Radiated on purpose as an infant in the 1950's, cancer developed years later

I am currently working on a book about the tragic misuse of radiation on children for benign conditions (including thymus, earache, acne, tonsils, adenoids, birthmark, mumps, fungus, etc.) and would be very interested to hear other’s stories.

As an infant I was radiated in 1946 for an enlarged thymus gland in the mistaken belief that this would prevent SIDS. The amount of radiation I absorbed was equal to ten common CT studies today. After surgery, radiation and chemo treatments for four cancers (leukemia, thyroid, lymphoma, prostate), three open-heart operations, four years under Hospice care, and twenty-six years after being told I had six months to live, I believe that one of the reasons I am still alive is to tell this story so we can learn to use medical radiation with greater caution. I am firmly convinced that the proper use of radiation saves many more lives than it threatens—I have benefited from diagnostic and interventional radiation, without which I would not have survived the very diseases that excess radiation caused.

Below is a link to my blog if you wish to learn more about this project and talk to others who have experienced much of what I did.

On my site there are many links to other blogs and people determined to alert parents to the risks from the increasing amount of radiation children are receiving from CT scans today. According to a recent New England Journal of Medicine report, “there is direct evidence from epidemiologic studies that the organ doses corresponding to a common CT study result in an increased risk of cancer. The evidence is reasonably convincing for adults and very convincing for children.”

2manyrads@gmail.com

http://childhoodradiation.blogspot.com/

hello manyrads,

In the mid-1950's when I was probably a year old, I received a number of (not sure how many) radiation treatments to the back of my neck to remove a strawberry birthmark.  I have not had any trouble, but was wondering if you have heard of others that have had consequences and what they might be.

thanks ~

On Dec 04, 2010 12:52 AM carrieann wrote:

hello manyrads,

In the mid-1950's when I was probably a year old, I received a number of (not sure how many) radiation treatments to the back of my neck to remove a strawberry birthmark.  I have not had any trouble, but was wondering if you have heard of others that have had consequences and what they might be.

thanks ~

Interesting. I have one over my stomach on my right ribs. I was always told it would lighten. It's gotten bigger; but doesn't really bother me. I'm glad no one tried to remove it.

I was going to cover it with ink but figured it would be too painful.

Are you still looking for people who had this "treatment" as an infant? (the thymus radiation) I am 58 now & have lots to tell about how this has affected my life. Let me know if you are stil interested & specifically if there are any questions you'd like me to answer.

Gods' Peace, Dawn

My sister was radiated for what I believe was a hemagioma in the mid 50's and developed thyroid cancer now in her mid 50's. We have been trying to research out what treatments were used on her and to what extent that her endocrinologist is asking "how did you receive so much radiation"? Does anyone know about the treatment of hemagiomas by radiation in the 1950's? We are the daughters of a Navy Mother and Father and think that this treatment was prformed on the North Island in Coronado, San Deigo USA where our father was stationed.

On Jun 24, 2010 12:56 AM manyrads wrote:

I am currently working on a book about the tragic misuse of radiation on children for benign conditions (including thymus, earache, acne, tonsils, adenoids, birthmark, mumps, fungus, etc.) and would be very interested to hear other’s stories.

As an infant I was radiated in 1946 for an enlarged thymus gland in the mistaken belief that this would prevent SIDS. The amount of radiation I absorbed was equal to ten common CT studies today. After surgery, radiation and chemo treatments for four cancers (leukemia, thyroid, lymphoma, prostate), three open-heart operations, four years under Hospice care, and twenty-six years after being told I had six months to live, I believe that one of the reasons I am still alive is to tell this story so we can learn to use medical radiation with greater caution. I am firmly convinced that the proper use of radiation saves many more lives than it threatens—I have benefited from diagnostic and interventional radiation, without which I would not have survived the very diseases that excess radiation caused.

Below is a link to my blog if you wish to learn more about this project and talk to others who have experienced much of what I did.

On my site there are many links to other blogs and people determined to alert parents to the risks from the increasing amount of radiation children are receiving from CT scans today. According to a recent New England Journal of Medicine report, “there is direct evidence from epidemiologic studies that the organ doses corresponding to a common CT study result in an increased risk of cancer. The evidence is reasonably convincing for adults and very convincing for children.”

2manyrads@gmail.com

http://childhoodradiation.blogspot.com/ "" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://childhoodradiation.blogspot.com/ " target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://childhoodradiation.blogspot.com/

I received 750 rads in the spring of 1953, for tonsils, adenoids, earaches,etc.  The treatments made me very sick, all the symptoms of radiation poisoning.  My thyroid died in 1985, when I was 43.  I have diabetes, type 2, fibromyalgia, Raynauds, Sjogren's, Hypertension, irritable bowel syndrome, and in general not much of an immune system.  So far, no cancer.   Sarepta

On Dec 04, 2010 12:52 AM carrieann wrote:

hello manyrads,

In the mid-1950's when I was probably a year old, I received a number of (not sure how many) radiation treatments to the back of my neck to remove a strawberry birthmark.  I have not had any trouble, but was wondering if you have heard of others that have had consequences and what they might be.

thanks ~

Hi my name is Barbara. I was born on the 29/09/1950.. That makes me so old now......

