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breaking the gloom

tonyb
tonyb CSN Member Posts: 69
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
How do you guys handle these situations? You know when an aquaintance comes to you and asks in a timid fashion ...How are you? Almost like they are scared of the response that your gonna give them. I keep trying to come up with a humorous way to respond to these nice folks who are genuinely concerned about you but dont have a clue how to ask.
Lately, i have been using the reply " No taller, No richer, learning to cope...."
It gets a laugh here and there, but not every one gets it, so i was kinda hoping you guys could suggest humorous responses that i can use to let people off the hook.
It really helps if i can put people at ease.
Please don't be shy, think up a funny line and reply,
Thanks Tonyb
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Comments

  • fisrpotpe
    fisrpotpe CSN Member Posts: 1,349 Member
    #2
    last couple
    last couple years I have been using, "better than I deserve, how about you" seems to work.

    John
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  • ratface
    ratface CSN Member Posts: 1,337 Member
    #3
    fisrpotpe said:

    last couple
    last couple years I have been using, "better than I deserve, how about you" seems to work.

    John

    One size fits all
    type of response makes me uncomfortable. Some people are to serious to find humor in cancer, although I don't think I know any of those. Personally I have a core group of people who perhaps took a genuine interest during my treatment of which I will discuss scan results with and be candid. The rest are "acquaintances" and are quite happy to get away from the subject as soon as I give them an avenue. It's easy to stay on the subject of health and get them talking about themselves as John suggests. From there the weather is always a topic of conversation.
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  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 CSN Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #4
    During Treatment
    I liked to always say, "other than having cancer, I'm in perfect health"....

    Now with differing side affects, it's more..."Better than the alternative".

    Then again concerning questions of survival rates, or cure more specifically...someone close told me she heard...

    "If you pass away from something other than cancer, are you considered cured...."

    Best,
    John
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  • soccerfreaks
    soccerfreaks CSN Member Posts: 2,788 Member
    #5
    :)
    "I'm on the right side of the dirt so it's all good."

    Macabre, perhaps, but I tend to be of a rather dark humor :).

    Take care,

    Joe
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  • BeacherBum
    BeacherBum CSN Member Posts: 32
    #6
    soccerfreaks said:

    :)
    "I'm on the right side of the dirt so it's all good."

    Macabre, perhaps, but I tend to be of a rather dark humor :).

    Take care,

    Joe

    I'm with soccerfreaks. I'm
    I'm with soccerfreaks. I'm alive and kicking or something along the lines of better than 6 feet under.
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  • Pam M
    Pam M CSN Member Posts: 2,196
    #7
    Hard to Say
    With some, I say "Good, thank you - I've been better, but I've also been much worse, so I'm OK". But, with the majority, I do phone it in, and say "Good, really good". I'm tiring of saying "Good, thank you, very good - I'm lucky - I'm doing much better than many people who have the treatment I had" on days when I actually feel a little sorry for myself. Sometimes I wonder on those days who it is I'm trying to convince. I have a few close "peeps" that will get part of the real scoop - even that, I usually leave at a short, kind of amusing anecdote about my latest eating difficulty, or mobility issue. This week, it's the story about how I was chatting with a lady at a tea on Saturday when my mouth started freezing up (the right side pulls a little) - OF COURSE this would happen during my conversation with a deaf lip-reader - argh! High stress for me, but she was great - I only had to repeat a few things.

    As for funny replies - I'm all out. Maybe "Thanks for asking, I'm doing better than you are, from what I hear" followed by a quick "I'm teasing". Some folks will laugh, but some might be mortified. Hope lotsa folks come up with funny lines - I could use one sometimes.
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  • luv4lacrosse
    luv4lacrosse CSN Member Posts: 1,410 Member
    #8
    DEPENDS ON THE SENSE OF HUMOR LEVEL
    I have a rather sick sense of humor, and often joke or make light of my cancer.

    My most common reply is "they are not throwing dirt on me yet."

    When I say this, i am not making light of what we go through, it just "is what it is."

    Best

    Mike
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  • tonyb
    tonyb CSN Member Posts: 69
    #9
    i like these...
    thanks folks thats the kind of responses i was hoping for, A friend told me he would use the response "i am above ground and vertical, how are you. Lol i thought that was pretty good too.. keep em coming
    Tony B.
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  • staceya
    staceya CSN Member Posts: 720 Member
    #10
    soccerfreaks said:

    :)
    "I'm on the right side of the dirt so it's all good."

    Macabre, perhaps, but I tend to be of a rather dark humor :).

    Take care,

    Joe

    I REALLY like that
    I REALLY like that response!
    stacey
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  • mixleader
    mixleader CSN Member Posts: 267 Member
    #11
    Gloom Breakers
    I usually say "Well, I looked in the Obit's this morning and I did not see my name, so I came to work".

    Roger
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  • hawk711
    hawk711 CSN Member Posts: 566
    #12
    mixleader said:

    Gloom Breakers
    I usually say "Well, I looked in the Obit's this morning and I did not see my name, so I came to work".

    Roger

    My favorite line
    Hey Tony
    I use this a lot when someone asks how I'm doing....I say "If I was any better, I'd have to be twins"

    Keep up the humor and keep positive
    Steve
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  • jkinobay
    jkinobay CSN Member Posts: 303 Member
    #13
    hawk711 said:

    My favorite line
    Hey Tony
    I use this a lot when someone asks how I'm doing....I say "If I was any better, I'd have to be twins"

    Keep up the humor and keep positive
    Steve

    My favorite
    "If I was any better I'd need psychiatric counseling".

    Hang in there. It will get better and as others mentioned, the alternative is not acceptable.
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