Do you have an allergist or pulmonologist? If so, go see them!

I began Mestinon in 2-01. Two months later I had Asthma. I had been diagnosed the year before with bronchial hyperresponsiveness, which just means my lungs were relatively hypersensitive to allergens already.

http://www.mestinon.com/

Mestinon should be taken in caution with those who have asthma. You might already have bronchial hyperresponsiveness or undiagnosed asthma. That needs addressing RIGHT AWAY by either of those two kinds of doctors I mentioned above.

Do you have any wheezing?

Either of those doctors can also give you a peak flow meter. It shows how well you are breathing OUT. It's sort of a crude measurement but it can show if your MG is getting worse, if you aren't having asthma symtpoms. When in doubt about whether or not your MG breathing is getting worse, see a pulmonologist. A neurologist does not have the "tools" or breathing equipment to test your breathing. A pulmonologist can fax over your results to your neuro and then you can get extra care if you need it.

Info on asthma:

http://www.nationaljewish.org/health...hma/index.aspx
http://www.radix.net/~mwg/whatis0.html

Again, your neuro isn't the one to be differentiating between asthma and MG. Asthma is an obstructive breathing process. MG is a restrictive breathing process. A pulmonologist can tell the difference.

You can usually tell if you are having an MG exacerbation or an MG crisis. You will feel more tired. You may have more trouble breathing in. You may have trouble walking or lifting things or gripping anything or swallowing or talking. If you are having problems with all of those things at once, you need to seek out help right away!!!

Any problems with breathing or swallowing are emergencies. And I mean dial 911 emergencies. There is no way to tell how quickly you can go downhill, especially in the summer.

How does a crisis feel? Like none of your muscles will work. I went in to Urgent care because my oxygen stats (I have a Nonin Sportstat finger oximeter) were staying at 94%. The doc there said I couldn't squeeze his fingers - which I did not believe! By the time I got to the hospital, I couldn't open my eyes, I could not take any deep breaths in, I was overall very weak. I couldn't lift my limbs more than an inch or two for their neuro exam. My oxygen stats were dipping into the 70's by the time I got into a hospital bed.

BTW, if you ever have an MG crisis, you need to be in the ICU (intensive care unit). They need to constantlly monitor your breathing and it's the only place they can do that. Neuro units usually don't have that kind of equipment.

Now, take a deep breath! I know, you'll probably cough after that. Get yourself some more help from either an allergist or pulmonologist. I actually recommend a pulmonologist because you really need them to assess your breathing. They may want to do a methylcoline challenge test to see if you have asthma or bronchial hyperresponsiveness. I know, who wants more tests done! But a pulmonologist is an MG "team" member.

Whatever you do, seek out help if you get worse.

Annie