Question: Hello,
I have been having chest pain problems and low O2 sats for many years, I have seen many doctors and had many scans - I have started coughing up blood and having breathing noises, on a recent CT of abdomen they saw something possibly in the bottom of my lung - I have some symptoms that could prove to be heart related and a Bronchoscopy found non cancer lesions and washings produced some abnormal cells - my concern is that in the last 2-3 yrs I have had about 7 x plain chest xrays - 2 x Chest CT - 1 x Chest Spiral Angiogram - Another Chest Head and Abdo CT after a car accident - A normal abdo CT and 2 other CT's of chest - as well as a Gallium scan - most of these scans were done with the radioactive XXXXXXX - I dont want to have any more scans, but my doctor insists because of what was seen on the Abdo and because of the abnormal cells found in the washings from the bronchoscopy... I want a single scan to cover heart and lungs as there is some discussion to say I might have heart embolism - the docotr has ordered a CT PA with High Res reconstruction - each time I get these scans, the next doctor says "Oh you should have gotten "x" type of scan, these are not of use" - I am concerened about my radiaton exposure and I want to know if there is another type of scan I could do that covers everything, I dont want to have this scan for the Pulmonologist and find out I need another for a Cardiologist