Suspect Myasthenia
I had a ct scan on my lungs because of a persistent cough. The scan showed atelectasis in both lungs. The pulmonary doctor said it was caused by muscle weakness. He then asked if I ever had double vision. I told him I hadn’t. But later I was curious as to why he asked me that question so I researched and discovered MG. When I looked at all the symptoms of MG a lot of what I experienced through my life began to make sense. Right now my arms are getting tired typing this, my jaw gets tired when I eat anything a little bit chewy, hanging a shower curtain always felt like torture to me and I would have to take my arms down several times, I could go on. I’m trying to get an appointment with a neurologist to be tested. Is it possible to have MG for many years and not know it? I’m 63 and many of these symptoms go back to my 20’s but nothing seemed severe enough to talk to a doctor about and I guess I thought a lot of it was just normal or caused by stress.
Hello
Thank you for sharing your experience. I got diagnosed with MG in 2012 I was 17 years old and I'm 27 now. I hope your arms regain strength and that you are on the road to recovery. - Jazmin (team member) 
It is possible, although most people with MG see changes over time. Seeing a neurologist is important. But in a lot of places the wait is very long. Many primary care physicians will try a low dose of mestinon to see if there are changes, and run some simple blood tests in order to do the first scan. While there is no universal pattern, a lot of folks experience a relatively unique form of double vision that resolves if you close one eye, or one drooping eye. While nothing seems to be quick or straightforward it is worth pursuing. And of course, be mindful of your general health because like many autoimmune diseases MG responds to stress. Keep in touch with the community.
Juliana (myasthenia-gravis.com team)
, I am so sorry that you are going through this!! I can tell you from experience that someone can have the symptoms for years without a diagnosis!! I too just felt some of my symptoms were normal of what you described. I will be 60 this spring and have symptoms starting about the age of 10 that I can remember. In "middle school" the teacher gave me a typewriter because I could not always write neatly; and my hands would get tired writing. I could get more done with a typewriter, but my arms would also get tired after a while. Over the year I had a few different wrong diagnoses. At times I was in very bad shape. The vision problems I had at first was blurry vison & eye lids sagging. The double vison only happened for short times during flares until last year. I was finally diagnosed Oct. 2020 With MG and started on Mestinon, A big flare in Jan. 2021 and given prednisone & Cellcept. Best Wishes & Hugs to you!! Sally team member
