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Staying Strong Not Knowing the Results

So, you or your child are ill. You go from doctor to doctor and begin to feel the pressure of not knowing. Then you have a scare that it may be something very serious. Now you have to wait for the final results and that’s the problem.

Recently a friend and co-worker went through a cancer scare. She had to wait days for test results and during that time try to keep her head on, stay calm and breathe. Does anyone know how hard this is?

I never shared this before, but when I was hospitalized about 1 1/2 years ago with a serious bowel obstruction, the same thing  happened to me. Obviously, not an uncommon thing.

In both of these cases, the results were negative and life was able to go on. Everything worked out, but during the wait period it is very difficult to not ‘freak out.’ For my friend who has had many stomach problems, this cancer scare helped her to look at her life differently and embrace all she has. But, the waiting period was crucial and staying calm was just the same. We want quick results but we want them to be accurate.

For me, during a CAT-scan and MRI, they thought they saw a problem with my pancreas. How difficult it was for me to hear this and then be told not to think about it until I’m out of hospital and well from the obstruction… THEN they would tackle the pancreas. Imagine how I felt. I told only my husband and together we agreed not to share this in order to not create havoc among family and friends. I had myself dead and buried at one point and then quickly got over this and focused on my health and well-being. When I got home and went for a double MRI (very long) the initial suspicion as ruled out. Whew!

My list for dealing with no knowing until results come are:
Stay focused on your health
Try to remain calm
Do not dwell (very hard to do)
Be realistic
Breathe!