I just started experiencing most of these symptoms less than a year ago. I know some of them may not be as extreme as others experience, but it's enough to cause an impact on my life and to be cause for concern ya know?

EMG are a sort of necessary evil for us; at least I am told they are necessary. I would like to sugar coat it, but they are not pleasant. I think it depends on how much they are going to test, ranging from specific areas to whole body [I have had both]. Usually they have done a nerve conduction study as a first part and then the EMG. I don't want to paint too bad a picture of it, but it has put tears in my eyes at times. I have another one coming up and am dreading it. I really think any doctor who gives an EMG should also have to take one of the same severity, LOL. My doctors have been very compassionate, but it still hurt. Hope you do well and I also hope I didn't scare you too badly. Let us know how it went.

Nerve conduction is a bunch of small electric shocks to the nerves and they test how they move along the nerve paths. EMG is done by inserting a wired needle in the muscle and they measure the response of the muscle in movement and at rest. I think Count Dracula actually invented it and the Nazi regime perfected it. Your best bet to get a better understanding of it is to see if Youtube or Google have some videos of it.

Steve, thank you for your response...I think! Haha I'm a pretty "like to know things straightforward" type of person so I appreciate your honesty.

Did you test positive before your EMG test or strictly diagnosed by EMG?

I agree, that EMG is no fun, but usually necessary. There is a section called Myasthenia Gravis links on this forum concerning preparing for an EMG. There are certain things you should and should not do prior to and during EMG to get the best and most accurate results.
One is being off mestinon and another is no caffeine, including any found in chocolate.

My blood work was negative for MG and the EMG was only slightly abnormal when they tested for it, yet my symptoms are rather severe at times. I have been hospitalized a couple of times for MG crisis with breathing difficulty and weakness to the point that it induced a heart attack. The upcoming EMG is not for MG but because of CIDP.

You may ask your neuro about a trial dose of Mestinon... I would not submit to an EMG test before a trial dose of Mestinon. If Mestinon provides relief( you'll know within 45-90 mjn), you have either MG, or LEMS, and an EMG test would be unnecessary. Both MG, and LEMS are pathologies of the neuromuscular junction involving acetylcholine inhibition(MG), or deficit(LEMS).

Oh, BTW, I believe that nerve conduction tests are of highly dubious value anyway because of, 1) examiner error(can be significant from to tester, to tester), and 2) varying states of level of arousal of immune system of examinee(an occult infection may be causing a pathological EMG score). But, at $3000-$4000 a pop, they help a lot to pay the kids tuition....

i had two EMGs, both around February of this year.

My first one was done by a woman doctor and she was very gentle. It pricked but it didnt hurt that much. And it was finished in less than an hour.

My second EMG was done by a visiting doctor from Boston who was using me as a test subject for his students. I cried during the procedure because he ramped up the volt to the highest level and from what Ive heard its because he couldnt find something? thats why he needed a higher volt. Turns out the machine was just faulty lol. This one took more than an hour and to be honest im now kinda traumatised of needles and electricity because of this.

My first EMG diagnosed my with myopathy, thats when the doctor said that i should see a neuro. i had my second EMG a day after I was diagnosed by a neuro. So it was already confirmed that i had MG, they just wanted to double check.

Lol i know this isnt really helpful, but find a doctor who knows what he/she is doing and youre going to be okay! :)

"I think Count Dracula actually invented it and the Nazi regime perfected it."

Whoops! hit "add" too soon. Steve, thank you for the laugh! Dark humor indeed, but on point. My new neuro, incidentally, would like to do a third EMG on me (somehow, he can't access the records from the prior 2?).

SurrenderToHope--it's not a fun experience to do an EMG, but if it's at all possible, plan to take the rest of your day post-procedure to rest, eat something delicious, maybe watch a silly movie. I was not up to going back to work right after!

My EMGs weren't conclusive, and my bloodwork was negative, but I was diagnosed empirically on the basis of my response to mestinon. Later, my blood turned up positive for the ACHR antibodies.

An abnormal emg test can indicate more than just MG -- many conditions are possible -- so not a sure diagnosis of MG.

However, a normal emg result (when the complicated test is done correctly) pretty much rules out MG as the problem.

So it is useful to point the search for the cause of the problem towards or away from MG. That said, some technicians are more experienced with emg tests for MG than others, so as always, there can still be uncertainty after the test.

Good Luck. The pain can be strong, but this pain is temporary and you can come here and brag a little about how bad it was;-

Okay well, as many here know I have a unique view of the EMG/NCS commonly done on those with MG. I work in an office that does these tests a couple of days per week. I can say for sure that 99% of patients find these tests painful, however it really depends on your pain tolerance.

The nerve conduction is typically done first which is to test the nerves for a multitude of issues. If your doctor is experienced and skillful (which you won't really know until it's under way) the pain should be tolerable. If something really is not tolerable you should let the doctor know. The shock reminds me of when you get shocked from static electricity but you'll have to judge that for yourself.

For the muscle test (EMG) they'll use a fine needle (similar to an acupuncture needle.) and should just be going to the surface of the muscle. They will hear/view the muscle at rest (machine will be quiet) and then tell you how to activate the muscle with certain movements (machine will be noisy). The sounds are normal and expected. There are various noises that your muscles can make so don't worry if it sounds crazy; the doctor will know what each sound means. Try not to jump when the needle is inserted as your muscle tenses when that happens and it will hurt.

For the repetitive stimulation test (usually done last), try to fatigue the muscles from your shoulders to your hands to improve your chances at an accurate test. Those who do not have MG will gain most of their strength back very quickly. Not sure what time of day your study is scheduled for but later is better as most of us are stronger in the a.m. I took the whole day off because being without mestinon made me useless and I needed plenty of rest afterward.
For your safety, have someone drive you to/from the appointment so that you aren't stuck if you don't have the strength to drive home.

The major areas that are tested during the "rep stim" are your shoulders, arms and hands so shoulder shrugs with weights in your hands may prove most useful but don't do it too far in advance because the goal is to be worn out during testing. The doctor will have you "stress" the muscle with resistance but it's not very much. That may be the reason so many results are inconclusive or falsely negative.

I am seronegative which was determined prior to my EMG. My EMG was "mildly suggestive" of MG but I responded to mestinon immediately and prednisone.

Good luck with your test and please let us know how it goes. HUGS

Just take baby-steps ; this may help you get a diagnosis, which is huge.

It will not be fun, but you WILL survive it. Like others have already said, expect multiple needle sticks and some electrical "zapping". The doctor knows it hurts, and wouldn't recommend it if he/she didn't think it was necessary.

If this process helps confirm myasthenia, then you are in the demographics (young/female) that responds very well to having your thymus removed (thymectomy) with a high likelihood of remission. But that's gonna be down the road a bit.

This site and it's members are excellent resources. Keep us posted!

Thank you guys SO much for all on your input and advice. It really means a lot to me, and helps me to get a little better idea of what I'm looking at.

I do have a pretty high pain tolerance and needles do not bother me at all. But I just wasn't quite sure what to expect because my Neuro really didn't give me much of an insight to it. He's not much of a talker, is very "in and out" and doesn't leave much room for a whole lot of discussion. I live in a pretty small town and the closest hospital that does EMG testing is about 4 hours away. So that's where he is sending me for the test. Thankfully it's a university hospital so maybe they will be skilled in the testing.

He has not tried me on any medications, nor even mentioned it. But after hearing some many say that it helped them greatly, even without a positive test result...I'm wondering if I should just call his office and ask if there's something he can give me for this next month before the EMG?

Thanks again for everyone's input!