Emg/mri
 

Well I finally have insurance again, and re-established my relationship with the doctor that I like the most, which is sooo cool!

He saw me once and sends me to the neuro doc because it has been a few years since any doctors have seen me. Just got back from the neuro this morning, and he wants to the emg again, but this time on both legs!!! :eek:

I told him there just has to be another way, but he says it is the only way to see whats going on now. Then he says, looks like we need to update the mri! :eek:

Oh man another torture device...I know they say it shouldnt hurt, but the vibrations absolutely drive me crazy in pain. By the time they finish im a quivering freakazoid :p

So it looks like Feb is going to be a torturous month for me, and to top it all off I will turn a half century old! Totally not looking forward to next month LOL.

I can hardly wait to see the results, but would love to be able to fast forward through the days and kinda just buzz by the torture days :D

Hope everyone is doin as well as can be expected during this cold snap, and will be prayin for warmth to come along soon:winky:

Yikes!! That is harsh.....at least you have insurance again!!! (Mom trying to be the optimist, here).

Can you take an extra meds before the MRI to make it easier to tolerate??? Muscle relaxant or Xanax or something??? I had to have an MRI done on my TMJ joint and couldn't wear the earplugs because they needed to see everything clearly in there. OH.....and they had to prop open my jaw (that HAD been happily locked closed for a few months) with some plastic torture devise for 30 minutes during some of the scans. I thought THAT was bad (MAN those things are loud). I actually tried to just "trip out" on the noise.....trying to imagine that it was pleasurable instead of torturous. I know this isn't directly applicable, I'm just trying to relate and offer support!!!

I'm so sorry you have to have the EMG done double duty this time. It SOUNDS miserable......I don't want one......no one has suggested I need one yet (thank you, thank you.....). Ok.....I'm 0 for 2 here......(Mom is trying.....can I bake you some cookies or something???).

Well.....I guess I haven't offered a BIT of helpful information here.....sorry.....hey!!.....you don't look a day over 40!!!

It's not February yet!!!

Good to Hear From You
 

Hi Allen,
Its good to hear from you! I'm so glad you got the insurance back! Allen, I forgot where you are, but most of the fricken country is cold now. We just had a cold spell and our day time highs dropped to 58. I am so glad I made the move here, but you know, 58 is cold to these bones now. Also, I passed that half a century mark 6 years ago and I agree with mominpainrsd...you look great! But its ok for you to hop on over the the hill with me. LOL:wink: Hope you do well on your tests! Let us know. All the best to you pal. I miss you know who......It'll be a year in July. Hugs Di

Hey Bro,

Mom's right. Do some heavy chill drugs and the MRI will be over before you know it! I can't even count how many MRI's I've had, but I just pop a couple "medicinal" valiums :wink: nod off to the cool tunes they play thru the head phones and I am off to la la land. Caught a few zzzzzz's during last MRI, the tech had to wake me up when it was over and I am claustaphobic!

If it is still way too heavy, derail your docs plans (they are all a bunch of over-paid jerks anyway), go to an "open" MRI facility, ride the valium train and ask the babe receptionist to hold your hand :D Never fails!

EMG's? No worries. I've had 4 now. Use the extra valium you didn't use for the MRI, lie down on the table with your Ipod and chill, like it was a major accupuncture session...

Mom knows best!

Allen-SO cool that you got your doc back. This made me smile as I read it. What a difference it can make.
As a neuro nurse, though, he's right. He needs new films to take care of you right, which is what you need him to do and why you like him so much. Try not to be scared, show him a little love and tell him you missed him, and I totally second Mom-get thee to dreamland. Likely not for the EMG, but I too think that MRI's are the tubes from hell and even doing my knee (about 1/3 of you head out) made me want to pull the panic. Too much pride cause I worked there prevented it as I would hear it daily for life. Inside, I was cracking. Just let him know that the combo of nerves and discomfort may make it impossible to lay still for that long without a little something-something. EMG's aren't so bad, but some drugs can screw with the results. Just tell him you're a little edged and let him do his work. Nothing you say will be the weirdest thing he hears all day.
Much love,
Lori Lee

PS- 50 is off on the horizon for me-still dreading 40- and can say with absolute honesty-babe, you still got it. By 50, you know both women and world. NO FEAR!
Lori Lee

Allen,

50 is a piece of cake, I hopped over the hill (I love that Diana!) 3 years ago and it's not so bad over here..

