I’m going to tell you a story which will make you think I’m something of a nut. It’s about CT scans which use radiation to see your insides vs MRI’s, which don’t. They use magnetic fields and radio waves.
The story is..One summer night we were driving down the Taconic when a deer darted out. We swerved, went speeding off the road and like some monster-car roller coaster, we bounced up and down grassy hills until the car finally stopped.
That night in the ER, I steadfastly refused to allow my daughter to have a CT scan. (She was walking about, ministering to me, and in good cheer. )
I practically begged every doctor to hold off with a CT scan, and get her an MRI instead. Image Gently - please - I kept saying.
They consented, but well, we did have to wait two days to use the one MRI in that tiny hospital. It found compression fractures in her vertebrae - lucky for us, it turns out MRI’s are better than Ct-scans at spotting these types of fractures.
Still, I know what you’re thinking: What kind of mother negotiates with doctors to delay care? Well, honestly I’m hoping you can channel a bit of this.
The radiation from CT scans is humongous. And now, a recent study in the journal Oncology suggests that scans may be responsible for 5% of all new cancer diagnoses annually. Previous studies hint at similar findings.
So you get the picture, CT scans to the chest deliver the equivalent of as much as 400 regular chest X-rays or 1,500 dental X-rays.
MRIs? Nothing.
Kids are a special case. Cancer takes a long time to develop - can be 20 years or more. So, if a child has a scan, any resultant cancer, if there is any, would appear in young adulthood or middle age. A 65-year-old who gets scanned might not live long enough to see any future problem.
Make no mistake. CT scans are a modern medical miracle. In a matter of minutes they peer inside you - which is why they are in emergency rooms where you won’t find MRI’s. They can take 45 minutes - not for emergencies.
CT scans’ crisp, detailed, three-dimensional images are awesome and help physicians diagnose brain tumors, strokes, rare cancers , kidney stones, all noninvasively and painlessly. Unlike, say, exploratory surgery of a generation ago!
That’s probably why there's a lot of “zap me if you can” going around.
Of course, you should absolutely heed the advice of your doctor if the benefit of a CT scan outweighs any risk, however tiny.
But make yourself part of the discussion. Ask if it’s ok to wait for an MRI, like we did.
If you’re thin, or it’s for a kid, a lower dose of Cat scan radiation might suffice. Speak up and remind the technician to make sure the settings are adjusted for your size, which should happen automatically..
Always be sure to get a digital copy (not just a report) of any prior scan and see if your doctor will be willing to use that previous one instead.
Remember I was muttering the words Image Gently in the ER? One of the doctors that night knew exactly what I meant. There are two professionally endorsed groups, Image Gently, which calls for fewer scans for kids, and Image Wisely, for grownups. To bolster your creds, mention them.
Be bold and let doctors know they have a smart patient on their hands, so maybe they’ll think twice if they didn’t think so hard when they ordered a scan in the first place.
But remember: if you eat a Hershey kiss, it won’t kiss you back.
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