Overcoming your anger and fears, developing the right attitude, getting your support system in place and arranging for productive work and recreation are just the start of your rehabilitation and recovery. All these "set the table" for all you have to do during the tough times ahead.
Once you have made the critical decision that you want to get well, you have to be willing to make sacrifices and believe that achieving the goal is worth the effort. You will have to pay attention to all kinds of things that are detailed in the next few sections—coping with side effects, maintaining good nutrition, getting enough exercise, learning how to relax, becoming secure enough to express yourself sexually, and many more.
You will have to know your strengths and limitations and be able to set realistic goals. And you will have to be willing to compromise, to accept what cannot be changed and move on from there. Having cancer means that your life has to be restructured if you are going to get as full a rehabilitation as possible. This doesn't mean that you have to change the habits of a lifetime, even if you could. But it does mean you will have to make adjustments in your daily living patterns so that your time can be used in the most efficient and constructive ways.
If you pay attention to your mind and body and spirit, you will be well on your way not only to living with cancer but to achieving the highest level of success possible in the circumstances.
