One of the realities of getting older is the increasing number and frequency of various medical tests. Of course these procedures are not done for fun, but are simply a chore that is thrust upon us as a result of reaching our twilight years. Because of the numerous chronic illnesses, conditions, and bodily processes that can start afflicting us as our bodies age, our organs and systems become less effective, it is a necessary part of aging to make sure we’re remaining healthy, or identifying issues and taking steps to correct them before they seriously affect our quality of life and independence. So it is entirely understandable for you to want to put off something like a colonoscopy, even though the procedure can indeed be lifesaving, allowing for early diagnosis of cancer or other digestive conditions.
Many people avoid getting a colonoscopy or other crucial tests because of anxiety over the procedures. This is referred to as medical test anxiety by experts, and according to the National Institutes of Health, it can even rise to the level of a phobia, which is a type of anxiety that causes intense, irrational fear. These phobias can include common ones like a fear of needles or a fear of medical procedures, or less directly related phobias like fears of enclosed spaces like one would experience in an MRI machine. While phobias are a mental condition, the fear experienced can cause many physical symptoms, such as a rapid, pounding heartbeat, difficulty breathing, and trembling.
Any medical test has the potential to cause anxiety, and the ones that most commonly do are:
- Blood tests: Health care professionals use needles to draw blood, which is necessary for a wide range of tests such as blood sugar, cholesterol, and many others necessary to gauging current health. But the needle used, or the sight of blood coming out can trigger panic and anxiety in many people.
- Endoscopy: This test uses a thin lighted tube inserted into the body to let health care providers check for signs of cancer and other diseases. Colonoscopies and upper GI endoscopies are the two most common forms of this test. Most people are understandably anxious about doctors seeing them in a sensitive state and having devices used on those areas of their bodies.
- Medical imaging: Tests like x-rays, ultrasounds, MRI, CT scans, bone density tests, and more that look inside the body can cause anxiety. Many people are wary of the radiation used on their body, or the enclosed spaces the tests require them to get into.
- Biopsies: Removing a small amount of tissue from a growth or other questionable body part to check for the presence of cancer or other conditions. The idea of being cut and having something taken off them can give some people the jitters.
- Measurements of functions: Tests as simple as blood pressure tests, pulse rate checks, oxygen saturation and more can cause anxiety. People can be worried about getting a bad result, and can start thinking of worst case scenarios which can lead to artificially high test results.