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Old 01-31-2016, 12:12 AM
AnnieB3 AnnieB3 is offline
Grand Magnate
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,306
15 yr Member
AnnieB3 AnnieB3 is offline
Grand Magnate
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,306
15 yr Member
Smile

There's really no easy answer to your question.

Some people are found to have autoantibodies in their bloodstream and never end up getting a disease.

Some people have a lower level of autoantibodies, making a diagnosis more difficult.

Lawyers make a diagnosis even more difficult, because the positive range of AChR labs has been raised over the years, especially blocking and modulating, so that it's more obvious when a patient has MG, thereby letting the doctors off the hook (and harder to sue) if they can't figure out if someone has MG or not when their antibody labs are "iffy" or if they treat someone for MG when they didn't really have it.

No, there shouldn't be ANY AChR autoantibodies circulating in one's blood.

That's why a MG diagnosis is a clinical one, backed up with tests. And those antibodies fluctuate, sometimes not becoming positive until later in the disease process.

Also, MG can be like lupus and have "flares" of the disease in some people, fluctuating in severity over time.

I thought I had answered this question before, but I'm sure you want every detail you can in order to understand this process. We all know what it's like to not know what's wrong with us. It's very frustrating.

Patience is your best friend right now, unless of course you get worse, then urgent care in the ER is your best friend.

Again, ask them to redo the test and send it to Mayo.

Annie
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