I think whilst we are going through treatment, treatment is the only thing we are able to focus on, and only when that finishes are we able to reflect and see (with quite some shock), that we are different, and always will be. That difference is neither good or bad, just different. The shock for me was when the doctor called having cancer "a trauma". We have all been through a traumatic event which will take a while to process, regardless of our physical state/changes. Sometimes it seems the outside world has moved on, but we are still someway back on the road, trying to gather our things and catch up. All the best @Brenda5, onwards and upwards.