A Little Anxiety For Nothing
I'd like to think of myself as a reasonable, logical person, and it never ceases to amaze me how quickly reason and logic can shift so easily to doubt. I suppose that's part of what cancer leaves in its wake.
I had my 6 month checkup this past week - CT scan, blood work and visit with the doctor - and I found myself doubting my own wellness for a couple of days. Logic told me there was no reason to doubt, yet my emotions wondered if there was. Tests confirmed all is well, and today, thanks to radioimmunotherapy, I have been cancer free for 3 years, 9 months and 11 days - not that I'm counting!
A little anxiety around checkup time is common, but there is no sense letting it go on for days. My doctor's office called the day after my scan to report the results, so I already knew I was fine by the time the doctor and I met a few days later. Fortunately, I have a doctor who understands that anxiety mounts while patients wait for test results, and he's very good about reporting them quickly.
If you experience the same rise in anxiety around checkup time, you might want to ask your doctor to call you with the results of tests prior to your visit. It really does help. It even helped back in the days when I learned bad news before visits with the doctor. At least I knew what to expect and could be prepared.
Betsy