Over CT/Bone scan fears

[senalarose]

Guess I am just looking for reassurance from individuals who have had many ct scans in their early ages plus radioactive iodine injections for bones scans. I have had 2 abdomen ct scans in one day with clean bill of health plus a bone scan with a clean bill of health.

Now I have fears I have just signed a death sentence and may have given myself cancer now or in the future. Have neck pains now and swallowing issues. Going to the dr of course but google told me throat cancer or lymphoma.

Just wondering if anyone had a list of radioactive scans when they were young and they ended up growing up just fine. Would really help reassure me :)

[Fishmanpa]

I'm not young (56) but I had head and neck cancer. You wanna take a guess on what they did to treat it? Yep... Radiation... 5 days a week for 6 weeks and every day before they cooked me, I had a CT scan to make sure the radiation beams were hitting the right spots. So, I had 30 CT scans and enough radiation to make the skin on my neck burn off. I'm here and cancer free.

So tell me how a few scans are going to give you cancer. Show me an actual documented case where scans or x-rays were the cause of someone's cancer. You can't ;)

Positive thoughts

[senalarose]

Appreciate the response, guess I am just hoping for more input. Its because I had 4 head ct scans due to a coma at 23 (was all screwy in the head so couldn't ask for alternative) then now at 26 I have had a pointless radioactive injection bone scan (normal results) a double abdominal cause they needed contrast and then 3 normal xrays (2 chest 1 abdomen) all in 1.5 years.Normal results.
I am going to refuse any radiation now its just now
I am getting neck pain on left side issues and swallowing issues. Working on getting results but been 2 months ER said from opinion it was alright with no tests. Waiting on blood work (1 week)Also waiting on ultrasound results. ER pretty sure thinks I just drove myself nuts into getting all these issues. He would have been right in the past until I did all these tests that may have caused this new mess im in. I know im on the right path now with tests just scared of the mess I coulda just made.

My armpit node/neck node and under jaw are swollen and groin. I get head pain (waiting on a mri next 3 months) have brain injury from coma

Just scared I may have caused a real problem by getting a doctor to test for false issues... Now Im afraid I made myself get cancer.... Fed up with my brain screwy issues

Sorry if I make little sense, my brain damage makes it hard to type what I am thinking, could say it verbally. I know you guys are not doctors just looking for reassurance of ppl doing the same or worse and coming out fine. I know drs say it will be ok but one told me to not do any more cts so I guess that scared me a little. ALOT
Just ugh why did I create such a mess, I was fine last summer until I had a small mental break. Also have OCD so once I looked up the chances of cancer from the tests and blood cancer I went real nuts. Never googling again but I am begging for relief from other ppl now. You know experiences like you had.


***Thanks for your input means alot and glad you feel much better now****

[anthrokid]

Whilst there are suggestions that CT scans could cause cancer, the risks reported are ridiculously low. I don't know what statistics you have read, but from scientific journals, the evidence for this isn't very strong at all. In one study, they found that something like 1 in 4050 women who had a CT scan at 20 years old went on to develop cancer. That equates to something like .002%. And even then, that .002% could be completely due to chance. Remember, correlation DOES NOT equal causation. So just because the one person who had a CT at 20 years old then developed cancer, doesn't mean the cancer was due to the CT, it may just be coincidental. If there was any definitive link between CTs and cancer they wouldn't use them regularly.

[senalarose]

thanks for all the input guys :) this board has been very helpful. Wish I found it years back. Supposed to start cipralex soon, people say it may calm all the issues im having down. I hate ssri's but I guess sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do :)