Worried
 

About 3 years ago my grandfather passed away. He was a myasthenia gravis patient. He had the disease for almost 20 years. My concern is if I also have the disease. Has anyone heard of it being hereditary? The reason I have concern is I am having some symptoms. Recently I am recovering from Bell's Palsy. I am pretty confident that is what I had because I eye lid was not drooping, but in fact I had trouble shutting my eye. That is a classic bell's sign. however since then I have developed muscle twitches all over my body. They can occur anywhere and only strike when the muscle is rested. After about 1 week of that I began having odd sensations in my legs. They almost felt like I had just worked out. Then my legs became sore. Then yesterday my hands got sore after using them. I can't say that I have had noticeable weakness. As I have still been able to do all of my daily activities. I have 2 little boys, and and I can pick them up and walk up and down the steps. The really odd thing is today my legs and arms feel fine (totally out of the blue), but my abdomen feel like I did sit ups. Again I can stand without assistance. I also have a feeling of a lump in my throat. I am not having trouble swallowing though. The lump in my throat is most likely due to stress of worrying about this disease. Just curious if anyone on here has any answers for me, or if any of this sounds like begining MG. Thanks!

Are your symptoms like MG?? Maybe, maybe not. The mind CAN play tricks on you if you are under stress. Did your grandfather have the antibodies -- did he have positive bloodwork? If so, you might want to get the test IF you have good insurance (it is fairly expensive).

Autoimmunes tend to run in families -- but, there are a LOT of autoimmunes. Your grandfather could have MG and you could end up with MS. There are families where more than one member has MG -- but, it is NOT an automatic thing.

Some of us do have trouble closing our eyes. Our legs feel like lead -- very heavy to pick up. I do sometimes have the sensation of a lump in my throat. Have you had any liquid you swallow come back out of your nose?

Hi, I'm the unofficial "get your thyroid tested!" person on the list. Like Jana says, autoimmune diseases run in families. Graves' disease (hyperthyroidism) is an autoimmune disease. It causes weird symptoms. It's very easy to test for, and easy to treat.

Abby

I actually have hypothyroidism....Diagnosed last summer. I take 50 micrograms of Levothyroxine for it. Do any of your get muscle twitches? the twitches are the most bothersome thing. They don't hurt, just annoying. I have heard the muscle twitches are NOT a symptom of Mg, but a result of medication, which I am not on. I agree that part if not all of this is mental. The Bells Palsy really bothered me. My grandfather was positive for the blood work and definetly had MG.

BTW the lump in the throat feeling is almost gone now, and I have no other symptoms today other than the twitches when I am relaxed. well I did get a diagnosis of a weak eye yesterday, but he said that is not related. I only have double vision if I am looking at something up close and relax my eyes to a point when it goes double. I have NO problem putting it right back to normal.

I have not had any liquid come out my nose, and my legs certainly don't feel like lead. I am going to a neuro on May 25th. I have an HMO so they will cover the blood test. I don't think this is MG, but it's hard to shake the thought. Do you have muscle twitches that preceeded any treatment? I have heard the muscle twitches are NOT a sign of MG, but a side affect of the meds (like prednisone, which I toolk for the palsy, but haven't had for 2.5 weeks). I have also heard the muscle twitches before any weakness are not a sign of a neurological disorder, but a benign condition. I hope that is the case.

Hi,

How long were you taking pred for? Maybe the symptoms you're having is from only being off it for 2.5 weeks. Just a thought. Hope you get some answers soon.;)

Hugs,
Pat

I was on them for about 3 weeks. Started with 40mg a day for 7 days, then went to a 80 mg dose pack (3 days at 80mg, 3 days at 60mg, 3 days, at 40mg, 3 days at 20 mg). I did have some of the nasty side effect while taking them. Insomnia, stomach issues, acne, heart pounding, general feeling of anxiousness, feeling jitteryn all of the time. I do wonder if those symptoms didn't send me into a pattern (pyschologically) that I can't break out of. The lump in my throat feeling is gone today, and yesterday I had barely any muslce soreness. We will see what today brings, but I feel ok so far. I still had muscle twitches last night for about an hour and a half, but then they went away.

I've never noticed muscle twitches -- but, some MGers do have them. I have muscle cramps rather often in my calves and feet (at night in bed).

I wouldn't put ANYTHING past prednisone!!! AWFUL stuff!!

Thyroid problems go "hand in hand" with MG. So, don't panic -- but, be aware -- and just keep your eyes open.

My understanding that Hyperthyroidism (or high thyroid) went with MG, but not so much what I have which is Hypothyroidism (low thyroid). I still feel like anxiety is a big part of this. I am feeling better each day (without meds), although the twitching is still present. Do you know if they people who have muscle twitching with MG also have weakness. I don't think I have weakness associated with it. I have been able to function and do all of my normal daily activities. I am a band teacher so I have to project my voice all day, and haven't had any issues there also. I just think I need to relax some how.

There are autoimmune diseases that can cause hypothyroidism, too (like Hashimoto's, I think). But even if that's not the cause of your hypothyroidism, have you had your TSH (thyroid function) checked lately? If you were taking too much thyroid hormone (maybe your needs changed), you would have the symptoms of hyperthyroidism.

I'm not saying that's really likely--just worth mentioning to the doctor if you're going anyway. Hyperthyroidism can cause muscle weakness, eye trouble, and anxiety. Two other signs of hyperthyroidism I know of: dirty fingernails (because the nail separates from the bed too soon as it grows, and dirt gets trapped) and hair loss.

Abby