Chronological MG Diary:
2007
February:
February - mid Month - Mild weariness & stiffness in jaws
February - End of the Month - Blurred vision, difficulty focusing & eyelids began drooping some
March:
March 5 - Appointment with Ophthalmologist - Dr. Halsey Settle, Began seeing double
March 10 - Got new lenses – Did not work at all
March 13 - Saw Dr. Settle, again. He recommended waiting 3 weeks to see if it would clear up on its own. It didn’t. Difficulty breathing began. Saw Family doctor, Dr. Greg Marchand, recommended MRI. MRI – normal
March 17-20 - Upper lip and upper teeth began having a tingling sensation
March 24 - Went to Austin Heart Hospital due to shortness of breath, heaviness in arms and past history of heart problems (3 stints in Sept 1996). Several tests performed: Cholesterol, Echo Cardiogram, Nuclear & Treadmill Stress, and Carotid Artery Ultra Sound. Austin Heart kept me overnight & discharged me on March 25th.
Received another pair of lenses. Helped some, but still had difficulty focusing. I didn’t feel comfortable driving.
The difficulty in chewing has increased and mild difficulty in swallowing.
April:
April 9 - Appointment with Dr. George Petroff – He suspected MG, but orders blood tests
April 10 - Diagnosis was positive, began taking Mestinon generic–Pyridostigm – 30 mg every 4 waking hrs
April 12 – 26 - Difficulty sleeping, chewing, breathing and swallowing. Most food had to be pureed. Mestinon was increased to 4 tablets a day.
April 26 - Appointment with Dr. Petroff. Reduced Mestinon to 3 tablets a day and began taking Valium to help me sleep.
April 30 - I had to go to Seton Emergency because I had difficulty breathing. Increased Mestinon to 1 ½ pills every 5 hours. I heard good news that I could get into IGIV Treatments the next day. Dr. Petroff explained that it would take 5 to 6 months for the IGIV to really take effect.
May:
May1 - Began first of 5 consecutive days of IGIV treatments. Gradually began feeling better as the treatment took effect. Began to eat better & feel better. Jaw began to stiffen – some days worse than others, but mostly tolerable.
May 14- Infusion (first at 30 day intervals) Continued this interval for July, August & September
September:
September 25 - Doctor felt symptoms were increasing and more medicine was needed. Increased Mestinon to 2 pills every 4 hours.
September 27 - Began IGIV treatments every 3 weeks – this seems to work best for me
October:
October 1 - Began Imuran generic Azathiaprine, 50mg per day. Managed very well through the rest of 2007 and I continue to progress.
2008
January: Doctor decrease Imuran to 25mg per day and Mestinon to 1 ½ pills for last 2 doses
June: Generally functioning well, walking 38 mins per day for exercise. I drive, mow the grass and do other things that I wasn’t able to do when I first was diagnosed with MG. I need to take a rest everyday in the afternoon from 30 mins to 2 hours depending on how I spent my morning. At this point I feel exercise is extremely beneficial and I am blessed to have Dr. George Petroff as my Neurologist.
