Hi all.

Thanks so much for your responses.

We rang the hospital last night to see if I could get readmitted to the same ward (acute medical assessment). Unfortunately they could only readmit me through the out of hours emergency Dr, and as my symptoms are worst when I'm trying to sleep we felt they probably wouldn't find a reason to send me. It was about trying to make a decision between a two hour car journey, which would potentially make me much worse, or see how it goes over night.

We opted for the latter. Fortunately although I had two episodes of waking up breathless it wasn't as bad as the previous nights. I think I may have been sitting too upright in bed before and the angle for me is very sensitive. However, last night and this morning the tense band around my ribs is spreading to the middle and the yogic breathing exercises I do every morning are markedly different. My cough is extremely weak and I cannot sniff properly. I certainly can't count to twenty out loud on one breath.

As my main breathing difficulties are occurring while I'm trying to sleep I wonder whether the hospital staff got an accurate picture. The did a pulse ox which was absolutely fine. However, this was after having been awake for quite some time. I am getting to the point now where I would sooner sit awake all night than risk going to sleep! But of course that won't help matters either. I'm still waiting to hear from my GP. We tried to ring him yesterday but he wasn't there.

Annie – thanks so much for your honest advice. I didn't have any of the tests you mentioned and the scan wasn't with iodine, fortunately. They gave me a sealed envelope report to give to my GP immediately and I just got a sheet of paper which listed my symptoms and said I'd been in hospital. My blood pressure certainly is elevated during breathlessness and I often get palpitations at rest but as it is suspected I also have carotid sinus hypersensitivity I had attributed these symptoms to that. As you can imagine, with a potential mixture of neuro (MG) and cardiovascular (CSH) causes it is difficult to separate out what is causing which symptoms.

Jana- thanks so much for the article and looking up the compatibility of CSH and ephedrine. Having no clear diagnosis makes my GP very reluctant to try any medication until we are certain what the root cause is. I've recently had bad exacerbations from taking some fairly innocent medications (cinnarizine, aspirin).

Bny806 – yes, I have been getting horrible headaches, which seem to go hand in hand with the elevated blood pressure. It creates an enormous pressure behind my eyes which makes them feels as if they will burst out of my head. It's worse when I move around and it makes my nose bleed. I'd attributed that to the CSH.

I want to put my trust in the Drs I saw at the hospital and trust that my GP is arranging the referrals and will come back to me as soon as he can. However, I am in a difficult situation and I'm not sure how much longer I can continue this way. It doesn't seem very sensible. Part of my hesitation about pushing further is that it has previously been suggested my symptoms were psychological and I feel that pushing for a diagnosis or making suggestions of possible treatments only reinforces the idea that I'm suffering from some form of psychological disorder.

Thanks again for all your advice and support.

wild_cat