There are two types of muscle biopsy. A needle biopsy and an open biopsy. With the needle kind they insert a hollow needle into your muscle and remove a sample.

With an open biopsy they give you a local anesthetic and cut down to the muscle and take samples. You feel tugging to get to the muscle then a sharp pain when they take the sample. They took about four pieces from my leg. The sharp pain is bad but not intolerable. It definitely doesn't even come close to childbirth, so if you can make it through that you can handle a muscle biopsy.

For me it was the tugging feeling was so irritating I wanted to scream! The sharp pains were tough but they didn't take long. They will want to take the sample from a large muscle that is most affected by your symptoms. They did my leg because my legs get weak faster than anywhere else. I wish they would have done somewhere else though because walking as difficult for quite a while.

I will have a scar forever from it, which doesn't bother me, it's just one line about three inches long on my right thigh, no big deal.

I think the stress I let myself feel leading up to the biopsy was worse than the biopsy itself. You will need someone to help you for a few days though. I had to go home and take care of my kids that night and wish I would have had someone who could have helped me out. But my hubby had to work.

MRI's aren't bad for me at all, just loud.

So like Erin said, why are they doing both?

I know for me they do MRI's because I have MS and they did the biopsy to try and find an answer to my other problems.

I hope you get your answer soon.

Kristie