Hi,
This is a very good description of the EMG, which can be an important tool in diagnosing MS and other conditions. First, I want to say that the slight discomfort felt during the test is way better than having to have a regular myogram, which I had several of prior to EMG's being available. Remember I started having back problems when I was 12 years old and I had my first myogram, which is like a spinal tap, when I was in the 7th grade. I was in the hospital for pain and weakness in my legs and was told I was going for x-rays. Well we all know they don't hurt. I was on a pediatric ward of a Catholic hospital and I guess they figured the less I knew the better. The technician told me to sit on the end of the table and hold my knees to my chest real tight. He told me I would feel a little stab and then he stuck a needle into my spine—I am pretty confident that the technician that was standing in front of me is still scarred from the scratch he received when the needle went in.
Then I was told to lay on the table quietly for a few minutes. As I lay there I heard one of the nurses say, "Who left this child here unattended with a needle sticking out of her back. If she moved at all she could be paralyzed."
Now I was sure I had moved, several times in fact. No one told me not to move. Everyone scurried around, x-rays were taken with the table in different positions, the needle was removed and I was shipped back to my room. It was obvious in a few hours that I hadn't really moved, after all I could still walk around. What I did get though was a headache to end all headaches. I left the hospital the next day and spent the following week in the bottom bunkbed in the bedroom I shared with one of my sisters, with a heavy blanket hanging down the side of the bed to prevent light from getting in, and shades pulled down tight at every window. I couldn't sit up at all for several days and everything I ate or drank had to be heavily dosed with salt, which, I am told, helped to replace the spinal fluid. I had the dreaded myogram headache, which I understand some people get from dye that is used in some tests and other things that might affect the spinal fluid.
I was allowed back to school about a week later but I assure you I have never had a headache like that before or after that experience. And I have fought every attempt to give me another myogram or spinal tap ever since.
In 1970 I had my first EMG. It was still a very new test, and the doctor who administered it to me, Dr. Post, was on the NASA team that developed it so they could monitor the astronauts muscles during space flights. The equipment filled three of the walls in a room about 10x12 feet in size, and bleeped and boinked throughout the test.. My fiance and mother were with me and the three of us were so enthralled by this machine that I didn't pay much attention to the discomfort. As a result of this test I had my first lumbar laminectomy. In 1980 another orthopedist prescribed an EMG, and this time a technician rolled a small piece of equipment into my hospital room and administered the test at my bed. What a difference ten years made. And based on the results of this test I had my second lumbar laminectomy.
One final point. I have described the sensation of an EMG as one of discomfort. One of the terms I least like in medical terminology is, "this won't hurt, it is just going to be a little uncomfortable." I usually want to go running when I hear this. Well, the sensation I experience during this test is of electrical shocks going into my muscles, which will sometimes jump when it is received. Some people probably feel this more than others, depending on what is going on in their bodies, so I don't like to tell anyone how it will feel for them. But I will say this, it isn't horrible, it doesn't last all that long, and it is 100 times better than a regular myogram.
re: The EMG vs The Myogram
Mandy Crest
Wednesday, March 18, 2009 at 05:08 PM
Denise, you never cease to amaze and enlighten.
You have endured so much and we all truly appreciate that you take the time and effort to share your experiences with us. We've come a long way since the Myogram.
Seems we concur on the EMG -- it's no fun, but it's not as horrific as it sounds when first explained to you. There are definitely worse things. Like you say, much depends on what is going on with an individual's body at the time.
It's just one of many diagnostic tools that one might encounter when looking for diagnosis.
Hi,
This is a very good description of the EMG, which can be an important tool in diagnosing MS and other conditions. First, I want to say that the slight discomfort felt during the test is way better than having to have a regular myogram, which I had several of prior to EMG's being available. Remember I started having back problems when I was 12 years old and I had my first myogram, which is like a spinal tap, when I was in the 7th grade. I was in the hospital for pain and weakness in my legs and was told I was going for x-rays. Well we all know they don't hurt. I was on a pediatric ward of a Catholic hospital and I guess they figured the less I knew the better. The technician told me to sit on the end of the table and hold my knees to my chest real tight. He told me I would feel a little stab and then he stuck a needle into my spine—I am pretty confident that the technician that was standing in front of me is still scarred from the scratch he received when the needle went in.
Then I was told to lay on the table quietly for a few minutes. As I lay there I heard one of the nurses say, "Who left this child here unattended with a needle sticking out of her back. If she moved at all she could be paralyzed."
Now I was sure I had moved, several times in fact. No one told me not to move. Everyone scurried around, x-rays were taken with the table in different positions, the needle was removed and I was shipped back to my room. It was obvious in a few hours that I hadn't really moved, after all I could still walk around. What I did get though was a headache to end all headaches. I left the hospital the next day and spent the following week in the bottom bunkbed in the bedroom I shared with one of my sisters, with a heavy blanket hanging down the side of the bed to prevent light from getting in, and shades pulled down tight at every window. I couldn't sit up at all for several days and everything I ate or drank had to be heavily dosed with salt, which, I am told, helped to replace the spinal fluid. I had the dreaded myogram headache, which I understand some people get from dye that is used in some tests and other things that might affect the spinal fluid.
I was allowed back to school about a week later but I assure you I have never had a headache like that before or after that experience. And I have fought every attempt to give me another myogram or spinal tap ever since.
In 1970 I had my first EMG. It was still a very new test, and the doctor who administered it to me, Dr. Post, was on the NASA team that developed it so they could monitor the astronauts muscles during space flights. The equipment filled three of the walls in a room about 10x12 feet in size, and bleeped and boinked throughout the test.. My fiance and mother were with me and the three of us were so enthralled by this machine that I didn't pay much attention to the discomfort. As a result of this test I had my first lumbar laminectomy. In 1980 another orthopedist prescribed an EMG, and this time a technician rolled a small piece of equipment into my hospital room and administered the test at my bed. What a difference ten years made. And based on the results of this test I had my second lumbar laminectomy.
One final point. I have described the sensation of an EMG as one of discomfort. One of the terms I least like in medical terminology is, "this won't hurt, it is just going to be a little uncomfortable." I usually want to go running when I hear this. Well, the sensation I experience during this test is of electrical shocks going into my muscles, which will sometimes jump when it is received. Some people probably feel this more than others, depending on what is going on in their bodies, so I don't like to tell anyone how it will feel for them. But I will say this, it isn't horrible, it doesn't last all that long, and it is 100 times better than a regular myogram.