[lasalp]

Hi, I had a EMG today that was not to much fun to say the least.......
They put the needles in my RSD arm, hand and in my neck OUCH!. My question is this.. As soon as i walked out of the Dr's i noticed this HUGE lump on my forearm..... This was 3 hours ago and its still there, (it has gone down a little but not much) and it hurts like HE(*^*%&&*
Anyone know what this might be?
And yes my whole arm, even fingers are stiffer now then they were before... SO i dont think i will be getting anymore EMG's! Esp after she told me today that it showed No nerve damage and she also thought it was RSD
sandy

[InHisHands]

I don't know the answer to your question, but I wanted to send you some soft hugs!! ((hugs))

This is SO ROUGH to get through. You are in my thoughts and prayers, Sandy.


BTW, is that you and your baby in your avatar?

[lasalp]

Thanks or the hugs. And the picture is me and my grandson (kaden)
sandy

[Sydney]

I was at the Mayo Clinic many years ago and a requirement to get into the pain clinic was an EMG. Knowing that I was highly sensitive to even "touch" I knew that would really do me in. Thus I refused. Later saw a neurologist there who said I did the correct thing considering my high level of sensitivity. Then just a few years ago another to specialist insisted on an EMG> Once again I refused and I haven't seen him since.
I have a hyperactive nervous system and know those needles would trigger off more pain.
I am so sorry that you are experiencing difficult with your arm. I do hope it subsides. Perhaps you could call and ask for their advice on what to do about it. By the way - why did they want to do this to you if they even suspected RSD.
Best wishes
Sydney

[lasalp]

Well after I have had the test today I ask myself the same question.. Why oh Why did I ask for this test....
The reason was..I had shoulder surgery on Dec6th, My surgeon since then has been very "Un friendly" ad not wating to do anything for me except send me to a PM dr....I wanted to make sure something did not happen in my shoulder during surgery that made me like this, because the pain and swelling started 2 days after surgery.. Or maybe i just did not want to believe it was the RSD? Well Now i think i finally no and should now just start believing it...I go for a Nerve block in my Neck on May 30th (not looking farward to that either) But oping it helps so i can finally get rid of the swelling in my hand, the purple color and be able to move my shoulder once again and MAYBE go back to work before i lose my job
sandy

[InHisHands]

Originally Posted by lasalp

Thanks or the hugs. And the picture is me and my grandson (kaden)
sandy

Aww!! Very sweet picture. Is he your first/ only grandchild?



On the EMG (Sydney) -my PM Dr has offered me to get one done but I didn't know if the pain would be worth it and for the past 2 months or so I have been debating it... no one knows if I "actually do have a nerve injury". I believe I do- because I smashed my finger real bad in the car door (that started my RSD), but I don't know if if I have a small nerve injury it will show up on the EMG. I believe that usually they only pick up the larger nerves (especially if the EMG machine is old)?! Recently I have opted against getting the EMG at least for now- I am in too much pain already and the treatment I get for RSD will be the same whether or not I have a identifiable nerve injury.

I also have a lot of sensitivity issues and for that reason I think an EMG for me would be sheer tortue. I know just what you mean.

[lasalp]

Yes my first and only grandbaby..... LOL
And i still have this hard lump on my arm and it hurts terrible, SO im thinking im going to call the dr and see what they say
sandy

[coachV]

sandy,

get that thing checked soon....it could be a small ruptured blood vessel under the skin....whatever it is, u need to know.

i'm sorry u had to go thru the emg.....i know that sometimes they do them to rule out other possibilities but it's still torture.....i simply won't allow them to do an emg on me again.....my family doc sent me to a new neuro recently and he mentioned emg and i told him that unless there's something in it for me (like a promising treatment he wouldn't otherwise consider), he'd have to hog-tie me to do it......the funny thing is that the neuro thought about what i said and replied 'no, it wouldn't change anything....i'd just like to know what's happening'.......however, he did agree that an emg isn't needed right now.....so, refuse to have it if anyone suggests this test again because emg's are what neuros DO and sometimes they're operating on auto-pilot....
make them convince u that this is necessary.

i hope u start feeling better quickly.

liz

p.s......congrats on the grandson.....isn't being a grandmom great!!!

[Brokenwings]

Hi Everyone~ this is an interesting topic, and raises a few questions in my mind about undergoing an EMG. Well, I too had EMGs early on, and they were torture...at that time, I was showing some signs of RSD, but it had not been diagnosed. The EMGs did show that I had moderately severe bilateral carpal tunnel and also very severe bilateral unlnar nerve compressions that required rather prompt surgery, as I was rapidly losing hand function.

After the surgeries, RSD was confirmed. BUT, even after the ulnar surgeries, I guess I developed scar tissue, and the ulnar compression started becoming a problem, with increased "ulnar clawing" of the hand.

The hand surgeon said NO MORE SURGERY, for either the Carpal tunnel or the ulnar issues, because of the RSD.

The insurance company doc said to do ANOTHER EMG and do MORE surgery...

Well, the Pain Management Doc said NO SURGERY. Fortunately, I have a wonderful rapport with my Pain Doc. So I just looked at him and said "Ya know, Doc, if surgery is NOT recommended with RSD, then WHY should I even have an EMG in the FIRST place? All the test, for ME, is going to confirm is what we already KNOW--the ulnar nerves are shot, and the surgery is only going to make the RSD worse!" No more EMGS were done.

But, I can see where this could be a problem if someone DOESN'T have RSD. RSD can be pretty tricky to diagnose, and there are times when the symptoms are NOT RSD, so in that case, it would be important to rule out OTHER causes.

For me personally, now that I have RSD, I personally don't want anyone touching my arms with either a needle or a knife. The RSD causes its own set of "limitations", and those "limitations" are pretty much the same, regardless if the carpal tunnel or the ulnar nerve problems are involved.
It has been a "long haul" to get my RSD somewhat "status quo"!

So, it just boils down to weighing the "risks" versus the "benefits" of an EMG, and discussing this very, very thoroughly with our Doctors. Only you and your Doctor can determine what the best decision is.

[fmichael]

Just wanted to say that I've had now maybe 5 or 6 EMG/NCS (Nerve Conduction Study) and each has been quite different. The first one was so vigourous that the young neurologist literally dislocated my knee while attempting to induce a charlie-horse while the needle was several inches into my calf. (But he got some very good data.) The next one at the Mayo Clinic tried to induce a spasm with a computer controlled series of short bursts through the stun gun that I still remember 5 years on. But then I had one done last week by a relatively senior professor of medicine at UCLA and it was almost as gentle as a baby's breath. And he still got good data!

Moral of the story: I would error on the side of having it done - if it must be done - by someone whose been doing it for a very long time, recognizing that in many hospitals, it's an entry level job for staff neurologists.

Mike