1 is a tungsten electrode, so tiny and fragile they have to use a syringe needle to make a hole in your skin to push it through. The doctor then tries to locate it in the bundle of fibres which run up the middle of a very small pain nerve in the top of your foot.
2 is a reference electrode put in in the same way as 1 but avoiding the nerve.
3 is a pair of wires poked into your foot to give you a train of electric shocks.
There were other electrodes today, some, at least, to do with an ECG the doc was also taking.
It takes him anything from 10 minutes to over an hour to wiggle 1 into exactly the place he wants (20 minutes or so in my case). If he can’t get good nerve signals in an hour then he gives up and you get to go home early. If he can get good signals then you have to sit absolutely still because moving any muscle at all risks dislodging 1. If you need to scratch your nose the doc will attempt to hold your foot still while you very slowly move your arm to your face. You also have to try to stay relaxed because muscle tension generates electrical noise which obscures the signals.
We started at 09:30 and I knew I was committed potentially for the whole morning. The doctor said if I was too uncomfortable then I should say so, and we would stop, but of course that neatly transfers the decision pressure to you because if he’s taking useful data you don’t want to wimp out.
I stuck it for just over 2 hours and 15 minutes, with one 30 second or so break in which I shifted my weight slightly. This is pain research, so you’re OK with the very mild electric shocks (one every four seconds mostly) and all the sharp wires stuck into you. What got me in the end was cramp/loss of feeling in my immobile hands and (which gets most volunteers, apparently) a sore bum where it’s taking your weight. The doctor said he was very pleased with the data though .
Claire spotted a small bat wandering around the Kitchen floor - A long eared bat I think - It’s safely in a box with a bit of water and a message left with Devon bat group.
Update - Message responded to and Mark from a local bat rescue centre came and picked the bat up within half an hour - He reckons it was catted and may have a broken wing. He going to do his best to fix it.
He said that the house over the road has a roost of these type of bats.
This weekend? I thought it was a while away yet. Time flies.
I’m 14 miles away in a cottage with the dogs, later today.
Wonder if I can nip out tomorrow and not come
back for a few hours without being noticed!
I think there is one answer, and it’s not “yes”.
.
