Episodic Muscle weakness associated with balance disorder.

[Poojashri]

Hello,

i am a 26 year old female otherwise healthy. However i have episodes as frequently as ~3-4 /year where i am unable to walk (a linmping gait) and perform any strenous task. This follows any physically exerting task like travelling. Some years back i had one instance of dyplopia, which lasted for 1-2 days. Since then, with every episode of this muscle weakness (6-7 days on average), i get a general weakness,and a severe loss of balance. Upon examination, my reflexes were found to be very brisk, and tandem gait was affected. The electrolyte tests, creatine kinase tests, Vit, B12 tests all came normal. Even the MRI scan is normal.

Any Leads Please?

Many Thanks.

Pooja

[Poojashri]

Thankyou Red_Star!

My Acetylcholine receptor test came negetive. Also The repeated nerve conduction (RNS) studies were normal. they had Put me on Pyridostigmine treatment, but there was no immediate response to the medication. i do recover, but with extended periods of rest. Am i missing something here? i did not personally feel pyridostigmine did any wonder.
What we did not check was-
A. Muscarinic receptor antibody
B. Neostigmine administration tests
C. Thymus tests.
(My docs felt we did not need those to be done.)

alternatively, they suspected
A. metabolic myopathies (no test done)
B. demylination (MRI normal)
C. Episodic Ataxia (no test done yet)

Any suggessions??

Thanks in anticipation.

[Red_Star]

Myasthenia Gravis (MG) is a rare autoimmune neuromuscular disease and the hallmark of this disease is muscle weakness that increases during periods of activity and improves after periods of rest.  You may function normally sometimes and another time experience loss of strength.

In more than half the people who develop MG, their first signs and symptoms involve eye problems such as drooping of one or both eyelids (ptosis) or double vision (diplopia).  Another symptom not often mentioned in literature is a sense of loss of balance.  Medhelp has a health page on MG and the tests that can help diagnose this autoimmune disease...

Myasthenia Gravis FAQs:
http://www.medhelp.org/tags/health_page/1059/autoimmune/Myasthenia-Gravis-FAQs?hp_id=811

[Poojashri]

Also, i was wondering if at all this could be psychosomatic, if nothing else gets diagnosed, this is what my doctors start considering.