Myasthenia Gravis Support Group

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a neuromuscular disease leading to fluctuating muscle weakness and fatiguability. The hallmark of myasthenia gravis is muscle weakness that increases during periods of activity and improves after periods of rest. Although myasthenia gravis may affect any voluntary muscle, muscles that control eye and eyelid movement, facial expression, and...

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bweeds 10/01/2011

Just had my flu shot yesterday. The nurse who gave it to me said the flu season has started early this year and they have already seen some cases. It is the same formulation as last year, but from my reaction about 12 hours later, I sure couldn't tell. I feel "normal" this morning except for a mild headache. We have also had a major weather front move through in the night which may have contributed to the aches and pains at 2 am.

I am old enough to have experienced the epidemic flu a couple of times. It's not an illness anybody with MG ( or anybody else for that matter) wants to have. My last experience with a cold convinced me that respiratory infections are becoming very bad news with my MG.

Just a head's up to those planning on getting the vaccine this year! It takes two weeks for the full effect of the vaccine. It's a killed vaccine as is the pneumococcal one. b.

deleted_user 10/03/2011

what really helps is a bottle of sanitizer in the car. It grosses me out now that I'm more aware when I see people pay for fast food with their card (which was handled by SO MANY PEOPLE) take it back and then eat their food with unwashed hands. Or pump gas and never think about what they touched... or use an ATM- ugh. Those places are covered in everything from flu to MRSA to fecal matter and people just never think about it.
But if you have hand sanitizer in the car you can use it after going in and out places, touching handles, paying for things, etc and it's much more effective than hand washing.

Ceegee22 10/03/2011

Thanks Beth for the link about flu shots. We can all use and talk with our doctors about it. Okay for some but not for others.

I use the sanitizer wipes they provide at stores and carry some with me to wipe everything down. You are right talking about gas pumps, credit cards, etc. how most people don't think of these things having so many germs. My husband thinks I am crazy, but oh well crazy I am and crazy I will stay.
Cathy

bweeds 10/03/2011

The link I posted had to do with people with MG who are undergoing plasmapheresis and the pneumoccocal vaccine. It also mentioned that people with MG and other medications had normal response to the vaccine. Here is the link I found that is most relevant to the question of getting the vaccine, but it is not one that studied titers. That one may be out there, too. But this is reassuring.
http://www.muscular-dystrophy.org/research/news/1619_research_gives_green_light_for_flu_vaccine_for_people_with_myasthenia_gravis

bweeds 10/03/2011

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19902540

Here's another with the same message. b.

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