I get this also. My job sometimes requires me to work outside, in all kinds of weather, for extended periods at times.

If it's cold, and especially when I'm also tired, my cheeks slow down like they have molasses flowing through them, and I am inevitably slurring. No matter how hard I concentrate, some of the words still come out slurred.

When I warm up, and get a nap in, all is back to normal thank God.

Take Care!

Thanks! I like the molassess comparison - I struggle to sound coherent just minutes after talking up a storm in the house.

I hope I never get pulled over for a Ride Check by the police. Once I open the window I'd be in trouble and sound impaired. I do still have an emergency card in my wallet and MG on my Medic Alert bracelet. I don't think the MG neuro is right - so many things still fit MG!
Flutebell

I don't have an MG diagnosis yet but I do get this. For me breathing in cold air or eating or drinking anything cold makes my tongue stop working properly. It makes my tongue feel like it is in molasses. It is weird I used to think that being too hot made me feel worse but now I have learned it is the cold. If I manage to stay properly warm and get enough rest I actually do OK. My boyfriend also bugs me that sometimes I say some things with an accent. But I honestly have no idea sometimes I just don't say things properly, it is like my tongue just doesn't listen at times.

For me it is also not just my tongue, my limbs and everything are heavy in the cold. I must wear tons of base layers and bundle up in the cold or my vision goes blurry and my muscles stop working. It is kind of scary. But at least there is an easy solution to it all, just stay super cozy and warm :)

I think my slurring wasn't helped by the fact that I stopped wearing my long underwear this week! My heater at work was malfunctioning and I was getting too hot. Maybe I need snowpants for the car for cold mornings. I've been wearing crew neck shirts for two weeks as turtlenecks are too hot and my neck rash is worsening from the fluorescent lights at work - another lupus sign. My collection of autoimmune diseases is growing faster than my diagnoses!
Flutebell

You might google
vertebrobasilar vascular disorders

-- blood flow problems to the brain that can be aggravated with cold
good luck

Hi flutebell,
Some circulatory syndromes are caused by spasming, which can get worse when you are exposed to the cold. Cold temps, along with other factors - can trigger excessive circulatory loss - to hands, feet, arms & legs. Some people do also notice stumbling and slurred speech, And yup, some of these circulatory problems are often found in people with autoimmune problems.

The only condition like this, that I know by name - is Raynaud's Syndrome, which I have. There's some useful info, at
Raynaud's.org
Page down a little, it really starts with "What is Raynaud's?"
There are many other websites, including Medline.
There were Canadian websites, as well.
Lots of general info, beyond Raynaud's.

Thanks for all your insights everyone!

I'm back wearing more clothing today as the temp has dropped again. It is interesting how quickly the word slurring happens. It takes less than 5 minutes in the cold for it to happen and I am well covered with hat, scarf and special thinsulate gloves. I'll have to try covering my face more today to see if it helps.

My son has signs of livedo reticularis (sp?) but I've never seen any Raynaud's symptoms in myself - always cold though, even when the thyroid hormone is accurately dosed.

Time to consult Dr. Google again!
Flutebell

I have been diagnosed with MG based on blood test for anibodies. My only MG symptoms are left eyelid a bit droopy and whenever I talk for more that a few minutes or start eating my speech become slurred., It happens to me most days since it started more than 2 months ago. I take 90MG of Mestinon 3x per day. Does not seem to help too much. Just some days are better than others.

I have the same slurring problem, my tongue also feels fatter than normal at times.

The cold affects me similarly. I haven't experienced slurring with cold air, but when I eat ice cream my lips and tongue can become partially paralyzed. If my hands get cold, they become immobile and stiff. I know people talk about heat affecting MG symptoms and they do affect me too, more so than cold, but for some people, getting too cold exacerbates MG also. (I was seropositive and had a thymoma and don't have any other diseases that I know of, so it doesn't seem that my reaction to the cold could be anything other than MG.)

