Nerve Conduction Study. It's official, I have nerve damage. What next?

Yeah, I had one shock that had me yelling, "Whooo HOOOOOOOO!!!" but that was all. The others were pretty tolerable. I told my husband that, if they started tying me down to the bed, I would be so outta there!!! LOL I didn't expect to know anything until my doctor called with the results once she gets the report, but the doctor doing this test (a technician did the part without the needles, the doctor did the part with the needles) gave me the results right away. All I can say now is that my husband had better start thinking of letting someone else live here with us (like one or both of my sons, although I doubt the older one would want to give up his home) as a precautionary thing because my health really isn't that good and now, with my right knee having cartilage tears and my right arm being so much weaker than my left, I just might need someone around. It looks like he might have just gotten a new job which means he'll be away for 10 hours a day, 5 days a week. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my solitude, but I also know my limitations. I'll be researching nerve damage now to see what's available to help, if anything. I forgot the term the doctor used today... something like dual-conductive nerve damage or something like that. I remember him specifically emphasizing the "dual" part as opposed to "mono" but maybe that was only in reference to the carpal tunnel syndrome plus the nerve damage from lupus. I'll have to get a copy of that report before I can know for sure what he said. Lupus does suck because it can flare any time and you never know exactly WHERE in or on your body it's going to flare. Plus, there's no cure. I can't take the medications generally prescribed for it, but have learned that the herb called feverfew (a rather pretty flower) helps against inflammation. Maybe it can help me. As for my carpal tunnel syndrome, I had previously been diagnosed with tendonitis, which most likely was carpal tunnel syndrome, but was prescribed those braces. I use them whenever my hands/wrists hurt really bad or when my hand goes numb, but I'll start wearing them at night, too. Growing old sucks. I wish there was a cure for that!!!

If this doesn't get you on Social Security Disability, I seriously would think it is a crime. That is why it is there. I'm sure you've tried this, but have you contacted all your representatives about your Social Security rejections?

Yes, I'm actually in touch with one of our congressmen and a senator. As a matter of fact, I just received a letter from the senator today. He's been in contact with Social Security on my behalf and is awaiting a reply. I'm going to be writing him another letter tonight to inform him about these latest diagnoses and ask how I should handle informing the judge of them. The senator has really been trying his best to help me. Still, all I've received since my hearing before the judge on Feb. 13 has been a letter from the judge, 3 weeks later, informing me that he'll be scheduling an appointment with me to be seen by a psychiatrist at the government's expense. How nice, huh? The judge wants an updated psyche evaluation, as though all my medical issues aren't enough! Geez, any one of them would make working a full-time job very hard; all of them put together make working impossible. I've worked since I was 14 because I WANTED to. I loved working... heck, I was a proofreader for most of my working life and I always felt as though I was cheating when I got paid for it because I loved it so much. If I could still do that, I definitely would! The judge simply refuses to see how all my symptoms affect me every day of my life. But, maybe this newest fun today will help. Dang! It should! I will most definitely sue Social Security if they deny me again. I'm going to make sure that the senator understands exactly what these rejections are doing to me, both emotionally and physically. I'm trying to get my own 'psyche evalution' to send to the judge, but the doctor I've been trying to talk to and I have been playing telephone tag. Hopefully, tomorrow I'll be able to talk with him. I just don't trust doctors who are paid by the government to give me an unbiased evaluation. Guess I should go. I tend to write novels here in myLot. Sorry! LOL Take care!

I totally agree with what you say about some people getting benefits when there's nothing wrong with them. It makes me see RED! I've worked since the age of 14 (part-time until I got out of school). I've always loved working because I've always been a fiercely independent person. Now that I cannot support myself, it hurts more than just my body! I'm on andidepressants now because of the emotional pain of everything I'm going through. Having Social Security deny me benefits for 7 years has only aggravated both my mental AND physical problems. Of course, THEY don't see it that way. I just don't get it. Some people are approved for benefits right away and they have far less problems than I do. Me? I've had to fight, and fight HARD, for every tiny little thing I've ever gotten. It hasn't been easy and it's getting harder and harder to fight all the time. A few times recently I've just felt like giving up the fight, but my extended family here in myLot has kept me going. I'm so very thankful that I found myLot!!! Isn't it a great site?

My husband does fine...he lets nothing stop him. You have a list of problem that could stop an avalanche and you can't get disability that is just amazing....I believe I remember you asking about lawyers a bit back. Did you get a new one and are they making progress in that department. I feel bad for you, I got my problems but I can't imagine having al list like yours...you are much to young. I also can understand what you say about proofreading, I love to learn and would do the same thing...maybe we are somehow related?

