Get The Lead Out For an X-Ray
My first profession out of school was as an X-ray Tech. I loved my job back then. I loved meeting new people, talking with them and hearing their stories. I also loved helping them in any way that I could. At about 6 years into my field, I realized I had a higher calling and returned to school for another decade. I worked throughout those 10 years learning a wide range of additional skills, but never forgot my initial schooling in the medical field.
One imperative practice that was stressed for our job was to always cover reproductive organs for those under 40 years old. I took it a step further and covered everyone whenever possible, because radiation exposure is never a good thing for the body. Apparently not everyone thinks as I did.
My niece recently fractured her elbow. For her it meant an initial X-ray for diagnosis purposes, and then a follow up X-ray to confirm that she could play sports again. I asked her if they covered her lap with a lead shield for her first X-ray. To my surprise, she said they didn’t. I was appalled. How could they NOT cover a teenager’s reproductive organs? We were taught in school that the genitals are the most sensitive areas of the body to radiation. We know for a fact that radiation interacts with tissues for approximately 4 years, but it may be much longer. Repeat exposures accumulate in the tissues and increase the likelihood of permanent damage to the cells. For someone in their childbearing years this is a terrible oversight.
For her second and final X-ray, I stressed to her 3 days before, “make sure they give you a lead shield”. 30-minutes after her appointment, I texted her. Indeed she was cleared to return to her sport, but they did not use the lead apron. She asked them to give it to her and the technician said “no, there was new research”. I promise you, there is no research that states that radiation will not do harm. Radiation damages DNA, therefore harm is inevitable. It may not be recognizable for years to come, but once DNA is damaged you cannot repair it. Our only hope is that the cells that are injured do not replicate. It might be a small amount, but no written article on this planet can persuade this former X-ray tech to believe there is real science behind that study (if her claim was truthful).
Around 2006 I had a patient come to me to help her prep for her In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) to get pregnant. They ran all of the appropriate tests and had asked her to do a mammogram before the procedure. She did what was requested and I told her to make sure that they use lead for her lap and thyroid. Many women can have miscarriages because of thyroid issues and we wanted this first IVF attempt to stick. With regret, she returned to my office telling me that they did not give her any lead protection. Why wouldn’t people want to protect their patients? Especially those who are in the process of planning to have children. The thyroid is very close to the X-ray tube used for a mammogram. There are specific lead throat-collars for covering the thyroid. I just don’t think we can be too cautious. Fortunately her procedure worked. She got pregnant on her first transfer and carried to full term. I was thrilled with our outcome together, but the incident of not using an X-ray shield has stayed with me.
I feel traumatized by the lack of care and concern of X-ray hazards When I think about not covering someone up I feel this tenseness in my gut. I admit that I am hypersensitive to any irresponsibility of protecting people. Given my inherent concerns, I cannot imagine the exposure of getting a CT scan without a blanket of lead on the body. There is always scatter radiation. Whenever a small beam of radiation is sent to one part of the body, there will always be a small exposure to surrounding parts. These small amounts accumulate in the body and cause bigger problems later.
I am constantly helping people detoxify from their exposures to toxins, X-rays and you name it. Then I advise preventative methods for future exposures. For anyone reading this post, please don’t ever get an X-ray without a shield. Offer to get the X-ray somewhere else that provides you the safety you should receive. Lead shields are always present where there is an X-ray machine being used. It only takes a few extra seconds to act conscientiously with radiation exposure. The more that we demand protection, the more it will become common practice again. It does not matter what age you are, protect yourself, it costs nothing extra.
Dr. Julie Wilson 6009 N Milwaukee Ave. Chicago, IL. 60646 773-481-9988
http://drjuliewilson.com