Look a Miracle in the Eye
© 2006 by Curt Miller
Apheresis Works!
The Daily bLog
Look at that mug. I took this at 8:30 this morning after a 9 hour sleep. I woke up at about 3:30am and couldn't go back to sleep because I was so excited to be able to feel that strength had returned to my neck, arms and hands! What else to do but pick up the latest copy of Shutterbug and read through the latest on digital imaging.
When you go through this sort of medical thing, you are always wondering if the prescribed treatment is going to work. By the end of my second session of apheresis yesterday afternoon, I was so wiped out that I couldn't tell if I was making progress or not. I just layed in a lump all evening. But while I sat around watching a movie, I could feel life coming back into my arms and hands. Pretty soon, my neck was able to keep my head erect as I walked across the room. This morning is about the same, but look at my eyes...they are open. No more droopy eyelids! Compare this with yesterday's picture and you'll see the difference.
To clarify a bit about what this disease is and isn't:
It is a disease of the autoimmune system whereby the immune system produces an antibody that interferes with the transmission of the neurological (chemical electrical) impulse across the nerve synapse of the voluntary muscles.
It is not a disesase of the muscles, per se, as with muscular dystrophy, even though outward symptoms might sometimes appear similar. MD is a progressive and degenerative disease of the muscles themselves while myasthenia gravis is not.
It is not a disease of the nervous system as is multiple sclerosis, a disease in which the myelin sheath (the insulation on the wire) degenerates and causes a lack of transmission to the muscles. MS is irreversible, unfortunately, while MG is totally reversible with no permanent damage to either muscles or nerves.
Thank goodness for miracles.
