Scanxiety
Today I have another guest post written by my good friend Cindy Holder Poole in December 2020. Tomorrow I am having a PETScan done to determine if the chemo did it's job as well as the alternate treatment I received.
𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝗿
Most cancer patients have experienced scanxiety. I find that I do a great job of dealing with pre-scan nerves by staying active. If I’m healthy enough, I try to hike in the days leading up to a scan and the days of delay before results are read. I do the same with larger procedures. Before my initial resection, which was a large surgery, my 11-year old, a girlfriend and I took a winter road trip through Idaho and Wyoming to ski for several days. We arrived home the day before surgery!!
But sometimes, even when using our tried and true coping tools, scanxiety can become acute.
In fact, for me post-scan scanxiety is worse.
I feel a huge surge of emotions AFTER I get my results! The results could be great, mixed or not-so-good and I will still feel the fear! Our expectations can really sabotage our mental health, no matter how insignificant we think they may be.
So, what to do?
First, cut oneself some slack! The hard part is over, we already know we have cancer. Allowing ourselves a day or two to mourn our previous life where these worries were nonexistent is okay!
Set a date for getting back to celebrating life! Only allow self-pity for a finite amount of time. Get out of bed and make it, making it harder to crawl back in it and pull the covers over our heads!
Breathe! In. Out. Slow. Steady. Eyes closed. Hand on heart or diaphragm. Visualize calm. Visualize happy. In. Out. Slow. Steady.
Do something! Make a simple plan and follow through. Bake cookies. Garden. Paint something. Walk. Hike. Crochet. Whittle. Whatever will bring you a bit of peace and joy.
Whatever the results, live in the moment. Enjoy today. Breathe in the beauty around you. Search for things to be thankful for. Or that inspire awe. A birds wing as the sun hits it just so. The fall or winter air. Clouds. Breeze. Purring of a kitten. A spiders web.
A hike.
Until next time…
This week’s #WhenIDieMakeSureMyNailsAreDone
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