I'm so sorry to hear about your husband, but I'm so happy to hear about your friend! I try not to let my physical problems slow me down but they scream louder than I can. I not only have lupus, but I also have fibromyalgia, IBS, chronic fatigue syndrome, brain fog, arthritis and bursitis. Dang! And I've tried so hard to be GOOD all my life. Maybe I should turn to a life of crime? LOL No, no!!! Just kidding!!! I do all I can and push myself often. I'm usually punished for pushing myself because the pain is usually all but unbearable when I do too much. Plus, pushing myself only makes me even more exhausted than normal. I WISH I could work. I loved proofreading! I didn't just 'proofread', but I actually read and absorbed what I was proofreading. I found it fascinating! I've always loved learning so I felt like I was cheating whenever I got paid for proofreading... I felt like they were paying me to learn! You don't get THAT in any college or university! I used to be SO active. I renovated a house once (while working full-time)... well, all but ceilings, plumbing and electrical work. Now, trying to plant one tiny bush outside hurts and wears me out so much I have to rest or take a nap. Well, at least now I can understand why my right arm has been so much weaker than my left! HOPEFULLY, I'll finally get approved for disability.

well, you sweet, sweet thing! Sure do know how to brighten my day, don't you? Truly, truly appreciate the best response...it makes the sun shine on a gloomy day! Hopefully, some time you will get around to reading those sites, as I really did find them helpful to me, to better understand what you are going thru! And it's tremendous, and one of the biggest perpetrators I see, is the all-time ENEMY...STRESS! It's amazing how that 6-letter word is the root of congenitalizing (is that a word--LOL?) so many, many serious afflictions, isn't it? It's one of my biggest enemies with diverticulitis, too! Glad to hear that you are getting "sporadically" blessed with some sun-shine, I keep hoping that it will find it's way here, soon! I have to PM you, as I have lots of plant starts, to tell you about! Love ya...and Cheers!

Don't worry about me stressing over carpal tunnel syndrome, pergie. I know all about it, what causes it, what can help, and all that. I have wrist braces that I wear when my wrists/hands hurt or when they go numb. I KNOW I should be wearing them at night and, sigh, I guess I'll start, but I don't like the idea! I've heard stories of the surgery for that helping and stories about it not helping. Since I have very little that makes me happy that I can actually do these days, I refuse to give up what I can do, even if it means that surgery would be senseless since I won't give up what caused it in the first place (whatever that might be... my craftwork, most likely). So, hearing that I have carpal tunnel syndrome is so very minor, compared with the other things. Geez. I'll just wear my braces more often. I want to especially thank you for those links and the research you've done. Do you realize how very kind that is? Well, if you don't, let me tell you... it brought tears to my eyes when I read that. No one has done that for me (to my knowledge) other than my husband and HE'S trying to make up for being an azz! You have no motive other than being a genuine friend and for that I could never express the thanks that you deserve. I'll be looking at these links as soon as I tear myself away from myLot. Well, maybe a little after that because the sun has come out after almost 4 straight days of rain and drizzle, it's warmed up outside and it's absolutely beautiful! I want to go sit out on the deck before my husband gets back from his job interview (!!!) and get some real "me" time in. (I fell asleep soon after getting back from this thing this morning.) Thanks again for the links. If there's ANYTHING that I can try that I haven't already, I'm game! Thanks... geez, I can't thank you enough, see? LOL Maybe there IS something to St. Patrick's Day luck, huh?

I don't normally choose a best response because most responses tend to have some very good information in one form or another but, in this case, I honestly couldn't NOT give you the best response... it far exceeded all the other responses. I finally got an opportunity to check out those links and they are AWESOME! I learned a lot from them and was able to write quite a list of things to talk to my rheumatologist about. I learned that the problems I have with my brain could very well be caused by lupus and I definitely intend to talk to her about that. You are so VERY correct about how stress can affect us! It could very well be the biggest culprit in more health problems than we, or even doctors, give it credit for. Since my husband lost his job and this darned disability hearing happened, my pain level has gone through the roof a few times. It could be why I have this nerve damage. "Avoid stress" is the advice our doctors give us. Yeah, sure. I'll just spray anti-stress stuff around the house to kill that stress before it reaches me. Uh huh. Easy! Simple! Why didn't I think of that??? Well, I do what I can. I've learned not to sweat the small stuff. It's just that when that big stuff hits, well, we do what we can but stress is a pretty strong thing sometimes! Maybe, when my POTatoes are ready for harvest, I can deal with the larger stressors a lot better. Oh, whether or not 'congenitalizing' is a word or not, who cares? My husband makes up words all the time. It amuses me. LOL I don't know if you PMed me or not, but I haven't received any PMs lately. I'm not sure if they're working or not. Maybe it would be better if you sent me an email. I'd LOVE to hear about your plant starts!!! All I know is that we'd better get our last freeze soon because my house is becoming overrun with my little seedlings! I'm growing maybe 60 tomato plants, maybe more, and they're all growing nicely right now inside but will have to be transplanted soon or I'll have to re-pot the 50some seedlings I have growing. I also have maybe 3 dozen pepper seedlings, a dozen eggplants and about 2 dozen celery plants right now. They're doing fine but I know they're starting to get antsy about going outside. It's supposed to get below freezing in a couple of days; at least overnight. So, the transplanting outside will have to wait. Soon... it's coming soon! I just have to be a little more patient. It's just sooooooooooo hard!!! I go outside and see buds on all my trees, leaves growing on my lilacs and daffodils about to blossom. I want Spring!!!

