Re: Nerve tests

[Guest guest]

Lyn,

So VERY sorry that your daughter is reacting this way, maybe she is just not

sure how to handle it all. I have found that some people DO react very

negatively when they are confronted with so much information that they don't

really understand (at least that is a possibility). Maybe she could go to a

doc visit with you or look at some of the web sites containing Good info on

your dx's to help her understand. I know that it would KILL me if either of

my girl's didn't understand (they at least try).

They have full plates of their own and now they are not exposed to it all the

time, I had to call and talk to the boys today, they were so CUTE. They are

all excited about 'their new house in Wegas' at least that's how they say it!

Have to call the others in a day or two, miss them all terribly! But I am

HURTING, been interesting emails tonight so I have been on here WAY TOOO LONG!

Best of wishes to you Lyn, you seem like a very caring and loving person, so I

can only imagine what pain you are in emotionally right now, hope it gets

better, Luv ya', Cheryl V. :>)

[Guest guest]

Hey Cheryl...everyone in pain has a right to bitch...does NOT matter how

many dx's you have! THat is immaterial.

Sorry about your friend...but I guess it all depends on where you are

in your pain journey as to what you want from friends. Doesn't mean she

doesn't need you, means she doesn't KNOW it yet.

Friends, I too am depressed. Had a terrible blow out with my daughter.I

finally gave her alot of medical info on my dx's, and her reply was that

" she was sick of all of us and our attention getting behavior " .She went

on to say alot more, most of it very hurtful( in an email) and to tell

me she has had it with me and was " done'. I couldn't see the kids anymore

cause I was using my health as an excuse not to babysit.

Told me to go live in my " cyberworld " and leave her alone.That the world

does not revolve around me and my problems. I feel numb, afraid to cry

for fear I will never stop, and rather like I was kicked in the stomach

or someone cut my heart out..This happened hours ago, and I can just

bring myself to talk about it now. I don't feel comfortable talking

about it in the groups I run, for some reason I want to be there for

them, and not the other way around, and least not on BIG issues that are

personal in nature.

Just feeling sorry for myself I guess...not that I didn't know she felt

this way about me.