I never had an EMG but I have had MRI's with no trouble but not since I had RSD though.. Just take a Xanax and relax as much as you can. Mom does know best. :winky:

I am glad you have insurance again, that makes life so much easier financially.

Take care,

Pauliana

"Just take a Xanax and relax as much as you can. Mom does know best."

"and I totally second Mom-get thee to dreamland".

"Mom's right. Do some heavy chill drugs and the MRI will be over before you know it!"

Awwwww.......you kids are the BEST!!! :grouphug: You all make it sound like "Mom" is a happy drug pusher, though!!!......Well......I've got to do SOMETHING to keep everyone in line and happy, right!!! :D

And here's to wishing everyone a jolly, pain-managed day (by whatever means are necessary!!). :partytime2:

Gee, that sounds really tough Allen - I hope and pray all goes well and i'm thinking about you!!:hug:

I have only had one MRI since developing RSD and that was when I was diagnosed nearly 2 years ago now (they don't seem to do MRI's that often over here in the UK for some reason or another!). The MRI for me was really painful but I think that was from all of the noise that the machine makes (it literally sounds as though you're in a washing maching LOL) and at that point, I didn't have any pain medications as the doctors weren't sure what was the matter - although they highly suspected I had RSD!!

I agree with what the others have said. Ask your Doctor if you could take any additional pain medications before and afterwards to try and help you "cope" with the pain! Also, try and not stress too much about it - I know that's very hard to do but i'm sure you already know that stress makes RSD pain SO much worse!!!

I'm sure everything will go OK and hopefully you will get some much-needed help and treatment!:hug:

Please keep us all updated when you can and i'm thinking about you!!

You all are grrrrreat!!!

Made me feel a whole lot better about the torturous month ahead :D

One of my friends told me that to take some of the pain out of turning 50 I need to go get my first tattoo. I dont think so LOL!

But maybe a brand new corvette with matching harley might work ROFL! :cool:

It is really nice to have ole Doc C back, he took almost an hour with me, and had the assistant looking frazzled because the waiting room was filling up.

Diana :hug:

I have been missin that one too.

My Dear Allen,

I had 2 EMG's. The first didn't know what they were doing, he also took a long time.

After 5 min..of the torture I only wished I would of gotten up and walked out of the office.

The second EMG I had was a different, they knew exactly what they were doing. It was done in less than 2 minutes.

The MRI's that are closed, from what I have heard they are more accurate.

Much Love, Roz

Just another thought, make sure the radiologists knows how to read the nerves. I have been told alot don't. Hugs, Roz

Roz is exactly right! Radiologists are human too and there is significant differences in interpretation between any two radiologists.

There are 4 types of MRI units now. The "open" units which have usually a 0.6 Tesla (strength) magnet, the traditional 1.5 T units which probably make up about 80% of the units out there, the new 3 T units which of course, are twice the magnetic strength of the 1.5 T units and provide noticably greater detail and then the "Fonar" or upright units (sometimes also refered to as open units since there is no tube from hell) that are essentially a 0.6 T unit, done upright and are sometimes done with flexion and extension for trauma cases. Arguments for the low Tesla scanners are that they are more like two huge pancakes that you lay in between and use "super-software) that affords greater detail but scan times are usually double for the lower T units. But the most important part is the human component - have to have a great radiologist or it is all for not!

In regards to the MRI:

Meds...take some meds and have someone drive you if possible.

I had a back injury 5 or so years ago and that's when I had my first MRI, which was "open." My surgeon told me never to waste my time and money again in such a unit, apparently the quality was just awful. There was still a lot of banging and beeping, you just weren't all closed in.

Since my shoulder injury (and onset of RSD) a little over 2 years ago I've had 3 MRI's, all closed. I was laying down in a tube, I don't have any idea what kind of strength they were. But I do know it was just as loud as the open unit, you were just in a tube. If you close your eyes you almost can't tell the difference between an open and closed MRI!

