Hi, Art Chick. Do you have an "informal" name?

Everyone has given you great advice and support.

I'm concerned about what you said about getting a breath. When you sit up straight and take a deep breath in, can you see your abdomen/chest go in and out? Does it feel like you are breathing against something? Like you can't get a breath in? Often when a person yawns, it can be the same as taking a deep breath. If you have MG and you can't take a breath in very deeply, what is called your Maximum Inspiratory Pressure (MIP) may be greatly decreased.

Two things: It's Friday, so you can't call for an appt. But on Monday, I would highly recommend you ask your internist or neuro to get you into pulmonology ASAP. You need to have your breathing evaluated completely. And not those little simple spirometry tests where they only do breathing out. You need full PFT's. And if they do the MIP and MEP (maximum expiratory pressure), they need to show your neuro ALL of the attempts and not only the highest number. MG is all about muscle weakness that gets worse the more you do. If numbers on MIP or MEP keep going down the more you do it, that's one more piece of the puzzle. It also shows if you are doing okay/are stable or are not doing well.

MIP and MEP, BTW, are specifically for showing if you have a neuromuscular cause for inability to breathe well.

Second, If your breathing gets worse in any way, if you feel like you cannot get a full breath in, you really need to go to Urgent Care or the ER. If it's really bad, then the ER is the best place. For example, do you know your normal pulse? When breathing gets bad in MG, the heart works harder to get you more oxygen. Then the heart rate (pulse) goes up. Can you check your pulse? It's normal for a pulse to go up when someone does something but if it gets crazy high when you simply stand up, you may be having trouble getting oxygen due to weak chest wall muscles.

I'm sorry but there's no simple way to say all that.

You can have MG, like these guys have said, and not have positive antibodies. Are you on any other drugs that may interfere with the test (like steroids)?

Yawning is also one way the body tries to get more oxygen to the brain.

I really hope you get answers soon. You do have the right to know your test results or receive your medical records in a timely fashion (by law).

Annie

And from now on, ANY new symptoms and you NEED to tell someone - mainly your neurologist!!! Okay?!!! Not telling a doctor you could be getting worse is dangerous for you.