Originally Posted by AnnieB3

I've had a muscle biopsy. Do you know which muscle they are doing it in? Mine was the deltoid (side).

They can only numb the skin, not the muscle. It was bearable yet fairly painful. I was lying down during it and still felt a bit faint from the pain at times. Bring along some water and a snack.

Take some acetaminophen or other OTC pain reliever before the biopsy. Make sure that Mestinon is fully at work. You will likely be tensing your other muscles and may feel really worn out afterward due to that.

They stitch up the area, usually about two inches long. You have to do "wound care" for a couple of weeks before the stitches come out. A PCP can remove them.

If you have any sign of infection or a fever, see a doctor right away.

Mine healed up with no issues, other than having an ugly scar.

I have not had a temporal artery biopsy. It sounds fairly benign.

Giant cell arteritis Tests and diagnosis - Mayo Clinic

Rest a lot before and after both procedures. Both require numbing agents and those can make MG worse.

I hope you don't have Giant cell temporal arteritis. Or polymyalgia rheumatica, which can (though not always) accompany it.

I wish you the best while having both tests. Having a relaxed attitude helps, too. That's not always possible while someone is slicing open your skin and cutting muscle tissue out, however!


Annie