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Posted 3/12/2014 10:11 PM (GMT 0)
Today's neurological test was a real bear to endure.  It was the repetitive nerve test.  Involved having electrical shocks in two places on my wrist, then the inside area by my elbow, then the right side of my neck.

Once the gear was in place, tests were done with mild shocks.  I thought, not too bad, I can handle this.

Then the real ones began.  In each of the tested areas, 10 strong zaps were applied rapid fire, about 1 second apart.  They were done in sets of 10, each timed a bit longer.  After the first, then 30 second wait, more zaps, then 60 seconds, more zaps, etc.

The ones on my wrists and arms were severe enough, but manageable.  But the neck ones.  Geez, took me to new levels of pain never experienced before.  Only way to describe it, if you took a flat screw driver, and had someone jab it in the side of your neck (where the veins run), and jab it as hard as they could without piercing your skin, but over and over again in the exact same spot.  I was amazed that there was no bleeding.  These were done in groups of 10, separated by timing as described above.

Don't know how I got through this ordeal without jumping off the table but I did.  Later in the final stage, the doctor inserted thin wires by poking them through my skin (in the same areas as tested above) and was listening to the nerves and muscles under the skin through head sets.  Not sure what he heard, but I could hear a lot of static coming from the machine.

No results were disclosed.  He's waiting for the results of some brain enzyme test I gave 3 tubes of blood today for.  The blood work and the zapping test will rule in or out, another neurological muscle disease from the list.

Am getting a break from him and the tests for the next 3 weeks.  He wants some space in between, so that my urologist next week can begin to look into the potential kidney issue.  As he said, as if I needed a new set of problems to deal with.

Part of me wants to end the whole process, and just live with all of these malfunctions, reaching the point, where the looking for and discovery part is worse than what is going on.  Still got marks on my wrists and arms from today's testing.

David

Post Edited (Purgatory) : 3/12/2014 4:32:45 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 3/12/2014 10:18 PM (GMT 0)
Wow David
I've had some very painful nerve tests but not as intense as what you have described !!
Do hope the test rules out conditions or gives you diagnosis.

As always, prayers..
Posted 3/12/2014 10:26 PM (GMT 0)
So sorry David, that sounds a bit like torture.
Hope that the next round of testing for the kidneys is much less invasive.

My rather unpleasant weeks of unhappy pushy bosses and back to back 12 hour workdays is put into context. It is a piece of cake compared to what you are going through.

Regards,
An
Posted 3/12/2014 10:38 PM (GMT 0)
Sorry to hear that David. I hope the answers you get are commensurate with the ordeal endured! Ugh. Sorry it's got you down. Hopefully you'll feel better tomorrow.
Posted 3/12/2014 10:39 PM (GMT 0)
thanks, diane.

An, trust me, I wish I could snap my fingers, go back in time prior to August of 2008 (my PC dx) and still be working my previous job, doing my 10-12 hours day and commuting. I was most happy with my career, approaching the peak of my working life. It's all gone, and replaced now by an endless world of misery and doctors appointments, scans, test, blood draws, etc. Never, ever, seems to be an end to this, as new problems pop up before we can even solve the existing ones.

David

On the ongoing subject (I bring it up from time to time) of Quality of Life vs. Quantity of Life, I really do understand when a patient finally says, enough is enough. I just want to be left alone. I will take my chances. Whatever is going to happen, will happen regardless. While I am not quite at that point, I can at least appreciate when someone does make that decision for themselves.

Right now, I am spending all this time, energy, resources, the stress associated with it, to try to find answers to these peripheral issues, yet meanwhile, in the back of my mind, I am well aware that I have advance PC that is no longer curative, and its busy growing day by day, even if it is by minute amounts. In order to get through all this other stuff, I am forced to put it on the back burner for now.
Posted 3/12/2014 10:41 PM (GMT 0)
Good news, Getter, is that I have completed all 3 of the more commonly used nerve conduction tests, but this one, was by far, the worse in terms of pain and stress. I don't like electrical jolts to start with, one reason I never do home electrical repairs, but to subject myself to shocks on purpose, beginning to question my sanity, lol.

