Anyone else had too any x-rays?

[sageje05]

I'm a 33 year old female in pretty good health... except for the fact that I suffer from anxiety. I worry about my health almost all the time. Last year 2006 I was convinced something was wrong with me.... I had headaches, bodyaches, chest pain, etc. From Sept. 2005 to April 2006 I was in the ER room just about every other week! Of course in the ER they take x-rays to figure out what could be wrong. Well, nothing ever showed up and I was told that I was suffering from anxiety/ panic attacks. I am better now with the help of a self help program and I am currently on vitamin therapy which has helped me tremendously! I still worry about my health though, but I make it a point to get a physical yearly. I worry about the damage I could have done to myself with so many x-rays! They were all pretty much unecessary! Here are a list of x-rays I have had from
August 2005- Jan 2007:


August 2005-----dental x-rays
Sept.2005-----Ct scan of the head
Jan.2006---- venogram (looking for pulmonary embolism)
Jan.2006---- Ct. scan of the head
Feb.2006---- Chest x-ray
April 2006----Chest x-ray
Jan 2007----- Ct. scan of head (was in car accident)

I am beating myself up for not having control and running to the ER back then.... and putting myself in danger with all these x-rays! I AM VERY VERY WORRIED! I have a child and I feel so guilty! I've read it could be dangerous.....and I've also been told not to worry!?!
So my question is.... COULD TOO MANY X-RAYS BE DANGEROUS? CAN THEY EVENTUALLY CAUSE CANCER LATER ON IN LIFE?

[Pum]

You can't undo an x-ray so you will have to accept this somehow.  Radiation can increase your risk of cancer (up to a point though it has no affect or even a positive affect) but it by no means you are guaranteed to have damaged yourself or are definitely going to get cancer.

Remember that if a risk is increased by 100% that means that if 1 person in 100 was going to get something then 2 people in the exposed group will be expected to get it (but 98 will not.) People used to get x-rays for getting their shoes fitted and they used to drink radioactive drinks at parties for the glowing affect. Not recommended nowadays but I bet they didn't all die of cancer or radiation disease.

The effects will not show up for 15 to 20 years (if at all) so maybe forget about it for the next 15 years. The worry and anxiety, if you don't, will have a way worse affect on your quality of life and health.

[jojo 67]

i had the same problem except worse. on january '07 i had a limited sinus ct. on april 1 i had a head
ct in the er. then i had two sets of chest xrays. a nuclear stress test and another head ct in another er. mostly in a months time except for sinus ct. it was all caused by medication that made me dizzy and kept me running to the er.

[Sanguinity]

I know how you feel.  In 2005 October, I had x-ray of my left leg 3 views, referred me to ortho office, they took 4 or five more of their own, they sent me for mri, radiology clinic took their own xray, then I was sent to oncologist, and he took about 4 more of my left leg, and five of my right foot.. Then in 2006 I had xrays taken of most of my body in July.  Then, the oncologist took more x-rays. And again in October, and then a knee specialist took his own 4-6 xrays and his own mri that same time. Also, in Spring of 2006, I had xrays taken of bump on my left hand, 5 views.  I had chest x-ray at hospital when I had a migraine, and they did a CT scan.  Also, in 2006 I had my first mammogram.   In 2004 I had xrays of my chest and mid-section.  

This month I had more x-rays of left leg.  Another MRI was ordered.

I think when you have a problem, they (dr.s, radiologists) study you often, to make sure they diagnose you correctly, in order to provide you the optimum care.

[sageje05]

well, I was told that a ct scan is equivalent to hundreds of regular film x-rays.... so I've had a total of 3 ct scans and one venogram

[tatemcallister]

No offense, but that doesn't seem excessive by any means.