Annie,

Thank you. I always appreciate how you take the time to help, even when you're in the middle of your own crises. I know so little about it that I'm really hesitant to say anything, but I hope you will, as you mentioned, have your other fat-soluble vitamin levels tested. If it's an absorption problem, isn't it likely to apply to vitamins A and D as well?

I had looked into polymyositis briefly, and I ruled it out because I have no pain (note to self: remember never, never to take this for granted!). As for some sort of congenital myasthenic syndrome, I did ask my doctor about it, and he ruled it out, though I can't remember why. Maybe because my EMG is normal? I can't remember. I am 44, which is one factor that makes it very unlikely. But, when you've ruled out the likely stuff, unlikely makes sense, right?

I see him again in a few weeks, and I'll ask about both. I think that one reason he thinks I don't have MG is that I've been emphasizing the weakness in my sides and back. This time I'm going to talk more about my other symptoms, which are more typical of MG: weakness in my arms (can't carry a jug of milk from the car, had to take breaks yesterday while mixing up biscuit dough, that sort of thing), weakness in my legs so that I sometimes have trouble standing (the slow collapse), and weakness in my neck, so that my head falls forward when the car hits a bump. That sounds more like typical myasthenia, doesn't it? These symptoms are more intermittant than my tiltiness, but they're real.

Thanks again, Annie.

Abby