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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Is rest more important than exercise?

Annie128
Annie128
Since being diagnosed in January I've cut down on physical activity a lot. I was in the hospital for the whole month of June at which time I had a thymectomy. I lost about fifteen pounds during that time, most of which I think was muscle. But during my at home recovery I've found that the day after a really long day (a beach day, a day when I'm on my feet a lot etc. ) I feel better than on days where I had done nothing the day before. So it occurred to me that although rest is critical for people with mg, perhaps exercising my muscles and building muscle is more beneficial. Should i be making a point to exercise the muscles I still have? Really the only thing I can do is walk short distances but if it will help I want to be doing it.

I just went on vacation and possibly pushed myself more than I should have. But I went into the vacation needing help on stairs, getting up from chairs, and washing my hair in the shower and came home from my vacation still needing help in the shower but my legs are considerably stronger (still have someone hold my waist on stairs but I am definitely more self reliant) I think my improvement in leg strength was due to me actually using my legs and building back some muscle I lost in June. Any thoughts?
annkemp
annkemp
When I first had this disease exercise did not work in my favor.
3 years later exercise helps. I swim 3 times a week.
Only you will know what helps.
Trial and error taught me. Too much exercise not good, too little exercise not good.
After years of mg I finally can have balance.
deleted_user
deleted_user
Elinora, I would be curious as to what they would say about receptor damage if antibodies are present (and exercise). When I was near crisis my MG specialist told me not to exercise. I will try to ask him about that when I see him again on Tuesday.
deleted_user
deleted_user
While i am an obvious zealot and perhaps foolish at times on a personal level, I would say if any person were near crisis, then recovery would be the only priority, which would be true in the case of all critical illness really. If I am near hospitalization for whatever reason, even I won't try to exercise.

Antibodies will always be present unless there is true remission, for which there is no test whatsoever, so I don't see how we could ever have as a rule of thumb that we can't exercise if antibodies are present. If only we had tests and measurements to really let us know where we were, this wouldn't be near as difficult.

I think Ann has a lot of wisdom, and I wish I could follow her advice, which I can't.