Thanks for the replies. It's good to "fit" somewhere :-)

Can you tell me who did your punch biopsies? I asked the physiatrist who did my recent EMG and he said he couldn't do it but I should call my dermatologist. The dermatologist said he's never done one and that I should ask my neurologist. I can't get into my neurologist until October and would like to have it done before my appointment since I probably won't see hiim for another three or four months after that. It's really not much different than excising a mole with a punch tool, so surely there are dermatologists who can do it. Did you have the site cauterized afterward or did they use any stitches? That would seem to be the best way to avoid any infection (I can't use topical antibiotics, just hydrogen peroxide).

Also have any of you reacted to MRIs? I have a muscle disease that causes my muscles to relax after contracting about 10x more slowly than a normal person so when the fields during the MRI rapidly go back and forth my muscle cells can't keep up with the change in polarization and I get shocked.

I thought I would try again with an open side MRI and see if it might reduce the static buildup, but an MRI safety researcher told me that the magnets can also stimulate the peripheral nerves and some people have very uncomfortable shock-like sensations with burning or numbness. Just curious if anyone experienced that because of nerve damage.

Jan