When I first launched the "don't you just hate it thread" (one of the most popular in this forum), some posters worried about it discouraging a positive attitude. The Washington Post today had a book review whose words are also applicable to us
[quote]Relentlessly upbeat, cloyingly inspirational, the breast cancer world, as Ehrenreich describes it, is a place where anger, fear and depression -- all perfectly reasonable responses to a potentially mortal diagnosis -- are frowned upon and the cancer itself is lauded as a great opportunity for spiritual growth....
Studies proclaiming a link between a positive attitude and cancer survival, she finds, are full of problems and discounted by most researchers. Furthermore, she points out, the popular insistence that cheerfulness can help beat the Big C, while it can be "a great convenience for health workers and even friends of the afflicted, who might prefer fake cheer to complaining," leaves patients in the uncomfortable position of having to hide or deny their very real anger and sadness, even to themselves, for fear of being complicit in their own illness.[/quote]
So don't worry about sharing your anger and fears here. We all understand.
Here is the link to the full book review in case anyone is interested; Bright-sided