Thank you, everyone! This is very helpful. The side effects I hear about with Prednisone sound worse than the symptoms I am having right now.

Annie, that is exactly right: I am not even sure I have MG. That's why my neuro is sending me to the other neuro who speciallizes in MG (wish I'd found him first! But when I first had these symptoms, it didn't seem like MG). So it is not time to rush into Prednisone.

The reason he wants to put me on prednisone is that I called him and told him I'm much worse. I only called to ask about the rollator--I thought maybe he'd send me to an occupational therapist or something, but he just said, "Sure, if you think it will help."

I am in a position to wait, for which I'm grateful. I work part-time from my computer at home where I can lean back in the weirdest position and rest my neck muscles, and I have no toddlers or babies to take care of. My husband has taken over the errands I can't do--I'm sorry he has more work, but he is willing to do this for me. I will try to keep an open mind to the Prednisone in the future, but I am not rushing into it.

Thanks again, everyone. Your support means a lot.

Annie, about my hips and back: it has only recently become clear to me that the weakness there is the cause of my balance troubles. I am wondering now whether I was tested for limb-girdle muscular dystrophy--and if so, what the false negative rates are. That's another thing to discuss with the specialist when I see him.

Oh, here's something else, by the way: I realized that one reason I was reluctant to use the new walker is that when I take it to my homeschool co-op, everyone will wonder what's going on. And MG isn't easy to explain, like a broken ankle or something. So I emailed the whole group and told them briefly what's up. That was the right thing to do, for me, anyway, because now I feel relieved. I no longer dread the thought of showing up with my new wheels. I have so much to learn about how to handle this new experience emotionally...