How Cancer Fighters Manage Fear and Uncertainty
When battling cancer or any serious chronic health disorder, there’s plenty of fear to go around. But scan time in particular is always brutal. It's not so much the scan itself... it's the tormenting sense of dread leading up to it- which can start weighing on you at least a month beforehand-, the back and forth during scheduling (the hospital number on caller ID still brings chills every damn time), and the insufferable waiting period that really wears you down.
And it doesn’t seem to get any easier over time. I’ve had both good and bad scans, but ever since being burned in the past, I can’t help bracing for the worst each time purely as a defense mechanism. Scans are really just information but they feel more like an impenetrable barrier to my quality of life. Planning is tricky because I never feel quite securely rooted— what if life is blown apart again next week? It’s happened to me before and I’ve seen nightmares play out endlessly around me. But in the end, it’s part of the game.
Recently, I turned to Twitter, curious to hear from other cancer fighters on how they deal with Scanxiety. What worked for them? Was there some secret I’d been missing?
What came back was:
Enjoying nature, the beach, or long walks with friends or pets.
Working out, movement, cleaning
Games with friends, being around loves ones
Prayer, meditation, journaling and acupuncture
Escapism TV, movies and books
Chocolate, tea, CBD oil, pot, alcohol, sedatives
Planning mini-adventures and weekends away
Rocking out or unwinding to music
Logical reframing, writing down theoretical next steps
A good cry
All in all, a solid mix of coping strategies. And what personally comforted me the most was the reminder that I wasn’t alone. Somehow that seemed to soften the pressure, just a tad, and I saw the pangs of terror that I experience as normal reactions for anyone in this position. It’s like of course you know that already, but sometimes seeing it with fresh eyes makes all the difference.