[Eddie G]

I have been asking my surgeon for a discogram for about a year now. He was playing the wait & see approach. He doesnt do discograms unless he's doing surgery but I still had awful pain and finally on my 2 year ADR anniversary, I told him I can't live this way and something must be done. He finally relented.

Well.....I went for my discogram....I got stuck like a piggy.....and I squealed! Sweety went with me to Manhattan for support. I have to say it doesn't get any easier the second time around. I was a little nervous because I knew to expect pain....with a capital P. I don't look forward to any additional Pain in my life.
I don't have the results yet, but the good/bad news is that the L5-S1 did finally react. When I had my discogram in 2006, the L5-S1 did not react, or maybe not signifigantly more than the L4-L5 to cause concern, but it did show an asymptomatic annular tear 2 years ago. Apparantly it was symptomatic. Maybe the L4-L5 just looked worse than the L5-S1 and maybe the L4-L5 reacted more because it was more painful than L5-S1.
If the only solution for an annular tear is a fusion, I guess I'm ready. L5-S1 is a good level for fusion. I wonder if there is a non-invasive surgery they can do. I'm going to see Dr. Goldstein in a couple of weeks to discuss options.
I doubt a fusion would be as painful as a disc replacement. A fusion should be a walk in the park compared to what I went through with ADR. The fusion patient next to me in the hospital when I had my ADR surgery was up and walking around way before I did. He left before me too and seemed pain free!

Glad I had the discogram. Keep the pressure on the doctors if you feel you need one.