Myelogram

Oh my goodness I barely survived the myelogram but it's over. Thank God It's over.

My week started off spending time in the clinic getting four tubes of blood drawn for my admission to the hospital on Wednesday. Tuesday morning I spent time talking to the ambulatory surgery receptionist discussing past medical history and the upcoming admission. Tuesday afternoon the radiology department called to discuss the procedure details and what I could expect. I had previously researched the procedure so I would be prepared. I was asked not to take metformin the morning of the myelogram and not to take it for 48 hours after the procedure because of the risk of renal failure. The radiographic medium dye and the metformin could cause devastation if mixed on the kidneys. I obliged .

Wednesday morning I woke up a few hours earlier than I needed to , to mentally prepare myself. I showered, brushed teeth and downed a bottle of cold spring water. I wasn't supposed to drink anything after midnight but since I would not be sedated ,what the hell. (With diabetes I have perpetual cotton mouth). After being admitted in ambulatory surgery a urine test was done to check for possible pregnancy and more blood drawn to make sure it wasn't too thin. Once the last blood was drawn I was taken to xrays where an xray technician & the radiologist explained the procedure. I was transferred to the xray table, the Dr marked the areas she would be injecting Lidocaine and where the needle will be guided in to inject the dye. My back was bathed in iodine.

The Dr was going to use a fluroscope to guide the needle in. The first injection of lidocaine hit a vertebrae and by the second injection I was in tears. The third lidocaine shot & myelogram was painless. Once the dye was injected several xrays were done the pain came back with a vengeance before I made it to ct scan.   After the procedure I was in recovery for 4.5 hours with my head slightly elevated . I was ordered to take it easy for 2 days to prevent any complications such as headaches or bleeding. Hopefully I will know the results of the procedure soon.