A study published last year confirms what all of us already know: scanxiety is real for lung cancer patients, and it negatively affects our quality of life. You know it and I do, too, because right now, as I write these words, I have it.
I go to Roswell Park Cancer Institute for scans next week, and I am far from being as cool as a cucumber about it. I’ve gotten much better about relaxing and enjoying life between scans, but that has not lessened the tension that builds as scan day nears. Maybe this time I am more anxious than usual, because after a year on Tagrisso, every scan is more likely to bring the news that my miracle drug is no longer working for me.
Scanxiety isn’t something that lessens with time and repetition, either. It can actually grow worse over time. In the study referenced below, Dr. Baumi used a rating scale that was designed for measuring PTSD; yes, people with scanxiety are dealing with a physical and emotional state also felt by veterans of combat and victims of violence. Among my friends with lung cancer, only a few report that they have been able find a way to tame scanxiety.
Somehow we have to get through the days, both before having our scans and while we are waiting for the results, and our mental and physical health are going to be better if we can find ways to cope. Here are some ideas I have observed myself and others using to deal with scanxiety.
1. Distract Yourself. This is the perfect time to sit down with a gripping novel that you have been meaning to read. Binge-watch several episodes of a favorite television series. Spend time on your hobbies; I’m making rapid progress on a sweater that I am knitting for my daughter, because having yarn and needles in my hands is guaranteed to soothe me.
2. Let Someone Pamper You. What better time could there be to get a massage or to get your nails done? The idea is to relax and let someone else take care of you for a little while.
3. Take Care of Business. Keep yourself focused on other important parts of your life. Balance your checkbook and pay the bills, clean the bathroom, vacuum the living room. This is another form of distraction, and you have a clean house as a result.
4. Embrace Your Faith. Some friends who seem to be more calm at scan time have a deep faith. A phrase they often use is, “I’m leaving it in God’s hands”. I don’t have that kind of faith, but I do try to meditate daily and scan time is a bad time for me to blow off my practice.
5. Admit that It’s Happening. The other day, I found myself very irritable and grouchy, unfairly snapping at my husband. When I admitted to myself that scanxiety was settling in, we talked and I was able to dial down the grouchiness. Keep in mind that while you are having scanxiety, your loved ones are feeling it as well. A good talk and a long hug may help both of you feel less anxious.
6. Take Good Care of Yourself. Keep to a normal meal schedule and make sure you get enough sleep, even if you need a little help to do so. Hunger and exhaustion will not help you cope, in fact they will make your negative frame of mind even worse.
7. Take a Chill Pill. If nothing else works and your scanxiety is overwhelming your ability to cope, ask your doctor to prescribe a small quantity of an anti-anxiety medication. Sometimes we need a little help, and a wee bit of Xanax might untie that knot in your stomach.
8. Have a Plan. This is important for me. Every appointment with my doctor includes a discussion about what my best next line of treatment probably is, and I keep that in mind when I find myself starting to spin worst case scenarios in my mind. I may not be thrilled about what that next line of treatment probably is, but I do feel more prepared to move on if I have to, and that helps me convert scanxiety to determination.
These are my ideas for coping with scanxiety. Are you troubled with scanxiety as well? What has helped you cope?
Reference: Scan-associated distress in lung cancer: Quantifying the impact of “scanxiety”. lungcancerjournal.info/arti...
Pixabay image by LoganArt under CC0 Public Domain
Liver cancer and now suspected lung cancer 
Waiting for Pet Scan results, so difficult in coping
To be, or not to be...NED. That is the question -William Shakespeare and me 😂
Today went pretty well
