ct scan-brain tumour fears should i have one?

[mike_coventry_uk]

i visited a neurologist today for symptoms i have had over the past 2 months and she did very basic physical tests.

she asked lots of questions about my anxiety and then offered me a ct scan and she said i am doing this for your reassuarance on the back of my gp refferal. i asked if she thought i needed one and she said ur healthy and are not immenintly about to die.

my question, is it worth exposing myself to the radiation levels that a ct scan cause if it is just anxiety? will the benefits of the test on my anxiety levels be worth it or will i worry further that the increase of radiation has then indeed given me a brain tumour further down the line?

any one who has had a ct scan or any one with advice please feel free to comment as i need to make my mind up before the appt comes through.

cheers
mike

[snowgoose]

Hi Mike ,

a difficult one this because I recognise your train of thought and understand your fears for later down the line .
can only say that ct scans are done so often now .sometimes frequently with same person ..........xrays even at dentist etc .
I worked in the NHS with people who had repeated scans sometimes for diagnostic and treatment reasons ..........have never heard from docs or read anything really affirmative that the illness was made worse by the scans or xrays in my experience .
yes there is a risk ......but so do mobile phones it seems [too soon to know at the moment] everything carries risk it seems :mad:

I had an MRI scan of head ..........it settled me to know it was not a tumour .

think for me ..........it may be what might put your mind at ease for good ?
but it is what you feel now that matters Mike .
the future we dont know about .how we will feel then etc

to summarise for me ..........the risk of cancer from scan must be very very small ......or the NHS wouldnt offer them .
take care x

[PanchoGoz]

She clearly thinks your symptoms show no sign of anything wrong. If there was, she would tell you to get scanned. I wouldn't go against her as she knows best! If you were about to die you would develop the necessary symptoms. From what I know hoever, ct scans aren't at all dangerous eare they? Or people wouldn't have them. If the scan gets you more worried than the symptoms, then there's another reason not to have it. You could see your acceptance of wellness as a victory over your anxiety.
But of course, its your choice!

Addition: there's going to be a lot of differing opinions on the matter mike but nobody's really right.

[countrygirl]

Def not a ct scan due to radiation exposure but its more usual to get a mri scan of brain as it is so detailed whereas CT is great for trauma but not for the tiny things. Is it possible to ask her for a mri scan instead of Ct - she may say no as CT is very cheap compared to mri.

I have found over the years that no Dr ever considers the effect of radiation exposure, they never ask you how many ct scans you have had in the past they just go for the cheapest option. I had one neurosurgeon who wanted a ct scan to check on the neurofibroma I have on my spine and I had a long discussion with him about my history of xrays ( thankfully never had a ct scan) and worry over radiation exposure and he was very honest and said he did not need the detail of mri and ct was dirt cheap compared to mri. I paid for mri!