Hi all,
I got a few personal messages about the details of the catheter angiogram/venogram procedure, so I thought I’d repost most of my message here in case it helps others more generally.
Before the procedure, I asked Dr. Mehta about whether I would be under sedation, fully awake, or somewhere in between. He said that for people with suspected jugular compression, they conduct the procedure under light sedation. We have to be awake enough to take direction so that we can move our heads in order for them to determine if there is compression or collapse of the jugular vein in certain neck/head positions. Unfortunately, you can’t be out cold because then you don’t retain normal muscle tone which many doctors think is key to reproducing the same compression that occurs when we are awake. I also asked him if that meant that there was a chance for a false positive even on twilight sedation. He said he thinks as along as you have any muscle tone and are technically awake, sedation does not effect the results.
I was awake and remember a lot of the procedure (but not all of it), however this was in a twilight state and I simply did not care about anything. My mood during the procedure was downright giddy. And this is after being very anxious going into the procedure; right up until the point where the anesthesiologist started the light sedation. Some people say that when they first “go in” at your groin, there is some discomfort. In my case, I don’t even remember that part. They must have done a good job administering enough meds for certain parts, because then I remember all the rest of it. Once he’s in, it’ actually pretty crazy how little you feel. Once he gets to the neck and head area (where there is likely compression) you will feel it more. It is mostly painless, and even then it’s just a touch uncomfortable with pain that is less than what most of us go through on a daily basis. He’ll warn you as he’s doing it. He kept saying he was “tickling my ear.” I would say it was more than a “tickle” but less than a bug bite. Nothing to worry about.
Once he was done, and as he extracted the catheter, I felt a little bit more pain in my groin. Nothing terrible but I did mention to them and they just administered more meds. I felt pretty out of it for the next hour or so once they bring you to the rest area (there’s a photo of me afterwards where I demanded that I wear my GF’s sunglasses and that she needed to document it. I have the biggest shit-eating grin). I mention that just to say that it wasn’t a big deal even when there was a bit of pain.
If I had to do this again, I would not stress nearly as much, or really at all. What made the experience worse, really was my fear and anxiety. The actual procedure just sounds scarier than it really is. I can’t stress this enough. I think another poster mentioned something about the scariest part is the fear itself. Spot on analysis.
Dr. Mehta’s office and staff are wonderful. Dr. Mehta himself was great to work with. I felt very comfortable in their care.
There is one tiny thing you should be prepared for. It’s really not a big deal but I was a little surprised (even though I was warned about it by Mehta’s staff and other users on this forum). Afterwards, your groin will be pretty sore and tender. It will look even worse. The bruising is wild. However, it looks worse than it is. I mostly rested the next day on the couch. I walked lightly by day two. After that I did everything I would normally do except workouts or moderate/vigorous exercise. I couldn’t quite get to my regular exercise until today (1 week). But that was also mostly because I’m trying to make sure I give my body plenty of rest. That said, now knowing that my groin being sore for a week afterwards is truly the worst part, I wouldn’t sweat it if I had to do it again.
Also, it makes us sound pretty metal when you regal your holiday guests with the story about how you were awake for a procedure where they shove a catheter up your groin into your skull. (I leave out the part where it’s really a pretty easy procedure 
).
Sorry for the long post. I just wanted to give the full recap. I know I found some solace in some others’ posts who did the same procedure (@jalexy12 , your info was very helpful to me and I hope you are doing well post-op).