Meds not working

[jrnyc]

yes, Lynette...there is stuff on myleogram on thread here somewhere...very recent...anyway, i had one 4 years ago...no big deal, you just have to stay still and lay the way they tell you to afterwards so you dont get the dreaded spinal headache...BUT...i am not fused....yet...so i dont know if it is any different going thru a myleo after fusion....
i hope it is not more difficult for you...a myleogram does give great diagnostic information...

hope you feel better soon!

jess

[mbeckoff]

Lynette,
Hope you find out soon what your problem is and get it taken care so you can get on with your healing and your life

Melissa

[gmw]

Hi Lynette -- I have had a myleogram/CT scan. It wasn't bad, but I hadn't just had fusion surgery. I'm sure they will make you as comfortable as they possibly can to do it. Hope they can do it soon so you can get on with your healing. Wishing you all the best with your boys when your mum leaves this weekend.

Glenda

[Nitram]

Hi Lynette, I'm so sorry your having a tough time with pain in your leg. I pray that they are able to determine the problem soon and get you comfortable again.

Rich

[rohrer01]

Lynette,
I have had the myelogram and CT scan. Just make sure that they do the CT scan FIRST. The don't want you laying completely flat after a myelogram, otherwise you can get the "headache". When they did mine, they explained this all to me after the myelogram, then promptly wheeled me in to CT where they layed me flat. I got the most terrible headache. Not trying to scare you. Just make sure they get the order of operations right and you will be fine. I hope it's nothing serious. Best wishes!

Remember: CT and THEN the myelogram.

[Back-out]

Jess, I thought the CT scan was to read the radiographic dye which was injected during the myelogram, in which case the order is fixed. Maybe I misunderstood?

[jrnyc]

wow...i really didnt remember stuff in order or anything...but i found the write up of my myleogram..it was in april 2004...i thought it was more recent than that...

here is some of it...

"the lower back was sterilely prepped and draped. The soft tissues overlying the L2-3 level were localized and anesthetized . The subarachnoid space was punctured using a 22 gauge spinal needle and 180 Iohexol was instilled under fluroscopic observation.
The needle was removed. The patient tolerated the procedure well. Multiple radiographs of the thoracic and lumbar spine were obtained. The patient then went for CT examination of the thoracic and lumbar spine. Sagittal and coronal reformated images of the thoracic spine were generated."

after that, the spine and all the problems i have were described...all kinds of nasty stuff ...scoli, disc disease, foraminal narrowing of this and protrusion of that, disc bulges...etc etc etc!

i barely remember going for the CT scan after laying on the table for the myleogram, but there it is in black and white!

i do remember having to lay flat and still, with my head raised on pillows, for hours...but i didnt move cause i was so scared of the dreaded headache! and thank goodness i didnt get one!

hope the description helps...

jess

[rohrer01]

Maybe I'm wrong then. If they have to have the dye in there for the CT then they would have to do the myelogram first. All I know is they told me NOT to lay flat after they myelogram and then layed me flat for what seemed like about 30 mins or more in the CT machine, which contradicted what they told me about not laying flat. I'm sure they know what they are doing. I'm just an ameteur. That's my experience.

[rohrer01]

Maybe I'm wrong then. If they have to have the dye in there for the CT then they would have to do the myelogram first. All I know is they told me NOT to lay flat after they myelogram and then layed me flat for what seemed like about 30 mins or more in the CT machine, which contradicted what they told me about not laying flat. I'm sure they know what they are doing. I'm just an ameteur. That's my experience.

Another problem for me, too, may have been that they were doing it for my cervical spine. They didn't want the dye getting into my head. It was hard to avoid in my particular case because they had to get the dye all the way up to my head.

[LynetteG]

Rohrer01 - that wouldn't make any sense to me whatsoever. They have to put the dye in first I would think - it's been ordered to be put in from the thoracic to my pelvis, and then then give you the CT scan so they can see what the problem is. My brother had this done and never experienced any headache.

[jrnyc]

Myelograms are done the way the write up from the doctor at Columbia Hosp Eastside Radiology Center in Manhattan wrote it, i believe (see post in this thread).....myelogram with dye, then CT scan....then lay down with head on pillows and stay still for a few hours...

jess

[rohrer01]

Rohrer01 - that wouldn't make any sense to me whatsoever. They have to put the dye in first I would think - it's been ordered to be put in from the thoracic to my pelvis, and then then give you the CT scan so they can see what the problem is. My brother had this done and never experienced any headache.

Oh, they did put the dye in first. But because they had to lay me flat, it must have gotten into my head. Anyway, that is what they told me they were trying to avoid, but it seemed impossible. They said the headache was caused from the dye getting into the brain cavity. I don't know. I was only 16 and just went with what they told me. My headache lasted about 5 days. I don't think Lynette has anything to worry about because of the region. I don't want to scare her. Besides the leg pain is probably far worse than the headache. I survived to tell the story. I hope to hear from her soon. Has anyone heard any news, either way?

[rich1752]

Lynette, I also have pain in my quadracep, on the side of my anterior incesion. My surgeon said that it is nerve pain and prescribed neurotin. Sometimes the pain gets pretty bad. Whats wierd is that all around my quadracep is numb except for the front, where I get the nerve pain. I don't know if this is the same for you. I had my surgery on December 9th and still have it. Went to check up last month and surgeon said that it could be permanent. I would hate that..
rich

[jrnyc]

Hey Rich
i am so sorry to hear that you are dealing with pain from nerves...how are you feeling besides that...are you in pain elsewhere?

hope you are feeling better every day...

jess

[LynetteG]

Hi Rich - Sorry to hear you're having pain in your quad also. You said that sometimes the pain gets pretty bad. I wondered how does the pain normally feel? For me I had no anterior incision, only posterior incision. The pain in my quad is constantly severe, no letup. For instance, in the shower if I want to wash under my right foot, I try to bend my right leg, and I can't bend my leg more than an inch without excruciating pain. I can't sit on the toilet seat (sorry to be graphic) without excruciating pain, or sit on the bed to read stories to my boys without excruciating pain, or sit anywhere for that matter. I can't walk without excruciating pain, it's getting worse by the day. So now I'm finally getting this myelogram on Tuesday morning, and hopefully I'll find out what's causing this horrible pain, I just hope to God I'm not told this pain will never go away, I couldn't stand it - I could not live with this pain forever. It affects my every day in everything that I do. I have a high pain tolerance, and nothing has ever hit me this bad.