what do nerve conduction tests feel like? - Multiple Sclerosis Message Board

mary63 · 04-30-2008, 05:26 AM

Hi again everyone- my neuro wants to schedule me in for these tests- are they painful? is there any point in them?
( i think i mentioned somewhere that he lost his dictation notes on my neuro exam and asked me to come back so he could redo them- free of charge- i said no thanks- don't want to go through that stress again and couldn't see the point anyway- its not going to show that i have MS- unless he has the MRI scanner working in his office!!)
thanks,
Mary

MSNik · 04-30-2008, 06:03 AM

Mary, I might be missing something here, but I dont totally agree with this line of thinking. First of all, if your doc lost his dictation- thats plain strange, but in his defense, if he is willing to do a whole Neurological eval all over again free of charge, Id do it. Neurological exams can change from day to day or week to week.....having another one, might show something different which didnt show up last time.

And the nerve conduction tests hurt for a split second. For some people, they dont hurt at all...for me it was like the snapping of a rubberband on my skin. But more importantly, the reason they give them is to find out if something else, besides MS can cause the pain or tingling you must be experiencing to have this test....for me, they ruled out Carpal Tunnel Syndrome...
again, you have to decide if you want a diagnosis...in order to get one, youre going to go thru more tests than you ever dreamed possible, thats what MS is - the ruling out of everything else. Neurological exams are incredibly important, because things do change...but testing is equally as important because it can rule out things and look for significant changes from year to year...

Even having MS, I go for 2 MRIs a year- and go for 2 extreme eye exams with a Neuro_opthamologist and I see both my regular Neuro and MS specialst twice yearly to look for changes on my MRIs and Exams...in between I pray that I dont need anything else done to my body!

Nikki

MS for life · 04-30-2008, 06:57 AM

I say go ahead and do the exam over also. I do transcription and sometimes if a doctor is switching over to a new system, it can be confusing and yes, it can be lost if he did not do it right. He shouldn't have to do an MRI over or any of the tests, just the basic eval, was it really that stressful? I don't know what your symptoms are, but mine were so significant that I would have gone through any test to get some answers.

Quick question for MSNik, I have never had ON, but need an eye checkup desperately. Since I was diagnosed, I'm assuming my vision changes may be due to the MS, do you feel a neuro-opthamologist is the way to go over a regular optometrist or opthamologist? I forgot to ask that question of the neuro when I was in last time. Mine does have that machine where he can look at your eye with the camera and show it on the computer screen, but I'm definitely clueless when it comes to my eyes. Only know if I don't have my glasses on, I cannot read anything anymore, when just six months ago, it was not that big of a deal.

Beccapooh · 04-30-2008, 01:53 PM

I haven't been confirmed as having MS but I have been through the nerve conduction tests that they do for the DX of Myasthenia Gravis. I'm assuming that they're the same.

For me, personally, it was agony. Apparently, my body wasn't cooperating properly and the technician was ****ed about it! It took twice as long as they said it would and the results were 'inclusive'. For me, she was digging, and I do mean digging, into my arms, hands, etc. I was bruised for over a month afterwards. All for nothing!!! They didn't find anything out, really.

She was telling me to just think about moving my finger, but not to actually move it. I did that and she told me that it was TOO MUCH. Now, how can I be THINKING too hard?? Come on. I wasn't moving a muscle. It was horrible. She just kept on jabbing and jabbing me, trying to find a nerve. Let me tell you, I could have told her when she was on a damn nerve!! Holy Cow!!!

Then she did my neck and face, which was tandamount to torture. I finally told her that I couldn't take anymore and we stopped. When I got up, there was a pool of sweat where I had been lying.

Horrible, horrible experience for me. But, everyone's different and every tech is different. You might actually get one with a heart!!!

Rebecca

Good luck on your journey!!!

mary63 · 04-30-2008, 04:51 PM

Hi there- many thanks for the replies... i guess the truth is i don't want to do anything that reminds me of whats going on- other than the MRI- want to pretend its not happening!(prob like most of us....)