How to render aquaintances speechless ...

... be forced to use your walking stick.
This inevitably leads to "what have you done to yourself?" (the most common form of this question, I have discovered) Whereupon I reply that I haven't done anything it is 'just' the cfs*. And each time I do it, I hate that I sound somehow apologetic. What is the narrative behind what I'm saying? "I'm sorry to have worried you, casual acquaintance, but fear not, I haven't injured myself, it is merely a debilitating, chronic illness that I suffer all the time, but usually without having to trouble you by using a stick."?
And even though I've done this apologetic thing, and even though I have mostly been upbeat about it ("oh, I just got the balance wrong this week!" said in a blithe tone) I have completely screwed up the script that apparently exists for speaking to youngish people with a walking stick. One can just tell that their next question - after I revealed I had sprained my ankle in an amusing incident involving an aubergine - was going to be "and how long will you need the stick?"  But no, I have to have a socially awkward open-ended relationship with a walking stick. Their next cue in the script evaporates before our very eyes, and we are left with "Um, well, hope you're feeling better soon." Which is well-intentioned, I feel certain.
But here is the dirty little secret, the one I work so hard not to reveal, so much more shocking than the priest saying "bloody" (which I did at last night's pot-luck dinner. Whoopsie) I won't be feeling better soon. I may not use the stick, (because, frankly, it is a pain only having one hand) but I won't be feeling 'normal'.
Whatever that is supposed to be.
In other news, strongly considering buying a range of sticks in the liturgical colours, so that if worst comes to worst, at least my stick will match the vestments.

* Lower-case for cfs is entirely intentional.