Radiation poisoning

[ItchyOne]

My anxiety is reaching sky high again.
Since the March 11 earthquake in Japan, I've been to Tokyo many times for business, staying for more than a week each time. I wasn't too bothered by the potential radiation in the air. Tokyo is still some 240km away from the affected nuclear site.
But today the tainted beef scare got to me. I've been eating beef on and off in Tokyo from bento and restaurants. Just yesterday I ate at the famous beef bowl chain (yoshinoya) ! I only found out about the beef contimination today, I should have paid more attention to the media... sigh. And now, I'm terrified that I have cesium-137 in my body.
I heard that this will increase risk of cancer significantly. I suppose there's nothing I can do now except to avoid eating beef while I'm here. When I get back to my home country, I'm going to insist to get tested for cesium. sigh.

[Anxious_gal]

Yes a test would be a good idea, Do you know if the beef you ate were from contaminate cows? Sorry this is stressing you out but you are in Tokyo so more than likely everything will be ok, true there is no point worrying either way as it won't help, try and enjoy your time. Maybe avoid the beef too if your worried about eating it.
The media offen uses scare tatics , think off all the people in. ToKyo who are eating beef and they will be ok and so will you

[ItchyOne]

Thanks! So the latest report indicates that the contaminated beef had been delivered to more than 30 prefectures all over Japan, including Tokyo. I know the media tends to over exaggerate things, but that doesn't help me. :( I'm not sure if Yoshinoya (the place where I ate the beef from) is buying beef from the affected farms. If they are, I'm quite sure they won't tell. I'm certainly avoiding all beef while I'm here.
Sigh, I was doing so well with my anxiety for the last few months until now.

[countrygirl]

I don't know if this will help but maybe thinking up a strategy will calm you it does me! Due to HA and health problems I had alot of x rays in my 20's and 30's before mri was common and there is absolutely nothing I can do about the radiation I received then BUT I can do something about how much radiation I receive now, so I will not have a CT scan due to the large dose of radiation and if absolutely necessary have mri instead. I do not have any routine x rays and always ask if there is any other test that can be used instead and nearly alwys there is. For example - ent put a camera down my throat to check my voicebox due to persistant cough and slight hoarseness and then they wanted a barium swallow to check the next bit down but I said any other test not using radiation and they said oh we can put a camera down instead so guess which one I chose.

Maybe it will help you to get tessted if you can for the isotope you are worried about although if by bad luck you did have it then that may ony worry you more????? Do what I have done and from now on always question any request by a dr for a test involving radiation exposure and explain why.

Other than that remember you cannot change what you might have been exposed to but you can just get on and enjoy your life whatever - remember it could be the bus that gets you rather than some tainted beef

[ItchyOne]

Thanks Countrygirl, that's actually an excellent suggestion!
I will definitely heed that advice.

So anyway, I'm feeling much better now. I did some research, and here's a rare occasion that google actually made me feel better. Apparently, even if I did eat some tainted beef, it takes a lot of them (like eating everyday for a month or a year) to actually get any health effects. And the radiation particles will be secreted out of my body within 3 months anyway. I just have to be careful not to get myself further radiated during this time or over the next year or so. Countrygirl, your advice comes in really handy here. Thanks! And with that, I'm back to my anxiety-free days again... hopefully for a good while longer this time.