Scanxiety

abita

It is so real. I am, was, even so confident that my results will show everything stable at the very least, and hopefully shrinking for the win. Nonetheless, the closer it gets to results day, the more my subconscious is freaking out. I realized once I started to feel like I was going to cry while binge watching a very funny comedy show, and then I felt like I had done something to ruin all my friendships, jobs. Waiting for results, even when thinking they will be good can bring you to a point where all feels doomed.

PamRav

I can sympathize,

waiting is some kind of he!!  I had my scan last Tuesday.  No results yet.  None if my call returned.  I am thinking perhaps its better not to know.  I physically feel great, so Thats my story and I am sticking with it.  

This weekend I am   reading  a good book, eating my favorite foods getting some excercise and trying to relax 

Monday I'll persue getting my results, but until then cancer isnt getting anymore of my precious time 

all the best to you Abita 

Trubrit

I play head games...

before a scan and results. 

I play out in my head how I will react if the results are bad. What I will do, who I will tell, will I go back on chemo or will I let nature takes its course.  I play with how I will die, and what my funeral will be like. I ask myself how much my children will react, will they really miss me. I allow myself all of those awful, depressing thoughts, and then I pull myslef out of it, and wait out the days until my appointment. 

It is an awful time, and for me at least, I feel the same five years out as I did two months out. It never gets any better. 

But I don't let it ruin my days - can't seem to control those night hours though - and I have my worries and then enjoy what I have until they engulf me again. 

Roll with it, Abita. Don't feel guilt unless you completley shut down and live in your bed - then you have allowed it to get the better of you. 

We all know that no amount of stressing will change those results, but it is a normal realction none-the-less. 

Hang tight, forum friend.

Tru

abita

PamRav said:

I can sympathize,

waiting is some kind of he!!  I had my scan last Tuesday.  No results yet.  None if my call returned.  I am thinking perhaps its better not to know.  I physically feel great, so Thats my story and I am sticking with it.  

This weekend I am   reading  a good book, eating my favorite foods getting some excercise and trying to relax 

Monday I'll persue getting my results, but until then cancer isnt getting anymore of my precious time 

all the best to you Abita 

Hoping we both get great

Hoping we both get great results Monday.

zx10guy

I'm an action type person. 

I'm an action type person.  So I have to be actively doing something.  Sitting and waiting just doesn't sit well with me.  On other posts about scan results, I've mentioned I don't wait till my next appointment with my doctor to get the results of scans.  I get them the same day usually within a couple of hours after walking out of the scan facility.  Doing this for one occupies my head with tasks to do.  Only recently has my doctor gotten the results of a scan before me.  He knew how obsessive I get with getting results quickly.  He sent me a text message telling me all was good.  I still contacted the radiology company to have them email me the actual report for me to review.

I guess scanxiety might not be a thing for me anymore as my doc said no more scans.  Next checkup will only be blood work which for me is CEAxiety as my CEA has been way abnormal for 3 years now.

abita

zx10guy said:

I'm an action type person. 

I'm an action type person.  So I have to be actively doing something.  Sitting and waiting just doesn't sit well with me.  On other posts about scan results, I've mentioned I don't wait till my next appointment with my doctor to get the results of scans.  I get them the same day usually within a couple of hours after walking out of the scan facility.  Doing this for one occupies my head with tasks to do.  Only recently has my doctor gotten the results of a scan before me.  He knew how obsessive I get with getting results quickly.  He sent me a text message telling me all was good.  I still contacted the radiology company to have them email me the actual report for me to review.

I guess scanxiety might not be a thing for me anymore as my doc said no more scans.  Next checkup will only be blood work which for me is CEAxiety as my CEA has been way abnormal for 3 years now.

As of my last call while the

As of my last call while the office was open Friday, the radiologist had still not processed my scan.

Annabelle41415

Anticipation

The anticipation of a scan can sometimes be so overwhelming.  I'm not sure if your doctor can call you, or you can wait for the results so you don't need to schedule an appointment weeks out for the results, like a suggested post above.  Sometimes that can happen if you have a very caring provider.  You might want to ask, just so you don't have to wait.  Wishing you the best outcome.

Kim

abita

Annabelle41415 said:

Anticipation

The anticipation of a scan can sometimes be so overwhelming.  I'm not sure if your doctor can call you, or you can wait for the results so you don't need to schedule an appointment weeks out for the results, like a suggested post above.  Sometimes that can happen if you have a very caring provider.  You might want to ask, just so you don't have to wait.  Wishing you the best outcome.

