Myasthenia Gravis News Columns

July 25, 2022July 25, 2022

In Sickness and in Health, We Serve as Caregivers for Each Other

COVID-19 Columns, Myasthenia Gravis News Columns

Last week my husband and I celebrated an anniversary on July 20. It wasn’t the anniversary of when we first met (that’s Oct. 15). It wasn’t our wedding anniversary (that’s ... Read more

July 18, 2022July 18, 2022

What I’ve Noticed About Myself While Taking Prednisone for MG

COVID-19 Columns, Myasthenia Gravis News Columns

Nobody said this life would be easy. We all endure storms we barely make it out of alive. Throw an autoimmune disease like myasthenia gravis into the mix, and life ... Read more

July 15, 2022July 15, 2022

Why People With Rare Diseases Should Spend More Time With Kids

COVID-19 Columns, Myasthenia Gravis News Columns

“But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” — Luke 18:16 ... Read more

July 11, 2022July 11, 2022

I’m Learning How to Counteract the Side Effects of Prednisone

COVID-19 Columns, Myasthenia Gravis News Columns

Three years ago, after I had a thymectomy and before I started high doses of prednisone to treat my myasthenia gravis (MG), I weighed in at a comfortable 170 pounds. ... Read more

July 8, 2022July 8, 2022

The Heavy Financial Burden of Living With a Rare Disease

Myasthenia Gravis News Columns

Here in the United States, the richest nation in the world in terms of nominal gross domestic product, medical expenses are the No. 1 cause of bankruptcy. People in the ... Read more

July 1, 2022July 1, 2022

Fellow MG Patients, We Know Our Bodies the Best

Myasthenia Gravis News Columns

Around age 5, I began having difficulty walking. A couple of times a day I would get a strange, pins-and-needles sensation in my right leg. I was young and didn’t ... Read more

June 27, 2022June 27, 2022

Donate Plasma and Save a Life: Mine

COVID-19 Columns, Myasthenia Gravis News Columns

It’s the last Monday of June. The last Monday of National Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month. Last week, I shared some tips for both myasthenics and our friends and family on ... Read more

June 24, 2022June 24, 2022

My MG Diagnosis Was a Shock, but I Learned to Trust the Journey

COVID-19 Columns, Myasthenia Gravis News Columns

In the book “Man’s Search for Meaning,” Viktor Frankl writes, “If there is meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering. Suffering is an ineradicable ... Read more

June 20, 2022June 20, 2022

How to Be Helpful When Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month Is Over

Myasthenia Gravis News Columns

“Hey, Shawna, I have a (friend/co-worker/family member) who was just diagnosed with myasthenia gravis. Can I connect the two of you?” One of the advantages — and sometimes disadvantages — ... Read more

June 20, 2022June 21, 2022

How to Be Helpful When Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month Is Over

Myasthenia Gravis News Columns

“Hey, Shawna, I have a (friend/co-worker/family member) who was just diagnosed with myasthenia gravis. Can I connect the two of you?” One of the advantages — and sometimes disadvantages — ... Read more

June 17, 2022June 17, 2022

No Retreat: Learning to Manage My Medical Phobias

Myasthenia Gravis News Columns

On March 4, 1933, U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt told a fearful nation that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which ... Read more

June 17, 2022June 21, 2022

No Retreat: Learning to Manage My Medical Phobias

Myasthenia Gravis News Columns

On March 4, 1933, U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt told a fearful nation that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which ... Read more

June 13, 2022June 21, 2022

You’re Invited to the Barbecue! How to Make Summer Events MG-friendly

Myasthenia Gravis News Columns

I traveled a long road to finally put a name to the crippling symptoms I began experiencing after my medical retirement from the Army in 2011. Once my diagnosis was ... Read more

June 13, 2022June 13, 2022

You’re Invited to the Barbecue! How to Make Summer Events MG-friendly

Myasthenia Gravis News Columns

I traveled a long road to finally put a name to the crippling symptoms I began experiencing after my medical retirement from the Army in 2011. Once my diagnosis was ... Read more

June 10, 2022June 21, 2022

After My MG Diagnosis, I Found Value in Togetherness

COVID-19 Columns, Myasthenia Gravis News Columns

“I’d trade all of my tomorrows for one single yesterday.” The soulfulness of Janis Joplin’s voice and poignancy of Kris Kristofferson’s lyrics in “Me and Bobby McGee” have always resonated ... Read more