Well, I have quite an update. All the tests are normal. That being said, after they ran my heart up to 170 for the stress test and had me lie down on the table to look at my heart function with the echo thing, I started with runs of tachycardia up into the 160's and they paged 2 docs, put me on oxygen and almost sent me to the ER. Then my heart came down enough to send me home but at home it was at 120 for 2 hours so I called them and they said to lie down and if it didn't come down in the next little bit to get to the ER but it did.

I was pushing the button on the monitor 5-7 times/day and actually trying not to push it twice as many times as that. I was having tachycardia THAT often and bp spikes that were making me feel like crap. I wasn't even leaving the house. I went back into the the cardiologist on my birthday I felt so bad and he said that my heart was totally normal but my body was acting like it was under some kind of major stress. (hmmmmmm, MG possibly? not being diagnosed for 4 1/2 years and 2 crisis in the last few months?) My heart is in normal sinus tachycardia like in exercise or under stress and that is going to cause my bp to rise too. He wants to put me on a beta blocker. So, I told him that bb are pretty much contraindicted in MG. And he said, then calcium channel blocker. Also contraindicated I said. Talk to your neuro . . .

I told him about this theory I had about Mestinon. I was having these issues pre-mestinon too but they seemed to clear up over the summer and then they came back slowly when I went off mestinon. After doing some research, I found out that mestinon is used in postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and that as you may all know, one of the side effects can be bradycardia (slow heart beat). Mestinon is especially effective in patients who experience sympathetic overactivity. Well, he had no experience with mestinon. So I called my neuro who said bbs are relatively contraindicated but if we have to go there then we will see how it affects your MG. I said no thanks and asked him if I could just try mestinon and he thought it was a good idea!!!

It has been a few days now on only one 60mg mestinon/day that I take in the morning but it seems to have reset my whole system! I have no nausea, dizziness, blood pressure swings, or cloudy/foggy head. It has evened me out. I can walk up the stairs, raise my arms over my head, clean the floor, and stand up without getting tachycardia. I am getting my life back again. . .

debra