List of Useful Tests for Muscle Damage

[pgrimm]

I think Bill will be admitted to the VA hospital this week for tests. His symptoms are severe chronic headaches and all over musclular/skeletal pain. I am reading all your educated posts about various tests, it's mind boggling! I want to try to get him a valid diagnosis with the right tests. Could you list which ones we should expect them to do? I have two different attorneys waiting for some information to decide if they will take his case. They each specialize in suing the VA. I know he will need a muscle biopsy, and I have asked Dr. Golomb to consult, just thought I'd tap into your vast knowledge base before going in! THANKS!

[Darrell]

Just a reminder that a normal CK test result means NOTHING:
"Statin-Associated Myopathy with Normal Creatine Kinase Levels -- Phillips et al. 137 (7): 581 -- Annals of Internal Medicine"
*http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/abstract/137/7/581

[pgrimm]

Yes, he had the CK level at the ER a few weeks ago, and yes it was normal. I'm glad I went armed with the information I got here!

[harley2ride]

I had normal CK, and they ended up finding I had progressed from Statin Myopathy to Mitochondrial Myopathy. I had 2 muscle biopsy's about a year apart, EMG test, blood tests, and an Oxygen Exchange test. Dr. Paul Phillips at Scripps Memorial in San Diego is good, my doc with the MDA (Dr. Robert Friedman), and Dr. Singleton/Robinson Salt Lake University Hospital is coming around on Statin damage.