Dealing with the responses of friends, family and co-workers can be a frustrating issue, for sure. Some people are insensitive, ignorant, lazy, self-absorbed, and/or missing some basic human decency. Others are somewhat caring, but can be unsure about what to do and say, especially given the challenges surrounding this type of injury, so they sometimes default to the sidelines. The best are those who simply care, take some time to get informed, and look for ways (large and small) to help out or express some fellow-feeling without making a big deal about it. People in the latter category are rare gems, in my experience.

What I find works best is to note how I feel about the responses of others without getting emotionally ensnared (at least not for more than a short time). Things that help: talking about it with my girlfriend, meditation, taking good care of body and soul, and focusing less on others' responses (or non-responses) and more on being the person I want to be through all of this. My goal is to put myself in the best possible position to recover, which means proactively reducing stress and the situations/people that perpetuate it.

As the saying goes, "Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."