Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease (meaning the immune system attacks the body). The autoantibodies that I have are called anti-acetylcholine receptor (or AChR antibodies). Basically, the antibodies attack the connection between my nerves and muscles, which causes muscle weakness.
I have generalized, MGFA Class III-A Myasthenia gravis, which means I have a moderate severity of the disease, with multiple muscle groups being affected, including ocular (eye) muscles, as well as a variation of arm, leg, hand, face, and neck muscles. Any voluntary muscle group can be affected by Myasthenia gravis, so my symptoms tend to vary each day. Some people with Myasthenia gravis have ocular MG, which means only their eye muscles are affected.
There are many factors that can worsen Myasthenia gravis symptoms, including but not limited to stress, extreme temperatures, other illnesses like the common cold, various medications like antibiotics and beta blockers, alcohol, and overuse of muscles.
That’s a little bit about my disease. I could go on and on about Myasthenia gravis, but I’ll save a lot of it for blog posts coming up, so stay tuned 🙂
Chronically Caring Blog 