Aa
Sooo Nervous - STILL
Hello,
I hope this doesnt take up too much of your time. I'll begin by stating that I am a very paranoid person and would like some answers from a radiation expert rather than stuff thats all over the internet that may or may not be true. I am a 37 year old female. In 2008 I was having terrible pains in my kidney area that would come and go. Due to family history, my Dr thought kidney stones and ordered a CT lumbar spine series which I had done. I was even going to go home the day of the scan because I hadnt had the pains in a few days but they seemed to come and go so my mom / friends talked me into it. I so regret this as Im still thinking of how it may have damaged me (I was diagnosed with no kidney stones, just osteoarthritis). Im wondering how this has increased my risk of a cancer and/or if it has damaged my ovaries or eggs should I want another child. I asked the technician what dose I received and I was unsure whether he said it was 8 or 80 millisieverts (a huge difference, I know, is it even likely I would have received 80 for this test?). I hope you might take a moment to help put my mind to rest
I hope this doesnt take up too much of your time. I'll begin by stating that I am a very paranoid person and would like some answers from a radiation expert rather than stuff thats all over the internet that may or may not be true. I am a 37 year old female. In 2008 I was having terrible pains in my kidney area that would come and go. Due to family history, my Dr thought kidney stones and ordered a CT lumbar spine series which I had done. I was even going to go home the day of the scan because I hadnt had the pains in a few days but they seemed to come and go so my mom / friends talked me into it. I so regret this as Im still thinking of how it may have damaged me (I was diagnosed with no kidney stones, just osteoarthritis). Im wondering how this has increased my risk of a cancer and/or if it has damaged my ovaries or eggs should I want another child. I asked the technician what dose I received and I was unsure whether he said it was 8 or 80 millisieverts (a huge difference, I know, is it even likely I would have received 80 for this test?). I hope you might take a moment to help put my mind to rest
Best Answer
Thank you so much to Yellowbean & CSW69. YOu have made me feel better. I have gone from fretting about this for over a week (very anxious person afraid of EVERYTHING, Ironially even anti-anxiety meds) to fretting about it for about 15 minutes total out of my day. Soon I will forget about it all together, when I find something new to worry about.
Thanks so much for taking the time to help me!!!!
Thanks so much for taking the time to help me!!!!
Very good comment above. I would also add (due to my own concern over a recent CT) that the overall risk of cancer is 1 in 4 people. Even with a large CT dose (2-3 scans) the probability of cancer is 1 in 500 or in some cases 1 in 1000.
With that said, a current 42% chance of cancer would be increased to only 42.5% with 2-3 scans.
In other words, our odds of cancer from a few CT scans (results are cumaltive) hardly increase our current risk.
With that said, a current 42% chance of cancer would be increased to only 42.5% with 2-3 scans.
In other words, our odds of cancer from a few CT scans (results are cumaltive) hardly increase our current risk.
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Most of the information that is known about radiation exposure is derived from radiation disasters such as nuclear bombings and power plant radiation exposures. These are very high exposure incidents and although it has been attempted to 'calculate" back what the risk of small doses are based on large dose exposure, the validity of these assumptions is highly questionable.
But, even though no one is going to be able to "anwer" your question because there is no one that know's this information, I have to ask you..Do you really want to lower the quality of your life freting about something that is 1) unknowable, 2) low risk overall...
Also, please understand that you are CONSTANTLY exposed to radiation...Having a CT scan was simply an additional exposure to radiation, but you are recieving radiation from cosmic sources such as the sun and natural sources such as radioactive elements in the earth on a continual daily basis. When you fly you actually increase substantially the radiation exposure you get from cosmic sources, being in a basement can also increase exposure depending on the location.
Lastly, lets say that you do develop cancer or have a child with some genetic problem...Can you say how or what the reason for this is...can you reduce that event to a single exposure to CT radiation...do people who have never had a CT have these medical conditions....
So, why worry about what you can't know, what I can't know, what no "expert" can know or tell you...I try and "limit" my radiation exposure, but I cannot "eliminate" all radiation exposure...neither can you.
I hope this helps put your mind at ease, or at as much ease as possible...Have a good day