David
Posted 3/13/2014 12:54 AM (GMT 0)
That is certainly "no fun" testing David. It sounds like what my sister was having done a few weeks ago and told them to stop. I hope that get some information from theses tests to help make a difference with your pain level.
Michael
Posted 3/13/2014 1:00 AM (GMT 0)
Michael,

I asked if they had many patients to abort this test once he started, he said all the time. Even had some women that started crying before it began, and had to walk away from it. It was unpleasant, somewhat painful, but couldn't imagine needing to cry before it even started, lol.

If this is what it takes to get a proper diagnosis, I plan to stick to the plan until I do, or else the past 2 1/2 months will be all for nothing.

Shoulder still hurts from the test this morning.

David
Posted 3/13/2014 1:11 AM (GMT 0)
Oh David That sounds horribly painful. I wish you good luck with the tests showing something to at least give you something to account for all that you went thru. If I made sense.

You're still in my thoughts and prayers. I can't remember, when is your appointment with the urologist? Take care. I hope you feel better from those tests by tomorrow at least.

love and hugs
Loretta
Posted 3/13/2014 1:35 AM (GMT 0)
thanks, Loretta, hope you are faring well yourself.

My big meeting with the urologist next Thursday, to look at the MRI's that showed all the objects in my kidneys. Hoping and praying it doesn't turn into anything major. Worse fear is kidney cancer, the thought of that scares me. But one thing at the time.

David
Posted 3/13/2014 4:43 AM (GMT 0)
I can testify to how unpleasant that test is. My brother had to go through it a few years ago and I was in the room while they did it. At one point they gave me gown and gloves and asked me to help hold him down.

Not a fun afternoon.

As always, you're in my thoughts and prayers,
Andrew
Posted 3/13/2014 7:05 AM (GMT 0)
Oh, David - that sounds absolutely brutal. I sure hope they learn something worthwhile for all that they put you through.
Posted 3/13/2014 10:23 AM (GMT 0)
Oh, David that testing does sound painful. Praying that there's no kidney cancer to be found!

An, sorry you are having a difficult time at work. I hope it gets better!
Posted 3/13/2014 2:53 PM (GMT 0)
Andrew, I can understand why you were needed to help hold down your brother. I have to really convince my brain that what I am doing with painful/invasive tests are for my own good. In my PC journey, I have been through far worse than even this test, but its close to the top. After the first 10 zaps, I had enough, and knowing that there were going to be almost another 200 was hard to handle. To help me get through it, I mentally counted each one, gave me something to think about instead of pain and fear.

thanks pro, and aimzee, good to hear from you, it's been a while now. hope ron and you are doing better, hadn't seen an update in a long time. yes, now I got to get through the kidney scare, still hoping and praying, that its just something benign. the thought of perhaps dealing with another major cancer is more than I could handle at the moment. I need the all clear on that one.

probably won't get a full and final answer next Thursday when I see my uro. Sure he will want to order additional scans, blood work, etc to be sure. Then the next day, we are planning on going to Charleston for 3 days to visit our daughter (if I feel well enough for a long car trip). so I may have this hanging over my head for a while yet.

david
Posted 3/13/2014 6:39 PM (GMT 0)
David,
Sorry to read about that testing, I can't even imagine that pain, you are trully a brave warrior, and been to Hell and Back..we are sending all our prayers your way..we strongly believe Prayer changes things,and that is what we want for you. Thanks for sharing your story because it is bound to help alot of people to understand what they might have to face. All the best for you from here on, Keep the faith...
Dan and Rose Kasper
Posted 3/13/2014 7:11 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you, Dan & Rose,

One can never have enough prayers from fellow believers, for sure. Yours are appreciate as well.

Mine is the story of what happens, when everything has complications and set backs, has been the case of my PC journey from August of 2008 to present. I had a small window of "no problems" back in the spring of 2009, it lasted about 3 months, and its been downhill ever since, with new problems cropping up quicker than I can resolve existing ones.

Thanks, again.

David
Posted 3/13/2014 10:12 PM (GMT 0)
Oh David, that sounds awful. Let's hope it leads to a diagnosis.

Thinking of you as always

Jane
Posted 3/14/2014 3:50 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks Jane, it's what I am hoping for.

It scares me a bit. to think of all the tests and scans I have taken since December, and its still possible that an accurate diagnosis may not be found. Neurologist warned me of this. He's doing his best, but the neurological world is not cut and dry at times.

