# Electromyography test making omnipod fail?
**URL:** https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/electromyography-test-making-omnipod-fail/9846
**Category:** Pump
**Created:** [June 9, 2020, 3:04am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/electromyography-test-making-omnipod-fail/9846 "2020-06-09T03:04:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@clo](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/clo)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2020, 3:04am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/electromyography-test-making-omnipod-fail/9846/1 "2020-06-09T03:04:10Z")
This is kind of random and happened about 5 months ago but it just popped into my mind again and am curious if anyone else has experienced this.
I had an electromyography test done to check my right hand/arm for carpel tunnel. When I went in to get it done I told the doctor about my omnipod and if the test would affect it in anyway. He spent a few minutes looking up omnipod to see if he could find anything that says it would mess with it and he didn’t find anything. We proceeded with the test and all went fine with it (turns out I do have carpel tunnel, wonderful) but my pod failed about 20 minutes after I had left the office. I’m real curious if this was just a fluke coincidence or do you guys think the test had anything to do with it??
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### Author:  [@Chris](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Chris)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2020, 3:09am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/electromyography-test-making-omnipod-fail/9846/2 "2020-06-09T03:09:51Z")
I would vote for coincidence. My understanding of electromyography (perhaps incorrect) is that they measure the electrical signals produced by your muscles, rather than introduce their own electrical signals.
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### Author:  [@clo](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/clo)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2020, 3:14am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/electromyography-test-making-omnipod-fail/9846/3 "2020-06-09T03:14:12Z")
That makes sense! I hadn’t had a pod fail for a while before that and don’t know much about how exactly the test worked so thought it was worth an ask 😅 thank you for your input!!
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### Author:  [@Jim\_YYC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Jim_YYC)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2020, 12:39pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/electromyography-test-making-omnipod-fail/9846/4 "2020-06-09T12:39:47Z")
> [@Chris](#):
>
> I would vote for coincidence. My understanding of electromyography (perhaps incorrect) is that they measure the electrical signals produced by your muscles, rather than introduce their own electrical signals.
@clo - I vote coincidence, but wanted to add that EMG tests are not confined to only measuring muscle electrical activity with a needle (myograph). The other test done during an EMG is a nerve conduction velocity test, which does involve stimulating your nerves with short electrical impulses and measuring the conduction velocity. Damaged nerves have significantly altered conduction velocities and waveforms.
I suspect they did primarily conduction velocity testing for carpal tunnel diagnosis.
I was diagnosed with a neuromuscular disorder in 1988 and have had several dozen EMG’s since then.
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdKwSymCpws)
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### Author:  [@Tapestry](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Tapestry)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2020, 3:30am UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/electromyography-test-making-omnipod-fail/9846/5 "2020-06-10T03:30:20Z")
I’ve had an EMG on both arms/wrists/hands. It was a few years ago now, but I don’t recall having trouble with my pod, but that’s a lot of time to pass! Still, I’d vote for coincidence.
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### Author:  [@clo](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/clo)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2020, 3:41pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/electromyography-test-making-omnipod-fail/9846/6 "2020-06-10T15:41:11Z")
@Jim_YYC that video you posted looks like the test that I took! I remember them doing the needles and also the one with the stickers and shocks. I had no idea that they were 2 different tests, i just assumed both things had to be done for a single test (if that makes sense lol) Thank you for explaining those differences for me!! Im assuming the pod failure was a coincidence now too, which makes sense now that I know alittle more on how these tests work!
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### Author:  [@clo](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/clo)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2020, 3:42pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/electromyography-test-making-omnipod-fail/9846/7 "2020-06-10T15:42:42Z")
@Tapestry I’m with coincidence now too lol I’m glad I asked though now I know a little bit more of how the tests worked now!
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### Author:  [@Jim\_YYC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/u/Jim_YYC)
#### Post date: [June 10, 2020, 10:27pm UTC](https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/electromyography-test-making-omnipod-fail/9846/8 "2020-06-10T22:27:55Z")
> [@clo](#):
>
> I had no idea that they were 2 different tests, i just assumed both things had to be done for a single test (if that makes sense lol)
@clo - same digital equipment, just different inputs (the needle myograph uses needles with tiny wires fed into amplifier, while the nerve conduction test uses electrodes similar to EMG plus a Stim(ulate) wand … and generous conduction gel that they sneak all over you.
Initially patients will start with conduction test, and the save the worst for last (invervating you … it’s a lot different than the tiny pricks the video shows). They generally insert a slend needle wired to amp deep into your muscle, then instruct you to contract it with all the effort you have
Let’s hope you don’t need any more!