Myasthenia gravis is a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease characterized by varying degrees of weakness of the skeletal (voluntary) muscles of the body. The name myasthenia gravis, which is Latin and Greek in origin, literally means "grave muscle weakness." With current therapies, however, most cases of myasthenia gravis are not as "grave" as the name implies. In fact, for the majority of individuals with myasthenia gravis, life expectancy is not lessened by the disorder.
The hallmark of myasthenia gravis is muscle weakness that increases during periods of activity and improves after periods of rest. Certain muscles such as those that control eye and eyelid movement, facial expression, chewing, talking, and swallowing are often, but not always, involved in the disorder. The muscles that control breathing and neck and limb movements may also be affected.
Thanks for posting Lynn - it reminded me to follow up with my mom. She had a stroke in October and has had double-vision and muscle weakness since then and when I was down visiting her in January I had to bring her back to the hospital as her double-vision came on very strong (concern of another stroke) After that stay in the hospital they were going to test for this just in case. I'm not sure if she ever found out the results as the doctor she was seeing was not good. Didn't even get her going on any kind of therapy after her Oct stroke. She recently found a new doctor who she really likes and is compiling her list of questions for her next visit. I just sent her an email with the link and reminded her to follow up on this as well.