My last MRI (in early December) was a drag. I took some Tranxene (sp?) to chill out, but unfortunately my head ached a lot from all the vibrations and noise. However - I did find that it was do-able. I had it at night, right after work, so when I went home afterwards I took my scheduled meds, sipped my favorite adult beverage and just got over it. My head still hurt for a day or so, but there was definitely a lot of value in getting the pictures, so the benefits out-weighed the risks.

You said you have a great doc - get his input on where to go and the best way to get through it. I wish I had asked for a cushion for the back of my head (except maybe they don't have those??).

Good luck, you WILL survive this just like everything else...Sandy

Happy Birthday in advance and emgs
 

Hi Allen,
I have not been around for a while, sorry. I just turned 50 January 15th and to be honest I was freaked out for a couple of days. But what can you do.
I can't have a MRI because too much hardware in my body. The EMG I had was awful I am not going to lie about it. They told me that the nerve was trying to come back. But that never happened. The Doc wanted another one but I said will this help in any way? Of course he said no and I said NO WAY!!! I've put up with alot of test in my life, since birth and enough is enough. My leg has shrung to nothing and feels like it will snap at any moment. I don't want to tell you not to do it. Its up to you. I didn't mean any harm by telling you what I went through the EMG. Its just the truth. Good luck to you and have a wonderful 50th birthday.


Sue K.

Use the ear plugs and close your eyes.

Good luck.

Allen
I feel for you....

I flat refuse to have another EMG ever. No way, no how.

And, so far, my doc has been good about doing CT instead of MRI. I just can't stand the pain from the vibration of the MRI. CT doesn't hurt. MRI does.

All the noise, the tight quarters of the MRI are no problem. But if you have the type of RSD that vibration bothers - man - I hurt for weeks after the last MRI that I had.

Big hugs to you Allen. Your a bigger person that I am to agree to go through those two things. If they absolutely insisted - they would have to put me under to do them. Have you thought of asking if that would be possible? Maybe they could do them back to back with you out all together?

I still think the EMG and the MRI vibration would cause you more pain for days after, if you are like me, but maybe, if you are knocked out, it may not...
:hug:

I don't think I'd consent to another mri. I almost climbed out of my last one.

The emg's get worse with each one. I've had four.

Had the MRI this morning, w/contrast. It was one of those super magnets....felt like someone was hammering my insides, but I made it through it.

I asked if I could get a copy, and they gave me a CD! How cool is that!

Now if I can just figure out how to read it LOL.

Oh Allen.....I am SO glad you survived the scan. Was it as bad as you thought??? Were you able to take something to relax you beforehand?? I know you were worried about it and I'm SO glad it's behind you now.

Let us know when the results come in. What day is your birthday, BTW???

Best wishes for a CALM, QUIET rest of your day!!!:hug:

Thanks for the Update!
 

I have been wondering how it went. Thanks for the update. Seems you made it through, with a sense of humor, and copy for yourself! Way to go! Take care. Di

Four years ago it required special software to view it that a big university hospital didn't even have.

They'll probably give you a hard copy of the more interesting points if you ask. They look like x-rays.

Now days, the CD will self-load on almost all PC's to a menu that will allow you to scroll thru the images, probably 4-6 files each. Report may or may not be included on the CD. It will have some interesting tools to attenuate the images but you will still need a clinician or radiologist to interpret it for you. Goes good with chips and an ice cold one!

Ok.....funny story time......my husband had a bone removed from his hand about 6 years ago (severe bone on bone arthritic degeneration) and several huge screws put in to hold it together. Ok.....this isn't the funny part yet. They took xrays to confirm that everything was in the right place and gave it to us for our viewing pleasure (yes, Dubious.....with a nice cold one and some chips). Somehow, the copy of the xray got saved on our computer and filed in our photos (possibly when we viewed the disc?? or if we scanned the results to another doctor??? I do not know).

Anyway, we set up the computer to randomly scroll through all of our family photos.....after our daughter's birth......snow ball fights......various Christmas photos.......birthday's, and, out of the blue, this ghastly picture of all the bones in my husband's hand with three large screws would pop up. We had accidentally saved it in our family pictures and every couple of hundred photos it would scroll through randomly.

