The PopCulteer
February 24, 2017

You probably couldn’t tell, but I haven’t been here for a few days.

I mean, I was here, writing these words and crafting these posts, but I actually did this in advance. For the latter part of this week I have been in Morgantown having some specialized EMG tests done to determine the progress of my treatment for Myasthenia Gravis. If all works out well, I’ll be able to drop some of my meds and enjoy the state of not having to take those anymore.

I’m really hoping that I’m doing well enough to eliminate one of my meds in particular. Prednisone is not fun, and after a few months on it, I’d like to be free of the increased irritability and appetite.

Now, the EMG test itself, is something that I have described as “thoroughly unpleasant.” Here’s how the Mayo Clinic describes it:

Electromyography (EMG) is a diagnostic procedure to assess the health of muscles and the nerve cells that control them (motor neurons). Motor neurons transmit electrical signals that cause muscles to contract. An EMG translates these signals into graphs, sounds or numerical values that a specialist interprets.

Now, that sounds innocent enough, but the way they measure these signals is by using a device that’s not unlike a taser, which they apply to your arms or legs (or face). And they do this over and over again…for a long time. When they are checking for Myasthenia Gravis, they also stick needles in the affected areas. Here’s another description of that type of EMG:

How is an intramuscular EMG done?

A needle is inserted through the skin into the muscle. The electrical activity is detected by this needle (which serves as an electrode). The activity is displayed visually on an oscilloscope and may also be detected audibly with a speaker.

Since skeletal muscles are often large, several needle electrodes may need to be placed at various locations to obtain an informative EMG.

By the time you read this, I have already undergone these tests (I actually had tests like this done last year, but this new batch is supposed to be more comprehensive). I am already resting and/or heading back to Charleston, where I am quite unlikely to feel like doing much of anything this weekend.

And that includes writing a PopCulteer. So this will have to do. PopCult will continue to have all of our regular features and maybe even some extra Toy Fair reports. In the meantime…OW!