To chest X-ray or not to chest X-ray?

Saw my GP last Monday and got a second lot of antibiotics, after a first batch (plus steroids) didn’t clear my chest infection. He also gave me a request form to go and get a chest X-ray, if the cough didn’t clear up by today. (I’d had another chesty cough 3 or 4 weeks before seeing him, which had been treated with steroids and had cleared up.)

The antibiotics have made a huge difference and the cough is all but gone, though there’s still a slightly niggly occasional cough.

Should I still go for the chest X-ray?

I’m erring on the side of going anyway for a few reasons: to clarify that I’ve not got TB and/or cancer; because my mam thinks I should (she works in health); because I’ve never had an X-ray before; and because I want to see what my insides look like.

To chest X-ray or not to chest X-ray?

Why wouldn’t you?

Yes. Not usually something a GP recommends for nowt. Little risk attached to it.

Yeah – do it.

I’ve had loads and there’s nothing wrong with me, except for not being able to hide in the dark now!!! 😆

Why wouldn’t you?

Because my GP said to only go if the cough didn’t clear up, which it has.

Yes. Not usually something a GP recommends for nowt. Little risk attached to it.

Will pop over to the hostipal after work tomorrow.

I’m not an expert but if the Dr recommends it I wouldn’t hesitate. My GP sat me down and really questioned me on my repeat winter chest infections and my smoking. Her patience, time and interest stopped me smoking before I walked out of the Surgery.

hora – you’re lucky to have a decent doctor. Mine barely looks up at me when I see him, and usually offers the “come back in a week if it hasn’t cleared up” nonsense. Which would be fine, but I tend to do the man thing and only go to the doc when I have left something for a week (or a lot longer) and it hasn’t cleared up.

The instruction were if it’s cleared up then no need for a X-ray so I’d not go. If you do the radiographer may even query why your there anyway and not necessarily get an X-ray.

An xray is not a colour picture of the plumbing, just a grey print and now its all on computer screens, best to go though, you never know, you may have a broken rib etc.

I’d do it. If something is there, at least they can start to look at cures. If you don’t and ‘live with it’ …….

“The instruction were if it’s cleared up then no need for a X-ray so I’d not go. If you do the radiographer may even query why your there anyway and not necessarily get an X-ray.“

It’s just about cleared up, but not 100%. It responded to the antibiotics, so I’m sure it’s just an infection, but I still have a bit of a cough.

The x-ray woman who took my pictures last time was dead sexy. Well worth crashing for.

X-rays are bad for you, If I thought the cough was clearing up I’d five it a bit longer before having lots of my vital organs irradiated.

I was in the same position a while ago when my GP decided I had asthma from riding my bike all the time. Some of you lot helped me with advice and… another GP says I don’t have asthma but a chest infection. Medications – have a cuppa, she said, and watch some telly. What it means MikeTually might be right questioning his GP, but unless he’s certain GP is wrong he should go and get X-rayed.
WCA, was it the same lady who had your “possibly mine” really fit daughter? 😉 Respect!

If it was me, I would go.

More than likely you had this horrid chesty bug that’s going round, you should have seen what I was coughing up three weeks ago!

Took two lots of antibiotics for me to clear mine, plus another x-ray just to be safe 😉

jonb- speaking as a radiographer I would hope that only the essential bits, that are of interest, would be irradiated, we do not just go chucking radiation about for the fun of it. It is not always bad for you, there is a risk associated but it is often outweighed by the benefits, think of radiotherapy for instance. There is also a theory, hormesis, that in low doses radiation can actually be of benefit to you.

WCA- as a radiographer working in Southampton, you were either very lucky, or have a low threshhold!

Miketually- if you are on the mend, I’d give it a miss. You won’t get a chance to see your insides, If you are really concerned it will put your mind at rest but not for a while, until the results are ready, which might be a couple of weeks.

Thanks to everyone for the advice.

I finished the last course of antibiotics on Sunday. The cough was almost gone yesterday. Today it seems a little worse than yesterday, though that could be the cold weather.

This afternoon’s my last chance to get to the hospital without rearranging loads of lessons until next Tuesday, so I think I’ll go and just see what they say at the hospital.

Well, that was a bit of an anti-climax. I’ve never had an X-ray before, so I was expecting to walk behind a big TV and see my skeleton, like in the Beano 🙂

TBH I wouldn’t bother if I were you. Sounds like you are on the mend and firing a huge dose of radiation at your heart and lungs just for the fun of it wouldn’t be top of my list of great ideas….

Pop up to Newcastle A&E any night after friday and I’ll ultrasound your chest to look for lungs full of snot/fluid….. I’m after numbers for my learning.

