[Maria]

I've had 3 to date and didn't have the ADR and fusion proposed yet or any further surgery so most likely I'll have at least one more discogram in the future which is OK w/me because:

1rst discogram~ was painful afterwards like my back had gone out. The pain asted nearly 3 days and then felt much much better. L2,L3,and L4 were tested. Dr.Said L5S1 was shot and we knew it so he would save me the pain of testing that disc.

the 2nd discogram was better than the first.
This time L3, L4, and L5 were done. I was scared to have L5 done considering I had been told previously it would be too painful but this doctor said he had to test it and it was the most painful disc.

At the end of the 2nd one Marcaine was injected behind the procedure for pain relief and to make it easier for me to fly home post procedure. My back only hurt for one day and it was like when it would go out. No worse really. Had to rest in bed one full day.

3rd discogram, L3, L4, and L5 were done. I had an ESI after it ( Epidural Steroid Injection). That provided great relief and I was down only for a short period of time after that procedure like the remainder of the afternoon/evening.

It can depend on who is doing it and how they do the procedure as to the quality of the procedure and it's diagnostic value. Also you will want a well written report if this is for insurance purposes as well as for diagnostics.

Personally for me this procedure has not yielded horrible painful results esp. with an advance discussion with the person performing it as to some kind of pain relief afterwards. Of diagnostics I've had done for my spine, while relatively scary in terms of thought of what's going to be done, all turned out OK in good hands.

I thank Mark for his input when I was concerned about having the 2nd discogram back in 2003 when seen at UCSF for 2 level Prodisc trial.