NEVER HAVE A DISCOGRAM if you can AVOID IT!!!

Gosh, talk about the test from HELL!!!!!

I am home now though... and through... just HOPING they FIND the problem... I know I just cannot fathom NOT finding something... so I shall see... they did 4 levels...


and those needles DO NOT FEEL good and when they put pressure in them with the dye that is even worse.... anyway... awaiting the results and I hope that is early next week... I HATE having to wait for test results...

by the way NO SEDATION, NO PAIN MEDS nothing... I knew they needed you Lucid enough to be able to tell them about the pain no pain where and so on... but usually they at least give you a mild sedative to help you relax.... long story... I shall tell more later... I am off the to sofa the rest of today, and maybe a bit tomorrow...


oh by the way I noticed "ankylosing spondylitis" was actually "one" of the diagnosis was that my Orthopedic surgeon had down... even though he "blew me off" when I asked when I saw him, but he did have it in with my diagnosis!!!!



http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/discogram/basics/definition/prc-20013848

My Facebook Post about this Ordeal!!!!




Okay guys and gals... just a quick update!! FIRST OF ALL - NEVER have a DISCOGRAM if you can POSSIBLY AVOID IT!!! No "sedative" at all... no IV, no even pain meds when they were through... and he stuck needles in FOUR different places in my lumbar/sacral spine!!! It hurt like hell, and even hurt worse taking them out... needless to say, I PRAY we get some "positive" news... so I can move forward and get out of this horrid pain.... ALL that you read about these things and MORE are TRUE!!! BUT, of course that is the purpose... to inject that dye into the places the doctor deems causing the problems, THEN the dye pressure gives you either "pain" like you have, or MORE pain, or even a "different" pain... or sometimes no pain... thus it is strictly a diagnostic tool, so you have to be "lucid" enough to be able to tell them what it "feels" like, BUT some of the docs at least give you a bit some type a sedative, so you are at least relaxed a bit.... anyway, it is over and done with NOW... hopefully I will know something next week. In fact my Orthopedic doctors nurse actually called me while I had it done, and so I called her back to tell her yes, I just in fact finished it and was leaving the hospital... I was supposed to already have had it done several weeks back, but with illness, flares and so forth I had put it off. So, I HOPE they FOUND something!!!!! The last thing I want to hear is they FOUND NOTHING.. that would suck... I am off to go back to the sofa and rest for the day with the pups.... and will tell you more later when I am feeling a bit better...

Here is a link to just one site about this....

Tomorrow is THE DAY (I dread)!!!! Discogram on lumbar/sacral spine....

I've said a bit about this here, but I have not went into lots of details...

About  months or more ago, I began to have a huge issue with severe pain in both hips. I did notice it was a bit painful kind of at the last vertebra on my lumbar/sacral portion of my spine.

I still thought it was my hips. I've had to have them injected a couple of times before with corticosteroids to calm down bursitis, and the like.

But, I had to go to my Orthopedic Surgeon that done my shoulder replacement and then my 4 level neck surgery a couple of years ago.

Due to insurance changes my former insurance would pay the local Ortho Docs, but they are not taking my newer one. I had already had this being "diagnosed" with my Pain Doctor. In fact he did epidural injections in that area.. and for about 3 days, it felt better... and then it went back to severe and now I can barely stand the pain. In the past two weeks, I guess due to ALL I've been trying to get done around my home, from getting the lawn mowed (I tried to "weed eat" part of the front where It was so tall.  My neighbor that usually mows it I guess was working a different shift and had not been home to mow mine nor his. Well, the weed eating did not help my hips, bu it did knock down some of the taller grass/weeds...

Then I moved all of my furniture around in my bedroom and some in my living room, took down an old desk, hauled it out front to get rid of it, along with a couple of "Mac" desktops. They probably needed power supplies, but I just didn't want to mess with trying all of that, and then the hassle of selling them. So, they went quickly, just like everything else I sit out there. I put a free sign on something and before I can come in the house good, someone always gets is quickly... great for me... no having to try and have it hauled off, or try to take it apart enough that the trash will pick it up etc...

So, between all of that, trimming trees, and gosh you name it, I've had been doing things  I really should NOT be doing but someone had to....

Anyway, I face a discogram in Dallas in the morning (Friday)... we are already pretty sure what it will tell.. I imagine that there are either compressions fractures due to the osteoporosis... and I know some slipped discs, plus I have something kind of like "scoliosis" My spine in that area is "tilted" ...

So, everyone keep my in your thoughts - my son has to drive down here in the early AM, I have to be in Dallas at the hospital by 7AM and I've read several things about these and just about every thing I read, one tells it this way, and another tells it the other... I will add a couple of links below. Right now I can barely stand the pain, just to sit in my computer chair. It makes my hips again feel as if they are on fire....

http://www.allaboutbackpain.com/html/spine_diagnostics/spine_diagnostics_discogram.html


http://www.ainsworthinstitute.com/discogram

https://www.cedars-sinai.edu/Patients/Programs-and-Services/Imaging-Center/For-Patients/Exams-by-Procedure/Interventional-Neuroradiology/Discogram/Discogram-Procedure-Information.aspx