This Myasthenia Awareness Month, can you donate £10 to help ensure that we can continue with vital awareness raising work amongst health care providers in the future?

Myaware are helping to raise awareness of myasthenia amongst GPs across the UK. Collectively we need to achieve a much-needed reduction in diagnosis time, which will ensure access to effective treatments and support at the earliest possible opportunity.

Peter was left feeling frustrated and vulnerable whilst his GPs repeatedly ignored his symptoms. Here Peter explains his long journey to receiving his diagnosis of myasthenia gravis.

“In all I raised myasthenia as a cause to 5 different health professionals who all said 'no' but did not take steps to rule it out, even though my symptoms were drooping eyelids, double vision, eating and swallowing difficulties and shallow breathing.

I had two visits to A&E in April and on both occasions I asked if it was myasthenia and was told, “Definitely not”. I showed no improvement and my symptoms progressed to extreme double vision, extreme difficulties chewing and swallowing, as well as breathing difficulties and general weakness in my arms.

On 9th May I had an appointment with the Orthoptist who immediately suspected myasthenia gravis and the GP ordered a blood test. This went missing, although it had been processed, and even after several follow up calls it could not be traced. An Eye Neurosurgeon also suggested a CT scan but this was ignored by the GP surgery, too.

The Orthoptist was very concerned that my second blood tests had also not been returned and raised the matter urgently with the Neurosurgeon who chased them up. Both blood tests had been completed but not put back onto the system and were sitting in limbo at the Lab in Portsmouth. Both were positive for myasthenia gravis.

Finally on 28 September I had a consultation with a Neurologist who has put me on Prednisolone and ordered a CT scan of my thymus.”

Can you donate £10 to help ensure we can continue raising awareness amongst healthcare providers in the future?

Awareness Month