@jimhd - Good morning. That must have been a frustrating and scary experience prior to and at the beginning of the MRI. The same thing happened to me a few months ago. When I was on the MRI table I could feel myself tense and thought, Oh ..... I yelled out, " stop" as the table started to go into the machine. The technician came in the room and talked to me. He put a light scarf over my head and just a bit of a corner allowed me to see what was going on. I've also been given the wrong drugs for different things. So what I do now is ask what is being prescribed and any side effects I might experience before the doctor leaves the room. This way I can control a situation like you mentioned. Drugs can be ordered so quickly with a computer that if a doctor hit the send key, it's too late to discuss anything, and you have a new prescription waiting for you.
Of course the past does shape and effect us, a lot. That doesn't mean that we have to carry it around and let it dictate how we react to those memories our entire lives. We can stuff them away, maybe not permanently, but for at least some of the time. It's amazing how many insensitive people there are that mean well but do not know how to do that. Other than walking away from them you might say, "sounds like you have through this, what's your secret?" By the way I struggled to come up with this one.
After 10 years of being free from my first cancer I had a new one, much different than the first. I was shocked beyond words. That started my journey of PTSD, migraines, etc. My upbringing and my sense of of the world around me came barreling in, like a tsunami overwhelming a beach. I fell asleep to the word, get over it by many people. It has taken me years to do just that but only after years of trying to deal with each situation.
When I remember it, I try to be mindful. I try to do the things that keep me healthy both physically and mentally but sometimes I don't.
One thing that I have to remember is that I am only remembering the past and it is the memory that hurts or makes me fearful. I find that I am not always successful in thinking positively about them. How do you do this?