Diagnosis

I scheduled an appointment to meet with the Internal Medicine Doctor that I had been seeing for about 10 years.  She suggested that I go and see a Neurologist and a Rheumatologist.    

The Rheumatologist I found was great.  The first thing she did was a full blood panel to determine what may show up.  The blood panel showed a high level of creatine kinase, an enzyme that leaks out of damaged muscle. When elevated CK levels are found in a blood sample, it usually means muscle is being destroyed by some abnormal process, such as a muscular dystrophy or inflammation. Therefore, a high CK level suggests that the muscles themselves are the likely cause of the weakness, but it doesn’t tell exactly what the muscle disorder might be.

The Neurologist ran several tests including an electromyography.  This tested the electrical activity of the muscles and nerves in my body. These test showed major reductions in the transportation of electrical activity.

Next I had a biopsy done to get enough tissue to send away for diagnosis of the type of Muscular Dystrophy I actually have.

During this time I had my first visit to the Muscular Dystrophy Client that is part of the University of Illinois Medical Center in Chicago.  The group there was very helpful.  I met with

respiratory  therapy, physical therapy and the doctors that are part of the Neology department that run the Muscular Dystrophy clinic.

At this point in my life I had only read a few thinks about MD and was overwelmed by the many different forms of MD there was.  I was scared to death and pretty angry.  I learned that the type of MD I have does not effect the heart and that it is not as fast moving as many types of MD.