SCANXIETY IS REAL: How I Manage Fear in Between Cancer Screenings

The worst part of cancer isn’t always the treatment.

Sometimes it’s the waiting.

As a two-time cancer survivor, I’ve learned that the anxiety leading up to scans and test results - what the cancer community calls “scanxiety” - can be just as debilitating as the initial diagnosis. That pit in your stomach that appears every time you see the appointments on your calendar and get the text reminders. The spiral of “what if” scenarios. The way each body change, ache or pain suddenly feels like evidence of recurrence.

If you’ve experienced it, you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, let me paint the picture: You finish treatment. You’re declared cancer-free. Everyone celebrates. Life is supposed to return to normal. Except it doesn’t, because every three months you have to go back for surveillance scans.

In my case, that means an MRI, CT scan, flexible sigmoidoscopy and blood tests. And in the weeks leading up to those appointments, your mind becomes your worst enemy.

A couple years into this, here’s what I’ve learned about surviving the mental marathon of scanxiety and some tips for awaiting any test results:

Name It Without Shame

The first step is acknowledging that scanxiety is legitimate. You’re not weak for feeling anxious. You’re not lacking faith or gratitude because you’re scared. You survived cancer - your nervous system has every reason to be on high alert. I spent too long pretending I was fine, that my cancer was “behind me,” when the truth was that every scan reminder email and text sends my heart racing.

Give yourself permission to admit you’re struggling. The fear doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong. It means you’re human.

Break It Down

When facing something overwhelming, I’ve learned not to stare at the entire mountain. Instead, break the time into manageable segments. Don’t focus on the appointment three weeks away - focus on getting through today. Then tomorrow. Then this work week.

I’d tell myself: “I just need to make it to Friday.” “I just need to survive the 24 hours before results.” This isn’t denial—it’s strategic focus. You’re not ignoring the scan; you’re refusing to let it consume every moment leading up to it.

Control What You Can Control

You can’t control what the scan will show. That’s the terrifying part. But you can control plenty of other variables:

Schedule your appointment at a time that minimizes disruption. Bring a trusted person with you. Ask your doctor to call with results rather than making you wait days for an office visit. Prepare specific questions you want answered. Decide in advance whether you want detailed information or just the bottom line.

These small acts of agency matter when you’re feeling powerless.

Move Your Body

Physical movement genuinely helps manage anticipatory anxiety. I’m not suggesting anything extreme - just that a 20-minute walk, time in your garden, even stretching in your living room can interrupt the anxiety spiral. Your body needs reminding that it can do things, that it’s more than a potential site of disease.

Movement doesn’t have to be athletic. It just has to get you out of your head for a few minutes.

Build Your Support System

I had to learn to tell people when I had upcoming scans instead of suffering silently.

You need people who understand - whether that’s your partner or spouse, a therapist, a support group, or fellow survivors who get it without you having to explain. Tell them what you need: distraction, company at appointments, someone to call after results, or just acknowledgment that you’re going through something hard.

Accept the Uncertainty

Here’s the hardest truth I’ve learned: scanxiety never completely disappears. Even years out, even after clear scans, the fear resurfaces as if it never left. But it does get more manageable. You learn that you’ve survived the waiting before. You learn that anxiety about the future doesn’t change the future - it just ruins the present.

You don’t have to be brave every minute. You don’t have to handle this perfectly.

You just have to get through it - and you will, because you already have.

The space between scans is its own kind of survival. And you’re stronger than you think.

Please be sure to check out my book, “Every Mile Matters: Turning Triathlon Training Into Cancer Triumph.” It’s available in paperback, hardcover, ebook and audiobook formats.