Columns

Heat and cold are some of the most common triggers for flare-ups in people living with chronic illnesses. For me and my myasthenia gravis (MG), summer has always been the toughest season. Almost all of my breathing difficulties have happened during hot months. Over time, I realized I couldn’t…

Author and essayist Anne Lamott once wrote that “faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness and discomfort, and letting it be there until some light returns.” In the five years since I was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG), uncertainty has become a mess that calls for daily accommodation. My…

Dear myasthenia gravis (MG), This note isn’t easy for me to write, but I think it’s time we break up. I could be cliché and say it’s not you, it’s me. But let’s be real, you’re the star of the show, my dear myasthenia gravis. So it is, unfortunately…

I’ve heard that as we age, we shouldn’t focus on the loss of youth but instead on the acceptance of new chapters. Frankly, it’s hard for me to agree with that because I’m having trouble coping with aging right now. I’ll be 50 in a few days, and it’s bumming…

Last weekend, I attended a training course on a psychological model that explains how each of us has different personality types depending on the situation we’re in, with one usually being predominant. As I listened, I couldn’t help but link it to my experience with myasthenia gravis (MG). So…

Six years ago, I knew little about myasthenia gravis (MG) and nothing about COVID-19. I traveled, drove a high-end German car, and had a cleaning lady who kept things tidy. My lifestyle was definitely comfortable. However, I knew it wasn’t due to me being superior to anyone else. Like…

Note: This column was updated July 31, 2025, to clarify that the author fears temporary paralysis caused by severe muscle weakness, as opposed to a permanent paralysis. Yesterday, my brain and body collapsed because I was too tired and exhausted — not due to a myasthenia gravis (MG) flare-up…

When I was 8, I developed epilepsy and doctors prescribed me phenobarbital. For 24 years, I lived unaware of the drug’s side effects. My childhood and adolescence would have been very different without it, but I’m alive today thanks to the medication. Five years ago I was diagnosed with…

This column describes the author’s own experiences with pyridostigmine bromide. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. A little-known fact about yours truly: When I was enlisted in the U.S. Army as a combat medic, I was studying…

As I get older, I’m learning that peace of mind is priceless. Anger now seems a worthless luxury in a chaotic world. Most of the time, in fact, we tend to get angry about things we can’t control or that aren’t worth our temper. I live in Manila, the Philippines,…