So after months of waiting I saw my consultant last month who was as always very reassuring and understanding. After a run through of my situation she ordered an MRI on my lumber area, x rays and some EMG testing of the legs. Finally the dates for these came around and on Friday I had the MRI performed at Worthing Hospital, some 4 hours from home. The experience wasn’t terrible but it also wasn’t the most fun I’ve ever had! The scanner was in the back of a lorry trailer which gets moved around various hospitals as required. Unfortunately the radio in the trailer wasn’t working and since I had no CDs with me I had nothing to listen to whilst the 15 minute scan took place. Why do you need music you might ask? Well if you never had an MRI you won’t appreciate the noise the machine generates as it performs the various scans. A mixture of buzzing, banging, tapping and a constant thumping which eventually gets on your nerves! Even with ear plugs then the non working headphones on I could still hear the noise. Then there’s the size of the MRI tunnel you get rolled into, it’s pretty tight. I literally had a couple of inches max between my face and the surface of the scanner. Being that I’m not too keen on tight spaces I opted to keep my eyes shut during the entire scan! Once it was over I left and now have to wait a few weeks for the results.
Then Monday I once again took the 4 hour journey to Worthing for what was a half hour appointment. The EMG testing was used to test if my nerves were working as expected and if my muscles appeared to be working normally. Since I get frequent leg issues, burning, painful joints, muscle weakness etc.. then this would possibly help prove if there was any physical reason. The initial tests on the nerves involved having a number of electrode sensors stuck on various locations on the leg before an electric pulse was zapped into the leg further up. The time the pulse took to travel etc.. would indicate if the nerves had any issues. Once this was completed the muscles were then checked in one of the legs only. This was a slightly more uncomfortable test as a needle like probe was inserted through the skin into the muscles so that the could be listened to! The activity in the muscle was measured again providing an indication of possible issues. I did get some feeedback at the end of the EMG that confirmed I have some damage but the important factor is that it’s not “significant” damage and therefore he hopes in time it will improve.
I now wait a couple of weeks before going to see the consultant to go over the results. In the mean time I’m waiting on an appointment to see a cardiologist to check out the increased palpitations I have been getting. My life now revolves around hospitals and doctors!
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