The story of Beth
Had it not been for the quick thinking of my husband, I am not sure what might have eventually happened to me. Already having been diagnosed with several Autoimmune diseases, this last one would likely not have been considered, . It is rare to see the two neuromuscular diseases that I have in the same patient. Having lived with Multiple Sclerosis for many years, it becomes second nature to blame any type of muscle weakness or similar symptoms on this. However, when I began to experience some muscle weakness and trouble breathing, I knew that it didn’t seem to fit my typical problems. Even still, I continued in this pattern of ignoring any signs of other disease affecting the nervous system. . One day we happened to see an oxygen sensor in a store and purchased it, having no idea what a big difference this small purchase would make in my life. My oxygen levels were checked like anyone else’s’ whenever I had been in the hospital; however it is normally checked when a person is at rest. I put the sensor on my finger one day and got up to do some light activity. I noticed my oxygen quickly dropped but return to normal when I rested. One evening I collapsed when I began to cough while I was walking across the room, my husband put the oxygen sensor on me, and my oxygen saturation was in the 50’s! I have two inhalers as well, having been recently diagnosed with possible asthma,( which we know I do not have now). Using my rescue inhaler enabled me to get some mild congestion out of my chest, as it was muscle weakness in my diaphragm that led to all of this. Once I rested, my sats returned to near normal. This led to being sent to the Emergency Room where I was subsequently admitted, and after a lot of testing I was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis. Having Multiple Sclerosis and this disease is quite rare. MS also leads both patients and many physicians to blame any muscular symptoms on MS. Between having MS to blame symptoms such as muscle weakness on, and the fact that as rest my oxygen sats are near normal, I an unsure as to how the source of this problem would have ever been determined. I hope that by sharing this, it will help others to see the importance of being pro-active in their own healthcare, and to listen to their bodies when something does not feel right.