We laughed about it.....kept saying, "We really need to remove that", but never got around to doing it and would forget about it. We had company over one night, were enjoying a nice bottle of wine together watching the family pictures scroll through as we chatted when.....yep....you guessed it.......the ghastly hand picture with the screws in it popped up. It was removed the next day. Now we can't find it. Go figure....

Somewhere in all of that was supposed to be the funny part. I hope you found it!! Have a good day everyone!! :)

Here is a screenshot of the MRI image program. Seems they zeroed in on the last disc. Kinda fun playing with it. :D

You use the mouse wheel to scroll through each image, and it tracks where your looking on the other image with a yellow line. This way you know when your in the area you want to scope out.

Cant wait to hear what the results are.

That is so cool. I wish I were a radiologist so that I knew exactly what I was looking at. Hubby's hand picture was much more obvious!! Best of luck!! Let us know what they say!!

Ok I think I figured out what im lookin at LOL.

It was fairly easy to figure out since I could look at healthy disc's.
The two attachments show the L5 S1, and you can see the disc protruding down into the nerves. Looks pretty bad when compared to a healthy disc.

Bad disc Attachment 4476

Another look at bad discAttachment 4477

Here is the same disc but from the other angleAttachment 4479

Allen,
When do you expect the results back??? Let us know what they say!!! Thanks again for posting your MRI.....very interesting to study.

Well it was off to the neurologist this morning, and I thought it was for the MRI results, but they surprised me with an emg also :(

They did a different emg or I would have told them no as I ran out the front door LOL. Still hurt, but not nearly as bad as the one they did a few years ago. This time it was kept below the knee, and they didnt do 10 shocks on each nerve. Plus the needle wasnt done in the back like last time, but was done in the ankle and foot areas. So it wasnt too awefully bad. Right leg still hurts, but not as bad as the last one where I had a hard time driving myself home.

He did say the damage is quite a bit more than the last MRI, and was wondering why they didnt do the surgery he sent me to after the last emg. I told him they said there was nothing wrong with my back, they told me I have RSD. Actually the first time I had ever heard of RSD was back then...2003.

So he tells me that I have the double whammy happenin, lower back bad enough for surgery, and RSD complicating the whole mess. Like I didnt know that LOL.

Here is the MRI results.

Impression:

1. A moderate left paracentral disk protrusion with cephalad extension at L5-S1 causes posterior displacement of the left S1 nerve root in the lateral recess as seen on previous study. The cephalad extruded component of the disk is larger and compresses the left L5 nerve root as it enters neural foramen. There is a mild to moderate narrowing of the central canal. There is a mild narrowing of the the right and severe narrowing of the left proximal neural foramina lateral recesses.

2. Mild central spinal stenosis from L2-3 through L4-5 due to congenital shortening of the pedicles.

3. A 4-cm right renal lesion can be further evaluated by a renal ultrasound.

Im guessing that this makes the pictures above make more sense LOL.

Yikes, Allen.....this doesn't sound good in my unprofessional opinion. I am SO sorry. Ok......two down (EMG and MRI)......has your 50th come and gone already too??? The month can ONLY get better, right?? It sounds like your spirits are good, even if your back isn't. Sometimes things get so bad you almost HAVE to laugh. Keep us posted on what they plan to do to fix you!!

I was looking at the MRI report, and noticed that #3, the renal lesion is on the kidney. The lesion is on the right kidney, and it says it may represent a cyst. Says it needs to be evaluated by a renal ultrasound.

I didnt notice that at first cause I went to the bottom line lol. Looks like more tests are in my future, and the big five O happens on the 24th of this month.

Cant wait for this month to be over !! :D

Allen, kidney cysts on MRI are usually normal findings that have no consequence, especially if they were an incidental finding. You should not worry at his point but you absolutely do need to follow up with your internist and do a doppler or CT to confirm. Maybe kidney and liver labs are not a bad idea if you have not done them recently.

I think the only thing that gets me by is my sense of humor sometimes lol. I do believe that we have to get our focus off of the pain and limitations we all suffer with.

It seems when I start dwelling on any of the bad, it gets harder to look at the good things in life, and I start to get depressed. Then it just spirals downward the longer I dwell in the negative. My family and friends try to snap me out of it, then they start to avoid me because I start sounding like eyore the donkey :laugh:

I know it is hard to keep the focus off the pain and limitations, but it is well worth the effort ;)
Believe it or not im actually looking forward to seeing Doc C in a few days to find out what his take will be on all of these tests.

