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Old 06-08-2013, 12:52 AM
Nancy T Nancy T is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 191
15 yr Member
Nancy T Nancy T is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 191
15 yr Member
Default My walking trouble, etc.

Hi folks! I have had many years of undiagnosed symptoms and don't believe I'll ever get an explanation for them, but there is one that has gotten a lot worse over the past 10-12 years and I NEED to figure out what is causing this one.

I don't have any typical MG symptoms such as droopy eyelids or trouble breathing, and I'm not necessarily "weaker" at the end of the day.

My big problem is: I can START OUT walking at a fine pace, but I can only walk one or two blocks continuously before the muscles (I guess) in my hips get EXTREMELY fatigued to the point of feeling like burning, and I HAVE to stop in my tracks.

I then have to stand there for a minute or so, then I can resume walking with the muscles feeling reasonably fresh (the longer I stand, the fresher they feel). But then--another block--and I have to stop again. Then I can continue walking SLOWLY, but it's really uncomfortable because my hips feel like the muscles are very strained and it's difficult to continue. Like walking up a steep hill when you're walking on level ground.

Eventually, particularly if I'm already tired that day or have been standing for a long time, I might be able to walk only a few steps at a time before stopping.

Does anyone here have a similar problem?

It's kind of the same thing with my arms--they get tired quite easily, though a short rest (less than a minute) brings them back. Like, I cannot clap as long as everyone else at a performance. Not nearly.

I also have a weird thing with my eyes: continuous reading, especially fast reading, when looking down, causes me to get vertical ghosting in both eyes within about a minute. I then have to tip my head upward in order to have clear vision. (But my eyelids do NOT droop--it is a problem with my EYES.)

If I wear my strong reading glasses with an "add" (whatever that is), I don't get the ghosting problem while reading.

This problem also began maybe 10 years ago and has gotten worse. Now, all I have to do is be very tired (sleep-deprived) for the ghosting to occur spontaneously, without reading.

It is not true double vision, and it does not go away when I cover one eye. It disappears when I look through a pinhole, so the ophthalmologist said it was a refractive problem. But that was after he asked about MG, whether my neck got tired, whether I had breathing problems (no).

I said I'd had a blood test for MG in 2001 and it was negative, and he said well, myasthenia gravis can be hard to diagnose... (I have had no other tests for it, just the one blood test 13 years ago).

I am seeing an orthopedic physical therapist because several years ago I was told by a physiatrist (who I don't think was exactly top-notch) that the walking problem was a vague "muscle imbalance" due to my scoliosis. The PT I saw at that time and this one too thinks that is NOT the case. In fact this PT even mentioned that the blood test for MG does not necessarily rule it out. (I did not ask her about MG, I was just listing the tests I'd had done.)

I do sometimes get quickly tired jaw muscles when singing or chewing something like bread or meat, but I have no trouble talking.

I also have Lhermitte's, dizziness, hearing loss, and a history of paresthesias, so you can just imagine... I have been labeled a hypochondriac, an anxious patient, etc. through the years. I just cannot seem to make doctors understand that 10 years ago I was walking over 2 miles continuously VERY fast and easily, no problems, and then this hip-muscle thing began and has now progressed to the point that I can't walk two blocks without stopping--this is NOT normal!!

Thoughts, anyone?
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