Is MG Causing Fatigue, Pain, and Knots in My Muscles?

After a myasthenia gravis (MG) diagnosis, if not before, many of us experience pain in one way or another. Some experience joint pain, some headaches, and others experience muscle cramps. Some experience them all.

My pain includes muscle pain, spasms or cramping, as well as nerve pain. Sometimes it’s difficult for me to pinpoint the cause of pain in my back and legs since I also have lumbar stenosis.

Jaw and tongue fatigue

Presently, I am experiencing pain and fatigue in my right jaw and tongue if I have to chew my food a lot. Certain foods cause this more than others, such as meat, bagels, or anything hard to chew. I usually have to quit chewing for a little while, then when the tiredness and pain subsides, I can continue. Because of this, I’ve been trying to eat food that doesn’t require a lot of chewing. That helps a lot.

Neck, shoulder, and arm pain

Another pain that has slowly progressed from a mild, bothersome pain to full-blown agony is my left neck, shoulder, scapula, and arm. My pain is relieved after I have rested. But when use my arm or put tension on it, it causes intense pain.

This pain is not only miserable, but very frustrating. I have a lot of trouble lifting my left arm on my own. I can no longer use it to style my hair unless I rest that arm on a table for support. Dressing has become a very painful process for me. I often wish I could just stay in my pajamas. When I reach for something, I use my right arm. Even though the right arm isn’t as painful, it is starting to show the same symptoms.

Knots in my muscles

I have been weaker and have had more pain since my heart scare. After a night’s rest, my legs are still weak, but improved from the night before. However, pain also accompanies the weakness.

I have multiple knots in my arms and legs. Even though I’m in a power chair, I walk as much as I can using my walker and I also use my arms a lot for household duties and hobbies. If not for the pain in the left arm, I could function well. However, a few months before I got my pacemaker, I noticed I was more tired and short of breath, which I thought was MG.

Physical and emotional stress

Yes, I know fatigue, shortness of breath, and left arm pain are also symptoms of heart disease, but with so many disease processes going on, I wasn’t sure what was causing it. Yes, I had been to see my primary care physician 2 or 3 times just prior to getting my pacemaker.

I’m between neurologists now due to insurance and nothing seems to help. Now that I have had the pacemaker since the end of March, I’m still fighting weakness, fatigue, and pain, but the shortness of breath has subsided.

The more I’m up, the worse the pain and weakness becomes. So, with my doctor’s help, I have concluded it wasn’t just my heart that was causing my issues, but MG was contributing to it as well. We all know stress aggravates MG and my body was and is under a great deal of both physical and emotional stress.