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Anxiety Community
This patient support community is for discussions relating to generalized anxiety, anxiety and eating, anxiety and sleeping, mood swings, and phobias.
42 CT SCANS IN 3 MONTHS
by shaggy29, May 15, 2007 12:00AM
I started having abdominal pain and no doctors could diagnose me, then I drove around to 5 different states to 45 different hospitals and all except about 3 either told me I needed a CT scan or gave me one when I asked, well now I've had 42 abdominal CT scans in 3 months and I'm seriously worried I'm going to die from radiation. What do you think is going to happen to me??? Aside from my lack of insurance and the 1/2 million dollars I'm going to owe?
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In any event, glad to hear that your anxiety is under control now.
Eventually, I let it go and decided that my CT was for a valid medical reason. I learned from my experience. AND THAT'S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO. When I get a physical symptom now, I don't go rushing to the doc. I will wait it out a few days and see what happens. If the doc says I need an x-ray or ct, I ask questions like... "Is this really necessary?" "Is there an alternative test I can take that does not involve radiation?" "Can I wait a few weeks to see if my symptoms improve?" Make sure you have a good doctor. All docs have degrees and licenses but they don't always know what they are talking about. Ultimately, however, you may need to do these tests. I just had a chest x-ray last week. After thinking about it for a long time, I felt it was necessary. Turned out fine, thank God! But I need some more tests :(
So I guess that's my advice to you.. learn from it, and try your best to just not worry about it and move on with your life. The next time you see a doc, make sure they know about all the previous tests you had done. Try to stick with one good doc.
As far as the Xanax is concerned, I'm glad it's working for you. My doc prescribed it to me as well but I researched it and found out that stuff is highly addictive and can have bad withdrawal symptoms, in case you didn't already know. If you continue taking it, don't stop cold turkey. That can be very dangerous! You need to taper off slowly under the direction of a physician. I read that Klonopin might be a better choice. It's less addictive and lasts longer. Xanax should really be only used on an as needed basis from what I understand. Maybe you can talk to your doc about switching.
Best wishes!