On Fri, 2 Sep 2011 20:38:23 +0100, "Christina Websell"
wrote:

The leaflet that came with my appointment letter said "you might experience
some discomfort" so I was confident-ish when I got to the hospital that it
would not be too bad.

It wasn't. At first. The doc attached electrical thingies to my good arm
and then to my bad one and put rubber rings on my fingers. I could feel the
electric current but it was OK... I said this is not too bad, better than I
thought.
Until he moved up my arm gradually. OMG. It got worse and worse until he
got up to the swollen part on my shoulder and when the current went through
that it brought tears to my eyes it was such agony.
After that I had to have needles put into every muscle to get a reading from
a machine, even in my hand. They say it will not hurt you once the needle
is put in. I can assure you it does. Mega.
Unfortunately the doctor that did this had a severe speech impediment so I
only got the drift of what he was telling me, which was my nerves are not
severed, damaged quite badly but they are showing slight signs of
regeneration.
This is good, and he says 2 and half years will tell me how it will be.
Nerves can recover but there is a limited time for that, apparently, my
consultant says 18 months and you're shot.
It's the damaged nerves that make me unable to use my arm in a useful way.
I want to believe the 2-1/2 years is true and it can take that long and I
will be able to use my arm again within that time.
18 months does not seem realistic atm
Tweed



EMG test. Electromyelogram test, IIRC.

I've had it done twice.

They really hurt a LOT.

They are done simply to generate income for the doctor and the clinic,
and the people doing the test.

The reason I say this is because they don't generate any information
that can actually be used to treat you.

It tells the doctor how much nerve damage you have....but, it makes
absolutely no difference at all in physical therapy, or any other
rehabilitation, whatsoever.

This was told to me by a registered physical therapist, in her middle
50's, who had heard from countless patients about the medieval torture
sessions their patients had to undergo.

It is the physical therapists and other rehabilitation specialists who
will help you get better: NOT the doctor.

The doctor spends 10 or 15 minutes with you, once a month or so.

The physical therapists spends, depending on your order of PT, hours
every week with you.

They know FAR better that the doctors, how to treat you, and what will
work to heal you.

If you can, avoid a new, young physical therapist. It takes 5 or 10
years for them to get really good at dealing with all the different
kinds of injuries.

Best of luck with your recovery.