I read a post here that said a discogram is a waste of time. If you are in pain and facing a possible spinal fusion, I cannot stress enough how important that test is.

Yes, X-rays, MRI's, CT Scans etc. are usaual tests performed in trying to diagnose the source of back pain. I had severe lower back pain that radiated down my leg. The MRI showed a ruptured L5S1 disc and I had a discogram whick showed pain was not coming from the other discs around it and then I had a discectomy to repair it and was free of pain after. 1 1/2 yrs later, the same pain was back and the MRI again showed, and the discogram verified it was the same disc that had reruptured. My surgeon told me before the first surgery, it could rupture again and if it did he would do a second repair to avoid a fusion but if it ruptured a a third time I would have to have a fusion. The second discectomy was again successful for 2 years and then one day I stood up to get out of a chair and fell to the floor in pain.

Again, X-rays and another MRI and it showed the reruptured L5S1 and that was all. My surgeon told me he would not do a fusion without a discogram and I am[SO GLAD that is his policy. Only the discogram was able to diagnose that the disc above the L5S1, the L1L2, was also causing my pain and so a double fusion was needed and performed on the bottom two discs.

Thank goodness he insists on Discograms beause if we had relied on the other tests I would have had a single fusion and come out of surgery still having lower back pain and needing a second fusion surgery. The additional cost of a second fusion surgery aside, I can't imaging going through two separate spinal fusions when a discogram could diagnosed all the sources of pain and having to go through another fusion surgery down the road.

I was on back boards for years when I went through all those surgeries and in the 7 yrs since, I still cannot believe the people I know who's doctors never ordered a discogram before their fusion. Their doctors, as many others, relied soley on MRI's, CT Scans and guess what.

When they went back after their fusion and recovery and still complained of pain their surgeons told many of them to give it a years for their surgery to fully heal and when that year went by and they were still in pain, they were told he did the fusion and they would have to learn to live with the pain, there was nothing else that could be done

I told my story on the board and three such people printed out my post and took it back to their doctors, all who agreed to do the discogram and all had an additional source of pain from another disc, all had a second surgery for a fusion on that disc, and all three were no longer in pain.

I still puzzles me to this day, how many surgeons don't order a discogram. My neighbor was in a lot of back pain earlier this year, was diagnosed as needed a fusion via the MRI CT, etc. and she was scheduled for that surgery. I asked her if she had a discogram, she said no. I told her my story and encouraged her to have him get a discogram. She did not do that, she had the fusion and 5 months later, she is still in pain. I say INSIST on a discogram before back surgeries.

While I am at it, I will throw in one more example of the great doctor I had. After that double fusion was I pain free for three months and one morning woke up and couldn't move I was in so much pain in my lower back. I didn't want to even tell my doctor because everyone had called me their star patient and a huge success. (the L5S1 was fused with donor bone, but the L1L2 was fused with BMI (bone morphogenic protein) something that had just started being used. One day my husband call my surgeon from work and told him about my pain and his office called my house immediately and told me to come in that day.

He never doubted my pain, he never said give it more time and we were all totally at a loss for what was causing my pain. He said the symptoms I described were symptoms of a nonfusion so he ordered an MRI and it showed I was fused on both levels. In fact, BMP fuses faster then a bone fusion. Did he tell me I was fully fused on both levels and there was nothing more that could be done, that I would have to learn to LIVE WITH THE PAIN. NO!!!
He said maybe the rods or screws that were put in were the cause and he scheduled me for surgery to take them out BUT he also had me sign for a refusion because he still thought was the only answer even though the films said otherwise.

You guessed it, the upper level, the one that had the BMP was not fused at all. He could wiggle the rods. He did a refusio and we all learned that you can have an MRI the day after a fusion surgery with BMP and it can show a full fusion which would be impossible. To this day, when he lectures residents and interns, he puts up several peoples MRI's and asks them to tell him which people are fused and which aren't and they all say mine is fused. It is a good lesson that many surgeons could benefit from.

It has been 7 years since and 7 years without back pain. As far as I am concerned, there may be other spine surgeons as good as mine, but none better. I can't count the number of people I have referred to him in that time who have come back to thank me and tell me what a great doctor he is. I hope the same for all of you.