Hell of a week-long entry

What a week. It was a rough one and never want that one back. Time can keep it and turn to dust or sand or what ever it does with past time.
I had major allergies going on. I was in a place with some mold issues and being I'm allergic to it and have asthma, we'll just say that I was sicker than a dog.
I thank my lucky stars I wasn't in an environment like this. Holy cow how does that happen? YIKES!!


Of all weeks, Thursday I had 3 doctor appointments. The first was regarding my allergies, second, had my nerves tested for my shoulder, and the last was a MRI.


As some of you know I've had some issues with my shoulder. Apparently I've got some nerve damage. To learn more see pictures a few entries ago.


The testing of the nerves part one. The doctor had me lay down and sent electrical volts through me. He used a device just like this one in the picture. He did about 20 tests on one arm and about 30 on my other. I felt like I should have ran out of there since I knew something else was coming. Part 2...EMG.
I found the following on a medical website to describe what the EMG is all about. This is a test that involves needles.

What is an EMG test and why is it performed?
A test that measures muscle response to nervous stimulation (electrical activity within muscle fibers). EMG is most often used when people have symptoms of weakness, and examination shows impaired muscle strength. It can help to differentiate primary muscle conditions from muscle weakness caused by neurological disorders. EMG can be used to differentiate between true weakness and reduced use because of pain or lack of motivation.

How the test is performed?
A needle electrode is inserted through the skin into the muscle. The electrical activity detected by this electrode is displayed on an oscilloscope (and may be displayed audibly through a speaker). Because skeletal muscles are isolated and often large units, each electrode gives only an average picture of the activity of the selected muscle. Several electrodes may need to be placed at various locations to obtain an accurate study. After placement of the electrode(s), you may be asked to contract the muscle (for example, by bending the arm). The presence, size, and shape of the wave form produced on the oscilloscope (the action potential) provide information about the ability of the muscle to respond to nervous stimulation. Each muscle fiber that contracts will produce an action potential, and the size of the muscle fiber affects the rate (how frequently an action potential occurs) and size (amplitude) of the action potential(s).
How the test feels
There may be some discomfort with insertion of the electrodes (similar to an intramuscular injection). Afterward, the examined muscle may feel tender or bruised for a few days.
Risks
Bleeding and Infection at the electrode sites (minimal risk)

There is no other way to describe it other than I felt like I was being tortured. I would have told him anything he wanted to know! He kept telling me, wow you're a bleeder. Umm yea that happens to people when you shove needles in the muscles and then tell me to flex. I probably got stuck about 15 times. A few were in the arm, shoulder, back and also the neck. The only ones that didn't hurt were the ones that I couldn't flex because the nerves are paralyzed - scapula muscle. The needles in my neck put me over the edge. I had tears running down my face and felt like screaming.

He said okay we got to get you out of here and over to get your MRI. I immediately went to the building across the way for my MRI. Yes I'm claustrophobic, how are you to be shoved in this tube and not panic? I went to my happy place. While I was there, at my happy place, I felt like I was being bombed! MRIs are LOUD. I felt like they had a machine gun on an amp being shot right in front of me. Seriously we're in the 21st century and we don't have anything less nerve racking? The tech said, you need to make sure that you don't move because if you do we'll have to start all over. Oh hell no. I will be still as long as you need me to be. By the end of the 15 min I felt a cough coming on, mind you I'm sick during all this. Good thing I didn't sneeze.
Now I'm not sharing this for a pity party but just so you get an idea of what my week was like. HATED IT!