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  • Catscan with Injections

    I had surgery in 1989 for a S-curve. I have been having pain in my lower back which extends into my right hip and down my leg causing some numbness. I went to a surgeon and now they want to do a catscan in which they do dye injections so they can tell if there is something causing nerve damage. Has anyone had a procedure like this?
    Background - Diagnosed in 1981 with a s-curve. Very progressive. Wore a Milwalkee brace from 1981-1986. I had back surgery in 1989....spinal fusion with Harrington rods and bone from my hip.

  • #2
    Hi..

    I think you're probably referring to a CT/myleogram. If that's the case, I had it done about six months ago. It was completely painless, with the exception of being a little uncomfortable from having to lay on a hard surface in some uncomfortable positions. It's actually two tests in one. The myleogram is done first, followed by the CT. You can read about the tests here:

    http://www.drdillin.com/education/ba..._myelogram.htm
    http://www.drdillin.com/education/ba..._cecatscan.htm

    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


    • #3
      I've also had one of those..i cant remember what they called it for me though. Its not bad at all, but just like Linda said, you can get a little uncomfortable. The 2nd one that I had lasted for about a half hour...and thats a half hour of laying completely still. Using this is how they found fractured vertebras for me.

      Abby
      18 year old female
      scoliosis curve of 50-60 degrees
      corrective surgery done at age 12( 2001), first surgery a screw went through a vertebra, was then closed up and then re-opened two days later.
      After second surgery, fusion was a success.
      Rods, hooks, and screws put in.
      Fall of 2004 in volleyball, fractured three vertebra's, on June 2nd, 2005 surgery was completed to fix that, old rods were taken out and replaced by stronger ones.

      Comment


      • #4
        I don't know if it's different for different problems, but I definitely didn't have to lay still. They kept repositioning me to see various parts of the spine.

        --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


        • #5
          Wait a minute...you didn't think the mylogram was bad? It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but the spinal tap was not the most comfortable procedure. I was at a different hospital than usual so I was extra nervous and my doc promised I would be given meds to fall asleep but then they wouldn't give them and so I had a fit and made a scene, well worth it. the only place they could put the needle was where I had a failed fusion so I was in pain already even with the pain meds. I hope I never have to have a mylogram again and if I do at the good hospital.

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          • #6
            Hi...

            A spinal tap is where spinal fluid is removed. In a myleogram, dye is injected in the sac surrounding the spinal cord.

            I'm wondering if you had a discogram, which I've heard can be incredibly painful.

            --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


            • #7
              Well, I did this on Tuesday,,, a myleogram. It wasn't bad but it was uncomfortable. Two days later I am having some pretty bad headaches which can be a side effect from the dye.
              Background - Diagnosed in 1981 with a s-curve. Very progressive. Wore a Milwalkee brace from 1981-1986. I had back surgery in 1989....spinal fusion with Harrington rods and bone from my hip.

              Comment


              • #8
                Wait, I thought I had a mylogram, that is what my doctor said I had. First they put the lidocaine needle in and then they put the other needle in and had to find the right place, they knew they were in when the fluid spinal fluid came out, which is a spinal tap, and then they injected the dye. I literally thought my bones were going to explode that is how bad it was. The table I was on tilted all the way up and down and they took X-Rays while this was going on and then I went for a CT. So was that a mylogram or a discogram? I can handle massive amounts of pain just fine but this......this was just torture!
                EDIT: I just checked and I did have a myelogram and what I saw said that first they do a spinal tap, which is what the doctor was doing first. It was very painful and he told me when the fluid was coming out. I was nervous because the only place he could put it was where I had the failed fusion. It's called phesudoarthosis (I can't spell it so I generally just type failed fusion!) The X-Rays were to see if I had anything blocking my spinal cord and nerves. The X-Ray looked like a big thich white line in the middle of my spine and then the bones. When you all had your myelogram, how did they do it without a spinal tap?
                Last edited by Froggybee19; 12-09-2005, 06:07 PM.

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                • #9
                  Hi...

                  A spinal tap is when they removal fluid. In a myleogram, they just wait until they see spinal fluid, and then they inject the dye (along with the tiny bit of spinal fluid that came into the syringe).

                  Maybe you had a lot of pain because of the pseudarthrosis? My myleogram was really almost completely pain free.

                  --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


                  • #10
                    My myleogram wasn't pain free but it wasn't horrible either. HOWEVER, I ended up with spinal headaches which were extremely HORRIBLE. I had to go back for a blood patch in which they inject your own blood into the same place they did the injection of dye. This seals the hole so spinal fluid doesn't continue to leak. I felt like my head was going to explode, threw up from the pain, hands were going numb, etc. It was awful!
                    Background - Diagnosed in 1981 with a s-curve. Very progressive. Wore a Milwalkee brace from 1981-1986. I had back surgery in 1989....spinal fusion with Harrington rods and bone from my hip.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      I just remembered what my test was...it was a Bone Scan..where they inject the die into you and then do the scan after a few hours..dont know if thats what you were talking about or not
                      Abby
                      18 year old female
                      scoliosis curve of 50-60 degrees
                      corrective surgery done at age 12( 2001), first surgery a screw went through a vertebra, was then closed up and then re-opened two days later.
                      After second surgery, fusion was a success.
                      Rods, hooks, and screws put in.
                      Fall of 2004 in volleyball, fractured three vertebra's, on June 2nd, 2005 surgery was completed to fix that, old rods were taken out and replaced by stronger ones.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        myilogram

                        I had both a myilogram and a bone scan. the bone scan was completely painless. However the myilogram was pretty painful. I was okay until the dye reached the middle of my back, thats when it got really uncomfortable and burned a lot. Before they inject the dye they take a small amout of spinal fluid out to test for several things, that didn't really hurt but I felt a lot of pressure while he was pulling back on the syringe.
                        And as far as the head ache goes, they told me that if I kept my self in an upright position so that the dye didn't reach my head. I luckily had no problems with that.

                        Georgian
                        spinal fusion 1985 T-6 to L-3, revision surgery T-3 to T-6 in 2005.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Ahhhhhhhh, the bone scan. They inject radiation stuff into you so that the area in your spine where there is something wrong will glow. Bone scans are very easy, but they just take a REALLY loooooooonnnnnnnnnggggggggg time.

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