SCAN-xiety

Last week I went for my second maintenance treatment at the cancer centre. After I had made myself comfortable in the infusion chair, the attending nurse asked me when was my last visit with my oncologist? I quickly explained that I had just visited him last Friday to get the results from my recent CT scan. She followed up with a question about the CT scan results. She was very careful to say it in a way that would be supportive regardless of my response (either positive or negative). Luckily I was able to give her a positive response this time. My recent CT scan results indicated no new growth of my tumours. This was, as I was told, good news. My oncologist was pleased with the results and booked a follow up CT scan in three months time.  

The nurse then went on to tell me about her friend, who had breast cancer and her reaction to these tests. She explained that her friend used to call the lead up to getting these test results as having "SCAN-xiety". This immediately resonated with me. This was so true. 

These scans are meant to give us an update on the progress or lack of progress in fighting this disease and yes, they can be very anxiety inducing. You never quite know what the results will be and the waiting time between the actual scan and seeing your oncologist about the results can be a nerve racking time. 

I believe (if my count is accurate) that I have had four CT scans and three MRI's since being diagnosed with cancer in August, along with a series of other tests and procedures. I previously talked about these tests in my blog post, Needles, Scans and Tests Oh My! For the most part, the results have been fairly positive but let me tell you that slow walk to the cancer centre that Michelle and I have taken several times over the past few months have been stressful and anxious each time. As I have stated, so far the results have been relatively positive (since the initial results that were a devastating blow to our family). We hope they stay positive for a long time!

New Anxiety

A new anxiety is fast emerging in our family and I am sure in your family as well. We are all now concerned about the Coronavirus. This is scary new territory for all of us but especially for those of us with lower immune systems, who are at higher risk according to Health officials. As a family, we are asking ourselves: Should I/we be going out in public? Do I/we shake hands with people?  How do we react when people lean in for a hug? Maybe with the social distancing request from Public Health, this will not be an issue for me. Do we need to join the frenzy and stock up on toilet paper and canned goods too?  Should I be going out, should I go out to restaurants, can we go to the mall with the concerns about large crowds? 

I guess for now we will take it day by day (as all of us must do) and make informed decisions about what is in the best interest of our family's health. I have to admit that these are scary times. 

We are trying to remain calm and stay positive. We hope that you are able to do the same.

Keep calm and hand wash on!

Richard