-
CT Scans and radiation
I have a CT Scan of the abdomen and pelvis scheduled for next week related to some of the issues I mentioned here, along with some longstanding IBS symptoms, and I was wondering if I should be concerned about the radiation. Seems abdominal and pelvic CT gives the most radiation. I know it’s a bigger concern for children and adults who have had multiple scans, and there is still some uncertainty about the true danger. But just wondering if any of you all had any concerns if you’ve gone through that? I am supposed to have one with and without contrast. Apparently they’ll do an IV at this place. And I don’t understand why they would do both with and without if the ‘with’ would provide more detail than ‘without’.
Anyway, thanks.
-
3 Replies
-
Aren’t these CT scans have 100 x the radiation of an normal X-ray? Looks like 400x according to the FDA. 0.02 mSv vs 8.0 mSv for effective dose. https://www.fda.gov/radiation-emitting-products/medical-x-ray-imaging/what-are-radiation-risks-ct
Run, quick from these things, especially radioactive tracers which are often not checked before being injected.
-
thanks! i worry i will be sick from the IV contrast material. but i guess i won’t know until later. i too had an MRI but don’t remember getting ill. i assume i must have had contrast. i have anxiety issues but amazingly i managed to get through the MRI ok. i think i was only up to my chest as they were only looking at my head.
did some research online and it seems a double scan these days is rarely seen as necessary anymore. double the cost and double the dose of radiation, with little diagnostic value except in rare cases.
seems there is also conflicting opinions about the true dangers of these doses of radiation. much higher than x-ray (one abdominal ct scan equals about 500 or more chest x-rays – very scary) but still considered ‘low’. i think all the cancer expectations are based on a lot of statistical data that is made by extrapolation and not actual cancer cases and deaths. i guess it’s just a risk vs. benefit analysis that may be impossible to truly assess given that there is a 1 in 4 chance of getting cancer in life while i think they estimate that a ct scan theoretically results in an increased chance of getting cancer by 1 in 2,000 or 4,000. But given how common cancer is, it’s impossible to say if there’s truly any actual risk at all. the risk is based on the LNT model (linear no threshold) that says no amount of radiation is safe. but some doubt if that’s actually the case given that we are all exposed to very low doses from the environment all our lives and have evolved immune system mechanisms to handle certain amounts.
i’ve got a call to my doctor about the need for a double scan. and to ask if it matters if i take oral or IV contrast. i think they are the same.
-
With and without are used for contract and comparison. You will be out of CT scan in less than 3 to 5 minutes. I assume the power used is negligible to cause any trouble. There should be a presiding doctor at CT scan and you can tell your concerns to him ahead of scan.
CT scan is lot quicker than MRI where one is buried under tube for 40 minutes. I dread MRI due to severe claustrophobia and cannot imagine going in again. I went once with a large bore MRI and felt no fear at all. I also falsely assumed that all MRIs are that way. Second time MRI was a nightmare with a Chinese guy as technician who could hardly speak and gave me a relaxant. It made me more nervous and I felt I would die because the contrast liquid made me vomit immediately.
In CT too they gave me contrast but I did not vomit bcoz my stomach was not full but the nausea lingered for at least 20 more minutes after the scan. I dread MRI more than anything. Once I also refused MRI and walked out for this reason. OPen MRI? It is the same piece of junk with the side open but if you are going inside for a neck or back scan they attach more items to your neck and make it miserable.
Why cannot the new technology speed up MRI (to 5 min or less) and CT to one minute? I hate the medical companies because all they want is money and never worry about patients and their fear. Damn!
Log in to reply.