Due for MRI scan tomorrow waiting for appointment for Pet scan, my anxiety is in overdrive as are my negative thoughts
Hi Jay276 and welcome to our group.
It’s very difficult to control anxiety when you’re facing scans-I still find it difficult and I’ve had many over the years.
Would you like to share where you are in the diagnostic process? I presume that you’ve been told about your cancer diagnosis from a biopsy, and the scans are the next step to formulate a treatment plan for you?
I’m not sure if you’ve ever had an mri before, but they are noisy, so this can be an unpleasant surprise if you’re not expecting it. I always choose to wear an eye mask, and try deep breathing exercises beforehand. You will have a buzzer to hold, which you can press at any time to stop the scan if things get too much for you.
I find a pet scan much easier to handle, although it is time consuming. You have a radio active tracer delivered via a cannula, and then need to sit quietly in a room while the tracer goes round your body. Then you have the scan itself, which involves lying on the table while the scanner moves over your body. It’s not enclosed, which is why I find it easier.
I think it’s very hard not to have negative thoughts as the fear is what might be found on the scans. However, when I was first diagnosed I found things easier to deal with once my scans had been done and my treatment plan was decided. We all have to go through them, and I don’t find it easy to have any type of scan even now. I do try the deep breathing, and mindfulness (free app on my phone) and while I’m being scanned I try to visualise myself somewhere else-happy memories of walking along a beach for example.
It’s difficult not to let negative thoughts be overwhelming, but try to think of it as the next step in getting any treatment started. The staff in my experience are very used to nervous patients and will do theIt best to reassure you and keep you calm since you will need to stay very still.
If you’d like to put a little bit of detail in your profile, that will help us to answer any questions and give you support. I hope you’ll let us know how you get on and that things are not as bad as you fear.
Sarah xx
Hi Jay276
This link here will take you to the “help” pages where you will be able to see how to manage your account, and complete your profile information. Hopefully that will be useful, but please let me know if you need anything else. Click here-
Sarah xx
