Wednesday 25 May 2011

Ah, that's why it's called your funny bone?

Much to my surprise they didn't electrocute me today (How can anybody train to be a nurse or doctor then apply for the training to electrocute people? What possesses them lol?) Some bright spark in the electrocution dept (Neurology), realised that they still hadn't done stage 2 of the tests on my arm and hand - 'The Monofilament test'


It sounded like flames or heat might be involved because I remembered buying my Granny filaments for the gas lamps in her wee caravan at St Andrews - so I was pretty apprehensive, but no, 'Michelle', my delightful nurse, reassured me -
'We're going to tickle you Rory'
'Tickle me?' I giggled - and we hadn't even started yet.


It seems they can map what's going on in your hands and arms by tickling you with ever decreasing sizes of fine hair. So she put a large sheet of card between me and her so I couldn't see what was going on. And then tickled me. Tickled me for nearly an hour. Half my hand and arm responded gleefully - the other half didn't find it funny and was unmoved.
'So what does it all mean?' I asked.
She looked at the results 'Hmmm,' she said thoughtfully, 'it means in two weeks we're going to have to electrocute you'. How could anyone who looked so pretty and was so good at tickling people, be such a sado-masochist???


So there you go - I'm still Robocop for at least another two weeks!





12 comments:

  1. You just experienced every mans fantasy!!! You have a wonderful knack of turning negative experiences into positive - hold on to that!

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  2. LOL Tomorrow I'll be posting a blog post which seemed like a fantasy and yet it was all real Annie. The greatest month of my life (with video to show it all lol). I'd post it tonight but my wife and kids were away in New South Wales today on pressing family matters and they are not long home - I'm gonna go grill them some cheese on toast and make them a cup o' tea. It's one helluva long drive for them.

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  3. Well, that's disturbing. Both the fact that you are still robocop AND that you have an electrocution to look forward to. Still, I'll bet it was fun being tickled to delight by a pretty nurse.

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  4. my dear new friend can we get you to an acupuncturist? and/or a cranio-sacral therapist? let's do this... :)

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  5. Rory, I had something similar done to me in my teens when my right shoulder decided to cark out on me. My shoulder blade stuck out like a shark’s fin because the deltoid wasn’t doing its job and pining it down. They attach little electrodes to you and send a small electric impulse (its like zapping yourself on a doorknob or sumthin’... Nothing drastic). The needles are another matter, though! In my case (probably not yours), because my bung muscle was deep-set (under a bone) they had to reach it by poking these long needles through to the deltoid. Nasty!

    Might I ask... Prior to waking up with your left hand not functioning, did you by any chance contract a virus/flu a few days/weeks before? Viruses can sometimes attach themselves to nerves and the immune system, in an attempt to combat it, damages the body. That’s what happened in my case and a good buddy of mine.

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  6. Cre8tivesoul - You're making me realise just how much of me is falling apart lol - actually you're right - just before this happened I was very seriously ill in hospital with a life threatening pneumonia - when I was well enough to come home this started about three weeks later. I hadn't thought there could be a connection??? Now you've got me thinking...

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  7. Hope all goes well with your arm and hand....kind of scarey though....I'll be checking back. Loved the hilarious "embarrassing moments" I am not ready to post my own yet but I do admire your bravery - very, very funny. Thanks for your kind words re. my grief.

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  8. Thank you Marian - I know what you mean about being 'not ready' - I stared at my screen for an hour asking 'Will I? Won't I?'

    I hope life is treating you well!

    Rory

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  9. Perpetuawhimsica - Acupuncture is probably the only thing left I haven't tried on my body. Unfortunately back in the 90's I was in a car crash and it left me with extreme difficulty walking - I overcame it in the end through physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and a heap of other therapies but I am assured the damage from then should have no bearing on my hand and arm currently. So acupuncture might turn out to be the next stop!

    (Apologies but I posted this earlier in response to the wrong person - that's my pre-senile dementia kicking in).

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  10. Thanks Rory! I thought... hmmmm.... my name is not Annie? ....lol my real name is Mary but Perpetua lololol works- I really hope you give it a shot/acup. and also look into crania sacral- because they are lovely non-invasive treatments for nerve and spinal related injuries and pain. in a personal inquiry how are you feeling? Hands represent our ability to grasp and hold to catch and release and arms to grasp and hold our experiences in life. I would believe that all of your experiences from your accident etc. might have an emotional toll... it's alright to want to rest and to check in mentally and emotionally and see what's there and might
    need to be let go. <--- not sure why I felt the need to put that out there... well actually- yes I am- for healing. I wish health peace and healing for you. :)

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  11. Perpetuawhimsica (I like the resonance in that)...

    That there's something 'weird' going on is in no doubt. I don't have the classic presentation of Cubital Tunnel Syndrome - but it's what I'm being treated for as it's the 'nearest' diagnosis they can come up with to fit the symptoms. Clearly, something else is going on...and I guess all these tests I need to go through are one way of arriving at an answer.

    I received a phone call yesterday - the hospital have moved my electrocution forward to this Tuesday - they have also become aware of something which might have a bearing on what's going on - I have one too many vertebrae. I'm very tall, over six feet tall, and it seems having this extra vertebrae may be impacting on my back and neck in a way that interferes with my arm and hand.

    I'm glad there is a twist in the plot lol - pushes the story in new directions :)

    I'm truly grateful for your concern.

    Rory

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  12. Oh - sorry I forgot to address the "How are you feeling" part - really sorry - it's 7am and the sun hasn't really broken through yet - so I'm still half asleep. With my splints on during the day - I feel good, no pain. Splints come off at night to sleep and I wake up in agony. I'm thinking of keeping them on at night too but they are so intrusive and uncomfortable when you're trying to sleep :(

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