Final diagnosis...
My EMG and NCV was scheduled for 2/24 but the lady from my neurologist's office called me on 2/18 to tell me they scheduled my lumbar puncture aka spinal tap for 2/20. I was like, "Huh?" because although I'm unafraid of needles, I'm not about that telling me at the last minute you're going to stick a needle in my back life.
●2/20 A dear friend of mine takes me to the hospital but she is afraid of needles so she exits stage left. LOL!
They put me in a room and I wait for what felt like ever but was actually about one to one and one half hour before they take me in for the spinal tap.
I am rolled into an X-Ray room (I considered myself fortunate because it was being done via X-Ray instead of blind but umm...) where I waited again
My tech and the lady doing the procedure are both named Erin *stare* so I will call them Erin1 and Erin2.
Erin1 the tech preps me by telling me about the procedure but I had already watched it on Youtube! Ja, ja, ja!
Erin2 comes in and tells me again! I tell them I'm cool as long as I can watch.
Erin1 says they don't typically get that request but in my mind it's mandatory, I don't like being stuck with needles when I can't see what the person is doing.
Erin2 washes my back with Betadine, then tells me to prepare for a bee sting as she inserts the lidocaine. It didn't really hurt, actually a bee sting hurt a little worse to me.
She then immediately begins inserting the needle, I 'm watching, I felt pressure at first and thought, "Okay this isn't so bad" but then I felt it in my pelvic area... (*O*) She tells me it might touch a nerve and I might feel a jolt in my leg. As she is talking she hit the spinal nerve and bay-bay it was on like popcorn! Erin2 would have caught a Tyson hook but I "sway fo' Gawd" I felt like I was fading to black in that moment! Once I returned from my visit with Rod Serling (Please Google Rod Serling and Twliight Zone if you're lost) I hear Erin2 say, "If the needle hits against your nerve again let me know and I'll re-adjust it". In my head I thought, "The hell you will, keep going sista I want off of this table!". This lady fills like 6-7 long vials and finally says, "We're finished". Trust, I paid for not telling her to re-adjust the needle. Skipping the extras let me say this, a spinal tap can be a real trip! I ended up with a 6 day spinal headache! Not due to the needle not being re-adjusted, it happens if fluid is still leaking. It felt like someone was trying to remove my brain from my head through the back of my neck. I suffered with spasms in my back, pelvis and left leg. OUCH!
●2/24 I go for my EMG and NCV procedures as described below
The EMG - A needle electrode that is attached by wires to a recording machine is inserted into a muscle. An electromyogram (EMG) measures the electrical activity of muscles at rest and during contraction. Nerve conduction studies measure how well and how fast the nerves can send electrical signals.
So yeah, after he stuck needles into me around the 14th or 15th time it really didn't matter anymore, I was with Rod again! LOL!
The NCV - Patches called surface electrodes, similar to those used for ECG, are placed on the skin over nerves at various locations. Each patch gives off a very mild electrical impulse, which stimulates the nerve. <--- Mild my ASS! If feeling like you've been hit by a small bolt of lightening is mild, then hell yeah it's mild! LOL! A Nerve conduction velocity (NCV) is a test to see how fast electrical signals move through a nerve. The NCV was uncomfortable (I mean who likes getting shocked) but it was tolerable.
I left with my spinal headache and spasms in tow and waited for my results.
My neuro instructed me to call them Friday if they hadn't called me by then. I called them twice on 2/28 but they didn't call me back.
My EMG and NCV was scheduled for 2/24 but the lady from my neurologist's office called me on 2/18 to tell me they scheduled my lumbar puncture aka spinal tap for 2/20. I was like, "Huh?" because although I'm unafraid of needles, I'm not about that telling me at the last minute you're going to stick a needle in my back life.
●2/20 A dear friend of mine takes me to the hospital but she is afraid of needles so she exits stage left. LOL!
They put me in a room and I wait for what felt like ever but was actually about one to one and one half hour before they take me in for the spinal tap.
I am rolled into an X-Ray room (I considered myself fortunate because it was being done via X-Ray instead of blind but umm...) where I waited again
My tech and the lady doing the procedure are both named Erin *stare* so I will call them Erin1 and Erin2.
Erin1 the tech preps me by telling me about the procedure but I had already watched it on Youtube! Ja, ja, ja!
Erin2 comes in and tells me again! I tell them I'm cool as long as I can watch.
Erin1 says they don't typically get that request but in my mind it's mandatory, I don't like being stuck with needles when I can't see what the person is doing.
Erin2 washes my back with Betadine, then tells me to prepare for a bee sting as she inserts the lidocaine. It didn't really hurt, actually a bee sting hurt a little worse to me.
