Gina,
Thanks for your post as it reminded me about my diagnoses and feelings back in September 2012. There is no need to feel guilty or apologize about the stress of friends/family bugging you! Everyone grieves differently, and I strongly feel in my case I would have loved the time to absorb the information and grieve before telling the whole world! My 77 year old widowed Mom lives nearby, and I knew I had to tell her right after I told my wife and kids. Any delay in telling her would have hurt her. I asked my Mom to keep it private for at least a few days. By 10pm that night, I had received over 20 phone calls from friends and family that she had told, or they heard through others. At first I was very frustrated with her telling "everyone", but I later realized this was her coping method. She was stressed and had no one else to talk to about this.

What bugged me even more were the few weeks between diagnoses and surgery. Every sentence she spoke involved CANCER. I also did not like the responses and comments from many friends. I am a private person, so really did not like answering "You do not smoke or drink, how did you get Cancer?" Better yet, "Do you think you will die?" I found myself quickly withdrawing from many friends and family and not wanting to talk to anyone except my immediate family and a few close friends.

I learned through this that everyone reacts and grieves differently. This has helped me be more aware of how I respond to others who face similar issues. Now four months later, things are much easier to discuss and talk about. I have a good core group of family and friends I feel comfortable openly talking about the Cancer with. I also have a few friends and some family members I speak less often with. Time will help. I was not comfortable writing a caring bridge, but I have found it very helpful for others. Keep your Spirits high, and as you come to greater terms this will hopefully not be a stress for you.