Oh yes, 'pity face', ghastly! I had a few friends, people I really like, who were unable to control their tears. I soon learned to cut them off at the pass. They didn't get past the front door until I felt stronger. Nothing like consoling people upset because you have cancer...
The other l tactic I used a lot was to say at the beginning of a gathering "five minutes on my health, ask any questions you like and then the subject is closed". That worked well. It made me feel almost normal crapping on with my mates for a couple of hours with no cancer talk! K xox