My Story The Beginning Part Four

I was unable to locate the paperwork for the results of my EMG.  I am certain that they showed the electrodiagnostic evidence Dr. David Rankine was looking for because I was immediately scheduled for a muscle biopsy of my right quad.

At this point, I remember feeling like I was just going through the motions the doctors requested of me. I didn't real know what to expect.  I wondered if the muscle biopsy would be painful and how long my recover period would be.  I must admit I was excited about having a required week of off school.

The procedure was very straight forward.  Dr. Alan Odum was to preform an 'open biopsy'.  Muscle tissue would be removed through a small surgical incision in my right quad.  The muscle tissues would then be examined microscopically to confirm my medical diagnosis.

There is one memory that I still carry with me to this day.  I was at Memorial Hospital sitting across the desk from a lady in admissions that was checking me.  She was going over the standard information with me.  I was verifying my name, date of birth, address, and insurance information.  She asked what my religious denomination was.  I respond Baptist and asked why she needed that information.  She explained all the possible things that could go wrong during surgery.  One of those things being death.  If I were to die that is why they needed to know my religious denomination.

On January 27, 1998  sitting across the desk from the admissions lady was when it all became real for me.  There was something happening with my body that shouldn't be.  A doctor was going to have to cut into my flesh to confirm a diagnosis.  It was in those moments that I realized more exercise or a better diet was not going to fix what was going on inside my body.  This was serious, very serious.  

Even though I had been put to sleep and given pain medicine I knew that the normal, carefree girl that checked into the hospital would not be the same one checking out.  I now realized that regardless of my diagnosis, my friends and family would never completely understand what I was going through.  I wasn't even sure what would happen.  The reality slowly began to sink in.  As much as my family and friends would be around to support me, no one had any clue what all I would be going through.  No one would really understand.  

I was completely alone in this journey and alone is a scary place to be.