Lyn

~~~~~~~~Oh,Bother..(Pooh)~~~~~~~~

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[Guest guest]

Hi Cheryl,

I too suffer from sciatica and have for a good part of 20 years. I know

exactly how you feel, except I don't live in a basement. My husband also has

the light " thing " , and to some degree I do too. I wish I could be near you

and then I could drive you around. It can be painful at times to drive, but I

do it. I really hope that these nerve tests give some answers about the pain.

I've had 3 such tests. They are not the most fun things to have but if it

will help get to the bottom of all this I would do it again. Just remember to

breath!

You are in my prayers

Kathleen

[Guest guest]

Dear Sweet Lyn,

When it rains it pours doesn't it? My heart goes out to you as I have been

where you are.

My son told me a long time ago he was " tired of hearing about my pain " ...and

the worst part of that episode was he had to get drunk and wake me up at 3

am to do it, so I know how you feel. " When they are little they walk all

over your feet, and when they are grown they walk all over your heart " !

Sounds like your daughter might have been a little bit spoiled too, and

probably had a mom that did everything for her, and is angry now that she

cannot get you to do her bidding??? My whole family turned on me after I

reached the point where I could not be their caretaker anymore. This is

pretty common. Hopefully she said some of the things she said in anger and

will come around and apologize before long, but the scars will remain, I

know.

Reaching out to hug you, and go ahead and cry your eyes out...don't hold the

pain in. Tears are therapeutic you know.

Don't know what else to say, 'cept I love you. Keep your chin up

Warm fuzzy hugs,

Diane

Lyn Gottschalk wrote:

> From: lyn55@... (Lyn Gottschalk)

>

> Hey Cheryl...everyone in pain has a right to bitch...does NOT matter how

> many dx's you have! THat is immaterial.

> Sorry about your friend...but I guess it all depends on where you are

> in your pain journey as to what you want from friends. Doesn't mean she

> doesn't need you, means she doesn't KNOW it yet.

> Friends, I too am depressed. Had a terrible blow out with my daughter.I

> finally gave her alot of medical info on my dx's, and her reply was that

> " she was sick of all of us and our attention getting behavior " .She went

> on to say alot more, most of it very hurtful( in an email) and to tell

> me she has had it with me and was " done'. I couldn't see the kids anymore

> cause I was using my health as an excuse not to babysit.

> Told me to go live in my " cyberworld " and leave her alone.That the world

> does not revolve around me and my problems. I feel numb, afraid to cry

> for fear I will never stop, and rather like I was kicked in the stomach

> or someone cut my heart out..This happened hours ago, and I can just

> bring myself to talk about it now. I don't feel comfortable talking

> about it in the groups I run, for some reason I want to be there for

> them, and not the other way around, and least not on BIG issues that are

> personal in nature.

> Just feeling sorry for myself I guess...not that I didn't know she felt

> this way about me.

> Lyn

>

> ~~~~~~~~Oh,Bother..(Pooh)~~~~~~~~

>

> Homepage: http://home.talkcity.com/spiritcir/lynmari/index.html

> ArthritisWarriors: http://onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/rheumathritis

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> DachsieBirthdayPage: http://members.tripod.com/~Lynmari/DACHSHUND

>

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Lyn,

You are not feeling sorry for yourself!!! I have been on the receiving end of

that type of conversation with my husband, and to some degree with my son.

Both feel that I'm taking the easy way out, taking " drugs, " rather than

exercising etc. It still hurts a lot, but things have changed some now that

my husband is in chronic pain, and he had his own experience with meds.

I'm certainly not a therapist but it sounds like a selfish act on your

daughter's part, and I felt that way about my husband too. Because we can't

do what we used to do, and be what we used to be, we now are of no use to

them? God help those who put us down because of our health that someday they

may experience a time when they too have their own plate

(so to speak) of pain. And to use your inability to baby-sit as a weapon is

cruel.

Hope I'm not stepping on toes here but this makes me really mad !!!!

A shoulder and hugs are here,

Kathleen

[Guest guest]

Diane you are a dear sweet angel, thanks so much for understanding, I

can tell you have been there too. I WISH she would have had to get drunk

to say it...she said it stone cold sober, and meant it. You are

right...they were spoiled, not monetarily, but I protected them too much

from the real world. Fought their battles for them, instead of letting

them experience life. Now I am paying the price. Those of you with small

children. Take heed.

I am afraid to cry DIane, absolutely terrified.Can't explain it. I start

welling up , and then I stop it. Have a permanent lump in my throat and

a heaviness in my chest. I know this stress has to stop, between the

nasty storm here and the family,my body is in revolt!

btw...we got an inch of freezing rain, and then 3 inches of snow to

cover it...coupled with 50mph winds!!

Diane just know that your words were of tremendous value to me today and

I thank you.

Love Lyn

~~~~~~~~Oh,Bother..(Pooh)~~~~~~~~

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[Guest guest]

>From: KAKRAG@...

>do it. I really hope that these nerve tests give some answers about the

pain.

>I've had 3 such tests. They are not the most fun things to have but if it

>will help get to the bottom of all this I would do it again. Just remember

to

>breath!

Kathleen,

I have these tests done once, last January, on my upper body

(neck/shoulders/arms). The results were less than helpful, IMO, and the

agony wasn't worth it, again IMO.

You've had them 3 times for your lower back/hip/leg pain?? Did you get any

useful info from them? Did they do all of them on the same part of the

body? If so, why did they have to do them 3 times?

I ask all this because I'm betting dollars to doughnuts that my neurologist,

who I see tomorrow, is going to want to do them on my lower back/legs. I've

already made up my mind that he's NOT going to do it. is backing me up

with this because he sat through the last one with me. We told my regular

doc this and she wasn't pleased but none of us pushed the issue. She's not

my neuro and is good at humoring doctors AND saying NO to them...much

better than I am.

I think I'm a bit paranoid about these tests and the visit tomorrow. Hope I

haven't offended you with all my questions. :-)

CUL,

Ruthie

[Guest guest]

Lyn,

Please oh pleeeeeease GO!!!!! Maybe your housekeeper will take care of

the cats. What a wonderful way to spend the holidays. nice warm

Arizona, no snow, good friend. You may never come back!! Good thing the

internet is everywhere.

Lyn Gottschalk wrote:

>

> From: lyn55@... (Lyn Gottschalk)

>

> Kathleen not stepping on toes at all. THe support I have gotten from all

> of you, has made a big difference in my ability to handle the emotional

> pain this has caused. I just have to learn somehow to get through this

> more or less intact, and find away to go on regardless of family. My

> first step is to take an offered trip (fully paid) to Phoenix for the

> holidays. Let them see what the holidays are like without me. A friend

> who is also bedridden has purchased round trip air fare and wants me to

> stay for 6 weeks. If I can handle it logistically i am going!!

