I had a former colleague tell me how good I looked after losing weight, and she presented me to another colleague by saying, "This is the new Georgi!" as if I had been on some wonderful diet. I thought, "oh, yeah, I just love being the new Georgi who can't eat normally, and whose speech is slurred, etc."
I do think that most people are really trying to be supportive, and don't always realize how they sound to us.

Female, nonsmoker, 70, diag. 5/09 after tongue biopsy: stage IV. Left hemi-gloss. and left selec. neck disec. 30 lymph nodes removed May 20. Over 7 weeks daily rads. with three chemo. PEG removed 12/4/09 Am eating mostly soft foods. Back to work 11/09 Retired 4/1/11. 7 clear scans! Port out 9/11. 2/13. It's back: base of tongue, very invasive
surgery involving lifestyle changes. 2/14: Now speaking w/Passey-Muir valve. Considering a swallow study. Grateful to be alive.