Why Should I Care?

 

My necklace is a heart with "myself" in it.
A birthday gift from my man.

I love it. 

 

My mitochondrial disease affects me in many ways. The biggest is muscle pain, fatigue and lung issues. My neurologist seems to think that my immune problems and neuropathy are un-related to my mito. Go figure. The neuropathy could be from the TB treatment. Isoniazid for 9 months. Or it could just be from some kind of bonus auto-immune chaos. 

 

My point is when my mito disease hits other areas that are less important, like my skin. Why should I care?

 

I thought my "vagina neck" as I fondly call it, was just from aging. My husband would tease me that it bothered me. My mom didn't think it was from aging at all. When she saw this picture of me she expressed some concern and challenged my saying it was just from age...

 

 

Do you see it?
Total vag neck.

 

I'm also getting a little jowlie. So I did some investigating. It turns out she was right. Mitochondrial disease affects the collagen and elasticity of the neck, so sagging like that is part of the package. 

Muscle Weakness & Anatomy: The neck muscles, specifically the platysma muscles, can weaken and separate, causing prominent vertical bands. The position of the hyoid bone can also determine how much skin sags.

Muscle Weakness (Myopathy): Many mitochondrial diseases cause mitochondrial myopathy, leading to muscle weakness and atrophy (shrinking) in the neck and throat area. As the platysma muscle weakens, it loses its ability to hold neck skin taut, contributing to a sagging appearance.

Decreased Collagen & Elastin: Mitochondria provide the energy (ATP) needed for fibroblasts to produce collagen and elastin. Mitochondrial dysfunction leads to a "biological energy crisis," resulting in slower collagen synthesis and thinner, less elastic skin that sags more easily.

Mitochondrial Disease can contribute to the appearance of a saggy "turkey neck" by accelerating skin aging and weakening the underlying muscles. While mitochondrial disorders primarily affect high-energy organs like the heart and brain, they also impact the skin's ability to maintain its structure and the neck muscles' ability to provide support.

Apparently there are some exercises you can do that could help. Or I could just wear scarves. Or I just could not care. I remember last summer it getting better with swimming. Considering we're talking about re-joining our gym in a few weeks maybe that will help? Or should I even really care that much.