Bleah

[serene]

Today, I'm going to get a neck ultrasound. I *hate* this procedure. It's not as bad as the needle biopsy (huge needles jabbed in my neck? no, thanks!), but in terms of anxiety, it's worse than the surgery, for me. By the end of twenty minutes or so in which someone is pressing hard on my neck, I feel so violated and deeply endangered (as though someone had been choking me for twenty minutes) that I usually spend the next few hours kind of shellshocked.

I think I was wise not to schedule myself to return to work after the procedure. Bleah.

(I'm even less keen on it today than usual, because all my blood tests say there's no cancer left in my body, and so part of me wants to be all "Okay, then. Then I don't have to have the ultrasounds any more, right? I mean, there's nothing to see! Move along, move along.")

Bleah.

Comments

[jae]

That sounds awful. Have you thought about taking something? Like Xanax or Ativan? That's exactly the sort of short-term anxiety issue those kinds of medication are meant for.

-J

[serene]

Thank you SO much. I had forgotten how much Ativan had helped with my needle biopsy. I've written to see if the doc can leave one at the pharmacy for me before my procedure. And heck, I may reschedule if he can't. Truly, thank you.

[jae]

Awesome! Happy to help.

-J

[makalove]

oh, good! i slept through the morning and when i saw this, the first thing i thought was to suggest you try some anti-anxiety meds for the procedure. glad jae suggested it early enough for it to help!

[merielle]

*hugs offered* I hope it wasn't too bad and that you have good support around you.

[submarine_bells]

*sympathy* Sounds like your throat ultrasounds are much more protracted and annoying than the one I had. Fingers crossed that it goes as smoothly and unstressfully as possible for you.

[hel]

*nod* I was also gonna say, could you take something beforehand, or change something about the circumstances of the procedure, or both?