Testing – Did I Pass?

It really feels like I have spent much of my life sitting in hospital waiting rooms and in clinics waiting for medical tests. It really started when I was 16, with cancer diagnosis #1.

While I haven’t done every medical test possible (thank goodness) I have definitely completed a whole lot of them. Some of these I have done many, many times.

There is always anxiety that comes along with doing these kinds of tests. Most of these tests need to happen because of a health concern or any kind of negative reason.

There will usually be some kind of stress or anxiety that happens. But how to handle it?

There is anxiety while you wait to find out how soon you can get the test done. Anxiety after you find out when you will get the test done. Anxiety while you are there getting the test done.

And finally anxiety when you wait for the results. Just a whole bunch of anxiety throughout the whole process. Pretty tough to handle.

There are a whole lot of factors that go in to how the experience will be when you are actually at the hospital or medical facility. So many factors. 

Ones like how much sleep you were able to get the night before. What information your doctor has given you beforehand. A lot or a little.

What possible diagnosis you might be getting from this. Very serious or not very serious. 

It will also depend on if you have been doing some late night searching on Dr. Google (something I don’t recommend). That alone can create a ton of anxiety and stress. 

The experience can also depend on the medical technician who helps you.  Sometimes they don’t have the best bedside manner (yikes). Sometimes they aren’t having the best day and they can make things more difficult for you. 

It can also change things if you don’t understand how the testing works. At least a little bit. If you have a clear understanding on what you need to do and what you should expect the machine to do, that is incredibly helpful. 

As always, my advice is to be as informed as possible. But sometimes that just isn’t very easy to do. 

Some tests are quick and relatively painless, but others can be lengthy and very uncomfortable. Yes, very uncomfortable. I absolutely don’t want to repeat those difficult ones. 

The ones that I think can be the worst to increase anxiety, are the ones for me when I would have to lay down and slowly go through what I would call the “donut.” Now, usually donuts aren’t something to fear, but these donuts are something very different.

One of the biggest reasons I’m really not a fan of the tests where I had to lay down, was not just because the surface I would have to lay down on was always hard and very small. Had to be small enough to go through the donut!

But another reason I really don’t like these tests is because I would need to stay calm, hold my breathe (not the whole time), stay still and stare at the ceiling for sometimes up to an hour. 

Laying there for 45 minutes to an hour is a LONG time. A very long time! A long time to think about anything. Usually think about why I was even getting the test. Why I was there. What was going to happen.

I don’t know about you friend, but it’s hard to keep calm and stay still in that situation. 

At the hospital here where I live, someone was on the ball and worked to create a more peaceful and fun environment. The ceiling riles right above the machine were painted with colourful and fun pictures. I expect these were specifically done for children getting tests done for cancer diagnosis and treatment. But I really appreciated them too. 

Especially since these machines were the ones I had to use many, many times through my thyroid cancer journey. 

This kind of testing isn’t quite the same as other tests you might do at different points in your life. But in some ways it’s the same. You can receive a pass or fail result which can have dramatic consequences for your future. 

There are things in these situations that you have control over, and things you will not have control over. It’s critical that you make the best choices you can for the things you can handle. And release the things you cannot control. I recommend releasing it through prayer. 

So friend, whether you go through similar testing as I did, or you go through very different testing, I pray you won’t be overcome by anxiety. 

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