How to Cope With Scanxiety: 9 Ways to Get Through the Wait for Test Results

The appointment is booked for Thursday, and your mind has been there since Sunday. You are replaying the doctor’s tone, checking the patient portal and reading symptoms you wish you had never searched for. Even if the scan itself is routine, the days around it feel like holding your breath.

That experience has a name, scanxiety: the anxiety that builds around medical scans, tests and the wait for results. It is especially well known among people living with cancer and other long-term conditions, but anyone waiting for important news can feel it.

Why waiting is so hard

The mind dislikes uncertainty more than bad news

Research on intolerance of uncertainty, such as the review by Nicholas Carleton, describes uncertainty as a core driver of anxiety. Not knowing is often harder to bear than a known difficulty, because the mind keeps running scenarios to resolve it.

The stakes are high and the control is low

Psychologist Merle Mishel’s work on uncertainty in illness showed that when people lack clear information about their condition and cannot predict what will happen, stress rises sharply. Waiting for a result is exactly that situation: something important is decided, and you cannot influence it.

The body gets involved

Dread can bring a racing heart, trouble sleeping, nausea and difficulty concentrating. See why anxiety feels physical for how the body’s alarm system produces these sensations.

Earlier experiences colour the present

People who have had bad news before often feel the shadow of that day. The nervous system remembers.

Information arrives in odd ways

Many health systems now release results to online portals before a doctor has reviewed them. Seeing unexplained numbers or medical terms alone can trigger spirals of worry.

9 ways to cope with scanxiety

1. Name it

Tell yourself: “This is scanxiety. It is common, and it is a response to waiting, not a prediction.” Naming the experience reduces the sense that something is wrong with you. For the wider pattern, see health anxiety signs and how to cope.

2. Ask clear questions of your care team

Ask: When will results be ready? Who will contact me, and how? What could the results mean, and what happens next in each case? Knowing the process removes a lot of guesswork. If you can, ask whether results will appear in a portal before you have spoken to anyone, and decide whether you want to see them early.

3. Write down your questions instead of searching the internet

General online information rarely fits your situation and often fuels fear. Keep a note on your phone for questions that come up, and bring it to your next appointment.

4. Plan the waiting period

Research on implementation intentions, led by Peter Gollwitzer, shows that specific if-then plans help people manage difficult moments. Plan the days around the test: If I start checking the portal, then I’ll go for a walk instead. Plan some rest, something enjoyable and lower expectations of yourself.

5. Plan for both outcomes, briefly

Spend ten minutes thinking about what you would do if the news is good and what you would do if it is not: who you would call, what questions you would ask. Having a plan restores some sense of control. Then close the notebook.

6. Contain the worry

Give worry a set time rather than letting it follow you all day. See a gentle guide to worry time. Outside that window, jot the thought down and return to what you are doing.

7. Stay occupied with absorbing activities

Choose things that hold your attention: a gripping book, cooking, puzzles, a walk with a friend, a long bath. The aim is not to avoid the worry completely, but to give the mind something else to do.

8. Lean on people

Tell one or two trusted people what you are going through and what you need, whether that is company, distraction or someone to listen. Consider asking someone to come with you to the appointment or to be with you when results arrive. Many patient organisations also run support groups and online communities.

9. Look after the basics

Regular meals, movement and sleep make anxiety less intense. If nights are hard, see why you feel more anxious at night. Go easy on caffeine and alcohol, which can worsen jitters.

A worked example

Rina has a follow-up scan on Friday and results the following Wednesday. By Monday she is not sleeping.

1. Name it: “This is scanxiety.”
2. Questions: she calls the clinic and learns results will be reviewed by her doctor, who will phone her on Wednesday afternoon.
3. Portal decision: she turns off portal notifications until after the call.
4. Plan the wait: she books a walk with her sister on Saturday and a film on Sunday.
5. Both outcomes: she writes down who she will call and which questions she will ask, then puts the page in a drawer.
6. Worry time: she gives herself ten minutes at 6 p.m. each day.
7. Basics: she keeps her bedtime and skips evening coffee.

The worry does not vanish, but it stops taking over the days, and on Wednesday she receives the call feeling steadier than she expected.

Common mistakes

• Searching symptoms and results online. It rarely helps and often escalates fear.
• Checking the portal repeatedly. Each check can restart the alarm.
• Pretending you are fine. Suppressing worry tends to make it louder.
• Isolating. Support helps more than you expect.
• Making the wait a test of your bravery. Fear is not failure.
• Ignoring sleep. Poor sleep amplifies anxiety.

When to seek help

Tell your care team if:

• anxiety is severe, constant or stopping you sleeping or eating,
• you have panic attacks or find it hard to function,
• scanxiety keeps coming back before every test and feels unmanageable,
• you feel hopeless or low for more than a couple of weeks,
• you have thoughts of harming yourself.

Many hospitals offer psychological support, and therapists who work with health anxiety or chronic illness can help. The National Institute of Mental Health has information on anxiety and treatment. If you are in crisis, contact your local emergency number or, in the United States, call or text 988. See our disclaimer.

Frequently asked questions

What is scanxiety?

The anxiety and dread that build before medical scans or tests, and while waiting for results.

Is scanxiety normal?

Yes. It is very common, especially among people with cancer or other long-term conditions, and among anyone awaiting important results.

How do I stop worrying while waiting for test results?

You may not stop entirely, but you can reduce it by asking clear questions, planning the waiting period, limiting online searching and staying occupied.

Should I look at my results in the patient portal?

It is a personal choice. Results can appear before your doctor has reviewed them, which can cause worry. Consider deciding in advance and discussing it with your care team.

Why does waiting feel worse than the news?

Uncertainty is hard for the mind to tolerate, so it keeps generating possibilities. Knowing, even something difficult, often brings a different kind of relief.

When should I talk to someone about scanxiety?

If it is severe, disrupts sleep or daily life, or is getting worse, raise it with your care team or a mental health professional.

The bottom line

Scanxiety is a normal response to an uncertain, high-stakes wait. You cannot control the result, but you can ask clear questions, plan the days around the test, contain the worry, stay occupied and lean on people. Be gentle with yourself: waiting is hard, and you are allowed to find it so.