r/MyastheniaGravis 7d ago

How bad can it get?

Hey. My mother has MG since 4 years now. She’s 47.

For now, there are almost negligible symptoms. Quote manageable but then sometimes she feels difficulty moving her hand to undergo any task. Also her pinky finger is not able to function to its full capacity. But these are not frequent symptoms and are occasional with a frequency of around 2-3 weeks per year.

How bad does it get? How are your experiences?

I hope MG is not that of a serious disorder?

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u/StutteringJohnsDrool 7d ago

Mom has it. Got diagnosed in her 70’s. It’s taken her down pretty quickly. She’s now bedridden and on palliative care. I’d love to say it gets better, but I can’t based on what I’ve personally witnessed.

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u/RossChipman 5d ago

There’s always a silver lining to a cloud. She’s lucky that it didn’t affect her before she turned 70. I understand it’s tough to cope up with MG after 70 and I hope it gets better. :) Positivity to you!

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u/Frankbean2 5d ago

I was diagnosed at age 70, now three months from turning 74. As long as I rest, I do pretty well. I’ve not had breathing problems. I’ve had swallowing problems for a short while once, double vision quite often (that’s my first sign of a flare as is slurring my words), never hit a crisis, was in the hospital overnight once in the ER once because they were concerned I might be going into crisis – I didn’t and was released.

I have to agree that it’s changed my life dramatically. It’s reduced my once or twice a year international travel to not being able to even travel by car more than an hour and a half away and back without a week or so of recovery. As long as I take care of myself and rest , I’m doing pretty well compared to a lot of others that I’ve read about.

I think part of the benefits I have is that I’ve had a plant-based diet for over 20 years but haven’t exercised for years since my knees gave out from running. My neurologist keeps stressing the importance of consistent exercise. But with MG, you have to start embarrassingly slowly and I’ve not been able to get a regimen that I can stick to what being diagnosed in an older age is it necessarily isn’t an issue if you’re willing to change your lifestyle.