When friends and family hear we have breast cancer, their responses can be well-meaning but oblivious. There's so much more to experiencing breast cancer than meets the eye. We know that breast cancer means many possible combinations of experiences and emotional struggles, many of which appear invisible to outsiders. Most people don't see what we experience.

On MyBCTeam, the social network and online support group for women facing breast cancer, members talk about a range of personal experiences and struggles. Dealing with well-meaning advice is one of the top topics most discussed.

Here are some question-and-answer threads about well-meaning advice:

• What was the stupidest thing someone said to you when you announced your diagnosis?

• How public are you about your cancer diagnosis?

• So I am about 6 months cancer free. What I am struggling with is people seem to think you get back to normal like the flu. How do you deal with this?

Here are some conversations about well-meaning advice:

• "When others start talking to me about their friend or family member having/had cancer. And they say I KNOW what you’re going through. No they don’t. Then I tell them. You can’t talk the talk unless you’ve walked the walk."

• "I finished chemo! It’s so great to be done with it and all my friends and family keep congratulating me and asking 'how does it feel to be done?' and I just honestly am so shocked... Anyone else feel overwhelmed after they finished chemo?"

• "I have a great network of friends but I think I said it here before, there is now a kind of veil or wall between me and all my family and friends because I'm on the side of cancer and they are not. So I need all of you because we're on this side of the veil together and I need this very much."

Can you relate?

Have another topic you'd like to discuss or explore? Go to MyBCTeam today and start the conversation. You'll be surprised just how many others may share similar stories.

Feel free to ask a question here.