It’s time for a Myasthenia Gravis flare up of 2011 since it’s summer and the heat and humidity are horrible. I’ve been so thankful that the Myasthenia Gravis has been at bay for a long time with just some normal symptoms. I’ve been going through a stressful time since November of 2010 when my daughter first began having some serious health issues. I thought the stress and going back and forth to her school, to the emergency room and to doctors would have done me in, but except for the normal weakness, fatigue and droopy eyelid, I’ve been pretty good.

But the flare up hit me about two weeks ago. I thought it was just going to be a few days, but as it got worse, I knew it was time to see my neurologist. My symptoms were total body weakness, difficulty walking, swallowing and talking and extreme fatigue. I also started to get the shakes – that’s when my muscles twitch even when I’m resting. I couldn’t even drive. A new symptom I had this time around was coughing every time I ate.

My neurologist knew right away that I was in a bad flare up. The drive to see him wore me out and I wasn’t even driving. I could hardly sit up in the chair and looked like a rag doll. Now I know where that term comes from! (Myasthenia Gravis is sometimes called the rag doll disease.)

My strength wasn’t that bad, but that’s nothing new. I have more problems with stamina than strength, plus the Mestinon was just kicking in as he examined me. But I wasn’t able to maintain my seated position for long, my both eyes were drooping and I was short of breath. My doctor explained that the coughing while eating was a signal that my swallowing was getting worse.

He increased the Mestinon from 120 mgs every 3 hours to 150 mgs every other dose and the Cellcept from 2500 mgs every day to 3000 mgs every day. If my symptoms worsen, I am to call him or go to the ER. If I don’t see any relief in one month, I am to call him.

Do you have a Myasthenia Gravis flare up every summer like me?

Is it possible to get pain relief when you have Fibromyalgia? I wondered that when I was first diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. Finally I had an answer to why I hurt so much all of the time, but my next question to my rheumatologist was, “Can you cure me?” I guess he was used to hearing this quite often, so he  explained that he could help me relieve the pain, but that there is no cure to this disease.

He uses various forms of Fibromyalgia Treatments, but first he had to know more about the pain I had and other symptoms. Because I have other medical conditions, he had to take those into consideration with his treatment too. He asked me detailed questions about where I felt pain in my body and the type of pain and when I had it. He asked about headaches, memory problems, feelings of sadness or anxiety and stomach issues.

He also took blood work to test for autoimmune diseases, arthritis and to check my blood count, etc. My treatment wasn’t decided upon in one day, or even one year. He treats me depending on how my symptoms act up and if there are any changes.

Basically though, my pain relief comes in the form of prescription medications and trigger point injections. My doctor also recommends stretching and other mild forms of exercise, relieving stress, and joining a support group.  He had prescribed pain medication in the past, but I no longer use it. I’d rather be alert and feel some pain, than feel drugged and not be able to enjoy my life.

This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

The endocrinologist finally found a solution to the low potassium issue I’ve been having, but now I’m constantly fatigued. I can sleep all day and all night. If I try to stay awake, the brain fog is much worse and I can feel myself nodding off.

I’ve been taking Spironolactone along with Potassium supplements. My Potassium level at my last blood test was 3.8. That is the highest it has been in years. I was thrilled! When the doctor saw the improvement I made, he increased the Spironolactone to 100 mgs. twice a day and stopped the Potassium.

I didn’t realize the fatigue I was feeling was related to the increase in my medications until I did a search for side effects on Spironolactone. Now I’ll have to call the doctor on Monday to see if he agrees with me and see what I can do to maintain the normal potassium level that I need. Because of the diagnosis of Myasthenia Gravis, I should be at a Potassium level of 4.0 so this is a serious health concern for me. I don’t want to spend my life sleeping though.

Have you had a problem with fatigue and Spironolactone?