I had a large strawberry birthmark on my face which they removed with radium therapy.....

I have had no end of problems which may or may not be connected to this therapy. Both my parents died at a young age, so I can not ask how many therapies I had... I have no living aunts/uncles to ask either...

My first problem occurred with my teeth.. I was forever having problems with infections directly after having any type of dental work... I found out in 2002 when I had my remaining 3 teeth removed (due to abcess's in the bone) The infection was so bad that they put in the max. amount of aenesthetic to numb them... It did not work.... so just had them pulled... ( Takes me back to what it must have been like in the 1800's and earlier)

My thyroid is underactive.. I had so many tests when I was young because I was overweight.... I have been on thyroxide treatment almost as long as it has been around..lol... My circulation is stuffed, had as many ops for veins as I can have.. Plus Reynauds disease..... I went through IVF when it first started as I couldn't seem to become pregnant... When I did get pregnant I had a spontanious abbortion.. ( a word that I loath, but apparently that is the correct term) I had Ovarian Cancer when I was about 30... At this time I was diagnosed as having Diverticular disease.... Severe.... I had a growth on my face removed, I had a growth on a bone in my left foot.. 

I have so many allergies that what I can eat is less than what I can't eat.... I have to carry two epipens with me at all times. I have had allergic reactions to aenisthetics where my liver almost shut done all together...

I have probably missed a few problems..lol Oh yes, I have just had  a stage 3 malignant Melanoma reoved from my arm, so now have a bit of a hole on my left upper arm.... Gall Bladder removed, immune system doesn't work as well as it should.... Tennis elbows and chipped pieces of bone in my forearms ( haven't a clue as to when that happened) carpe tunnels performed on  my 2 wrists.. I have 2 droopy eye lids (ptsosis)... I think I have missed a few things... but you will certainly get the drift of what I think.... RADIATION IS A BAD THING TO PUT A BABY THROUGH.... no one can tell me differently... I think it has caused the majority of my problems.... At the moment I am waiting on two more ops.. At last they are going to remove a lot of my bowel, definitly the sigmois colon plus more they will not know how much until they open me up... plus they have to lift my eyelids so I have a better view... I wonder ( and worry) about infection after that op...... 

I truely hope and pray that it hasn't had the same effect on you as I believe it has had on me.....

On Jun 24, 2010 12:56 AM manyrads wrote:

I am currently working on a book about the tragic misuse of radiation on children for benign conditions (including thymus, earache, acne, tonsils, adenoids, birthmark, mumps, fungus, etc.) and would be very interested to hear other’s stories.

As an infant I was radiated in 1946 for an enlarged thymus gland in the mistaken belief that this would prevent SIDS. The amount of radiation I absorbed was equal to ten common CT studies today. After surgery, radiation and chemo treatments for four cancers (leukemia, thyroid, lymphoma, prostate), three open-heart operations, four years under Hospice care, and twenty-six years after being told I had six months to live, I believe that one of the reasons I am still alive is to tell this story so we can learn to use medical radiation with greater caution. I am firmly convinced that the proper use of radiation saves many more lives than it threatens—I have benefited from diagnostic and interventional radiation, without which I would not have survived the very diseases that excess radiation caused.

Below is a link to my blog if you wish to learn more about this project and talk to others who have experienced much of what I did.

On my site there are many links to other blogs and people determined to alert parents to the risks from the increasing amount of radiation children are receiving from CT scans today. According to a recent New England Journal of Medicine report, “there is direct evidence from epidemiologic studies that the organ doses corresponding to a common CT study result in an increased risk of cancer. The evidence is reasonably convincing for adults and very convincing for children.”

2manyrads@gmail.com

http://childhoodradiation.blogspot.com/ "" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://childhoodradiation.blogspot.com/ " target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://childhoodradiation.blogspot.com/

Hi my name is Barbara. I was born on the 29/09/1950.. That makes me so old now......

I had a large strawberry birthmark on my face which they removed with radium therapy.....

I have had no end of problems which may or may not be connected to this therapy. Both my parents died at a young age, so I can not ask how many therapies I had... I have no living aunts/uncles to ask either...

My first problem occurred with my teeth.. I was forever having problems with infections directly after having any type of dental work... I found out in 2002 when I had my remaining 3 teeth removed (due to abcess's in the bone) The infection was so bad that they put in the max. amount of aenesthetic to numb them... It did not work.... so just had them pulled... ( Takes me back to what it must have been like in the 1800's and earlier)

My thyroid is underactive.. I had so many tests when I was young because I was overweight.... I have been on thyroxide treatment almost as long as it has been around..lol... My circulation is stuffed, had as many ops for veins as I can have.. Plus Reynauds disease..... I went through IVF when it first started as I couldn't seem to become pregnant... When I did get pregnant I had a spontanious abbortion.. ( a word that I loath, but apparently that is the correct term) I had Ovarian Cancer when I was about 30... At this time I was diagnosed as having Diverticular disease.... Severe.... I had a growth on my face removed, I had a growth on a bone in my left foot.. 

