STRICKEN WITH SCANXIETY

For personal reasons, I’ve been following with some interest Brian Blum’s ongoing documentation of his unfortunate illness (most recently “Scanxiety,” September 27). Until his latest one on PET scan “scanxiety,” though, I’ve never had reason to respond or comment.

I’ve had, in fact, four PET scans since my cancerous bladder and an assortment of adjacent organs were removed nearly two years ago. And while I suffered some impatience waiting for the verdict of the first one – that scan, after all, would determine how successful my treatment and surgery were – I hardly gave the other three any thought during the week of so before the results came in. I was not, in other words, stricken with scanxiety. And until Brian raised the subject last week, I never gave this much thought.

Initially, I considered that, unlike Brian, my cancer was not in a state of remission. The guilty parties, in my case, were removed and I have “only” to be concerned about lingering cells that might start maturing. Brian’s situation, I can see, has far greater uncertainty.

That, though, is not the whole story. Faith, I believe, permitted me to keep my focus on more immediate and pressing matters and not dwell on what the scans will show. The firm belief that there will be no unwanted surprises allowed me to concentrate on my work, family, and other interests, so that when my doctor called with the results of the scans and informed me that all is well (Baruch Hashem), the relief was felt but not overwhelming; in other words, I expected nothing else.

One final point. Brian has touched upon this from time to time in his chronicles, but I just was to emphasize that the support and services provided in this country to cancer victims are outstanding. And even during the PET scans, the technicians and physicians that do the prepping and scanning demonstrate both professionalism and empathy, which too, I think, is a remedy for scanxiety.

BARRY NEWMAN

Ginot Shomron