{"id":1006,"date":"2012-06-25T07:46:13","date_gmt":"2012-06-25T12:46:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/warrenharris.net\/blog2\/?p=1006"},"modified":"2012-06-25T08:22:05","modified_gmt":"2012-06-25T13:22:05","slug":"what-else-can-they-do-to-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/warrenharris.net\/blog2\/what-else-can-they-do-to-you\/","title":{"rendered":"What Else Can They Do To You?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here’s a little piece of advice from someone who’s been there.<\/p>\n

At one point in my life, back in the 80s, things were going wrong so fast and is such abundance, I made the egregious error of asking out loud “What else could possibly go wrong?”<\/p>\n

Don’t ever<\/em> do that.<\/p>\n

My answer came so fast it made me dizzy – and my family and I wound up living in a house that had been uninhabited for several years, 45 minutes from civilization, with the only source of heat being a Franklin wood-burning stove – upstairs. \u00a0Ever try to push heat DOWNstairs? \u00a0And a good part of every week was spent foraging for wood to keep my family warm.<\/p>\n

So just don’t ask, OK?
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As far as all the fun things that can go wrong with your Central Nervous System, spine, joints, etc., it’s a pretty long list. \u00a0As a result, your doctor has an equally long list of tests to order for you. \u00a0Now I am of the personal opinion that no doctor should ever order some of the tests I’ve had unless they’ve personally been on the receiving end of the test themselves. \u00a0Seems fair, right?<\/p>\n

I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis in 1985 or so, but asymptomatic until around 2007.<\/p>\n

I also had a lovely bout with tendonitis in my wrists for a few years in my 30s, for which my doctor and myself tried any number of different treatments, none of which was terribly successful. \u00a0I simply outgrew the problem eventually.<\/p>\n

Add to these, the long list of other spinal and skeletal issues, and you start to feel like a pincushion.<\/p>\n

So let me give you a list of tests \/ procedures I’ve had – and you may be facing – and give you the honest lowdown on them – and my recommendations as a result. \u00a0FYI: \u00a0I’ve read a lot of misinformation about some of these tests on Internet forums. \u00a0Consider the source. \u00a0There is more MISinformation than INformation on the Internet.<\/p>\n

I started studying electronics in 1960. \u00a0I made my living in technology for most of my life. \u00a0If I tell you something, you can bet I’ve had it done to me – and asked the appropriate questions to clarify anything I couldn’t figure out on my own – and – I’ve researched it thoroughly before posting anything about it on my blog.
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EMG<\/a><\/p>\n

Electromyography is a testing method used to measure the functionality of your muscles individually, between several points – or in comparison (right arm compared to left arm, etc.) \u00a0It’s a very effective test, but is not a whole lot of fun. \u00a0The premise is simple. \u00a0The technician takes a needle. \u00a0A L.O.N.G. needle – up to 5″ long – and taps it into your skin directly above the muscle they want to test first. \u00a0Then the tech taps on the top of the needle, causing it to penetrate further and further into the muscle, until the desired reading is obtained. \u00a0Then – here’s the fun part – then you have to flex<\/em> this muscle so they can measure the difference between this muscle at rest and in flexion.<\/p>\n

\"3"<\/a>

3″ EMG Needle<\/p><\/div>\n

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Rinse and repeat.<\/p>\n

My most recent EMG was to rule out carpal tunnel in my right hand (I could have told them it wasn’t \u00a0– and I did…) \u00a0In this case, this test was repeated from the web between my thumb and forefinger, all the way up my arm to the back of my neck – roughly 6-8 testing intersections.
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Nerve Conduction Study<\/a><\/p>\n

This is by far one of the most annoying and painful tests I’ve had. \u00a0I’m pretty sure this “test” was originally engineered specifically for\u00a0Tom\u00e1s de Torquemada<\/a>\u00a0to extract confessions and sworn life-long allegiance during the Spanish Inquisition.<\/p>\n

Here’s the lowdown. \u00a0An electrical device with a pair of electrodes protruding from an insulated handle of sorts is connected through a flexible cable to a variable power supply. \u00a0Electrode pads are stuck to the part of your body they want to test and cables are connected to a computer (they used an oscilloscope originally, but now everything is done on a computer). \u00a0The technician dials up the appropriate amount of electricity for the beginning of the test, presses the electrodes into your skin where they want to start testing and presses a button, Zapping the hell out of you, whereupon, you yell “Ow!” or something similar. \u00a0Your tech may repeat the same test more than once in the same place, but when they do, the current is generally increased with each subsequent “zap”. \u00a0Now, you may feel a compelling desire to play Whack-A-Mole — or Deck-The-Tech after a few of these, but that’s probably not the most productive was to spend your afternoon (in handcuffs).<\/p>\n

The reason for this test is to see how much pain you can tolerate.<\/p>\n

Not really. \u00a0It just seems that way.<\/p>\n

The reason is to see how fast electrical impulses are communicated between various points of your body, which helps in the diagnosis of numerous nerve-related problems.
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Myelogram<\/a><\/p>\n

And even more fun. \u00a0This is a really valuable test when you have problems with your spine and they need to pin down exactly where the problem is. \u00a0I’ve had 2 of these for different reasons. \u00a0While it’s not excruciatingly painful, you do<\/em> feel a lot of pressure for what seems like forever (usually about 15 minutes.) \u00a0I would tell my doctor if he wants to do a Myelogram on me, he’d better have an anesthesiologist on hand to give me a nice little Propofol nap while they do it.<\/p>\n

Here’s the drill. \u00a0You are placed on a large Radiology table that pivots and rotates. \u00a0There’s an X-Ray machine above you. \u00a0Depending on the area they need to evaluate, you may be tilted during the procedure.<\/p>\n

Your spine is injected with contrast dye and the table is tilted to allow gravity to distribute this dye to the area of concern, Then they start taking pictures (smile pretty now) until they have everything they need. \u00a0Good Radiologists will be very careful about positioning your head for cervical testing. \u00a0If the dye leaks through from your spinal canal to your brain fluid, it can result in a very nasty headache I’m told.
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\nDiscOGram<\/a><\/p>\n

The Granddaddy of no damned fun at all!<\/em><\/span> \u00a0Most cases are not as severe as mine, so your mileage will definitely vary.<\/p>\n

Here’s the lowdown on this very useful but incredibly painful test:<\/p>\n

When your doctor has reason to believe a certain spinal intersection (disc) is causing your pain, they order discography to pin it down exactly. \u00a0In my case, all 5 Lumbar discs were tested in one session. \u00a0I’ve never been in so much pain in my life. I literally could not walk for 3 entire days afterward.<\/p>\n

Here’s how it works.<\/p>\n