I have so many allergies that what I can eat is less than what I can't eat.... I have to carry two epipens with me at all times. I have had allergic reactions to aenisthetics where my liver almost shut done all together...

I have probably missed a few problems..lol Oh yes, I have just had  a stage 3 malignant Melanoma reoved from my arm, so now have a bit of a hole on my left upper arm.... Gall Bladder removed, immune system doesn't work as well as it should.... Tennis elbows and chipped pieces of bone in my forearms ( haven't a clue as to when that happened) carpe tunnels performed on  my 2 wrists.. I have 2 droopy eye lids (ptsosis)... I think I have missed a few things... but you will certainly get the drift of what I think.... RADIATION IS A BAD THING TO PUT A BABY THROUGH.... no one can tell me differently... I think it has caused the majority of my problems.... At the moment I am waiting on two more ops.. At last they are going to remove a lot of my bowel, definitly the sigmois colon plus more they will not know how much until they open me up... plus they have to lift my eyelids so I have a better view... I wonder ( and worry) about infection after that op...... 

On Jun 24, 2010 12:56 AM manyrads wrote:

I am currently working on a book about the tragic misuse of radiation on children for benign conditions (including thymus, earache, acne, tonsils, adenoids, birthmark, mumps, fungus, etc.) and would be very interested to hear other’s stories.

As an infant I was radiated in 1946 for an enlarged thymus gland in the mistaken belief that this would prevent SIDS. The amount of radiation I absorbed was equal to ten common CT studies today. After surgery, radiation and chemo treatments for four cancers (leukemia, thyroid, lymphoma, prostate), three open-heart operations, four years under Hospice care, and twenty-six years after being told I had six months to live, I believe that one of the reasons I am still alive is to tell this story so we can learn to use medical radiation with greater caution. I am firmly convinced that the proper use of radiation saves many more lives than it threatens—I have benefited from diagnostic and interventional radiation, without which I would not have survived the very diseases that excess radiation caused.

Below is a link to my blog if you wish to learn more about this project and talk to others who have experienced much of what I did.

On my site there are many links to other blogs and people determined to alert parents to the risks from the increasing amount of radiation children are receiving from CT scans today. According to a recent New England Journal of Medicine report, “there is direct evidence from epidemiologic studies that the organ doses corresponding to a common CT study result in an increased risk of cancer. The evidence is reasonably convincing for adults and very convincing for children.”

2manyrads@gmail.com

http://childhoodradiation.blogspot.com/ "" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://childhoodradiation.blogspot.com/ " target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://childhoodradiation.blogspot.com/

I too received radium therapy as a child in the 50's where radium tipped sticks were inserted up my nose to treat an infection they believed was the result of taking in sea water up my nostrils.  Sounds dumb today! Roll forward 50 some years and I can no longer smell or taste ANYTHING.  I also suffered all my life with acute sinuitis which could have been a contributing factor to my anosmia.

In any eveent, it is what it is with virtually no hope of ever smelling or tasting.  Ironically, I have become a pretty good amatuer  cook, but must rely on my wife to tell me in the end "how it tastes".  She's quite good at that too.

On Jun 24, 2010 12:56 AM manyrads wrote:

I am currently working on a book about the tragic misuse of radiation on children for benign conditions (including thymus, earache, acne, tonsils, adenoids, birthmark, mumps, fungus, etc.) and would be very interested to hear other’s stories.

As an infant I was radiated in 1946 for an enlarged thymus gland in the mistaken belief that this would prevent SIDS. The amount of radiation I absorbed was equal to ten common CT studies today. After surgery, radiation and chemo treatments for four cancers (leukemia, thyroid, lymphoma, prostate), three open-heart operations, four years under Hospice care, and twenty-six years after being told I had six months to live, I believe that one of the reasons I am still alive is to tell this story so we can learn to use medical radiation with greater caution. I am firmly convinced that the proper use of radiation saves many more lives than it threatens—I have benefited from diagnostic and interventional radiation, without which I would not have survived the very diseases that excess radiation caused.

Below is a link to my blog if you wish to learn more about this project and talk to others who have experienced much of what I did.

On my site there are many links to other blogs and people determined to alert parents to the risks from the increasing amount of radiation children are receiving from CT scans today. According to a recent New England Journal of Medicine report, “there is direct evidence from epidemiologic studies that the organ doses corresponding to a common CT study result in an increased risk of cancer. The evidence is reasonably convincing for adults and very convincing for children.”

2manyrads@gmail.com

http://childhoodradiation.blogspot.com/ "" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://childhoodradiation.blogspot.com/ " target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://childhoodradiation.blogspot.com/

I had radiation treatments on my tonsils in the early 1950s at Great Lakes Naval Hospital. I was 4 or 5 yrs. old. I have tried to obtain my medical records, only to be told that they are "lost",  or were most likely destroyed in a fire at their records facility.  I was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocitic Leukemia in 2010.  I also have Lymphocitic Colitis. Message me if you beleive I can add anything that may be of help to you.