Author Archives: Retha De Wet

Pain is a big part of my life. I have been in daily pain for the last 10 years. The only medical reason I have for it is myasthenia gravis (MG). I highly value science. When I was diagnosed in 2013, there was still little evidence online that pain was…

I started working as a speech therapist at a large academic hospital in January 2020. I was excited to start, and my passion for the job was coming out of my ears. But lurking behind the joy of getting such a thrilling job was a buildup of anxiety, shame, guilt,…

Shortly after I was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG), the neurologist suggested I have a contrast CT scan of my chest. This would determine whether or not a thymectomy was necessary. My only memory of the CT scan was that the contrast made me feel like I’d peed my…

I tend to laugh a lot, which can serve many different functions. A nervous giggle can indicate anxiety, a belly laugh may follow a moment of hilarity, and sometimes laughing is the only way to deal with an overwhelming or uncomfortable situation. My name, Retha, is derived from Margaretha, which…

My boyfriend, Tom, and I are finally moving back in together after 15 months of being in a long-distance relationship. While that in itself is amazing, it involves one terrible part: the physical act of moving. Although moving is a myasthenic’s nightmare, packing up my whole life again has…

Time has been my greatest teacher. She has taught me patience, resilience, and true commitment. She has taught me so many things I would love to share with my younger self. If my myasthenia gravis diagnosis has taught me anything, it’s to appreciate movement. Go for every run I can.

During a consultation with my psychiatrist, she told me I have a Type A personality. “Me?!” I thought. That can’t be right. However, I have tremendous respect for her as a medical specialist, so I took her word for it. The more I read about Type A personalities,…

I often write about the beauty of life by sharing lessons I’ve learned from living with myasthenia gravis (MG). I tend to be optimistic in my approach to the hand life dealt me. However, one other thing MG has taught me is that being strong by yourself isn’t…

It’s difficult to explain to a 20-something in perfect health why raising rare disease awareness is important. However, I had just turned 20 when my entire life was turned upside down by a myasthenia gravis (MG) diagnosis. Illness does not discriminate — anyone can be affected by it at…

My health seems to follow a pattern: I’ll start a treatment plan, it’ll go well for a little while, and then I’ll suddenly experience an uncontrollable flare. I’ll stubbornly suffer until my body decides that I should stop. I’m currently at the beginning of that cycle once again after recently…