So worried about ct scan radiation please help

[Van30]

Hi, I had a chest CT scan with contrast 3years ago..whilst I was really suffering from postpartum health anxiety which I didn’t realise at the time, I went to the doctor as I was spitting little bits of blood when clearing my throat. They sent me for chest x ray and then ct scan and I had it done everything was ok but I can’t help but worry about the radiation I received from the scan as I’m female/young/thin the effects may be greater. I’m 38 really fear cancer down the line and not being there for my little one, struggling to overcome this at the moment. Anyone been through the same or know of anyone?

Get some support with your health anxiety. The CT scan you describe is completely safe. I had one under the exact same circumstances a few years ago (coughing blood clots, diagnosed as pneumonia, but they needed to check for pulmonary embolism). I literally haven't given it a second thought since. You probably take in more radiation from the sun's rays.

Thank you for your reply, I had CBT therapy a while ago but just seem to have got trapped in the anxiety wheel again and struggling to get out.

Please don't worry. The radiation from one scan really is quite low within the great scheme of things and they're only allowed to take X-rays when a radiologist (very highly trained doctor expert in effects of radiation exposure for medical purposes) decides it is medically necessary and they adjust the exposure level to take account of body size.

This link shows that, while a CT scan is a higher dose diagnostic procedure, the additional risk is quite low.

If you live to be 70, it will have increased your lifetime radiation dose by about 5% (we are all exposed to radiation from lots of sources every day, and it is not the only thing that causes us to develop cancer) and if 2500 people all had this medical examination, there would be one extra death due to fatal cancer.

This is against a background risk that would lead to about 7-800 of those people developing cancer in their lifetime due to all other causes, so a very low additional risk that is far lower than the suspected health condition that indicated that an x-ray was justified.

Just noticed that the data in the link I posted to is 12 years old (thought the doses looked more than expected) - the doses and risks are probably lower these days due to better equipment/techniques.

I had cancer so had scans galore, CT, MRI, bone scan, x rays to establish whether the cancer had spread, it hadn't, cancer has been gone for 3 years. Please don't let this anxiety spoil your life, I think if it wasn't the scan you'd worry about something else because your general stress levels are high at the moment. Maybe you could give the CBT another try?

Thank you both for your replies, do appreciate it. Anxiety can really debilitate you and I’m suffering a bad bout of it. Thanks for the reassurance

I have sarcoidosis and have had many MRI and CT scans with contrast.

You are not allowed to be put at significant risk from radiation - my doctor once sent me for an MRI and they sent me back up and told him no more scans for 6 months as it was my fourth or fifth in a short space of time.

If you have many, many scans with contrast you can develop a sensitivity which includes buzzing feelings in the body which is why scans are limited well below safe radiation levels, they are trying to avoid the possibility of you developing a sensitivity as it could reoccur if you are scanned in the future.

I hope it helps you to know there doesn't seem to be strong evidence of risk, suffering from anxiety is horrible.

As a long term sufferer of anxiety I had some treatment and was advised that seeking for reassurance is not helpful beyond feeling better for the immediate 2 minutes afterwards. Cbt was not all that effective for me as I was obsessing over the thoughts trying to rationalise a way out of a worry. 18 months of therapy with a psychologist and meds from gp changed my life. I'd really recommend it. You will tie yourself in knots trying to research this and ask people - sometimes you'll get the answer you want and sometimes you won't. If it's not a ct scan it will be something else you worry about. Mine was very ocd based. It took a long time for this to get picked up on and correctly diagnosed. Something to consider.

I'm a Radiographer, a CT scan is a really good test at detecting/ruling out any pathology and the benefits far outweigh any risks. There is radiation in the atmosphere anyway especially if you take a flight, live near granite, eat a lot of bananas, etc. The risks associated with the contrast are tiny. Your doctor who requested the test and the hospital Radiologist have both deemed this the best test for moving forward with any diagnosis. Good luck, take care.

Thank you all for your responses, appreciated. Just have to rationalise my fear and work on my anxiety as hard as it is.

Hi there, just replying to this message as something very similar has happened to me and I’m extremely worried that I am now going to get cancer down the line. Can you offer any advice? Thanks

Hi, the only thing that has really helped me was getting CBT therapy, my therapist was amazing and really taught me to open up about my fears and how to tackle them head on. There are still times I struggle but now I know how to work on things rather than let the fear of things eat me up. I really do hope this helps. I was stuck in a cycle of reassurance seeking and constant worry, but talking to a therapist really did help. Also helps having support from family and friends whilst having the therapy too. Hope this helps xx