Don't let the soft pink color of the gown I'm wearing in this selfie fool you - there is nothing cute or soft about scanxiety! Scanxiety is the pre-scan anxiety so particular to cancer survivors that we've given it a special name.
I'm a doctor but I'm also a breast cancer survivor. I must have checkups, blood work and scans when my oncologist orders them for me - just as you must. In this photo, I was waiting for my most recent scan and my scanxiety was worse than the buzzing jack hammer of the MRI.
Scanxiety is part of living with cancer. I dealt with it by texting my husband and some friends, concentrating on deep breathing all through the scan and thinking about dinner. Yes, dinner! I'm happy to report our dinner that evening was fantastic since I was able to enjoy it with a few old friends, on the patio & socially-distanced.
I find the best way to cope with scanxiety is to focus my attention on things that bring me joy. If you need help calming your nerves before your next checkup, try doing things that get you out of your head and into your life. Here is a list of activities I often use to calm my mind and relieve feelings of stress.
Calming Scanxiety
Listen to music
Take a bath or shower
Hug a loved one
Take a walk
Do breath exercises, meditation or prayer
Snuggle your pet
Practice a creative hobby—drawing or painting (try an adult coloring book!),
baking, knitting, Lego building
Sing or play an instrument
Be outside in nature—work in the garden, walk in a forest or park, sit by a lake or the ocean
Get physical exercise—walking, biking, paddle boarding, dancing
Laugh—listen to a funny podcast or watch a comedy
What are your strategies to get through scanxiety?
This post is adapted from a chapter in Braving Chemo: What to Expect, How to Prepare and How to Get Through It, by Beverly A. Zavaleta MD, 2019.
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