CT Scans (Respiratory)

Although I am told that modern CT Scans today (2012) are ""much safer than they used to be"", they are still moderately high doses of radiation, that must have some side effects, short term and long term.

Can anyone who has ever had a CT Scan, for the purpose of assessing their respiratory system, please tell me if they found their scan worth enduring? Plus, what the side effects were of their scan, how comfortable they found it, and in which year they had the scan (ie, how modern?)??

I am considering having one next year to assess a complex respiratory problem.

KK

age 40.

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Ive had 3 CT's in the last couple of years, two respiratory and one abdominal. Nothing to endure really...? Its a comfortable, open scanner. No apparent side effects. The year you have the scan doesn't really tell you how modern the scanner is - hospitals have scanners for a long time unless they are a specialist center maybe with pots of money...

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I've had abdominal ct and mri scans, chest ct scans and contrast chest ct scan and the onlly bit that wasn't ok was the contrast ct scan as the dye used gives a weird sensation of heat in the groin area and leaves a horrible metalic taste in your mouth.

Apart from that the standard ct scans have always been painless (if a bit noisy).

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Thank you for your experiances. I have been told by one respiratory specialist, that the reason why they much prefer avoiding performing them on younger patients, is because of the higher radiation dose being linked to developing cancer in later life...?And also, because higher radiation doses can aggrivate asthma in some people, making them wheezy...?

Has anyone heard anything simular?

KK.

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I had a chest ct with the dye earlier this year & as angelica said it was only the strange sensation of heat & metallic taste that went away soon after they were the only side effects. Don't worry too much about the radiation coz the reason u need ct scan must out weigh the risk of side effects from the radiation, I'm in my early 20s & they weren't worried about the radiation.

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i have had many ct scans and mri contrast amd non contrast of heart lungs brain digestive system.

as Angelica and others have said the only sid effects for a contrast scan is that ot burns. i felt terribly hot and like i was desperate for a whizz

the contrast scans of digestive system i think are worse as you jave to drink tje stuff down (yukk!) and then get terrible diarhea. but i take ot yours os simply a lung scan.

i was only just 18 when i started having these thinxgs quite regularly and no.docs ever mentioned that radiation might be a probpem. im 23 now so it started in 2008.

i really found it helpful as tjey were able to confirm at least part of what the problem was

wishing you all tje best. do let us know how you get on

Rose xx