CT SCAN=Cancer Im So Scared

[kcole22]

Hey everyone my name is Kevin. I'm 28 years old. For the past 7 years I've had abdominal issues. I've had endoscopes done along with multiple ultrasounds. Recently Ive had to have Ct Scans. I had one CT scan of the Abdomen three years ago and recently had two have two more. One abdomen and one Abdomen/Pelvis. The test I needed but they all came back negative. I am scheduled for a colonoscopy in the next few weeks. I was ok until I googled ct scans and I read an article where ct scans cause cancer. Ever since then I have been completely consumed with the fact that I gave myself cancer. I’m relatively healthy guy never smoked and I maybe drink alcohol once a month. But the fact that I could have received this radiation that will kill me scares me so much. To make matters worse I just found out my fiancée is pregnant which should be a happy time in my life but all I can think about is dying from cancer and hurting both of them. I guess I’m just looking for other people who have undergone CT Scans and have knowledge of the risks. Or maybe some people who were my age when they received treatment and are fine now. Any responses would be greatly appreciated. Thank You

[GlassPinata]

Hey everyone my name is Kevin. I'm 28 years old. For the past 7 years I've had abdominal issues. I've had endoscopes done along with multiple ultrasounds. Recently Ive had to have Ct Scans. I had one CT scan of the Abdomen three years ago and recently had two have two more. One abdomen and one Abdomen/Pelvis. The test I needed but they all came back negative. I am scheduled for a colonoscopy in the next few weeks. I was ok until I googled ct scans and I read an article where ct scans cause cancer. Ever since then I have been completely consumed with the fact that I gave myself cancer. I’m relatively healthy guy never smoked and I maybe drink alcohol once a month. But the fact that I could have received this radiation that will kill me scares me so much. To make matters worse I just found out my fiancée is pregnant which should be a happy time in my life but all I can think about is dying from cancer and hurting both of them. I guess I’m just looking for other people who have undergone CT Scans and have knowledge of the risks. Or maybe some people who were my age when they received treatment and are fine now. Any responses would be greatly appreciated. Thank You

I have knowledge of the risks. I've undergone several head and neck CT scans, and so has my son.
I do not think a couple of CT scans put you at grave risk.
The fact is, you will probably need many more when you are older and sicker, and since the effect of the radiation is cumulative, doctors advise against having unnecessary CT scans when you are young. because they know you will probably need more when you're old, and the fewer you have over a lifetime, the better.
MOST people (at least in industrialized countries) probably have two or more CT scans over the course of a lifetime, and some (such as cancer survivors) have many, many more than that.
It is a risk, but at this point, a very minimal one.
Please forget this and enjoy your life.
Best wishes.

[Clydesdale Epona]

Radiation from any xrays or scans is not enough to cause cancer, you'd need to have a lot and i say a lot to get any type of cancer risk, doctors don't take cancer lightly and if they thought you were going to be at risk then they'd do something x

All the best :hugs:

[GlassPinata]

Radiation from any xrays or scans is not enough to cause cancer, you'd need to have a lot and i say a lot to get any type of cancer risk, doctors don't take cancer lightly and if they thought you were going to be at risk then they'd do something x

All the best :hugs:

Actually, CT scans use a lot more radiation than xrays, and the threadstarter is correct: there is a slight risk involved in having too many of them.
But YOU are correct in that doctors don't take this risk lightly, and do not administer them just for fun.
Two is not too many. That is not much of a risk at all.
Twenty might be too many.... or then again, it might not, if they were necessary.
Doctors weigh these risks before ever administering a CT scan.
They did one on my son when he was a baby, after he fell down and suffered a bad bump to the head.
They explained the (very minimal) risk to me, but said the risk of an undetected concussion could be worse. They advised me to go ahead with the scan, and so I did.
I am not worried. The risk is minimal.
Especially from just one or two.

Best to all.

[Fishmanpa]

I'm a Stage IVa Head and neck cancer survivor. I had 6 weeks of treatment with radiation (and chemo)... 5 days a week for 6 weeks. 30 total treatments (6 chemo infusions). Enough radiation to burn my neck to a crisp inside and out. Burnt to the point of needing a feeding tube.

