gotta remember that every case is different. i personally never got THAT weak..i mean dont get my wrong i struggled and still do but its nothing compared to what i have read.
how long have you had this? maybe it was caught before progression :)

I was finally diagnosed with dermatomyositis last year. I had a negative ANA, but tested positive for the Mi-2 antibody. (I also have tested positive for lupus and pernicious anemia.)

My thighs 'burn' symmetrically when I walk down my hallway or for any length ... and my legs, overall, both feel weak.

It seems though that my upper body symptoms, especially right now, are very concentrated on the right. I just want to cut my body in half and leave the right side laying there!!! It's awful. Some of it may be lupus-related, I know ... but I am so very uncomfortable in the my right arm and can't even open a juice bottle!

Meow,

I have PM, but my left side is weaker. However, it is easier to get a decent blood sample from my left. And my left hand is nearly painless when putting in a IV line. Don't know why. I write with my right hand, but my handwriting is now a bit sloppy. It used to be neater and easier to read.

I wear glasses, and my left is eye a bit weaker. I had my muscle biopsy taken from my left thigh, because the MRI showed it was the most affected by the inflammation.

Purr,
=^.,.^=

I have PM, with overlapping DM and Lupus. When I had my arm rashes, my right arm was much worse than the left. Although my PM symptoms are symmetrical, my neuro told me that my right arm and left leg are weaker. Even now, my left arm is what I use to get up from a seated position because it's stronger. On another hand, Lupus likes to attack one side or the other. For instance, it attacked my right shoulder, but didn't attack my left shoulder for almost a year. Autoimmune diseases are tricky and individual.

Hi Romeomustdie, I do have classic symmetrical weakness in both arms and both legs during a flare. I will feel a strong hurt and bad weakness in the right arm at first. A couple hours later the left arm will hurt with bad weakness too. The next morning, both of my legs will feel like 50 lbs bags of cement when walking across the room. I can always tell a flare and when it begins in the right arm. I begin to pray it will go away and not continue to the left arm. My chest/heart feels weak in a flare. I also feel like an invisible hand is pushing me down with weight.

I have overlapping Scleroderma with my DM. I have often wondered if my liver, heart, lungs or kidneys begin to scream which triggers a flare. I always have elevated liver enzymes and a weak chest during a flare too. The weak chest during a flare is scary for me too.

Hi romeomustdie, I have had DM since last year when it was first diagnosed I had redness on my right eyelid but not the left, swellings under both eyes, rash on my right hand but not the left and a weird couple of small purplish patches on my stomach. Since having the prednisone and plaquenil most of the redness has gone away. I still have pain in both hands but usually it is worse in the right hand. What is frustrating is that it seems to only affect my hands, arms and shoulders (I'm glad nothing else) but the pain is in both arms with weakness. To get up from an armchair I have to have a wide stance and try to lift myself without using my arms.

My redness is very similar to yours. My right side is worse than the left side. Markings on both hands but the right is much worse.

I have DM and I would say my rashes were mostly symmetrical and muscle weakness was also symmetrical when I was feeling the symptoms the most. But after some of the weakness subsided I would say my left side of my body became or felt much stronger than right even though I'm right handed,

I have DM, everything is symmetrical but the rashes on my arms. My right arm has the most rashes. it started off that way too. I rubbed and cut myself on accident at the park on my right side of my stomach. I didn't seek treatment till a little ways after...waited more than I should, like 24 hours after it happened. Then Boom...I sprang rashes everywhere after two weeks.

I have never been symmetrical either, especially with the redness, rashes and swelling. My issues tend to pop up in the same places each time.

momcoach