The neuro doc has me scheduled for the RACK! Some kind of machine that stretches the spine letting blood and oxygen flow back into the disc's.

So starting next tuesday it will be 30 minutes on the rack everyday for 4 weeks :(
I sure hope it does a body good LOL

Hi Allen,
I've been on "the rack" before (or something similar). It is not bad.....it just stretches you slowly over the course of 30 minutes. The tight straps they have to put around you may hurt your RSD in places. Be very honest with them if something gets too uncomfortable. Otherwise, it actually feels pretty good! If you're on a muscle relaxant, I would advise you taking it 30 minutes before the procedure (ask your doctor to make sure). It will help combat any spasms that may try to "hold" your spine in the wrong position.

I "get" your sense of humor too!! I think you're a great guy and we appreciate your humor and positive approach. Best wishes to you at your doctors!!! Let us know what you think of the "rack". It hopefully will "do a body good"!! :rm_milk:

well i'am new at this and i saw you posting. what do you have that your legs are not operating properly.. i have had 4 e.m.g. in the last 3 months and numberous blood tests and also spinal tap... i have a left drop foot and athroay (can't spell} of left leg weaking all the time but no pain..

let me know ****

Hi Sparkie,

I am so sorry you have problems, and pain with your leg. I do not know what caused your problems. but am glad you have found this wonderful place full of caring and understanding people.

It all started in 2000 when I went in for an angiogram. They accidentally blocked the femoral artery using some kind of a plug to stop the bleeding faster than using pressure to stop the bleeding at the catheter entry spot.

A week later I was back in the hospital undergoing surgery to save the leg. Because there was no blood flow for a solid week it caused quite a bit of nerve and muscle damage. As for the back, in 2001 I was the Food and Beverage Director at a casino with 2 bars and 2 restaurants to over see. There were times I would have to actually work the bar, and one of those times I had to change out a couple of kegs of beer.

Well being the macho guy I was, and a dozen years of power lifting behind me, I thought I could just do it myself. Serious mistake lol. I was able to do it, and didnt feel a thing that day, but the next day I couldnt get out of bed. I think it had a lot to do with the weakness in the right leg from that mishap with the angiogram. It caused me to kinda twist a little bit because the leg couldnt bear the weight of the kegs. I was trying to do it right by using my legs, but alas the one leg was still hurting a year and a half later from the accident with the angiogram.

In fact it still hurts to this day, and is now diagnosed as RSD in that leg. It is just an unfortunate situation to have the back problems along with the leg problems. If I listed all the things wrong now, you would think im an 80 year old in a 50 year old body LOL.

Today was my first day on the rack, and it wasnt to awfully bad. They only had me on it for 15 minutes, and I dont think it was the full weight pulling this time around. I think he said it was 75 ibs, and should be 90 for my size and weight.

It was just like you all told me it would be, thank you all soooo much! I am looking forward to seeing if the thing can make my back feel better. Although I did notice afterward that there is a disk up in the center of my back that really hurt from all the pulling force.

I am going to tell the doc about it tomorrow before he hooks me up. The flexeril helped to keep me relaxed, and also helped keep the spasms from happening. I could tell the muscles didnt like the tension lol.

Hi Allen,
From my experience with the "rack" (love the name!!), each time gets a little bit better. I felt tingling afterward in my sore discs which I took to mean it was opening things up in there and doing its job. Those muscles attached to your spine around your bad discs naturally tighten to "hold" things in place....they just don't know that they're holding things in the WRONG place.

I hope that you will find that each session gets a little more comfortable and that you're able to relax more each time (especially now that you know what to expect). If YOU can relax, so can your muscles. Ask about taking some music in there (whatever calms you) for you to focus on and try to do some cleansing breathing while you're being stretched (in between the traction increases). I've heard that works wonders. If I remember correctly, they started me with heat packs on my back to relax the muscles beforehand and get them ready to stretch.

Thanks so much for keeping us posted! While this may not be a "cure" for your condition, I hope it will start things in the right direction for you to regain your mobility and flexibility!!! Take care!!