Hi, Hubby went for his neurological visit and the dr.wants him to have an EMT test because he's lost so much weight and he saw some minor signs of muscle twitching. I've scheduled it but after some research I'm having some reservations. He has non-fluent aphasia and won't be able to respond to any questions during the test and I've heard the test can be painful. I'm not sure I want to put him through this. Has anyone had any experience with this? Thank you.
What do the initials EMT stand for? What is the purpose of the test? What is it testing? I've never heard of it. I tried looking it up, but all I got was something related to testing like the college SAT's. Didn't think that was it.
The test is "electromyography". It tests the contractile ability of the muscles. A varient of the test also tests conduction speed over the nerves. It is not "painful", but can be quite uncomfortable. He probably will not have to answer any questions, since the response of the muscle will give the information wanted. I would have a couple of questions: first, at what stage of AD is your hubby? second, what is the doctor looking for, and what will he do about it when he gets the answer from the test? At some stage in the disease (AD) you might decide not to treat some other problem, particularly if the treatment will be uncomfortable.
You can find electromyography at Wikipedia. But I'm w/Marsh. What stage is your DH in? What will the doc do if something is abnormal? I know a man whose wife had breast cancer & when it returned years later while she had AD, he did nothing about it. I think there is a lot to be said for leaving our dear ones alone whenever possible. I had non-malignant polyps surgically removed in DH's colon & if I knew then what I know now, I'd have never had it done.
Thanks for your input. The Dr. isn't sure if he is EOAD or Frontotemporal Dementia. It's so complicated with the aphasia since without the ability to communicate (very minimal - only a word here or there) they can't do the memory tests any more and my husband can't tell what hurts or doesn't. He still takes pretty good care of himself and does some chores although he doesn't like to shower and can't do mechanical things any more - put battery in backwards etc. I think the dr. may be trying to diagnose/eliminate some types of frontotemporal or maybe eliminate ALS - who knows?? Not me.
Dilly, I'm not sure if I've had the test or not. Had a weird test maybe fifteen years ago, and it was supposed to measure conductivity in my nerves, so it might have been EMT. It felt really weird, but I wouldn't call it painful, or even uncomfortable. Let me put it this way -- I wouldn't have objected to having it done again, but I wouldn't have actively volunteered, either. I've had a LOT more painful things done to me by doctors. Flex sigmoid springs to mind...
Marsh is right. I would have a long chat with the doctor. What, exactly, is he looking for? How will it actually HELP your husband? Will it affect treatment? Will it help you and your husband plan for the future? Or just give you all a name to call your husband's problem?
Will it lead to more and more tests, or does it stop with the EMT?
Also ... will it frustrate or scare your husband? I think there's more than physical pain that needs to be considered.
I don't understand aphasia. I know it means he can't speak, but could he point or use some other sort of signal to answer questions? Or is he unable to communicate by any means? (How frustrating that must be. My DH uses a lot of nonsense words, but sooner or later, we manage to figure out what we're talking about.)
Thanks for your insight sunshyne. His aphasia affects his talking, writing and math skills (basically none left to any of them). Sometimes he says yes for no and vice versa. I think the questions are exactly what I need to find out. He's been through so much that I hate to have any more done unnecessarily. Thanks again.