So glad to find these postings and particularly the thread with the runners. My son was on his high school track and cross country team. Cross country season went fine but near the end of track season, I noticed his gait was off. There was no pain and his time was ok, so I thought he had changed his stride and trying to increase performance.

At a meet in April he ended the race in pain. Pain lasted about 3 days. He had a waddling gait ( that lasted about 3 weeks) and muscle weakness (that is still going on 6 months later)

It has now been 6 months and struggling to get a diagnois. 5 doctors, 4 MRIs, 2 EMGs, and countless labs. Been to Vanderbilt hospital (Nashville TN) twice. Finally got to Dr Collins at Cincinnati Childrens who was the first one to tell us what he thought it MIGHT be. Labs have been sent to Mayo clinic to check for MG / LEMS.

my question is - how long does it take to test for these diseases and is there something I can be doing to help. Its been very frustrating to this point.

Six months is not unusual. What I would suggest that you can do is that you try to understand that you son can't do what he wants to do. If he has a neuromuscular junction dysfunction, he is not being lazy. The hardest thing with MG to me is that people want to force me to "just get over it" and quit being slow, lazy, etc.

Boonerunner, From all I have read this disease effects everyone very differently. I have read success stories of a man coming back and doing an Ironman Triathlon after spending a year or more wanting to sleep 17 hours a day. I think the biggest thing I have learned is I have to be patient. I expected 5 plasmapheresis treatments would fix me up good as new and as much as I want to deny it I may not ever get back to the running I once did. That said I am and always will be to stubborn to give up trying. I hope your son is just as stubborn and finds his way through this.

Roger