Myasthenia Gravis

[cgfl1970]

Hi there,I'm new to this forum,I was just looking on the web for some info on MG and stumbled upon this page. I am wondering if the symptoms I have could be MG or something else. I'm a 38-yr. old woman. About 3 years ago I woke up to find that my right eye just wasn't "right". It wasn't just a drooping eyelid,but my whole eyeball seemed lower than the other. My sister looked into some things and sent me a link to a MG page. Some of the symptoms did seem to apply to me. I do notice that my arms get tired from very simple tasks,like brushing my teeth,washing my hair,folding laundry,etc. I'm also a VERY slow eater,I don't really like to eat a lot of steak or things that require a lot of chewing because my jaws get tired-even gum after 5 minutes or so has to go. My husband thinks my weak muscles are just the result of my sedentary lifestyle. I admittedly don't exercise,at all,but I do the normal things like taking care of my children,housework,etc. I would love to go see a doctor about this,but we have no insurance at the moment and I can just imagine how expensive it would be to see a specialist and have all kinds of testing done. We just can't afford that right now. The part that bothers me the most at the moment is my "droopy eye". Some days it seems a bit better than others,sometimes worse. I can even feel it. But most of the information I've seen on MG symptoms talks about ptsosis being just about a drooping eyelid. This involves my entire eye,so I wasn't sure if this was a normal symptom of this condition. My two eyes are not level. This has had a very detrimental effect on my self-confidence. It doesn't help that my husband thinks I'm being crazy,paranoid,or a hypochondriac because I think I may have this condition. Well,if you made it this far,thank you for reading,and any help or insight anyone could offer would be greatly appreciated. :)

[liddyann]

My vision issues also include my right eye being "different." Sometimes it goes upward and sometimes inward. It affects my depth perception. When walking I feel like I need to step up when I don't. If driving and this comes on, I think I'm closer to cars than I actually am. If I close that eye, I'm ok. Your husband HAS TO BE patient. Stress to you will only make things worse. Exercise can be exhasting, but do what you can. People have advised exercise for me, too. I explain to them that anything repetative works against me. Good luck and hopefully you can see a nuerologist soon.

[janegayeta]

i do have the same symptons at first i woke up with droppy eyes and later on got double vision so i decided to go to optalmologist to check whats wrong with my eyes then my optal advise me that he suspected that could be an mg and he gave me mestinon so far i dont feel any problem with my arms and legs except with my eyes still blurred and droppy and very sensitive to light i cant open my eyes wide open so my husband advise me to wear a sunglass which helps a lot i just wondering if this could be a ocular mg? or something else? i havent got yet to neuro as my optal advise me to come back to him for further investigation on my eyes... i do a lot of research about mg and found out that symptons only i've got is blurred, droppy eyes and double vision... could anyone give me advise and help... many thanks and hope every one of us get well very soon...

[sewray]

I hope that this email finds you okay.
I also have MG. I have been diagnosed with occular MG. I feel that I have generalized but I am too big and strong for them to test.
Now to your question. I would go to a neurologist right away. They are generally hard to get into and have them test you. There is a blood test that they can perform. It will take a couple of weeks to get back. I would then at that point recommend that you go to a specialized clinic at a research hospital that specializes in MG. They will have the best information and treatments for you. The Mestinon that you are taking addresses the symtons only. The underlying issue needs to be addressed. That is the immune system if you infact have Myasthenia Gravis. I hope that this helps.

[janegayeta]

thanks for the info..... i have schedule my visit to my doctor this week.. my eyes dont have droopy eyes anymore like it was just like sleepy but the problem.. now i have heavy eyes and hard to focus on something its like wavy, sensitive to light and its really painful.. just wandering and keep telling to myself that the problem could be only the eyes.. hope everyone of us here will end this strange feeling and live a normal life..

[sewray]

thankyou for your response.
The symptons that you describe are what I underwent. The inability to focus and lights or certain making my eyes heavy and thus I become tired. I had double vision also. All of it would come and go. Another problem that I encountered with my eyes is that the lower lid would also relax and I would feel the eyes drying out and becoming sore. My series of doctors was that I went to my family doctor first who made an immediate appointment with an opthmalogist who made sure I got in quickly to a neurologist. If you do get diagnosed with MG then if I were you I would ask to be referred to a specialist is MG at an MG clinic. Most neurologist feel they are 'specialists' and they are not. Have a great day.

[amm34]

If your symptoms are still primarily eye related I would go to a neuro-opthamologist, b/c they are best equipped to deal with eye issues of neurologic origin. I have an excellent neuro-muscular doc who I have seen for the past few yrs since dx, but once that was under control I went to a neuro-opthamologist and he made me prisms, and did much more extensive eye exams than my neuro-musc doc who was an MG specialist. We are in a world of subspecialties, so I would say go to whomever seems most appropriate. Hope things are figured out by now.