She then immediately begins inserting the needle, I 'm watching, I felt pressure at first and thought, "Okay this isn't so bad" but then I felt it in my pelvic area... (*O*) She tells me it might touch a nerve and I might feel a jolt in my leg. As she is talking she hit the spinal nerve and bay-bay it was on like popcorn! Erin2 would have caught a Tyson hook but I "sway fo' Gawd" I felt like I was fading to black in that moment! Once I returned from my visit with Rod Serling (Please Google Rod Serling and Twliight Zone if you're lost) I hear Erin2 say, "If the needle hits against your nerve again let me know and I'll re-adjust it". In my head I thought, "The hell you will, keep going sista I want off of this table!". This lady fills like 6-7 long vials and finally says, "We're finished". Trust, I paid for not telling her to re-adjust the needle. Skipping the extras let me say this, a spinal tap can be a real trip! I ended up with a 6 day spinal headache! Not due to the needle not being re-adjusted, it happens if fluid is still leaking. It felt like someone was trying to remove my brain from my head through the back of my neck. I suffered with spasms in my back, pelvis and left leg. OUCH!
●2/24 I go for my EMG and NCV procedures as described below
The EMG - A needle electrode that is attached by wires to a recording machine is inserted into a muscle. An electromyogram (EMG) measures the electrical activity of muscles at rest and during contraction. Nerve conduction studies measure how well and how fast the nerves can send electrical signals.
So yeah, after he stuck needles into me around the 14th or 15th time it really didn't matter anymore, I was with Rod again! LOL!
The NCV - Patches called surface electrodes, similar to those used for ECG, are placed on the skin over nerves at various locations. Each patch gives off a very mild electrical impulse, which stimulates the nerve. <--- Mild my ASS! If feeling like you've been hit by a small bolt of lightening is mild, then hell yeah it's mild! LOL! A Nerve conduction velocity (NCV) is a test to see how fast electrical signals move through a nerve. The NCV was uncomfortable (I mean who likes getting shocked) but it was tolerable.
I left with my spinal headache and spasms in tow and waited for my results.
My neuro instructed me to call them Friday if they hadn't called me by then. I called them twice on 2/28 but they didn't call me back.
Monday 3/3 I received a call from one of the ladies on staff in my neurologist's office and she was kind of like, "Hey, sorry we didn't call you back Friday but we have the results of your spinal and yeah it looks like you definitely have MS. He needs you to come in on Wednesday to discuss your treatment". *Insert my cursing in Spanish face here* I was annoyed because she should have called me back Friday (she had an attitude on Friday like I was bothering her) and she was very unprofessional but I was happy my wiggle room for doubt was finally removed.
Ohhh and I forgot, my neurologist sent me to have my eye treated to attempt restoration of my vision. He explained having the treatments could possibly keep me from having my vision affected again in the future. Remember Dr. I'm Going To Let Your Eye Heal On It's Own? He had the damn nerve to send me a bill! All he can get is that right hook I promised his right eye. <---- I digress
I wouldn't really do that but it felt good to type it! LOL!
So now you know my journey! Well SOME of it! I will be posting facts and different types of literature now but I wanted to talk about my journey in case there are others out there going through this, plus it is for my friends and family who wondered where I was or what happened to me. If you are displaying symptoms please know you are NOT alone! Again, I had symptoms before all of this but that's like a novel, I won't go there. LOL! I love you all and thank you for being so patient. Feel free to ask questions, I will answer to my best ability. Yes, my memory has been affected but that's why I started documenting EVERYTHING! DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT!
One light.
Ohhh and I forgot, my neurologist sent me to have my eye treated to attempt restoration of my vision. He explained having the treatments could possibly keep me from having my vision affected again in the future. Remember Dr. I'm Going To Let Your Eye Heal On It's Own? He had the damn nerve to send me a bill! All he can get is that right hook I promised his right eye. <---- I digress
I wouldn't really do that but it felt good to type it! LOL!
So now you know my journey! Well SOME of it! I will be posting facts and different types of literature now but I wanted to talk about my journey in case there are others out there going through this, plus it is for my friends and family who wondered where I was or what happened to me. If you are displaying symptoms please know you are NOT alone! Again, I had symptoms before all of this but that's like a novel, I won't go there. LOL! I love you all and thank you for being so patient. Feel free to ask questions, I will answer to my best ability. Yes, my memory has been affected but that's why I started documenting EVERYTHING! DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT!
One light.
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| Lumbar Puncture day before and after. I cried before I got dressed to leave. The nurse caught me crying, felt so bad for me she gave me a shot of Demerol right before I left instead of making me wait. That's not MY back below, just showing how the procedure goes. Lumbar Puncture Photo courtesy of Google |
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| 1. Lumbar Puncture Procedure for MS. 2. Test Results for MS 3. Spinal Needle 4. Spinal Needles Photos Courtesy of Google |
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| Photo 1. NCV Photo 2. EMG (Needle Test) Photo 3. EMC and NCV |
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