I am a Bitch with Cancer

I swear, breast cancer No. 2 is turning me into a bitch, or else bringing out the bitch that has always lurked within.

I am so tired, for example, of people telling me "it's going to be fine." Here's today's conversation with a colleague who just learned the news and called to get an update:

Me: Blah, blah, so the path report should be ready this week and I'm anxiously waiting for the results.
Colleague: Oh, I'm sure it'll be fine...
Me: Please don't say that! I hate when people tell me everything will be fine when you don't actually know that. [Lamely, feeling guilty at my aggressive tone]..I mean, it's the evil eye thing, I guess..
Colleague: I didn't say it will be fine, I said I hope it will be fine.

Now, gentle reader, she lied, whether purposefully or unconsciously. Because I distinctly heard her say "I'm sure", and "I'm sure I hope it will be fine" makes no sense at all. Normally I'm far from confrontational and would have dropped it, but instead I stuck my metaphorical chin out and said "No, you said you were sure it would be fine. The thing is, if the doctor wasn't sure it would be fine, how could we be?" Note that I softened it at the last minute by saying "we" when I really meant "You, idiot."

I think I've illustrated what I mean by my new level of bitchiness.

Why does this piss me off so much? Hmm, let me count the ways: mostly, it feels dismissive.."Don't feel bad because then I don't know what to say, so let's just wrap it up with a note of positive thinking, and we're on to the next topic!" Then too, maybe it IS the evil eye thing, ingrained from childhood: never-never-say-anything-will-be-good, because you're provoking the gods and they'll make you pay. (You can see I'm from peasant stock.)

I feel bad about my poor colleague, who is both very nice and nice to me in particular, and I hope I didn't make her sorry she called. You may be curious how she handled my mini-assault: simple. She changed the subject, which is no doubt what she wanted to do anyway.