David
Posted 3/14/2014 4:56 AM (GMT 0)
Purg,

I had a lot of those tests done after they damaged some major nerves in a botched spinal, and we were trying to evaluate the damage. I just thought back to training. Lying in the mud with an officer screaming about silence and what the VC would do if you even flinched. Back in the mud, perfect stillness.

Hurt like the end of the world, but had to be done.
Posted 3/14/2014 2:47 PM (GMT 0)
142,

My mind is well trained by now, to go along with the flow with any of these painful or invasive type tests. I have learned the fine art, of closing my eyes, and "zoning" out mentally and going to some far away and peaceful place. This is what gets me through all those long MRI sessions etc.

Fortunately, I am not skirmish about needles. I act oblivious to them. IV insertions never bother me. The noise of MRI's I can tune out on demand. But electrical shocks, that's another form of torture (I see now why they use that as a torture method to get answers out of people. The only thing that kept me sane, was knowing they were being done in groups of 10 rapid fired bursts. So I would keep my mind busy by keeping count in my head with each set. I would always know when a particular set was coming to an end. And I always knew when the next set was about to start.

Plus I knew in advance it would hurt, doctor made that clear to me, so that helps me prepare for the pain. I don't like surprises, so as long as I know its coming, I can handle it.

Now dental pain/fear, that's another matter with me. I am the biggest baby. Grew up overseas in a military family, and had all dental work, fillings, etc., done without any kind of numbing. Left me scared of dentists. Whenever I have to have dental work done, and I avoid it at all costs, I have to use a dental surgeon. They stick an IV in me, I don't even feel going out, and when my eyes open, its over with. Yes it costs a lot more, but I couldn't handle the fear and pain of dental work, on top of my normal pain issues, so its worth it to me.

David
Posted 3/14/2014 2:51 PM (GMT 0)
David:

I would think knowing in advance that something is going to be very painful would make it worse.

It would for me!

Mel

Posted 3/14/2014 3:20 PM (GMT 0)
I am sure that is how it is with some people, I believe that.

For me, a planned pain - I can prepare mentally for, as opposed to a "surprise" pain.

Having endured in the neighborhood now, of over 10,000 bladder spasms (and there's no getting use to them, trust me), my mind knows that they will not kill me, or damage me, they simply hurt. Knowing this, has allowed me to endure them. The short duration spasms (30 secs. or less) I brush right off, but the longer ones (>1 minute, up to 2 mins) are still hard to deal with. But I keep telling myself, it will pass, it will pass, I really am not being split in too. Then they abate and I am still alive and whole. Certain amount of mind over matter.

An unprepared or unplanned sudden acute source of pain can catch anyone off guard, myself included. To me that's much harder to deal with.

My old thread, "Things Pain Has Taught Me", or something like that, should be updated one day, as I have added much more experience to the subject compared to then. Just about the time I think I know all there is about pain, the various types, etc, I experience something new to the list.

However, one thing I will pass on. You will be surprised to how much pain you can really endure. You might not think so, but you can if you have to. And your mind can adjust to severe chronic pain over time, doesn't make it hurt less, but how you deal with it. Sometimes, I even take on this mode with my pain, "Oh, is that the best you can do? This is lightweight, you can do better than that!"

David
Posted 3/14/2014 3:39 PM (GMT 0)
I think pain that you know will pass is easier to endure. Kind of like the prep for a colonoscopy (not painful, but unpleasant). I start drinking the stuff and I know I should be fine in 12-24 hours.

Not comparable to pain, but the same idea.

Mel

Posted 3/15/2014 3:34 AM (GMT 0)
thanks, humbug, was just reading some of your latest posts...good luck ahead

david
Posted 3/15/2014 10:01 AM (GMT 0)
What an ordeal to go through David, it was bad enough reading your description. I think you may be the toughest guy I know of in this type of situation.

It's not much joy for you, but I was interested to see your time line since dx and learn that you did have a short spell when things were okay as ever since I joined HW you have had trials and tribulations to contend with.

After the shocking stopped did you by any chance have a decrease in pain as I was wondering if your body produced endorphines or similar of its own accord as a reaction?

And I'm sorry I can't do anything for you beside give you my best wishes.

Alf
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