For many people receiving Nivolumab, the period between having a CT scan and waiting for the results becomes one of the hardest parts of the entire treatment routine. Even when scans are “scheduled” and expected, the emotional impact can build over years.
The process often becomes very familiar:
- Blood tests.
- Travel to hospital.
- Cannula inserted or nowadays some oncology centres use the new injection method.
- Contrast dye and the mechanical hum of the scanner – that “warm” feeling making you feel as if you’re wetting yourself and that nasty metallic taste in your mouth.
- The short reassurance that “results will be discussed at your next appointment.”
Then comes the wait.
What makes it difficult is that life appears normal on the outside while internally everything can feel temporarily suspended. Many patients describe:
- heightened awareness of every ache or pain,
- difficulty concentrating,
- disrupted sleep,
- mentally replaying previous scan results,
- or trying to interpret how they physically feel as a clue to what the scan might show.
For long-term immunotherapy patients, especially those who have been on treatment for years or have reached NED status, scans can carry a strange mixture of gratitude and fear:
- gratitude that treatment exists and monitoring continues,
- fear that stability could change unexpectedly.
This experience is often called “scanxiety” within cancer communities. It can happen even when previous scans have been positive and even when treatment is going well.
With regular Nivolumab infusions, the routine itself can become psychologically significant:
- treatment cycles create milestones,
- scans become checkpoints,
- and the period between them can feel emotionally heavier than the actual scan.
Many patients develop personal coping routines during the waiting period:
- keeping busy with normal life,
- spending time outdoors,
- avoiding excessive symptom-checking online,
- focusing on controllable routines like sleep, hydration, and gentle exercise,
- or planning something positive immediately after the results appointment regardless of outcome.
From a medical perspective, the waiting period is usually due to:
- radiologist reporting time,
- comparison with previous scans,
- MDT (multidisciplinary team) review if needed,
- and coordinating results with oncology appointments.
So although the scan itself may only take minutes, the interpretation behind it is detailed and careful.
For people who have lived through years of melanoma treatment and immunotherapy, the waiting often becomes less about the scan itself and more about what it represents:
another pause between uncertainty and reassurance.
Good Luck to all of you that live with this – you are incredible people.
Remember ……One Life……Love it…….Live it.
