Originally Posted by Stellatum

Hi, Tracie. A positive blood test for myasthenia gravis is considered conclusive. Myasthenia gravis means that you have antibodies that are attacking your neuromuscular junctions. The blood test found those antibodies, so you definitely have MG.

About 15% of people with myasthenia gravis have thymomas, which are tumors of the thymus gland (a gland in your chest). You had a CT-scan to make sure you don't have a thymoma. That's what the normal result means--no tumor. That's good news, but it doesn't mean you don't have MG.

Your doctor should now start you on treatment for your MG. He will probably give you Mestinon (pyridostigmine) which helps relieve the symptoms as you take it. He will also probably put you on a long-term drug to suppress your immune system, so that it will stop producing antibodies against your neuromuscular junctions. Sometimes people with MG also have operations to remove their thymus glands even if they don't have thymomas, but this treatment is still being studied--it isn't firmly established how helpful it is.

People whose symptoms are dangerous (like if they have trouble breathing or swallowing) or very severe can also get IVIG, which is a series of infusions by IV to suppress the antibodies that are causing the trouble; or plasmapheresis, which is sort of like dialysis (it cleans the antibodies out of your blood). These treatments work well, but they take a lot of time and are very expensive, and they only last a month or two, so they're usually reserved for severe cases.

Please feel free to ask more questions. Welcome to the board.

Abby