Kim

The person who answers my

The person who answers my doctor s phone sends me the results when I ask. Unfortunately, when the office was closing Friday,  the radiologist had still not processed my results. 

zx10guy

abita said:

As of my last call while the

As of my last call while the office was open Friday, the radiologist had still not processed my scan.

I don't know when you had

I don't know when you had your scan.  Was it Thursday or Friday (in the morning or in the afternoon)?  I found that if I scheduled my scans to be in the morning, I would get my results in the afternoon.  The pattern I've seen is the radiologists usually need about 2 to 3 hours to review the scans.  This has held true for the two different places I've had my scans done: Community Radiology and the local hospital.

I don't know when your appointment with your doctor is but I would call today and see if the report is ready.  I'd be surprised if it's not done today and ready for you to pick up.  I used to have to go in to the radiology office to get my report in person.  They've changed their policy where they'll email the report to me using the email they have on file.  The only thing I have to do is reply back to an email they send out first consenting to the report being sent to me via email.

AnneO1965

Here we go....

I've got my second scan since surgery next month and the scanxiety is already starting to set in. I'm doing the same thing as you Tru, letting all the bad stuff that could happen run it's course in my head and then move on. It is what it is. 

That being said, I wish the very best for you Abita. I'll be thinking about you all day till you let us know your results.

abita

zx10guy said:

I don't know when you had

I don't know when you had your scan.  Was it Thursday or Friday (in the morning or in the afternoon)?  I found that if I scheduled my scans to be in the morning, I would get my results in the afternoon.  The pattern I've seen is the radiologists usually need about 2 to 3 hours to review the scans.  This has held true for the two different places I've had my scans done: Community Radiology and the local hospital.

I don't know when your appointment with your doctor is but I would call today and see if the report is ready.  I'd be surprised if it's not done today and ready for you to pick up.  I used to have to go in to the radiology office to get my report in person.  They've changed their policy where they'll email the report to me using the email they have on file.  The only thing I have to do is reply back to an email they send out first consenting to the report being sent to me via email.

Where I go, it takes about 2

Where I go, it takes about 2 days. 

abita

Liver tumor shrunk to almost

Liver tumor shrunk to almost not seen in scan. Lung tumors exactly the same. I am told no growth is good, so trying not to be too disappointed that they didn't shrink.

Trubrit

A double edged sword

It is always hard to balance the good with the bad.

I am happy to hear that the liver mets have all but disappeared.  Concentrate your energy toward those Lung mets, and hopefully they will follow suit. 

Tru

abita

I just looked at my scan. It

I just looked at my scan. It has that the lung mets grew by .5 cm, .3 cm., and .1 cm. He did say lung scans are not always as precise, so don't worry. Also, trying to remind myself that sometimes with targeted drugs, the tumors get bigger even when it is working.

zx10guy

abita said:

I just looked at my scan. It

I just looked at my scan. It has that the lung mets grew by .5 cm, .3 cm., and .1 cm. He did say lung scans are not always as precise, so don't worry. Also, trying to remind myself that sometimes with targeted drugs, the tumors get bigger even when it is working.

Also remember that CT scans

Also remember that CT scans take sample/slices of images of your body.  I think it's 2mm slices.  Between that and how you are positioned on the table will affect the fine measurements of any tumors.  I have two hemangiomas which depending on the radiologist, how I'm positioned on the table, the moon, sky.... will vary by .1 to .2 cm in the measurements being reported by the examining radiologist.  The .1cm one, I would chalk this one up to being within the margin of error and possibly the .3cm too.  The .5cm one might not be as big a growth as being reported.  The next scan would reinforce any rate of growth if any.

Hope this helps a little.

PamRav

Glad

To hear the liver tumors have shrunk.  Hang on to that, it is really good news.  
what chemo are you currently on?

abita

PamRav said:

Glad

To hear the liver tumors have shrunk.  Hang on to that, it is really good news.  
what chemo are you currently on?

Erbutix and irinotecan 

Erbutix and irinotecan 

Ruthmomto4

abita said:

Erbutix and irinotecan 

Erbutix and irinotecan 

I think this scan

Is good news! Try to relax now and get some rest! 

abita

Ruthmomto4 said:

I think this scan

Is good news! Try to relax now and get some rest! 

Thank you! 

Thank you!