Hi Bibbie. I honestly didn't think it was that bad! I was scared like you, only because I heard it was very painful, not because of the needles. It wasn't very painful at all! Actually, most of it was just a little more than a tickle! The needles they use are tiny and ONLY go just under the skin. I barely felt the needles going in at all, they're so tiny! AND, they only use one. They'll put it in one spot, then give you a little zap (which I honestly can say did NOT hurt) several times, always telling you when they're coming so you're not surprised. Then, they put it in another spot and do the same, etc. etc. The first half of the NCS didn't use needles at all, only connectors stuck on your skin with adhesive. I'd say the majority of it was like that, without needles. I'm one of the biggest pain weenies around. Oh, how I hate pain!!! But, I came out of there thinking that, if I ever need another CNS done, I won't be afraid of it at all. YOU'LL BE FINE! Trust me, it's really nowhere near as bad as you think!

Oh, sorry, I forgot about the wet hair part... yes, you can have wet hair. I know this for a fact because my hair wasn't completely dry when I had it done, either. Nothing to worry about at all. I promise!!!

Thank you i am a complete wimp. Will let you know how it goes? And i knwo weird question about the hair thing but i thought electrical pulses/wet hair- you know "im a safety girl!" better to be safe than sorry.

Thank you, winterose. If I still don't get approved for disability, I'll KNOW that there's some kind of conspiracy against me! Yeah, I'm that paranoid now. But, who knows? I can only HOPE that the judge believes I'm too disabled to work now. Geez.

Wow! It sounds like you have quite a lot of your own electrical energy going on! I used to turn things on or off when I walked by them, but only if I was in a very emotional state, like extremely angry, sad or happy. It was really freaky at first, but I got used to it after awhile. People loved me at parties. Since I began being treated for panic disorder, however, all that stopped. Actually, it's nice to not have to constantly turn things back on or back off. Yeah, I know all about asking what's next. There have been quite a few times when I found out what was next! Luckily, this time, as soon as I posted it, I realized what I had done and knocked on wood. HOPEFULLY, that will keep the 'what's next' away this time.

Hi, leenie. The nerve damage was explained to me as a completely different entity from the carpal tunnel syndrome. Yep, I have that pain in my hand and it goes completely numb quite often. I have a brace that I wear when the pain is bad and I have no strength in that hand, but haven't been very good about wearing it at night, which I know I should do. Now that it's confirmed as carpal tunnel syndrome, I'll definitely be wearing that brace at night from this point on. However, the 'nerve damage' the doctor was referring to includes my entire right arm. There's slight nerve damage to my left arm, maybe because I'm left-handed so the muscle loss is not as severe since I use that arm more often. This nerve damage is caused by lupus, which is an inflammatory condition. I can't take the normal medications for lupus because they cause problems with my liver. So, I'll have to live with the pain and nerve damage. I'm hoping to find some exercises or other alternative remedies that might help some.

Thanks, yankee. I HAD a lawyer. Binder & Binder. NEVER hire them!!! They're worse than worthless! They dumped me after my first hearing before the judge, when I was denied. They said the next step would be "too labor intensive" for them to continue. I was like, "WHAT THE....?????????" Aren't lawyers there BECAUSE they're supposed to help you? Not Binder & Binder! They only want the easy cases, the ones you could win yourself with no problem. Anyway, I had another hearing and went by myself. I saw another lawyer, but he wouldn't help me unless I had a waiver of fees from Binder & Binder in my hand. B&B refused to send me a waiver. So, I had to go it alone. This time, the judge didn't deny me, but said he wants me to have an updated psychiatric record, so they're supposed to be setting up an appointment for me to see a shrink sometime in the next century. In the meantime, I've been trying to get my own psyche evaluation and send it to the judge because I do NOT trust any shrink who is paid by the government to give me a fair evaluation! I also have a senator and a congressman helping me with this case. It's been going on now for seven LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG years and I'm pretty sick of it! Hopefully, these newest problems of mine will convince the judge to just go ahead and approve me for disability. It's so freakin unbelieveable! I have lupus, fibromyalgia, IBS, chronic fatigue syndrome, 'brain fog' (cognitive problems like memory and concentration), arthritis, bursitis and now the newest, carpal tunnel syndrome and nerve damage. I worked almost 40 years of my life, with part of my salary going in the entire time to pay for this Social Security that I so desperately need, but which they continue to hold back from me. I'm sending off another letter to the senator today because he just wrote to me yesterday, telling me he's waiting to hear back from Social Security. It's been a veritable nightmare!

