Bocky,
Read your post. Until now, had never heard of a discogram. I had L4-5 fused, along with a laminectomy. Also, had BMP for fusion. November will be 7 years since spinal surgery. I have been in constant pain and take large dose of Oxycontin (60mg. every 6 hrs. and Percocet 7.5 breakthru pain up to 4 times a day). Have never known what it is like to be pain free.

Since I went to a teaching hospital ...Rush Medical Center, Chicago, IL, you would think the latest tests would have been used. My surgeon only used my xrays, ct scans, and MRI for surgery. Wish I had the info in your post then.

Gerry

I read these posts the day before my discogram and was terrified! I want to let people know that I had the procedure yesterday and it was not so bad. My doctor explained to me that for discs that were not damaged, I would feel pressure (like someone pressing on my back). He said for discs that were damaged, I would feel some pain, but nothing much worse than what I had already been experiencing. He was right. Yes, it hurt, but it was definitely nothing I could not handle. Please don't let these posts scare you away from a test that could benefit you in the long run!

I have annular tears in L4-L5 and L5-S1 with leaking pulposes. I had a discogram to confirm the discs were torn and leaking and I'm sorry to tell you but it was the worst pain I'd ever felt in my life! I'm 45, btw. My mom was in the waiting room and she said she and the other patients could hear my crying and hollering all the way to the waiting room at the front of the building.

Now my NEW pain doctor tells me Discograms are barbaric. They are NOT necessary to check for torn discs. An MRI can easily see the torn, leaking discs. If I were you, I'd seek a second opinion, a doctor who agrees that this test is not just terribly horrifically painful, but also unnecessary.

I'm sorry, but this is my honest and truthful experience. It was pure torture.

You know how bad it hurts when your back "goes out"? Just had this done and 1st undamaged disk did not hurt. They numb you and give something to relax you but I was WIDE AWAKE. Then they got to 2nd disk. Started feeling pressure and pain in my buttocks. Nothing I haven't felt before. Then the 3rd disk it hurt bad but only for a brief period because he knew he had duplicated my pain. This is nothing you have not felt before so you will be fine. I scared myself to death reading posts on the internet and almost cancelled it. It is the best thing I ever did. Now my doc knows EXACTLY where the problem is and what I have been complaining about all along! Good luck! You can do it and you will be glad you did!!!

Yes, it IS definitely not worse than the pain you've already felt, that is true. But I guess MY situation, with 2 torn and leaking discs, and laying on that table in such a vulnerable position is what made it so bad for me. I did NOT have a kind gentle doctor at all---he's scared me and hurt me doing numerous epidural steroid injections, then facet joint injections. So the discogram was bad for me. It hurt terribly.

Everyone is different.

My NEW Neuro says the discogram is barbaric, it is unnecessary. All it does is confirm what the MRI already shows--that you have annular tears and perhaps leakage also.

Turns out my first dr. only want to do tests and injections to make money. I'd been seeing him for 8 years and he still didn't know me by nam! He turned out to be nothing more than a pill mill. I'm glad I have a new dr now, who has suggested a rhizotomy for me. My mom just had one and it helped her tremendously!

I've had 3 done.
FOR ME:
I was laying on a table face down. They put me out. Then the inserted needles into my back. They woke me up when they were done doing that. They asked me questions...."Can you feel this, can you feel that" etc.... They send something thru those needles. Not sure if it's electricity or they send a shock through it. It's not painful whatsoever. It's just an unpleasant vision of what they're doing. When the questions were done they put me out again and I woke up.

They have to determine where your pain is at. What nerve your pain is going through so the can help that specific area.

Hope that helps!
Heather

For a discogram, you HAVE to be awake. I am confused as to why they 'put you out' like this! Apparently, you were totally unprepared for what a discogram is--they DO NOT send electricity through those needles! They are injected a liquid into each disc, plus a control disc, to try to mimic your pain. If your discogram did not hurt, then you did not have tears (annular tears) in your discs and no leakage either.

This is truly baffling, why they would put you out, when you HAVE to be awake to let them know what you are feeling. You will either feel pressure (from a disc that is fine) or pain like hell (from a disc that is torn and/or leaking!)

Any WHY you've had THREE of them done is also truly baffling. Are you sure you are not getting this discogram confused with other procedure?!! It only takes one discogram to diagnose a problem, not three!! One is barbaric enough, but three?! I cannot help but think you are certainly getting this procedure mixed up with something else!!


As an added note: A discogram is NOT done to determine which nerves are affected. It is only done to find out if one more of your discs is torn and/or leaking! It has nothing to do with nerves or nerve bundles!

Just had my discogram, i wish i had not been reading forums because it psyched me out and scared me for no reason. It was not bad!!
It felt no different than the steroid injections I had. I did not do sedation for those either.
And the pain literally only lasts a few seconds until they get what they need.
It does depend on the doctor administering your test. Some can shove the dye in carelessly, others like mine are gentle.
My discogram was a breeze personally. Nothing like what i was expecting.
Slightly sore after.
Try not to be scared!

YES! I am a veteran of back pain and spine surgery. My discogram was brutal. You do have to be awake though they give you a litttle something to relax you when they prod inside your spine. No fun.

Before I had my discogram, I made the mistake of reading several posts by others who have had discograms. I was curious about what to expect. Every post I read described the procedure as extremely painful and almost like torture. Needless to say, I was very nervous about having the test done, and almost cancelled it. But I knew it was necessary if my Dr was going to perform surgery on my back. My Pain Dr put my mind at ease by telling me it would be uncomfortable but not unbearable. He was right. I did feel a sharp pain in two of my discs that shot all the way down my leg. It hurt and I said so, but it only lasted a few seconds. He gave me something in my IV to help me relax and then gave me something else for pain. The entire procedure didn't seem to last too long. Maybe 15 or 20 minutes. Then they took me to radiology to have a CT scan. I decided to post this on the same sites I had read before I had the test done so that if someone was looking for a more positive experience, it would be there for them. Maybe the reason I didn't have a bad experience is because I had a really good and experienced Dr. Idk. But for me, it was not terrible and I'm glad I had it done in order to pinpoint the area that is causing my pain.