Hi. I am a 61 year old man who has been recently diagnosed with throat cancer. I am not surprised at all. I have been smoking for 46 years. I had two CAT scans, of the throat and of the lungs. The lung scan showed a spot. Now they want a PET scan to further investigate. In the meantime I consulted with the MD who would do radiation on my throat. His description of the effects it would have on me was scary. And it would take up to a year or more to recover. It would also involve chemo.  I decided to forgo the treatment. It would have been over 30 treatments for 6 1/2 weeks. I thought about Dad, who went through radiation and chemo for colon cancer and told me if the disease didn"t kill you, the treatment sure would.     When I found out I had cancer, I went through a whole lot of emotions. I have calmed after a month and settled down. I want to ask when would it be appropriate to tell family and old friends. I'm not looking for sympathy. I just don't know if I should keep it secret from some and tell others or what. I don't want to hurt peoples' feelings. My dad told some, others didn't know until he was gone and they were shocked at not being told. I would appreciate any comment on this. Thank you so much. ... View more