Discogram/Discography
 

I have posted this before but for those who haven't followed my story, I think it's worth posting again.

I had an American discogram under sedation and it wasn't too bad. I had read too many horror stories about unsedated discograms and feared this test more than anything related to my spine.

Even though surgery with Dr. B in Germany was in my best interest, I so feared this test that even though I didn't want to leave this country, my greatest fear was this test and overshadowed all common sense. Fortunately, my American surgical plans fell apart and I had no choice but to go to Germany if I wanted ADR surgery, so off I went, my fear of the dreaded discography so intact that I could think of nothing else.

I had this test the morning of my surgery. The pain reached a level 10 BUT it was over before I could even cry out. We all stub our toes, cut our fingers and bang our heads yet we do not fear repeatedly doing those things that caused these accidents to happen (like opening an envelope). Yes, this test hurts but after having been through it, the pain lasted one second, less than the time it takes to react.

Perhaps if someone had posted this instead of stressing the pain factor, I wouldn't have so afraid and maybe I would have realized sooner that Dr. B should have been my first and only choice.

Fear is a strong motivater and I want to assure anyone who has to undergo this test, there is no need to fear the pain that is gone before you even know it's there. Everyone reports how terrible it is but the thought of it is far worse than the test itself. It's just not that bad!

You are making me feel a lot better. I am sure my disco won't be too bad. Thanks for the post.

agreed
 

Very good point Dale. I've had 3 discograms done in the US.

I've had 3 lumbar discographies and 1 cervical discography (for a total of 11 levels, I believe)

I've been present for about 50 client's discographies.

Didn't we learn in the 70's.... DISCO SUCKS!

It's a necessary evil and there are some limitations and a chance for ambiguous or incorrect results. However, in most cases it adds useful information. If you need it, get it. I recommend that people only get discography if they are prepared to act on the results. If you are not ready for surgery, why find out now???? the situation may change.

All the best,

Mark

I have had 2 discograms. The first one, I had no sedation, just drugs afterward; but they just dulled the pain, didn't take it away or put me to sleep. Let me add, that I have a high tolerance for pain, did 36 hours of induced labor on pitocin and delivery with no epidural (not by choice); but I handled all but the last few hours very well. I also process pain medication very quickly, hence why I had no epidural, it was given and within 30 minutes it had worn off. I had the same issue with the second child. 10 hours of induced labor on pitocin, had the epidural, wore off, given amount of pain killer they give someone having a cesarean and it didn't do anything. Had to get the whole thing yanked out and re-inserted. So, I had a good 2-3 hours of hard labor, which is a 10 of 10. I have the same problem at the dentist, they have to keep injecting my mouth. I have also been awake for about half of all the procedures I have had done, where I should have been in a drug induced state and not remembered a thing (I gave them a play by play afterward and they were stunned that I remembered) I am told I have a very good liver and kidneys, a good thing; but not so good when you need pain relief. That discogram was bad for me and the pain lasted for weeks. That was just my experience.
Saying that, I would still do it again; because it brought me an answer.

My second discogram, I was put to sleep while all the needles were put in, then woken up, asked a few questions to make sure I was coherent, put the dye in the good discs first (I just felt pressure), put the dye in the bad disc (10 of 10 pain), then given more drugs and put back to sleep, taken to the CT scan and to recovery. This discogram was a breeze. I was happy with everything about it. Funny, because I was completely dreading it, based on my experience with the first one. I did have increased pain for a few weeks afterward; but that is normal for my body. I always have more pain after injections, nerve ablations, and anything where they are putting needles in my spine. The dr who performed the second discogram said he thought it was cruel to do discograms in the traditional manner with no drugs, which is why he sedates for the majority of the procedure. He said that the reasoning behind no sedation is that the person won't be coherent enough to tell the pain with sedation or that the drugs will dull the pain, thus causing an incorrect pain level, or no pain in the affected disc.
Moral of the story: Depending on who does your discogram, drugs given or not given, and your body's ability to process medication; you may or may not have a horrible experience, might even have a good one. Also, if you are worried, try to find a dr. who sedates for the discogram.
Kathy

Dale makes a really good point. The 10/10 pain is very brief. A discogram should not cause anxiety. My biggest problem with it was lingering pain afterwards. It agitated my disc which was already very painful.

Mark,

You may know a lot about spines and you surely love skydiving but you obviously don't dance!:p

Great Thread!
 

Dale,

This is a great point. I had my discogram without sedation. When the 10's were 10's I could definitely feel it---but it was over before I could even really say "oow."

This is a great topic because people do post that the pain is *so bad* that you won't live to see the next day.

Discography is a relatively quick, necessary tool that greatly helps in the decision making process when subsequent surgical intervention is warranted. To be honest, the pain was very short-lived. The discogram reveals a lot of information but is also a "black and white" diagnostic for the most part. Thus, the subsequent decision making is made easier for both the surgeon and patient (In my personal opinion, those going under the knife should have a discogram done to avoid the "what ifs" about a given level.)

At the end of the day, you'll be a little sore but you will walk out knowing that all the questionable levels were tested against a control, and you'll have one more piece of the puzzle connected.

There's nothing like a good spine puzzle.

-Dr. J

I had a disco and, as some of those above, the pain was intense but very short-lived. In fact, the pain ( a 7ish as compared to labor on pitocin x 24 hours) was over so quickly the doc injected the dye again because I was blathering on about something else the second it was over. Good drugs.
It was nothing.

Was a little achy the next few days but no biggie. I'd do it again without thinking twice. In fact I had a glaucoma test today, where they poke the thing in your eye...and I think I'd sooner repeat the discogram.

It's well worth it to get those answers.

disco sucks?
 

Aw com'on Mark.. I loved disco dancing. And John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever~ no wonder I've not suffered terribly with discograms;)

this is where one appreciates a light touch vs. heavy handedness

Functional Anaesthetic Discography™ Procedure
 

Check out this new way of diagnosing lumbar discogenic back pain called Functional Anaesthetic Discography™ using tMedtronic’s Discyphor Direct Catheter System. It tests a patient’s functional activities that cause a patient's pain while anesthetizing the disc independently.

Looking for a reply...

If 2 discs look bad do you test them together?

If you get relief, how do you know which one was the culprit, or do you assume both? Or is there a provocative component too?

Mark

All that I know is that I am still hurting after mine. I am back at my worse pain level that I ever had. I now see that I wasn't doing too bad before my disco. But, I don't regret having it done.

Dale,

Love hearing those of you who like Dr. B. I would liked to have talked to him more often, but realize he is a very busy doc. He called me from Vienna at 10 p.m. the night before my surgery and talked to me for about 15 minutes, told me he wouldn't talk to me before surgery, but would meet with Tom after. When I said goodbye I told him to hurry back to Germany since my surgery was scheduled in the a.m. LOL

My discogram was the day before surgery, no pain. Understandable since the disc had a tear (not totally evident in MRI) so dye when in and out.

I don't regret my discogram, as it verified that two level were causing my pain.

I did end up with additional pain afterwards, that lasted a few weeks. I think it might be back to my pre-discogram level, but since I increased my meds, I don't know for sure.

Discussion on functional anesthetic discography and explanation of username change for poster is here:

http://www.ispine.org/forum/ispine/1...procedure.html