Myasthenia Gravis

[ErinV]

I will have the MG panel on Tuesday when the labs reopen, but since I've read that it is not always positive if you have MG I have a question about muscle soreness, since I can't find anything on it related to MG So here's my story: I am a 44yr old woman, was incorrectly diagnosed 4wks ago with mono (due to a bad lab). My main symptom is extreme fatigue - I only feel good when I am not moving at all, and that doesn't feel very good after a time; very boring. I felt too weak to hold even the phone or a book at times. So after receiving news that the mono was a past, not current infection, I went to see a neurologist Friday. He indicated no neurological issues were present, good reflexes, etc. He also indicated ( I am running out of energy now and my hands are arms are shaking so I will try to make this long story short) that I should stop laying around, it would only make me weaker. He gave me Lyrica. Apparently it stopped those signals to my brain that were indicating I was tired and should stop moving, because on his advice, I made every effort to ignore my body's demands to rest and only sat down when I felt I would collapse otherwise. So now every muscle in my body is sore, feeling exactly the same as if I worked out way too hard. Is this what happens to any of you, when you do more than your body wants to? Should I be resting or pushing myself? And when I say pushing myself, I mean trying to walk around a bit, stand instead of sit in the shower, etc. Can I do harm by working my muscles until they are exhausted and sore? Thanks - appreciate any advice you can offer. Best Wishes ~

[amm34]

Based on this description I cannot say whether it is MG, but I suppose it's possible. Regarding activity, no you will not harm your muscles by allowing them to tire. If it is MG, then the muscles themselves are not at all affected; it's the signal to the muscle and the neuromuscular jtn that feels the effects. No activity will cause muscle wasting, and then you will be in a worse position. Even with shortness of breath and weakness I still work-out everyday to the capacity that I can... I think if I din;t things would be worse, and the recovery from crisis times would be much longer. DOn't get hurt by pushing yourself, but I would push the boundary, otherwise the threshold will just keep getting lower and w/ MG or whatever you have it will be harder to build-up what is lost. I aim for maintenance. Good luck.