Anything that stresses the body can affect your symptoms. Heat, cold, illness, nervousness. I find that nervous stress affects me more than anything.

Before I was diagnosed with MG, I had a job where I was on the telephone all day long. My words began to slur in the beginning and then I had gotten to the point that I couldn't even talk before they fully diagnosed me with MG. I had wore my entire body down that I didn't even have enough strength in my lungs to breathe enough air to talk. It took them over six months to diagnose me and after a being on a ventilator for 10 days and a treatment of plasmaphoresis I was doing much better but that was only a temporary fix. I also found that over time it is very cold or very hot it affects my entire body.
Are you having any trouble breathing or swallowing or difficulty while eating when you have this slurring?
I had lots of trouble eating, drinking, talking and breathing, just as if my throat was closing or someone was choking me.
I hope that they find what is wrong quickly and that you begin to feel better soon.

Take care.

Did your Neurologist do a blood test? Mine did and found my acetylcholine receptors were out of whack. He had me go through a number of other tests to make sure it wasn't something else, e.g. stroke. If you could convince him to prescribe Mestinon and see if that helps. Also, the Austrailian MG site states " Don't get too hot or cold. Temperature extremes are weakening."
Source: http://www.myasthenia.org.au/html/lifestyle.htm
Good Luck

Thanks for the info - my neuro said MG is usually worse in heat, not cold. She discharged me from her service as I have negative AChR, MuSK and LEMS antibodies. I had normal EMG, various nerves studies and normal SFEMG too.

I had an amazing response to Mestinon - a "Lazarus effect" is how it was worded in the letter to my family doctor. The effect is much less robust this year but she said she was fine with me staying on it. I wouldn't be working without it as I do a lot of talking to students in person and on the phone. Before Mestinon I would be slurring my words by the third student in a row. I had students leave their emails when leaving a phone message so I could respond by typing, not talking.

During the fall I had several occasions of food going up the back of my throat into my nose - cheese and broccoli, but never liquids. I've had problems getting some pills down too. But I have problems with low calcium that are worse in the morning so I wonder if the two problems are related ie weather is colder in morning, calcium is lower in morning too.

I was at the dentist this morning and had to have my teeth cleaned while sitting upright as I was choking on the spray for cleaning. They gave up on the salty solution and used polish instead. I'm getting basic bloodwork done next week as I am always weaker in winter when Vitamin D is low and I seem to be have more GI issues so D may be low again.

The rheumatologist last week thought I'd more likely have mitochondrial disease because of the calcium, thyroid, gi issues, etc. I still think it might be more likely I have both that and myasthenia gravis! I spent two years bouncing back and forth between GI docs and endocrinologists with each blaming the other's specialty being the cause. Turns out it was both! I'm never a simple case, unfortunately.
Flutebell

Before my husband and I moved back to Hawaii in 10/2011 I had so much difficulty with temperatures.

In the winter I would wake up in the morning and as soon as I threw the covers off of me I would be freezing. Nothing ever works right when I'm cold. I feel like I have stiffman syndrome or something. My husband had to go out and start the car to warm up before I could leave for work. If he didn't the shivering alone would due me in. If I took a warm shower to thaw out though, I would end up in a puddle at the bottom of the tub. Everyone is different and I think that it is most logically related to MG. From what I've researched cold and heat in any extreme can negatively effect your MG symptoms.

By the end of the day I am usually slurring to some degree but if I've been out in the heat or in the cold it sounds like I'm talking with a wad of cotton in my mouth.

I really think some doctors are so hung up on "Typical MG symptoms" and don't focus on the individual. Given what we all know from our own experiences with this disease, I think for the most part we are more qualified to say what is or isn't caused by our MG.

Everyone is different so our experiences will all be different. Trust your doctors but don't take it for granted that they exactly what they are doing when it comes to MG. The research that we do after the first mention of MG is probably more education on this disease than 90% of neurologists currently practicing.

I think you should follow up your instincts. Take care of yourself!
Hugs