surprisingly, i was never on oxygen. but the strange thing was they would have me push against their hand with a foot and then i was short of breath and panting so long that they were just like "if that is wearing you out that easily, you are in ICU"

and they did a few bedside tests for my lung functions. i don't remember the names but one had a very short piece of plastic and you blew as hard as you could and then the same but sucked in as hard as you could the next time. then there was one with a long blue tube one you blew one hard blow. they would just tell me try again or that was pretty good. . .but by the time i left i heard my numbers were great.

they did tell me to do the spirometer a few times/hour but not because i had a collapse. they said to build my lungs and to check how i was doing. . . the nurses told me to do it tem times an hour. i thought she was nuts i asked the dr. and he said a couple of times was plenty and to not wear myself out.

one of the things i don't understand is why the doc put me on pred on day 2 then stopped it for 3 days then back on one day then off for 2 then on the big taper. what was that about? my breathing was up and down all over the place. and then he comes in and asks after it has been documented by every nurse before and after each mestinon dose how weak/strong i am, if i think the mestinon is working. are you joking???? i couldn't breathe or lift my legs, uh YEAH it's working!!!!

and why do you recommend the sfemg if i have to go off meds and everything is working? isn't it just for the docs to have a "definitive" diagnosis? and isn't it 90%? what if, god help me, i don't hit that one either?

debra