Hehehehe. You know, I was thinking that if my entire body just fell apart and all I was left with was my head, they'd STILL send me for that psyche evaluation! Yeah, I'm a bit pessimistic about this disability case of mine. After seven years, who wouldn't be? HOPEFULLY, this will convince the judge that I MIGHT just be unable to work! Geez... what's a gal to do??? The sun is trying hard to peek through the clouds here right now. Tomorrow is supposed to be a glorious day and, since it's Wednesday and my sons are coming over, we'll be working outside. Well, THEY'LL be working, I'll be supervising. Springtime always perks me up. I'm so glad it's almost here!

Sorry, Chevee, I had wanted to write more but it seems that my IBS decided it didn't like this morning's activities and began raising a ruckus... REALLY FAST! Sigh! I wish things like that would happen in front of that darned judge! Anyway, I'm feeling better now. I wanted to comment on your comment about helping me with the garden. I wish you were closer, too, because we could really have some great fun and get healthier at the same time! Growing foods that you KNOW are organic... well, there's nothing like it. Also, we could always take a break from gardening and go fishing. Oh, how I wish I had a fishing partner! My husband doesn't care for it and has only tried it once with me. (I had to put the worms on the hook for him and unhook the fish he caught. You'd think a big ol' macho man like him would be doing that for ME! Big baby! LOL) But, since you are not close by, I'll just have to get all the help from my sons that I can. However, a visit either way one of these days isn't entirely out of the question! My husband is at a job interview right this minute. It looks good because he had a telephone interview with this guy last week and he was very anxious to meet with my husband. The interview began at 2:00 and it's now 3:17. He said he'd call me once he was on his way home and hasn't called yet so he's still there... always a good sign! If he gets this job, he'll be out of my hair 5 days a week!!!! The job supposedly pays around $10,000.00 more a year than he was making before and is closer than his old job meaning less money for gas... more money for me to spend, say, on trips to visit friends or have friends visit me! I definitely want to send you some of my veggies and herbs once they're ready for harvest. Hey! I'd LOVE to BRING you some! I love traveling. My back hates it, but I love it and I'm more stubborn than my back (plus I can yell louder). I'll just have to play that by ear since I have no idea how I'll be feeling by the end of this year's growing season. It seems I have a new ailment almost every week these days. Sigh. Guess I'll head on out now. The sun has finally come out, it's warmed up more than predicted (by almost 10 deg!) and I just HAVE go have a look-see at my future garden. Take care of yourself, Chevee. You're a very special person, you know.

Hi, lynn. Your advice certainly sounds logical! I'm going to do just that... as much research as I can. I'm so sorry to hear that you're in so much pain! I mean, I'm in constant pain myself, but I can't stand to hear about anyone else in pain like this! I feel for you so much!!! I used to take amitriptolin but was taken off it because it was interacting too badly with some other meds I was on. I might sleep 8 hours straight once or twice a year. I know all about waking up from the pain! I typically sleep between 1 and 3 hours at a stretch, even when I take a prescribed sleeping pill! Even then, I wake up in a lot of pain. It sucks. Believe me, I know how much it sucks! I can't take the meds usually prescribed for lupus because they were affecting my liver. The only antiinflammatory I can take is naproxen (prescription Aleve)and I take that twice a day. Once my doctor gets that report from yesterday, he'll probably send me to see a neurologist. I can't remember what the doctor yesterday called what I have (my brain is really bad, probably from the meds I take plus the fibromyalgia). It had something with the word "dual" in it, but I can't remember. Dual-neuropathy? Dual-conductive nerve damage? It was something like that. I'm calling my doctor today and letting both him and my rheumatologist know that the report is coming and that I'll need a copy to send to Social Security. HOPEFULLY, they'll finally approve me for disability, after SEVEN loooooong years of fighting them! What a world, huh? I hope modern medicine can learn how to give us new bodies one day. I told the doctor doing the test yesterday that I wouldn't mind staying the age I am now, just that I'd love a new, younger body to be in. LOL Well, all I can say is, take one day at a time... advice given to me recently. It's really all we can do. Hang in there!