AND.... before each treatment, I had a CT scan to help adjust and aim the radiation.

With respect. To hear this fear in light of what I've been through is laughable. Trade ya any day!

If you "choose" to worry about this, that's on you. There is not one documented case where CT scans or x-rays has been proven to be the cause of cancer.

Positive thoughts

[GlassPinata]

Hey everyone my name is Kevin. I'm 28 years old. For the past 7 years I've had abdominal issues. I've had endoscopes done along with multiple ultrasounds. Recently Ive had to have Ct Scans. I had one CT scan of the Abdomen three years ago and recently had two have two more. One abdomen and one Abdomen/Pelvis. The test I needed but they all came back negative. I am scheduled for a colonoscopy in the next few weeks. I was ok until I googled ct scans and I read an article where ct scans cause cancer. Ever since then I have been completely consumed with the fact that I gave myself cancer. I’m relatively healthy guy never smoked and I maybe drink alcohol once a month. But the fact that I could have received this radiation that will kill me scares me so much. To make matters worse I just found out my fiancée is pregnant which should be a happy time in my life but all I can think about is dying from cancer and hurting both of them. I guess I’m just looking for other people who have undergone CT Scans and have knowledge of the risks. Or maybe some people who were my age when they received treatment and are fine now. Any responses would be greatly appreciated. Thank You


I was in my 20s when i had my 2 CT scans (one with contrast dye).
I am 44 now. i am fine.
Both of mine were unnecessary; they were both because i was convinced i had oral cancer (on two separate occasions) and badgered my doctors into first referring me to specialists, and then badgered the specialists into ordering CT scans.
You see, I have a tiny bit of medical knowledge, and a manner that is apparently so persuasive that i am able to convince specialists that something might be wrong with me, even when it isn't.
So, yes, i had these CT scans. And it turned out nothing was wrong either time, and the CT scans were unnecessary.
Do i regret it? Yes.
Am i worried about getting cancer from the CT scans? No.
It has been 20 years since my scans (and 4 since my son's).
We are fine, and so are you.

Best.

[NervUs]

I just had to get a CT scan recently because they suspected I might have a blood clot in my lung (I did not).

Yes, there are a whole lot of things we do voluntarily and others we don't even know we're doing that up our cancer risks. The thing is, cancer takes decades to develop in the rare instance it develops at all. Worrying about a cancer that might never materialize is really a waste of your time. Unfortunately, we just have to accept that our stories will unfold in their own time, and what will be will be. I know it's easier said than done but accepting that yes, you have been exposed to risks and no, you can't know if you will be a statistic might be the key to getting into a better head space about this. IMO, the only time to worry about cancer risks is WHEN you are experiencing symptoms, not before. And no, you are not experiencing symptoms so you can tell your brain you aren't going down that road today.

[ErinKC]

I completely feel your pain. I had a uterine fibroid that turned necrotic a few years ago and required emergency abdominal surgery. I was in the hospital for 10 days after the surgery with all kinds of complications and I think i ended up having 5 CT scans - First to diagnose the issue in the ER and then to try and figure out pulmonary complications I was having afterwards. I thought nothing of this, and for some of them I was either in excruciating pain or totally drugged up on pain meds so I was hardly paying attention.

After I was released from the hospital I went to stay at my parents for a while to recover. I ended up back in the ER when I started coughing up blood. My mom mentioned I'd had 5 CT scan at the other hospital and the doctor made a completely horrified look and refused to give me one even to check for an embolism. This didn't scare me at the time, and I did not have a pulmonary embolism, just throat irritation probably exacerbated by all the ibuprofen, but a while down the line when I'd recovered physically it was one of the very first items my health anxiety clasped onto.

I spent days googling the risks and driving myself insane. In the end, there is no conclusive evidence of how much, if any, the scans increase the risk. At most, and excessive number - not 2 or even 5 - might raise someone's risk from 1% to 2%. Not ideal, obviously, but no death sentence.

I admit, after reading this I almost started googling again, but I stopped myself. My doctors felt I needed those scans to save me in an emergency situation. My outcome would have likely been much worse without them. So, I had to let go and accept that everything in life carries risk.