I am in diagnosis process, waiting for a neurologist appointment with the "probable myasthenia gravis diagnosis ". Just wanted you to know, your not alone. I have many questions too. But from what I have read with early treatment improves the symptoms and slows or stops the progression. I believe that my symptoms started over 3 years ago and have been progressing since. Now I am hoping the medication will help and slow this. Time will tell. I have also read that no one is the same, we are all different and need different things though we share some things and have similar experiences. The Pyridostigmine has helped me so much already. I can taste sweet foods now and my speech is greatly improved. My chewing and swallowing has improved but I still have some choking coughing episodes. I don't really have any ocular issues other than eye strain and tearing eyes. Right arm is weak and my legs get pretty tired though I can walk normal and hit the gym every day for a 4 mile walk. Household chores and shoveling the snow are challenging but I can do them. My worse fear is having a choking episode in public and making a spectacle of myself.
Well that's my story so far. I don't know if this helps you. My local GP a great guy, doesn't say much to me either, but he assures me that this is treatable and not as bad as other neurological disorders such as ALS. This I know as my mother died of ALS. I don't know how you will progress but since you have only ocular symptoms at this time maybe with treatment you have the best chance to abate symptoms and improve with continuing meds. I also read about the staging of mg, I found some comfort in reading different articles from the muscular dystrophy association and different ones from the myasthenia gravis foundation. Caution when reading things online though, look at the sources and use good judgment about that.

GrandmaB thanks for the info. I think i have had this for sometime. My eyes water n on stop and all i get is use eye drops ,it is dry eye. I have choked a cpl times myself. Notice a bit of drooping in one eye,but the vision has been the worst to deal with. I ma now on medication and i do not want to jump the gun but this evening i think my eyes are better and not so strained. I wish you luck on your journey,keep us posted on how your doing and thanks :)

Hi, Welcome to the group.
To understand Myasthenia Gravis, you should read one of the reputable websites about it -- diagosis, symptoms, treatment etc.
Here is a link that is pretty good. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/myasthenia-gravis/symptoms-causes/syc-20352036

Myasthenia gravis is when our immune system attacks our own body -- the connection where our nerves send signals to our muscles. Our immune system makes antibodies that attack muscle receptors and so messages to move voluntary muscles are blocked. The antibodies can block the receptors or kill them or both. So eventually if we have MG and it is not treated we could die from it.
However if we get treatment we can do pretty good.

Treatment is really two parts:
1. Temporary medications or processes that improve the communication, but don't stop the bad antibodies from being made. Mestinon (generic name pyridostigmine) is the main pill. IVIG (an infusion of blood parts from 1000s of blood donors) gives quick response and lasts about 3-6 weeks. It is difficult to get as the cost can be $30,000 a month. Most insurance companies approve it only when other treatments have failed or we are having a crisis (a crisis is our breathing muscles stop working).
Another temporary fix is often called PLEX. It is blood filtering to remove antibodies and it too works for a few weeks and is mostly an emergency treatment, and is very expensive. IVIG and PLEX usually are done over a few days, require time in the hospital, and are very short term.

The most common long term treatment is some kind of immune system suppression that stops or slows our body from making all antibodies including the ACHR bad ones that we have. Prednisone is often the first as it can work in a few weeks to a few months to make us better. Prednisone is not good for us long term, so most of us switch to another immune suppression drug once prednisone works, tapering off of it and on to the others. Cellcept, Imuran are two -- but they seem to take as long as a year to work.

Most of us will be on treatment with immune suppression the rest of our lives. However, that is not as bad as it sounds as we learn to get the medication balance and resume pretty good lives.

Good Luck
Russ

Thanks Russ that was good information and a good article. Several days on one medication and i already noticed a difference although my eyes are still double off and on. I can't take predisone but my doctor is going to prescribe another one. Won't get that one till this week.....
thanks again