Hello,
I had a lumbar fusion in June of this year and since then have had tons of pain and numbness in my legs that actually caused me to fall flat on my face with no warning as my legs went numb and being diabetic I knew my feet were already becoming numb but never caused me to fall.
Anyway my primary doctor gave me Lyrica and it took all the pain away and since it is used to treat nerve damage pain I pretty well know what is wrong but she ordered a nerve conduction study on my legs that is later this month and a friend just told me that it was extremely painful to the point of her screaming and they gave her nothing for the pain and I wondered if anyone here has had one and what I may expect because I am very close to calling my DR and asking for it to be cancelled as I can not handle anymore pain at this time in my life!!
Thanks in advance and sorry for the book I ended up writing!

Hi Junie~
I've had a NCV done and I didn't consider it "extremely painful to the point of screaming". It was a little uncomfortable, and once in a while there were stronger zaps, but I never even thought about screaming. Of course everyone's pain tolerance is different.

Try not to worry about it. I heard horror stories about every test and injection I had. Maybe they did me a favor, because I was expecting to be half-dead, and then it wasn't so bad.

Hang in there and let us know how you turn out! Take care!
Hugs,
Jan

I had an EMG and an NCV and it did get to be painful. I wasn't screaming either but it got to be very, very uncomfortable. But then I have CMT so that could account for some of that. Others with CMT have said the same thing and then there are those that it didn't bother. I think it probably, in a person with CMT, depends on the type they have.

Kitt

Thanks for your replies......my friend has PN I know in her legs.....and I know the pain was real to her so thats why I am worried......I am such a coward after that horrible fusion that left me afraid to walk in public and frustrated that after 9 falls not one of my 3 doctors has ordered any X Rays when my pain is worse now then ever in my life and according to what I have read I am supposed to be able to walk a mile at 1 month post op and its more then 3 months post op and I can't manage 1/10 of a mile

Junie,
The test is uncomfortable, but the test leaves no lasting pain. They use very short electrical zaps and while I don't like them, I certainly never thought of screaming. It isn't something any of us like but it is necessary for the doctors to find out what is wrong and how extensive the nerve problem is. I understand your pain because we all share the same problem. I've had about three of these and also one on my hands. And if they tell me I need another one, I'll do it. Also, I've never read or heard of anyone being given anything for pain for this test.

Billye

Here is a site which might help. You can Google others as well using NCV.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/e...cle/003927.htm

Hope this helps.

Kitt

I had one three yrs ago, and was supposed to go again two months ago. I cancelled it. the zapping was what bothered me. I could handle the sticks with the needles, most of them, I couldnt feel. the electrical current however...bothered me as much as chewing on tin foil with your teeth. I hate shocking sensations. Particularly when my feet were icy cold, as they usually always are. I pray for the day they develop a much more suitable test for everyone to "enjoy"

Hi. My husband Alan had his nerve test done when he applied for Social Security Disability. I knew what he would go through because I had one also.

So the person giving the test is zapping his feet and he is just sitting there. No reaction. Now my husband has had PN for 18 years or so.
He had to go on a fentanyl pain patch for the pain in his feet.

so Alan is just sitting there asking the guy "when are you going to start?". the guy just shook his head. Only when the guy went up past his ankles did Alan go "whoa", and we all laughed. the guy said "well, thank god".

Alan kept saying to me "why did you think I wouldnn't like this test"???

Seems many people with PN are numb so this test is not that bad at all.

Now in my case. I had a pain in my upper shoulder. My doctor sent me for one of these tests. Wanted to see if there was nerve damage or something, I would assume. I also have a lot of anxieties, take xanax for a dental phobia and I admit I can be a pain in the butt about pain of any sort.

Now I had taken the test years and years before for carpal tunnel syndrome and I remembered I did not like the test way back then.

The test on my arm was about 7 or 8 years ago. I'm sitting on the table and the whole apparatus was completely different from when I had had the carpal tunnel test years before.

This time, the nurse is holding some kind of electric prod thing and she just touches it to my arm. I said "ow". She does it again, further up and I said "ow". She does it one more time (remember, I don't have PN, so I'm not numb anywhere). When she did it that third time, I jumped off the table and threatened to punch her in the face. I walked out, went to my doctor and he was hysterical laughing. when I calmed down I started laughing too.

It's all about pain threshhold. If you have PN, chances are you are numb like my husband so it won't be a big thing. He has told me "I would take this test again in a heartbeat".

See how different we all are??

mel

My tests NCV and EMG were done in 1986. I wasn't numb then and I'm still not. However, I know there are many with CMT who are. I wasn't thrilled with the test at all; especially toward the end of it. I told my regular doctor that if you weren't dancing when you went in, you were when you went out. The end of the test was a bit much for me. And I can stand pain. I think it depends on the type of CMT a person has; and there are many types. And also whether CMT affects the mylelin or the nerve directly. (Types again). I agree, we are all different.

Kitt

Wanna know what I think!!

Some day, we should get all these people who do the tests and make them sit down and give them the test.

Maybe then, they wouldn't be so matter of fact about it!!!

just my opinion.
mel