Worried about ct scan radiation

[Kess97]

Hello everybody im a 20 year old male last year when i was 19 i was having some bowl issues witch turned out to be celiac disease. anyway in january last year my doctor sent me for some abdominal x rays which didnt pick anything up so a couple of months later in april my doctor sent me for an abdominal and pelvic CT scan witch did pick up an umbilical hernia. But now im worried about getting cancer later in life because of the CT scan have any of you guys had a ct scan around my age im sorry i just have bad anxiety. I really havent had any other xrays in my life other than ones i just mentioned.I take really good care of myself and i exercise and take vitamin c everyday and also multivitamins and i dont smoke. Its just i hate all these reports on google about CT scan radiation it it really scares me to death.

[bunny11]

Hello

I am 22 years old. I have had at least 2 CT scans. Multiple xrays. I too had this fear for a long time. I was so mad at myself and felt stupid because my health anxiety pushed me into pushing for tests, that showed I was just fine. THEN I was worried about the scans....when if I hadnt gotten the scans I would be a mess thinking I needed testing! Its all part of the anxiety.

Also, a lot of the studies they have for radiation are based on atomic bomb survivors, which were exposed to way more radiation than you. There are some pretty interesting articles about radiation and SOME (not all) studies show that at low doses (such as those recieved from CT scans or Xrays) it isn't harmful. There is a scholarly article on a study that always makes me feel better about it, as I was VERY scared after I got the scans. Look up: "Fear of diagnostic low-dose radiation exposure is overstated" it is an article by science daily.


Hang in there. What is done is done and we cant take the radiation back now!
My step brother has cancer. They give him CT scans ALL the time. They also treat his cancer WITH RADIATION.


If I can get past the crazy spiral i fell into after reading the same google articles you read, you can get better too. Im sending good vibes your way.

[Kess97]

Thank you very much it really helps me cope with this anxiety it really stinks some days.

[WiseMonkey]

Hi,

A radiographer told me these scans have as much radiation as you'd get from a plane flight.

That kind of puts things in perspective :)

[nomorepanic]

Hi

This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your post was moved from its original place to a sub-forum that is more relevant to your issue.

This is nothing personal - it just enables us to keep posts about the same problems in the relevant forums so other members with any experience with the issues can find them more easily.

Please also read this post:

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=213239

[Bigboyuk]

Yes totally agree with WiseMonkey they will have proper protocols to follow on various things including how many scans a person can safely have plus the cost of performing scans so nothing to worry about, now concerntraite on tackling your anxiety :) ATB