emotional stress and myasthenia
 

Hi. I hope everyone is OK.
I would like to know if someone had to deal with a loss while in treatment for MG. There is a statement that says: emotional stress triggers a myasthenic exacerbation.
I lost a brother some days ago and, besides the soul's pain, the symptoms of myasthenia are worsening.
I know that there is no cure for this kind of pain, but maybe I can learn something from others experience.
Thanks for listening.

To lose a loved one at any time is one of cruelest things in life to endure. Yes, I have lost several loved ones during my 25 years with Myasthenia Gravis and the stress will make some symptoms worse.

However; I feel it much harder for your physical body to cope if you do not allow yourself to grieve properly. To hold all those emotions inside will only make your physical body ill & may manifest itself as an exacerbation regardless.

Allow yourself to grieve fully for the loss of your beloved brother and if you feel your myasthenia gravis exacerbating; call your neurologist. Sometimes during times of stress, people with autoimmune diseases can be given what is called "stress doses" of steroids to help the body cope.

I am truly sorry for your loss and hope that every wonderful memory of you your brother will be forever cherished.

Bluestone. I am so sorry for your lose. I know that emotional stress can really upset our immune systems and nothing can be more stressful than the lose of a family member. It is after the lose of my father in 1999 that my health issues started to come to the front. I will keep you and your family in my prayers.

Jackie

Bluestone. You certainly came to the right place. I have had MG since 1998 (I was 30 years old). I was only 34 when my husband passed away in 2002 with a brain tumor. My emotions came out all over the place and the MG stayed in check.

I eventually decided to leave my job and find a new focus. It was a very wrong move. I kept everything in at the new job and that's when everything went downhill for me. MG isn't like a tap - we cannot turn it on and off at will. And if you start to slide, you may have trouble getting back up.

Ro was right. If you bottle up your emotions, your body will react. A nurse once told me that "The stress has to leave your body somehow." For some, they get a coldsore. For others, psoriasis. Some will get shingles. We have Myasthenia Gravis.

Do what you need to do to grieve. Nothing is wrong. You need to acknowledge the pain and the hurt and take comfort that thou your heart is breaking, your brother is in it, and he is part of you and who you have become.

So let out the tears and throw the pillows. Seeking counselling is also not a sign of weakness, but rather one of strength. And if one doesn't work for you - another certainly will.

I sure hope I helped in some small way.

:hug:

Lydia

Ro, thank you for your words.
I talked to my neuro. I'm taking the "stress doses".
I'm not living near to my family. I saw my father and the other brothers these days and realized how much we are close and how much we love each other.
We lost our mother when we were children and I know how much important is to grieve properly.
Every wonderful memory of my brother will be forever cherished. Thanks!

Jackie, thank you very much for your words.
Hope you are finding answers to your health issues.

Lydia, your words certainly help me.
You are right, MG can not be turn on or off.
I'm seeing a therapist and he helps me a lot. One thing that is very hard for me is to express my emotions by talking.
As MG is a recent thing in my life, I'm still in that moment where everything is new, the fear is big, and I discovered that I can not controll many and many things in life.
I'm glad I found this place. Thank you again.

So sorry to hear of your loss. I lost my brother about 3.5 years ago and the loss and intense grief did affect the MG. The way I figure it, there's no way to have a piece of YOU removed without affecting everything.

That being said, there's nothing to be done but grieve as you need to grieve. Certainly try and manage the symptoms as best you can and treat your body in general with extra care by eating the best diet you can manage and try and not stress over little things in your life. Prioritize and rest when you can.

Again, I'm so sorry to hear about your brother. In my experience, I found the first year after my brother's loss to be so painful I could barely breathe sometimes (figuratively speaking here.) Passing time has brought acceptance and now when I think back on him it is with more fondness and happy memories and not so much the intense feelings of loss.

Hugs,

Missy

Missy,
thank you for your words. The way you figure this kind of loss will be with me.
I'm finding comfort in this forum and I would like to thanks again everyone.

Yes. I've had to cope with the loss of a loved one along with MG. The stress did definitely make the MG worse. Actually, the exacerbation of the MG started in 1999, when I underwent radiation treatments for cancer. Then the following year, my husband was diagnosed with cancer, and took chemo and radiation both. I was the one who had to get him to his treatments. He died in 2001. The same year I was in the hospital with a crisis. The crisis was brought on by starting steroid treatment for the MG, but I'm sure the stress didn't help any.
Hugs,