Question for women who’ve had an abdominal pelvic CT scan.

[Ezra123]

Do you worry about the radiation ? I had one a year or so ago after having months of pelvic pain , nothing found on ultrasound etc. Then had two trips to A&E with very focused pain on lower right abdomen. Ended up having an abdominal CT with contrast. Nothing found. they now think it could be neuropathic.

Anyway, I never gave a thought to the radiation, foolishly thinking it was the same as an xray. I was speaking to someone today who mentioned the dangers of CT scans due to the dose of radiation being much higher than X-rays and that all being directed a your internal organs.

Well silly me I googled it. I am shocked at how much there is in an abdominal CT…. It’s the worst one, around 10-14 msv! If I had known this at the time … would it have made any difference ? I don’t know. Might I have refused it? …. Possibly not. I don’t recall being asked, it was just “you’re going for a CT scan”. But I had no idea about the big jump in radiation.. and I wish I hadn’t found out.

In A&E they thought it could be appendicitis and a host of other things… so I understand a CT was the best way of looking at everything. I just feel a bit “what have I done to myself” re cancer risk in the future.

I guess it’s good to know… I assume the risk is cumulative so I might request alternative tests if possible in the future.

These tests are pretty routine aren’t they? I assume anyone with suspected appendicitis would get one….

jf you’ve had this done, does it worry you?

please don’t bother with any nasty comments. I will ignore them. I’m just a bit stunned by what I’ve found out*

The risk is tiny compared to the risk of eg pelvic cancer going undetected

I had appendicitis and then a burst appendix so the CT scan saved my life and prevented me having surgery (second one showed the antibiotics had worked). I didn't think about radiation but I would definitely have those scans again Vs the alternatives

Thank you. Yes I did this calculator that shows increase in risk. Which isn’t much compared to the background risk we all have. I think it’s just what my friend said about “years worth of radiation focused on your internal organs”…. So it is a bit different to say, living in Cornwall. I think I’m just struggling to take in the vast difference between and xray and ct…. And also that I had no idea. Just a bit of a shock.

I have them quarterly for inoperable cancer - it’s unlikely it’ll be the CTs that kill me and if I’d had one earlier it would probably have given me a much better outcome. I personally think a yearly full CT would save millions, of both lives and NHS money in the long run!

I’ve had a couple and I’ve not even given radiation a second thought I was always more bothered about getting to the bottom of the pain!
Try not to worry @Ezra123 as another poster said these can save lives and the risk is quite minimal. They have to tell you but I think you have to weigh it all up.

Sorry to hear about your illness @AGreatUsername . I hope you’re doing okay. And yes you make a fantastic point.

Thank you everyone. I feel a bit silly, just trying to get my head around it.

Saved my life too. I had three last year.

They're only allowed to take any x-ray where the medical benefit outweighs the risk and they should have explained this when they did the scan.

Several years worth of radiation sounds scary but its a small percentage of your lifetime dose from background radiation so hardly increases the overall risk.

Don't worry about it

Thank you yes, I think the thing that is a bit shocking is that nobody told me at the time. I was just told I was going for one and I have now found out (much later) how much radiation was actually involved. I’m not complaining that I had one, I understand why it was done…. Just a bit spooked. Absolutely nothing I can do about it now though and they absolutely could’ve picked up something serious (which thankfully they didn’t).

It's worth remembering that CT scans are only recommended when the benefits outweigh the risks. In an emergency, like suspected appendicitis, getting a quick and accurate diagnosis is often far more important than the small increase in long-term risk.

https://www.cdc.gov/radiation-health/safety/alara.html

its all very regulated and one CT is nothing to worry about

I think it's completely understandable to be shocked when you find out afterwards how much more radiation a CT involves compared with a standard X-ray. That said, the absolute increase in cancer risk from a single medically necessary CT is still very small, and in situations like suspected appendicitis the benefit of getting a quick, accurate diagnosis usually far outweighs that risk. I wouldn't beat yourself up over it.