Dangers from CT scans?

I am scheduled to have an abdominal/pelvic CT scan this week, it is probably my 6th in the last 4 years. (I have crohn's and have CT scans when I get blockages and abscesses). Are there real dangers to having so many CT scans? Are there alternative diagnostic tests that are less harmful? I know I need to have a test to determine if I have another abscess, but I am 38 and don't want to start glowing in the dark, or end up with cancer or something.

Any amount of radiation is not safe. However CT scans as well as other forms of medical diagnostic radiation have more benefits than risks. If you have an abscess it needs to be drained and treated. Crohn's is a nasty condition and your life will be filled with many CT scans. There really aren't other diagnostic test that will help you. If you have an abscess your WBC's will most likely be elevated, but they can be elevated for other reasons. Using CT to find and drain the abscess is the best option. The pus drained from the abscess can be analyzed by the lab and that way the doctor can give you the best antibiotic to treat the infection. Without CT the abscess could not be found.

I also have crohn's but I don't usually get CT scans...they give me small bowel series x-rays to find out how bad my blockages are. Maybe you could have that instead of the ct's if you don't mind drinking that nasty stuff right before your test. There's always some risks to ct scans but I don't think you've had them excessively at all. Also my crohn's is in the small intestine and if yours is elsewhere may be the reason you get the scans. I'm sorry to hear it. It's a royal pain in the butt (pardon the pun) having that disease.