> Proclaiming my freedome and off I go!! I decided that it was the healthy

> way to deal with this. Now.....anyone want to watch a house and 3 cats

> for 6 weeks? :-)

>

> ~~~~~~~~Oh,Bother..(Pooh)~~~~~~~~

>

> Homepage: http://home.talkcity.com/spiritcir/lynmari/index.html

> ArthritisWarriors: http://onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/rheumathritis

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> DachsieBirthdayPage: http://members.tripod.com/~Lynmari/DACHSHUND

>

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

>

[Guest guest]

Kathleen not stepping on toes at all. THe support I have gotten from all

of you, has made a big difference in my ability to handle the emotional

pain this has caused. I just have to learn somehow to get through this

more or less intact, and find away to go on regardless of family. My

first step is to take an offered trip (fully paid) to Phoenix for the

holidays. Let them see what the holidays are like without me. A friend

who is also bedridden has purchased round trip air fare and wants me to

stay for 6 weeks. If I can handle it logistically i am going!!

Proclaiming my freedome and off I go!! I decided that it was the healthy

way to deal with this. Now.....anyone want to watch a house and 3 cats

for 6 weeks? :-)

~~~~~~~~Oh,Bother..(Pooh)~~~~~~~~

Homepage: http://home.talkcity.com/spiritcir/lynmari/index.html

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[Guest guest]

:From: KAKRAG@...

:So.....I had the tests done on my right arm (they go into the neck ) also

my

:left arm and shoulder into the neck also and also my back and left leg.

The

:last one was awful and the results were not helpful at all. Since he told

me

:and my doctor that there is no nerve damage. I was told 15 years ago that

:there wqs nerve damage!! The main nerve could not be tested because that

is

:the spot where they took bone to do the bone grafts. What a waste !!

:Since this guy wrote his report my insurance co. won't do another MRI.

:Any way I think it's a test that doctors think is the best way to diagnose

:but ........ plus it hurts !! I do know that for many people it has helped

to

:determine which nerves are involved. It did help me for both arms to get a

:dx. So I agree with you.

Heya Kathleen,

Well, I'll tell ya, if you had the tests where they use the needles, an EMG

I guess it's called.....I call it torture, in your neck and arms then I know

EXACTLY what you went through.

(RANT MODE ON>>>SKIP IF YOU'RE TIRED OF MY RANTS) I had nerve conduction

tests done there twice (that's with the electrodes and shocks...reminds me

of really AWFUL shocks from my TENS unit, which I don't want to try to

replicate) and then after one of those, I mean RIGHT after, I had the EMG.

NEVER AGAIN. Mine showed some minor nerve damage in my right arm and they

brushed it all away as nothing even though I'd had a MRI a couple weeks

earlier that showed I had a herniated disc at C6-7.....but the pain and

nerve damage to correlate with that SHOULD have been in the left arm not the

right. The only reason my doc did the MRI was because after almost 2 years

of pain she prescribed a soft cervical collar a few months earlier and I got

some relief from it. Then when she sent me to the neurologist for these

torture tests they just brushed it ALL aside because the damage was slight

and in the wrong arm. Nevermind that when I ruptured the disc at L4-5 the

pain initially started on the 'wrong side' and then moved to the side it

should have according to the scans and such. Nevermind that according to my

regular doc the disc at C6-7 is tough to see real well on a MRI and that the

bulge could be moving back and forth or in and out(front to back). Plus I

had pain now and then in my left arm. I STILL have all that but I just put

the collar on and that's that. There's nothing they can do anyway unless I

start to have real troubles using my hands or arms. At least I won't let

them get in there w/a knife unless that happens. But the whole episode left

me angry, in ungodly pain for a week from the test (the needle one, I'm

sure, because the other one has never left me like that) and a mis-trust of

these sort of tests.

(RANT MODE OFF)

The neurologist knew up front that he wasn't going to get near me with the

needles this time. I told my doc and she told him 'cuz he knew it the

minute I walked in! :-) I knew I had nerve damage in my left leg. He

did the nerve conduction tests, which were painful enough and I was full of

Fentanyl, and he found all the nerve damage. I know that these tests have

their place and are awfully helpful in many cases. But IMO they place TOO

much dx on those tests. I'll bet that they'll find out that they've been

relying on them too heavily and there will be a change, but not soon. As my

hubby pointed out when we were there last week, someone has got to pay for

all these expensive machines and computers!! The more tests they do the

easier it is for them to pay for the machines and all the upgrades/updates

they probably have to get for them. And so it goes..

CUL,

Ruthie the Ranter