other people may well determine when you eat, sleep, bathe, walk or even go to the bathroom. You may feel uncomfortable or humiliated by having to use a bedpan or having your body exposed to doctors, nurses and medical staff.
    When you get home, you may have to depend on family, friends or social service agencies for help around the house, personal body care or meeting your financial obligations. You may start to feel "useless" or feel guilty about being a burden to people you care about.
    You may have to simply accept your loss of independence for a while, but your sense of self-esteem can be improved if you take as much responsibility as you possibly can in the areas you can handle.
• Look after as many self-care tasks as you can.
• Be methodical and dedicated about eating the right foods and doing regular exercises to increase your strength
  and mobility.
• Keep charts of your progress to help you feel a sense of accomplishment.
• Carefully choose some little jobs you can do around the house, whether it's tending plants or caring for a pet or
  finding some other outlet for your ability to nurture.
    Your self-esteem can also be improved if you get involved in a range of supportive programs such as special group counseling or patient support organizations. If there are no support groups in your area, talk to your local medical staff, social workers, clergy and other people with cancer and start one yourself.