EDIT: What did it show?? You beat my post by a few seconds…. the offer still stands though!

No idea what it showed yet; results to my GP in 7 to 10 days, apparently.

Feeling a bit better. Still got a bit of a cough, but can’t tell if it’s just the cold weather and going back to work so riding a bike for the first time in 2 1/2 weeks knocking my asthma.

Thanks for the offer of the ultrasound, but I doubt I’ll be making any night time visits to Newcastle any time soon, even though my sister lives there now and my mam works in the hospital.

dr_death – you’re not Dave Granger are you? The one they called Grave Danger in A+E.

No, of course not, you’re far too young 🙂

Did you not get to see your xray or get a copy of it? Fingers crossed for you though that all is fine. Symptoms sound a lot like a colleague who had flu and then caught pneumonia.

Hmmmm, sounds a bit dodgy, don’t want to worry you but……

i had a friend who had a nagging cough, then had a chest X-ray……..

We miss him still!

It’s 18 months since a colleague went the same way, though she was 15 years older than me and had smoked heavily for the previous 30 years – that’s one of the reasons why I still went for the X-ray even though the cough had all but gone. The cough responded to antibiotics eventually and is pretty much gone now, so I’m sure it’s nothing other than my asthma being affected by a chest infection.

I didn’t see or get a copy of the X-ray unfortunately.

WCA- the Radiographer could be one of your Daughters? 😉

MT- do you smoke? STOP DAMMIT!

I didn’t see or get a copy of the X-ray unfortunately

nor should you. you’re not a clinical radiologist. what would you gain by looking at it?

the x-ray should have been reported by a radiologist by now. if you’re worried, call your gp and have him check your results. the 7 to 10 day delay is completely unnecessary as most gp’s have computerized patient systems which link with local hospitals. if yours doesn’t you might like to consider changing your gp ‘cos they’re a luddite, and i wouldn’t want a luddite looking after my health.

simple.

MT- do you smoke? STOP DAMMIT!

No. Never have and never will. It’s a filthy, disgusting, stupid habit.

nor should you. you’re not a clinical radiologist. what would you gain by looking at it?

I’d get to see what my insides looked like!

you might like to consider changing your gp ‘cos they’re a luddite

I’m going to change my GP anyway. But because he appears to be shit, rather than because he’s a Luddite.

ro, 7-10 days is perfectly reasonnable, not only does the image have to be reported by the Radiologist OR Specialist Radiographer, the report has to be typed. Radiologists are fairly rare round here and secretaries are as rare as rocking horse poo, especially with all the sickness at the moment.
You health is important but there is no point trying to push things too much as the system is under enough pressure at the moment.
If you can wait a few days, then hang on. If there is anything serious on the image the radiology department will expedite the report and the GP will be in touch with you.

back in the day.. (wipes tear from my eye) an xray had to be reported within 24 hours. have things changed?

and what’s the point in gp’s running computerized patient admin systems like vision vamp and gpass if no-one has tied them to the comp-based labs and reporting modules bought by hospitals?

really, wtf are you guys doing with the nhs as the moment?

Replying to forum posts! NO day off.

The problem is that the NHS was never designed to cope with the current level of demand and treatment.
There is also less reliance on doctor’s clinical skill (not taught any more?!?) and a greater reliance on “tests”.
An in-patient xray will be reviewed within 24 hrs but if you are out in the community then you are not as urgent!
Can’t speak for the NHS integrated computer network, we deal with what we are given, not what we would choose.

As for WTF we are doing: COPING. Hope you have good medical insurance because I think that your treatment might fall short of your expectations if you had to come to hospital. It would be the absolute best that could be provided, but I think your sights might set be a bit high.

All things considered (and I might be biassed) you get a pretty good deal from the NHS, but I do think that its funding/payment for treatment needs a good look at. But that is too much of a political hot potato for any government to deal with.

I wouldn’t bother if it’s “all but cleared up”. If it’s still there in another few days, then maybe go along or go back to the GP but don’t have the x-ray just for the fun of it, because you haven’t had one before, because you’d like to see your insides or whatever. That would be a total waste of their time.

BTW, some have said that not going for the x-ray would be contradicting your GP or assuming he’s wrong or something. i disagree. The GP basically predicted it would be probably be gone after a week’s antibios and it seems he was very nearly right. The x-ray advice was in case he was wrong and the antibios don’t clear it up. the antibiotics have worked, give a it a few more days and then reconsider but don’t have an x-ray just for fun.

Already had the X-ray.

Was it fun?

I was expecting it to be more like this: