Non patient discogram observations

[Mark / Australia]

Hi everyone,

I just though I’d post my experience of a discogram from the perspective of the partner of someone who just had one done (barely 24 hours ago in fact) - I know how people can crave info on others’ experiences when they’re looking at having the same procedure done. I also have a few questions at the end for those who’ve undergone the procedure themselves.

The discogram seems to be much despised procedure, for obvious reasons, although I must admit my partner didn’t seem to take it as badly as I was expecting. After reading many of the posts here I expected her to be an incapacitated wreck for some time afterwards, but it didn’t really turn out that way. Rather than prattle on randomly I’ll put my observations down in point form:

• My partner, who is in her mid twenties, said that she had built it up to be far worse in her mind than it actually was. Her specialist (Dr Matthew Scott-Young; Australia) said that there would be some pain given that that’s essentially the whole point of the procedure. It certainly wasn’t pleasant, but she did confirm that her “worrying things out of all proportion” made the lead up worse.

• She was given sedation for the procedure which she said was extremely helpful. I don’t know what drug was used. The sedation seemed to assist with handling the pain to a reasonable degree, and given how happy she was to have it I would recommend anyone else having a discogram ask for the same. Oh, and she was never given enough sedation to become unconscious, just in case you’re wondering.

• She said that the pain reproduced was about 9-10/10 at one level, and 7-8/10 at the other level tested. She didn’t feel that the pain was very much more than what she normally suffers during her worst times (although in her mind before the procedure she thought it would be ranking about 1000 out of 10…! If only we could master our imaginations so to speak hey). For comparison, her pain swings between about 6-10/10 throughout the day and week, with an average consistent pain at anytime of about 8/10.

• Once she answered the questions of pain as best she could during the procedure, the pressure in the disc was released and the pain subsided back to between her average level of pain and the increased level of pain she just experienced. The actual pain inducing part of the procedure didn’t appear to last long at all.

• After the procedure was done she had to move to a new bed and be wheeled out to an area where we were waiting. She said moving to the new bed was very difficult, and could not do it herself. From what she said I gather trying to move under her own power was probably the most painful part of the whole experience, given how everything was flared up. As long as she was still it didn’t flare, so for those of you having it done just try to be still as best you can immediately after. She was helped to roll over to her back by the staff (apparently there were quite a few people in the room and involved in the whole thing), and they lifted her on a sheet to the new rolling bed.

• It took about an hour for the sedation to wear off suitably, pain to subside a little, and get dressed. We left soon after for the drive home. She seemed to have pain flared up through the day which isn’t surprising, although she’s now back at work barely 24 hours later. I’ve just got a message from her that the pain is flaring a little at work and she’s doing what she can to manage – I guess that’s no surprise though. She’s in admin, but there’s a lot of walking around offices throughout the building which probably isn’t doing her much good just now.



Hopefully that little rundown assists some of you looking to have this procedure done soon. From what I’ve read I gather some people tend to have it worse, and vice-versa I suppose. Just try not to let your imagination run wild though, get some sedation for the procedure, and make sure you’ve got some family waiting.
I’ll also say once again that it wasn’t me getting the procedure, just my observations on my partner getting it done. If anyone doesn’t agree with any of the above just post below and share your experience.


These questions are from my partner who asked me to post them. It’s nearly a month until we see the specialist again, and she’s hungry for some info/opinions if possible:

1.
She said that when she’s lying on her stomach she only usually gets back pain, not leg pain (both are generally equal in intensity, but come at different times/positions). The procedure was positive in recreating this back pain (thankfully…) although she’s concerned that it didn’t recreate any leg pain. We gather this is due to her being in a position that she doesn’t normally get leg pain. Would anyone agree or disagree, or can offer any input?

2.
She wasn’t surprised through the day after the procedure that she got flared up back pain (given the positive test response), although she also found her leg pain was flared up as well. Should this have occurred given that only back pain was recreated during the test? We think that it goes hand in hand, and that it’s no surprise that all pain was aggravated for the remainder of the day. Thoughts here anyone?



Ok, that’s all for now.
Take care all,
Mark

[Harrison]

Mark,

Your posting is amazingly helpful and thoughtful, so thanks for sharing your observations. Here are a few comments from my perspective as a patient who had this procedure four years ago:

- You are right in suggesting that experiences with discographies vary widely. In case you (et al) have not seen the FAQ on this, I consolidated a number of patient experiences over the years in this topic: Discograms – what should I expect? http://adrsupport.org/eve/forums/a/t...1/m/7451064022

- I am sorry that she had to go back to work so soon! Most people take some time off, as they need time to recover from the spinal headaches (said to be from lost CSF).

- Another useful post from recent past: Injections: know what's being injected! http://adrsupport.org/eve/forums/a/t...1/m/8561003413

I think your questions point to the answer about the nerve problem, but it’s tough for any of us patients to speculate on the source of the pain – though it may be instigated from loading the spine. As you know, sitting and standing can really “load” the spine.

That said, Dr Matthew Scott-Young is the leading spine doc in Australia – so he’s really the expert to consult with in this tricky issue. So, back to you:

- Did your partner get a spinal headache from the procedure? How is she doing now?
- What did MSY say about the result – or will you get more details at your next appointment?
- If the diagnosis is pending or elusive, some patients here in the states have seen more detailed diagnoses derived from other technologies, including MRNs (see cutting edge forum on topic I created several years ago with Dr. Filler) and standing MRIs (not too common, but they are out there).

Thanks Mark, keep us posted. I hope this helps.