Originally Posted by zalue

Hi,

I've been having problems swallowing for a little over a month. With that were some issues with breathlessness while talking and a "tired voice" or hoarseness.

I was told it was GERD by an ENT and anxiety by a Gastroenterologist. My endocrinologist ran a barium swallow, which was normal. My stress test was normal. I saw a Lyme Disease doctor, who told me I had Lyme based upon a IGENEX Western Blot test. (My research has led me to believe that Lyme docs blame every malady on Lyme. She did run a CD57 test on me, which was abnormally low, 36.) My SED rate was borderline, but this was assumed to by from my Hashimoto's Thyroiditis?

I saw my Neuro (I had been seeing him for years for peripheral neuropathy.) He ran a battery of blood tests, and I was abnormal in the Acetylcholine Receptor Antibody test. My level was 0.7, while normal is between 0.0-0.4. He told me it was probably MG. I am supposed to meet him tomorrow to discuss Mestinon and a CT scan of my chest.

Can anyone help me formulate some intelligent questions for this meeting? This diagnosis took me by surprise. My doc is smart, but cranky, so I want to come up with good questions. In general, my list was going to be:

1. Are there any other tests that can further help solidify an MG diagnosis?

2. Is MG progressive?

3. Can a thymus be enlarged without it being a cancerous thymoma?

4. Is my rather low abnormal reading (0.7) on the ARA test indicative of anything?

5. My reflexes have historically been normal or a bit hyper. What does this mean in relation to MG?

If anyone can think of any specifics to add to the above, or new questions that would be good for a newly diagnosed person, I would appreciate any feedback. In particular I am uninformed about tests other than the Acetylcholine Antibody test that can rule in/out MG.

Thanks!

Bryan