Just wondering if any of you'all can answer my question. After reading some of the new posts on the discograms, in which I never had, I don't think, I was wondering about something. I had a mylegram a couple of years ago and I am wondering if they put dye into the disc when they do these.
I saw on the previous post about injecting the dye then giving a CT scan. Well, I had the dye injected into my back and I know they followed the dye to see if it was going throughout the nerves and had a CT scan afterwards. I would have known if they put it in my disc right? That is different correct?
As far as I know, my mylegram didn't really show anything.
Christina http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/heart.gif

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27 years old
1993: T1 to L1 fusion due to scoliosis at age 17
2000: Tore and ruptured L4 L5 & L5 S1-it finally got better after about a year. Did really well for about a year.
June 2002: Had a relapse and tore disc again. It is going on a year and my disc pain has subsided now I am faced with facet joint and bone problems restricting my movement.
Not sure what is next!
Still waiting to go into remission again but I think the damage is done!!
Current doctor say to wait it out.
Going for second opinion in July.

Hi Christina,

Yes, you would definitely have known if they had injected the dye into your disk. The myleogram is specifically used for nerve damage determination (like you said, it tracks movement of dye and will show if nerve damage present or not). The disco is specifically used to determine disk health. It will show tears, ruptures, fissures, herniations (inverted and external) and will show degeneration of disks too. The injected substance also puts pressure on the nerves in that disk which will tell the surgeon what the diagnosis is by what the symptoms are. The dye injected into a healthy disk produces NO pain, but injected into a damaged one will induce the worst of the pain the patient regularly experiences. This is how they pinpoint the "culprits".

I hope this answers your question. If not, let me know.


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successtory
Oct 2000: Repetitive Stress Injury-Inverted Hernia
Feb 2001: MRI. Shows only slight bulge at L4-L5
Dec 2001: Discogram/CT scan shows Inverted Hernia at L5-S1. L4-L5 & L5-S1 ruptured in all 4 quadrants. Unable to walk.
Feb 2002: IDET, Nucleoplasty, Intra-Discal Injections
Sept 2002: Rated in the top 10% for successful patients. Retraining for new career.

Thanks successtory!
That answered my question. I figured that. I just wondered why if they were doing the dye thing that maybe they slipped some into my disc. Ha! I guess since they are totally different then I didn't have one. I wonder why? Hmmmmmm?
Well, I go for my second opinion in July maybe this doctor will order one. I actually hope not and hope he finds the real culprit up front. Like I have said before, I am convinced it is a bone/joint problem now from all the stress of the disc problems!
Well, Thanks and have a great weekend!!

Christina http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/heart.gif

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27 years old
1993: T1 to L1 fusion due to scoliosis at age 17
2000: Tore and ruptured L4 L5 & L5 S1-it finally got better after about a year. Did really well for about a year.
June 2002: Had a relapse and tore disc again. It is going on a year and my disc pain has subsided now I am faced with facet joint and bone problems restricting my movement.
Not sure what is next!
Still waiting to go into remission again but I think the damage is done!!
Current doctor say to wait it out.
Going for second opinion in July.

[This message has been edited by ChristinaD (edited 04-25-2003).]