ct scan following chest x-ray

[desertmum]

have had chest pains for a few weeks which led to me being in hospital last week for tests, which included a chest x-ray. Was discharged with no follow up or meds, after three different doctors gave three different diagnoses (anxiety, cardiac problem, strained muscle). (Our local hospital has just been put into emergency measures it has such a bad record). Have just received a letter from my GP saying that there is an abnormality on the chest x-ray and I have to go for a ct scan which will involve a dye being injected into my vein.

I am now peeing my pants thinking the worst. Has anyone else had one of these scans ? And if so what was the outcome?

aaaagh, I fricking hate hospitals, my least favourite places in the world.

Poor you, what a jumbled useless lot of "information" they've given you! If it's a muscular issue, then usually (but not absolutely always) the pain will change when you move in some way or when you take a very deep breath. Other than that I am not going to internet guess what's going on, but in case it's helpful, here are some good questions to ask your doctors - take a notebook and write down their answers. Just the act of seeing you writing it down often makes them slow down and talk more sense

• where is the "abnormality" and when will they be able to give you more information from the CT scan?
• since one of the doctors thought it could be a cardiac problem, what could that be, and when will they be able to tell you more?
• if the cause of the pain turns out to be anxiety-related, can you be referred for treatment to help manage that and reduce the symptoms?

Btw, a CT scan will simply show more detail than an X-ray. It shouldn't be painful, but it will give them a clearer picture. It's also a "better safe than sorry" approach if they are at all unsure, so it's good to have it done. Everyone's body is slightly different - what looks unusual on an X-ray might look alright on a CT when they can see more. On the other hand, they may spot something they need to treat in some way, but much better to discover that and get on with giving you whatever you need as early as possible.

I hope it all goes smoothly and you don't have too long to wait.

Try not to worry. This happened to my mum before she was operated on for breast cancer. She had a chest x ray and an abnormality showed up in her lung and we thought all kinds of awful things. She had the CT scan and it was nothing to worry about. It happened again a few years later and she had to have another one and again it wasnothing to worry about.

thanks for the response - I am hoping that it is a shadow from all the bronchitis I had as a child - up until I as about 12 I would get bronchitis twice a year, plus a couple of bouts of pneumonia and pleurisy. I am sure that has left the odd scar. Fingers crossed.

How have you got on desertmum?