Newbie with questions
 

Hi, I am new to this forum. My current medical conditions include Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), herniated cervical disk, osteoarthritis of the neck and hip. For about 6 months I have had new symptoms creeping up and for the most part, I have attributed them to my RA. I am member of a RA discussion group and when I presented these symptoms, everyone said they were not associated with RA. Someone mentioned myasthenia gravis so when I looked for info, I was really surprised that I had a lot of the symptoms. My symptoms are listed below:

*muscle weakness/fatigue in my legs
* muscle weakness/fatigue in my arms
* muscle weakness/fatigue in my shoulders and neck
* **the muscle weakness/fatigue goes away when i rest
* muscle weakness/fatigue when i chew. doesn't happen every day but does happen about 2-3 times a week.
* muscle weakness/fatigue in my eyes. i know that sounds really strange but sometimes when i look up or look down, the muscles really burn
* problems swallowing. sometimes it takes several minutes to swallow and i have to really think about it. it happens maybe 3-4 times a week
* shortness of breath and gasping for air. what i mean by gasping for air, is that it happens when i am awake as well as asleep. when i am awake, out of the blue i will gasp for air...i have no control over it. every once in a while, it will happen at night and wake me up. this doesn't happen very often but it really scares me when it does.

Just last night, I noticed weakness in my abs and lower back. My problem right now is I am unemployed and have no insurance. I am trying to get medical assistance so I can get this checked in to. Does this sound like MG?

These symptoms sound like MG to me. I hope you are able to get medical assistance. I can relate because I also have no insurance and had to pay for all the MG tests out of my savings account.

Take care of yourself.

I have to agree - - it does sound like you should be evaluated for MG.

Take it as easy as possible when you feel weak. And if you have breathing problems that progress (or endanger your ability to get a decent breath), you shoud go to the ER.

Also, it would probably be a good idea to cross check any other meds you may be taking against contraindications for MG patients since some pain meds can increase weakness in MG'ers.

I hope you are able to seek med attention soon.
Sue

Hi--I hope you can get evaluated for MG. Lab tests are expensive, but if your hospital has a policy that will write off bills incurred by low-income people, you might be able to get the lab bills written off--if you go to the hospital lab. Our hospital doesn't give free care, but once you've racked up a bill, you can apply to have it waived.

I'm sorry you're dealing with new symptoms, with all the trouble you already have, and I hope you can get some answers.

Abby

I'm in the diagnosis stage too. I know it has to be difficult to be sick and not have insurance. The others have already given you some great advice. I'm not sure if anyone mentioned it or not, but you might want to see if your community has a reduced fee or free clinic.

Good luck.

At the same time that you are being evaluated for MG, BE SURE and request a test for Celiac Disease. It's much more common than most people (doctors included!) realize, but it is oftentimes seen in conjunction with other auto-immune diseases (you already have RA).

Celiac Disease is easily treated (eliminating gluten from your diet), and in treating it, you may also be able to lessen some of your other RA symptoms. It may also help with some aspects of MG. The fact that you have one (and possibly 2) AI conditions should be justification enough for your doctor to run the test - it's a simple blood test.

My daughter and I were diagnosed with CD two years ago, so I have been on a GF diet for a while (I was just diagnosed with MG). If you have any questions about CD and/or gluten-free issues, please feel free to contact me.

Here's more information about Celiac Disease:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/post8767-2.html

Thank you all so much for your replies. As scary as RA was when I was diagnosed, MG scares me even more! Hopefully I will be able to see a doctor soon. I will keep you posted. I am so glad that I found this group!!