13 years Lyme & Co.; Small Fiber Neuropathy; Myasthenia Gravis, Adrenal Insufficiency. On chemo for 2 1/2 years as experimental treatment for MG. Posts: 4480 | From Northeastern Connecticut | Registered: Jun 2005
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
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Oh, now I remember what EMG means.
It means "NEVER AGAIN" - I cannot believe how barbaric it was over 20 years ago. Good sized needles going deep into my arm muscle.
I know they could use electrodes on the skin now if they wanted to but if they still do the pin cushion thing it has to be just to torture.
Is this want you had to do ? Hope not, but sounds like it.
I would tell them to listen to what I have to say that I am a good determiner of what is happening. I don't need needles in my arms to tell me that. And they miss a lot, anyway.
These are way larger than acupuncture needles, which I bet they could use if they still had to use needles, but still, patient torture means very little to many doctors.
Yes, you are right about the EMG testing. I said this to the neuro who did it and he seemed offended. Actually, it is just short of torture. At least for people who hate needles anyway.
Posts: 8430 | From Not available | Registered: Oct 2000
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AliG
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9734
posted
I CAN RESPOND!!!!!
Too bad I don't know anything about EMGs though.
I can still tell you that I'm sorry it was painful!
AND
I hope I NEVER have to have one!
-------------------- Note: I'm NOT a medical professional. The information I share is from my own personal research and experience. Please do not construe anything I share as medical advice, which should only be obtained from a licensed medical practitioner. Posts: 4881 | From Middlesex County, NJ | Registered: Jul 2006
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AZURE WISH
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 804
posted
sorry your test was so painful.
I hope that your ssdi hearing wasnt too painful.. do u think it went well?
posted
An EMG can be a pain, but it needn't be if the doctor is good. I have had two and only pain in one spot and I almost burst into tears at that one spot on my thumb. Hiker53
-------------------- Hiker53
"God is light. In Him there is no darkness." 1John 1:5 Posts: 10180 | From Illinois | Registered: Aug 2004
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Tracy9
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7521
posted
Keebler said:
"Oh, now I remember what EMG means.
It means "NEVER AGAIN" - I cannot believe how barbaric it was over 20 years ago. Good sized needles going deep into my arm muscle.
I know they could use electrodes on the skin now if they wanted to but if they still do the pin cushion thing it has to be just to torture."
Actually, they do BOTH! First, it was the electrical impulses or watever they were doing with those electrodes, in many different spots on my arms and legs.
It felt like a hot branding iron that also electrocuted me as well, and the intensity gets stronger and stronger till you are jumping off the table. That's the "tasing" part.
THEN they break out the needles. Now I am not afraid of needles, take my two bicillin shots a week like a champ. The needle going into your skin is no problem.
It is the part where they then insert the sharp needle directly into your NERVE and then wiggle the little sucker around while you are flexing that muscle that KILLS. OMG!!!
Did I mention it leaves you with little bleeding puncture marks all over your arms and legs??!!??
When I said I felt like I was getting tasered, they did say they thought being tasered was WAY worse than this......
13 years Lyme & Co.; Small Fiber Neuropathy; Myasthenia Gravis, Adrenal Insufficiency. On chemo for 2 1/2 years as experimental treatment for MG. Posts: 4480 | From Northeastern Connecticut | Registered: Jun 2005
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Tracy9
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7521
posted
Hiker said:
"An EMG can be a pain, but it needn't be if the doctor is good. I have had two and only pain in one spot. Hiker53 "
Are you serious Hiker? What were your results? Because I'm thinking you must have some serious neuropathy that has you so numb you just couldn't FEEL the pain!!!
I STILL feel the pain. I keep wondering if it's all in my head, or do your muscles/nerves really continue to hurt from the trauma?
Anyone else still feel sore after, so I know just how much sympathy I can legitimately garner from my husband and children?
13 years Lyme & Co.; Small Fiber Neuropathy; Myasthenia Gravis, Adrenal Insufficiency. On chemo for 2 1/2 years as experimental treatment for MG. Posts: 4480 | From Northeastern Connecticut | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
I have had two EMG's. The first one was so bad I wanted to slap the Dr. upside the head! He kept returning to once specific part on my arm and it hurt like he**. Told me I had minor carpel tunnel.
The second time, I hardly felt anything other than little pricks. They used an operating room blanket on me (it's "suspended" over you and doesn't actually touch you) to warm my nerves.
They told me I had peripheral neuropathy - like I didn't already know that!
-------------------- "Few of us can do great things, but all of us can do small things with great love". Mother Theresa
posted
Different drs use different size needles and it depends on the dr and the muscles tested.
The calf and tongue are the worst.
I have had 10 already maybe I am just used to it by now.
It is normal to feel sore for a few days after.
Posts: 49 | From philadelphia | Registered: Sep 2008
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canbravelyme
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9785
posted
Hi Tracy et al.,
I instinctively knew there was something very wrong that was going to happen. I just "knew". I insisted my boyfriend come with me.
I did the tazer test first, and that was bad enough, and I thought that was over. Then the neurologist said, "Now for the EMG; I'm going to stick a needle through your muscle". "How long a needle?" "Oh about 5 inches" "No thank you". And I left, thanked the receptionist and told my bf let's get the f* out of here; I knew there was something weird about all this".
Common sense prevailed. It seemed to me something that would have been used as a form of torture. I decided I didn't need to know if there was something wrong on paper.
I forgot to mention that I was very underweight at the time, as what I now know to be seizures caused by the Lyme were causing me to vomit 4x/week (on avg.). The thought of sticking a 5" needle through a bicept about 2 inches in diam.: OMG NO.
-------------------- For medical advice related to Lyme disease, please see an ILADS physician. Posts: 1494 | From Getting there... | Registered: Aug 2006
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