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Should I dread my myleogram?

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  • Should I dread my myleogram?

    I've had discograms before and will have yet another on Dec. 2 and while they are no fun at least i know what to expect. However, I've never had a myelogram before. I have one scheduled a week later on the 9th. Some things i've read say they are very painful and some say not. Can you give me your experiences with them? Don't worry about frightening me with the truth...lol... i'll just take a xanax if i get too scared...lol.

    Thanks....JoAnn
    Last edited by JoAnn5; 12-02-2008, 08:16 PM.

  • #2
    JoAnn,

    I would love to hear from you after you have the Myleogram. At my one year post op appt. I was having some discomfort in my leg and the Dr. suggested doing this but told me it was a very painful procedure or test. I asked if it would do me any harm to wait until the pain was so bad in my legs I couldn't stand it he seemed to think that was fine. When I go back for the 2 year post op visit I may think about having it done as my legs (now thay both hurt) seem to be getting worse.

    Best of Luck, I will be thinking of you.
    Patty 51 years old
    Surgery May 23, 2007(43 Birthday)
    Posterior T3- L4
    Pre surgery curves
    T-53degrees
    L-38degrees
    and a severe side shift to the right.
    Post surgery curves
    Less than 10 degrees
    Surgery April, 2006
    C4 - C6

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    • #3
      Piece of cake, ha!

      My experience is posted here. I'd think if you can stand discograms, then a myelogram shoudn't worry you too much. I survived 2 of them this past spring, and while they weren't fun, they weren't awful. Best of luck-let us know how it all goes.
      Posterior fusion T5-L1 May 5, 2003-age 43
      Posterior revision, thoracotomy,fusion T2-L2 April 8, 2008-age 49
      Fusion extension C1-L2 evacuation left pulmonary effusion May 9, 2008, age 49
      www.buggfamily.blogspot.com

      Comment


      • #4
        i had a myelogram in 1987 the day before my back surgery. i had it without any type of sedation at all and watched it on the monitor. it didn't hurt at all. i was stone cold sober and didn't mind it at all other than the creepiness of it and the fact that i had to lay flat until the next morning, which meant i could not get up to smoke a cigarette in the cigarette room down the hall from my room.
        avis
        1987 Lumbar Laminectomy (forget which levels)
        2005 A/P fusion, L2 - L5, 2/2005
        2009 2 Posterior fusions, T6 - Pelvis, 2/10 & 2/18,
        Dr. Frank Rand, NEBH

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        • #5
          Hi...

          My experience with a CT/myelogram was similar to Avis'. I didn't think it was painful at all, with the exception of having to get into rather uncomfortable positions on a rather hard table. My understanding is that myleograms are a piece of cake compared to discograms.

          Good luck.

          Regards,
          Linda
          Never argue with an idiot. They always drag you down to their level, and then they beat you with experience. --Twain
          ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          Surgery 2/10/93 A/P fusion T4-L3
          Surgery 1/20/11 A/P fusion L2-sacrum w/pelvic fixation

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by theizzard View Post
            ... i was stone cold sober and didn't mind it at all other than the creepiness of it and the fact that i had to lay flat until the next morning, which meant i could not get up to smoke a cigarette in the cigarette room down the hall from my room.
            avis
            Avis, I hope you're not considering surgery if you smoke. I quit after 25 years a year before my initial (and hopefully ONLY) surgery ... and would have NEVER tried it if I was still a junkie ...

            Pam
            Fusion is NOT the end of the world.
            AIDS Walk Houston 2008 5K @ 33 days post op!


            41, dx'd JIS & Boston braced @ 10
            Pre-op ±53°, Post-op < 20°
            Fused 2/5/08, T4-L1 ... Darrell S. Hanson, Houston


            VIEW MY X-RAYS
            EMAIL ME

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            • #7
              no smokee no more

              oh my god pam, i quit 23 years ago. that was for my first back surgery. the nurses would help the smokers crawl down to the smoking room which was on the surgery floor, after we came up from surgery. you couldn't see in the room for all the smoke in there. when i was in a couple of years before that you could smoke in your room. back then it was heaven. now it would be hell.
              avis
              1987 Lumbar Laminectomy (forget which levels)
              2005 A/P fusion, L2 - L5, 2/2005
              2009 2 Posterior fusions, T6 - Pelvis, 2/10 & 2/18,
              Dr. Frank Rand, NEBH

              Comment


              • #8
                JoAnn,

                I experienced no pain or discomfort from my myelogram. It was just time consuming because I had to stick around for 90 minutes afterward for observation. And then we hit rush-hour traffic out of Chicago and at the time major road repair work was in progress so it made for a very long day. You’ll do just fine.

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                • #9
                  I've had two myelograms. One was through the neck since the doc. didn't think he could get in my back. The other was through my lumbar area somewhere. Neither of them was bad at all. No side effects either. K

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                  • #10
                    Thank you all. Sounds as if i can relax then. My only concern was whether I would be able to take my mom to her dr. appointment the next day in a town about 30 miles away from me.

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                    • #11
                      Well, they will tell you to lie down with your head on a pillow for 24hrs afterward. They say you can get up for short periods to eat or pee, but that's it. I followed their instructions and did not get the post-myelogram headache I'd read about. Plus the radiologist promised he'd use the smallest needle possible. So do be careful about doing too much before your 24hrs is up.
                      Posterior fusion T5-L1 May 5, 2003-age 43
                      Posterior revision, thoracotomy,fusion T2-L2 April 8, 2008-age 49
                      Fusion extension C1-L2 evacuation left pulmonary effusion May 9, 2008, age 49
                      www.buggfamily.blogspot.com

                      Comment

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