does anybody still have pain caused by discogram?

Chrissy4581 - I am having a discogram on Thursday (and now am terrified about the pain). My issue is DDD where I have no disc at L4L5 and have discussed spinal fusion at that level. I was wondering if you had your surgery and if so, how are you feeling? Thanks so much!

Completely NOT looking forward to Thursday.

I had spinal fusion surgery last November. It is truly no big deal. I have had lots of pain following a variety of surgeries over the years and I can honestly say this spinal fusion was the easiest of all my surgeries. It can sometimes cause a domino effect in your spine however and it appears that I am now having pain that did not exist before the surgery. The first time my arm was just numb. My neck was in terrible shape so the surgery was a MUST. Now my neck hurts and he wants a discogram. I will not consent to it. It looks like the problem can be seen on my MRI and that should be enough. If anyone else thinks I should have the discogram let me know because right now the answer is a big fat NO.

I had a discogram done prior to surgery ordered by ortho surgeon. YES it was very painful and I thought I had a high pain tolerance. I will tell you that when I went for pre-op with Neuro surgeon he told me that I should not have been put through a discogram as he confirmed what it did by placing his finger under my left big toe and having me try to push against his finger with toe. When I did this my toe was like a limp noodle. it went all the way down against his finger. he then pricked my toe and I could feel nothing. He took my toe and wiggled it around and I was in shock that it was as it was i had no clue. He said that my big toe was dead and this confirmed that L5 was gone. so you may go to a neurosurgeon and see what he if he does the toe exam. I spiked a temp on the 4th day and they had me get to the hospital and admitted me as they thought I may have spinal infection from the discogram. I was kept in for 24 hrs. Had surgery 2weeks later and Iam 6 mo's post-op and going in for hardware removal and granulation tissue removal on the 27th of this month and Iam scared witless. I had to have hardware injections to confirm if it was the hardware that was causing an increase in pain and it confirmed even more. I will say that the discogram was painful, but It is good when a surgeon wants these test done before they do surgery to make sure there is just cause for surgery. Good Luck and I will keep you in my prayers and keep us posted on your decision and or outcome.

I got into a car accident over 3 years ago, x-rays and MRI's didn't show any signs of anything unusual. I've tried injections, at least 3 different places of physical therapy, chiropractor, and massage therapy (which helped a little bit). My doctor from the Virginia Spine Institute wanted to get a Discography done to see whether he could find something. I was told that it could be uncomfortable if he found the painful spot and that I would be sadated just enough to where I was awake but I was a little numb. I have alot of anxiety from the accident and told him to watch my anxiety level so I don't freak out, which he said he would do. When he was doing the test I didn't feel much, but when he got to the L3-L4 area the pain was unbearable. My anxiety level spiked and the pain was to much to handle. He wouldn't give me any more medicine but he said he found the trouble spot. After he got the test results back he said that one of my discs was messed up and the only way to fix it would be a spinal fusion. I'm nervous about getting the surgery, I've had 2 other opinions and they both said that surgery would be best but there was no promise it would get completely fixed. I'm hoping to get the surgery done by the end of the year but if anyone has any information, stories or anything that could help, I'd greatly apreciate it.

This is an extremely late post but I felt I needed to reply...

I had a discogram YEARS ago, and I am bracing myself for another one.

This is a followup to an extremely painful myelogram I endured two days ago.

Unfortunately, Folks, we sometimes have to deal with even more pain before we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

<---- I know I could use one right now!!!


Sara
24 years Old

By design....yes.

I had a discogram before my back fusion, as the insurance company required it as proof that my disk was causing the pain. It was not fun, and it was probably worse than any of the usual spinal injections I had gone through, but mostly it was just because I was scared and did not know what to expect. The worst part was probably laying there with the 3 needles sticking out of my back and just knowing they were there, even though I couldn't see them (and probably just as well that i couldn't) but the only painful part was when they injected stuff into the disks. The ones that were not bad just felt this pressure sensation, and the one that was bad as soon as he injected into that I immediately felt my usual pain and kind of jerked and gasped at that, and then he stopped putting stuff into it. i just remember having to lie there with the needles in my back for a while, since they were doing fluoroscopy scans, etc. The most pain I felt the whole time was at the very end- they had this weird needle in my back that may have been the original guiding one, but it had these little balls every few cm all along it, and when they inserted it i would feel this popping sensation when those balls would go through whatever they went through. At the very end he gave me this massive pain shot in my butt, and then pulled that needle out in one yank and I felt this pop-pop-pop-pop and yelled from the pain, but it was over before I knew it. Afterwards I was not in any more pain than after a spinal injection. And they were very liberal with the pain meds and with the sedation throughout the test, so again, it was not pleasant, i would not want to do it again, but I was much more scared of having it then it really warranted. I have never had a myelogram, but I would imagine one of those would probably be worse. Anyone out there about to have one of these, don't let the pain stories scare you too bad, and just breathe and know you can get through it and it will be over with and then you are smooth sailing from there. And as far as the worst pain I ever felt- that was after my back fusion- no question. After that surgery I totally started doing those 1-10 pain scales differently- I had not had any idea what 10 was until after my fusion. Of course, i was on so much pain medicine before the surgery that there was really no way they could touch my pain, so do not take my story to mean all fusions are that bad.

before my first surgory at levels 5/6 6/7 i to was recommended and had the discogram prosedure as my docotor told me it would show any and EXACTLY what discs needed to be adressed to answer your ? it was painful the first 3 needles at the 3 levels weren't that bad 6/7 there were difficulties and after 4 tries were not successful inserting the needles were it needed to be but the prosedure does help the surgone pinpoint problematic areas...........good luck

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.