Hi. I think it's worth having your thyroid checked again. Do you know what tests they ran last time? I ask because there's a lag in the TSH. A TSH test will tell you what your thyroid was like a couple of weeks ago, not what it's doing the day you have the test. If the ran a T4 and a T3, or best of all a free T4, then those tell you what your thyroid's doing now.
Try this: go to the mirror and stick out your tongue (that should get your day off to a good start, too). Do you see a tremor? A hyperthyroid tremor can be subtle, but you can always see it in the tongue. When I'm hyperthyroid (I have Graves, in and out of remission) I twitch like you're describing (like the about-to-cry thing). Also, check your fingernails: is there dirt trapped in them that's hard to wash out? Hyperthyroidism makes the nails grow fast and they separate early from the nailbed. But I've only noticed that in myself when I was pretty severely hyper for a long time.
Hyperthyroidism can cause muscle weakness, especially if you've had it long enough to actually lose muscle mass. But the weakness you describe sure sounds like MG to me, for whatever that's worth, especially the neck weakness and the sagging face. It's common enough to have negative blood tests for MG--plenty of us here tested negative (and some tested positive later). If you were diagnosed by nerve tests, I wouldn't doubt that.
There is a condition called thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (most common in Asian men) which causes episodes of weakness in people whose levels of thyroid hormone are too high. If you find out you are indeed hyperthyroid, and if you get the numbers under control and then all the symptoms disappear, that would be worth considering in retrospect. It's really rare.
I find that coffee helps my MG symptoms a lot. I hope they will try you on Mestinon, which is a drug that helps symptoms. It's very short-acting (it works for about four hours at a time). It's considered very safe, and many neuros will give it to a patient even if it's not established that the patient has MG, just to see if it helps.
I hope you and your doctors figure all of this out soon!
Abby
Quote:
Originally Posted by limpy
I have been to a neurologist and had a positive EMG and single fiber test. He suspects MG based on physical exam and nerve tests. The office called yesterday and told me my bloodwork was normal, so I am assuming that means negative. I am not taking any MG meds currently, but have developed new symptoms over the past few days. Just wanted to check and see if these sounded MG-like or if I needed to look elsewhere.
I woke up feeling ok, potted a few flowers outside and did a few mundane things around the house. Even before I suspected MG I had learned to pace myself and do a little, rest a little.
By afternoon, I was feeling incredibly weak. My hands had a slight tremor in them. As the weakness progressed, I found myself wondering how I was going to get from point A to point B. Then my lower lip seemed to be sagging a little so that my mouth was slightly agape. At the same time, there were little twitches in my lower face around my mouth and chin area. My face felt very weak and the twitches were similar to when you are upset and about to cry and your chin twitches when you are trying to hold it back. My neck was also very weak and I wanted to lay my head over on something to help hold it up.
I felt all weak and twitchy inside my upper body as well. I have had two major episodes like this, but I don't know if these symptoms are MG related or not. I drank a large cup of coffee, after which I began to feel somewhat better, but as evening came on I started feeling weaker again.
This morning I was fine again.
As a trial, today I did not take my thyroid meds. I have had some mild weakness and mild twitching, but nothing nearly as alarming as yesterday.
I have had two cups of coffee so far today. Afraid too stray to far from the coffee pot so I do not have a repeat of yesterday. I have a twitch in my left hand when I try to do things with it, such as scratch my face, etc.
The other possibility is that my thyroid med dose is too high. I had it checked a couple of weeks ago because I was having a pounding heart along with palpitations, but the test came back within normal limits. Maybe the test was skewed and this is just hyperthyroidism from too much thyroid.
I go back to see the neurologist next Thursday. Just hoping I don't get too bad over the long weekend.
What does everyone think? Is twitching a symptom of MG? I have not had this twitching before.
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