what happens when you're a cancer survivor. People are always so happy to see me out and about, which gets to be amusing at times. Also, I'm in a women's choir that just had a concert. My picture was in the paper advertising the concert but I am taking a break from it this year. Everywhere I went people mentioned this picture and the concert. I just had to say, I hate to disappoint all of my fans but I'm not in the concert this year. LOL!

    Oh and btw, I have horrified a few people with my humor.
  • Helen321
    Helen321 Member Posts: 1,459 Member
    #15
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    lauragb said:

    Yes, the death stories seem
    Yes, the death stories seem to continue and I hear a lot of them in the grocery store. I think I'd rather someone give me a medal there like you mentioned in another thread than hear the details of Uncle Henry's cancer that just ate up his insides.

    Truthfully, I do hear some good things at the store too. I live in a small community and have become somewhat of a celebrity. That's what happens when you're a cancer survivor. People are always so happy to see me out and about, which gets to be amusing at times. Also, I'm in a women's choir that just had a concert. My picture was in the paper advertising the concert but I am taking a break from it this year. Everywhere I went people mentioned this picture and the concert. I just had to say, I hate to disappoint all of my fans but I'm not in the concert this year. LOL!

    Oh and btw, I have horrified a few people with my humor.

    lol That's great Laura. Can
    lol That's great Laura. Can I have your autograph? I hope you keep singing at home. Singing is so great for the spirit! Up until a few months ago I had very morbid humor. It's not funny to me at the moment, but I hope it comes back. I always joked that I wanted a welcome mat at my funeral that says "Welcome to my funeral" in a great vampire voice when you step on it. I still do, just not too soon. Funny how life quickly changes those jokes. I have thoughts that maybe this is not the initial site as I have had some other problems with breast pain in one spot for years and my head has been hurting again in the one spot which I had checked years ago and so once I get to this new hospital, I think those will be put to rest and I will take this on as a doable situation and really get my full life humor back.

    The medal was so nice. It's a "healing medal" and I just loved how she found me. At that moment, I needed that healing and I told her I will keep it with me and I do. Round two of surgery, I'm bringing that medal most definitely. Funny how a stranger in a store can touch your life in a positive way.
  • CherylHutch
    CherylHutch Member Posts: 1,375
    #16
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    maglets said:

    meet
    Helen this is Karen....Karen this is Helen

    so glad you two met.....you are starting this journey at the same time

    now I just want to tell you about my Aunt Gertie who died of fingernail cancer.....hahaha just kidding!!!!!

    hugs to you both

    mags

    Snourt!! :D
    Oh no, Mags!! Your Aunt Gertie died of fingernail cancer?? So did my Uncle Bob... but then he never did take care of his nails! I don't know how many times we told him, "Bob, if you don't get the crud out from under your nails, you KNOW you are going to pay for it one day!" And he did... just one day he up and croaked, right at the dinner table... while celebrating his 1st Place Submarine Race Anniversary at Denny's. Man, oh man, I'm going to miss him and his nails!! :D

    Now... someone tell me how the heck I ended up in here... must have turned right when I meant to turn left... or was that up, instead of down?? Darn internet... scary highway, it is!! I was actually heading for your cabin in the woods, Mags... was going to surprise you and be there, all settled in, for when you got there :D

    Cheryl
  • Helen321
    Helen321 Member Posts: 1,459 Member
    #17
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    CherylHutch said:

    Snourt!! :D
    Oh no, Mags!! Your Aunt Gertie died of fingernail cancer?? So did my Uncle Bob... but then he never did take care of his nails! I don't know how many times we told him, "Bob, if you don't get the crud out from under your nails, you KNOW you are going to pay for it one day!" And he did... just one day he up and croaked, right at the dinner table... while celebrating his 1st Place Submarine Race Anniversary at Denny's. Man, oh man, I'm going to miss him and his nails!! :D

    Now... someone tell me how the heck I ended up in here... must have turned right when I meant to turn left... or was that up, instead of down?? Darn internet... scary highway, it is!! I was actually heading for your cabin in the woods, Mags... was going to surprise you and be there, all settled in, for when you got there :D

    Cheryl

    I officially love you guys=)
    I officially love you guys=) Isn't the cabin in the woods a really bad movie? Oh wait Wrong Turn! lol
  • thingy45
    thingy45 Member Posts: 632 Member
    #18
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    Helen321 said:

    lol That's great Laura. Can
    lol That's great Laura. Can I have your autograph? I hope you keep singing at home. Singing is so great for the spirit! Up until a few months ago I had very morbid humor. It's not funny to me at the moment, but I hope it comes back. I always joked that I wanted a welcome mat at my funeral that says "Welcome to my funeral" in a great vampire voice when you step on it. I still do, just not too soon. Funny how life quickly changes those jokes. I have thoughts that maybe this is not the initial site as I have had some other problems with breast pain in one spot for years and my head has been hurting again in the one spot which I had checked years ago and so once I get to this new hospital, I think those will be put to rest and I will take this on as a doable situation and really get my full life humor back.

    The medal was so nice. It's a "healing medal" and I just loved how she found me. At that moment, I needed that healing and I told her I will keep it with me and I do. Round two of surgery, I'm bringing that medal most definitely. Funny how a stranger in a store can touch your life in a positive way.

    WOW
    I was asked by e-mail if I was still here...... and could I please reply!!!!! SO they would know, since they would not ask my daughter.
    WOWY Yes I am stil here, they did not write my obit yet.
    I think I should have a rehearsel party for WHEN I plan to leave this planet, could be fun.
    Silly people.
    Humor is the best medicine, laughing is healthy and that is what we want, healthy.
    Keep it up Helen321.
  • thxmiker
    thxmiker Member Posts: 1,278 Member
    #19
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    Helen321 said:

    lol That's great Laura. Can
    lol That's great Laura. Can I have your autograph? I hope you keep singing at home. Singing is so great for the spirit! Up until a few months ago I had very morbid humor. It's not funny to me at the moment, but I hope it comes back. I always joked that I wanted a welcome mat at my funeral that says "Welcome to my funeral" in a great vampire voice when you step on it. I still do, just not too soon. Funny how life quickly changes those jokes. I have thoughts that maybe this is not the initial site as I have had some other problems with breast pain in one spot for years and my head has been hurting again in the one spot which I had checked years ago and so once I get to this new hospital, I think those will be put to rest and I will take this on as a doable situation and really get my full life humor back.

    The medal was so nice. It's a "healing medal" and I just loved how she found me. At that moment, I needed that healing and I told her I will keep it with me and I do. Round two of surgery, I'm bringing that medal most definitely. Funny how a stranger in a store can touch your life in a positive way.

    Humor
    My Oncologist told me to keep my sense of humor. Anyone whom can go through such pain, and still have a sense of humor has a lot of strength. I had them laughing at times with dumb little jokes about the pain of chemo.

    Keep it up! If they don't laugh with you, beat them with a stick. lol
    Best Always, mike

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