Hi

Alice, do you or anyone else have any more good links/articles/reading about the following:

(I quote you from a previous thread where I posted a personal question about it)

´when you use a muscle repetitively to the extent that you reach the anearobic threshold of that muscle, there are two consequences-one is that this specific muscle becomes fatigued and the other that it leads to systemic changes. (such as increased lactate levels in the blood etc).
In some MG patients, other muscles can be sensitive to those effects. This phenomenon has been described by Marry Walker who noticed that when MG patients used their arm repetitively it caused ptosis and generalized weakness´

Thanks,

A.

Just google "Marry walker Phenomenon" and you will find quite a few references.

such as:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/123143

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...01551-0056.pdf

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...00455-0011.pdf

Thanks for this Alice, it´s quite fascinating really....

Also much appreciated Annie´s descriptive quote regarding same topic.........

´Early on in my diagnostic process, I couldn't figure out why when I walked to an appt. at the University why my arms would be so weak! Yes, even if you are not actively using one muscle group, the others can get weak because the antibody attack isn't too particular which area it attacks. Also, I do suspect that any physical activity kicks up MG and the antibodies. You could be using your legs while your MG is busy attacking the neuromuscular junction of your arms. That's why MG is the most seriously stupid disease on the planet! You can't use your logic to figure it out because it's illogical.´

I have a new theory for why going to church makes me so weak: it's the singing. I always really strain my voice, because our pastor wants some enthusiasm from his congregation. Today I didn't sing, and didn't have the usual spell of weakness at the end. Could easily be a coincidence, but it's worth considering.

Abby

Gosh! That´s bizarre Abby! Your weakness after vocal exertion, if I remember correctly, was trunk muscle & lower extremities based, right?
(Perhaps the priest would allow you to use a microphone or sit closer up on future occasions!!!!)

You should definitely repeat this experiment a few times.

I have lately been exacerbating bulbar symptoms whilst walking – So in a way, it´s the opposite to yours.

I'm right there with you Abby. My MG started generalized. I have no ocular issues. After some time with the MG, I found myself yawning when singing and talking, embarrassingly in meetings. I also have problems chewing but not swallowing. The weak throat thing comes without fail when singing in church, to the point that I don't have the strength to sing or just have to mouth the words.

I get these spells where I go weak all over, and I can't figure out what brings them on. They typically happen in the late afternoon, but also after I sit in a pew for a hour. This new idea that it's the singing that sets off the surge of antibodies is really a pretty lame theory. I'm grasping at straws here...and actually I've been much, much better. I don't know how long it will last, but I'll take it while it does.

It's tempting to say "the Imuran is finally starting to work!" but I've had these good periods of time before. But I do think I'm getting them more often and that they're lasting longer.

The heat doesn't bother me at all. How weird is that?

Abby

Good morning/afternoon/evening!

A few days ago I took quite a long relaxing walk and returned to the house with no weakness in my leg muscles at all - YET I did notice sudden severe fatiguing of the deltoid muscles and some milder bulbar weakness which lasted for quite a few hours.

I remembered then that I wasn´t clear on a few points. Can anyone say which of the following are assumed to be correct?

1) Mary Walker phenomenon happens in a lot of autoimmune diseases
2) This phenomenon is pretty much exclusive to MG
3) Most MG patients experience this
4) Only some MG patients experience this

Thanks,

Anacrusis

I can't speak to #1 and 2 - while I have my opinions, I have no fact basis to say.

From personal experience, I can vote on both 3 and 4 being true. I can exercise and maybe the outcome is #3 or maybe the outcome is #4! I never know when I start what the outcome will be.....but I have gotten a lot better at identifying the clues and adjusting my activity accordingly. (And then there are other times, when I just feel too weak/heavy to even start!)