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Recently, I was chatting with some of the other ladies in my support group who have been on a similar path as me — constant hospitalizations and relapses. They have also been through the heartbreak of having yet another treatment not work and the uncertainty of their future, health-wise. We…

Guilt is a well-acquainted friend for anyone living with myasthenia gravis. Poor health often means that our participation is limited, our range of executable activities are restricted, and our energy levels sometimes feel non-existent. This does not only affect us but also those closest to us, and that is where the…

A huge part of learning to live with myasthenia gravis is figuring out what triggers symptom flare-ups. This is a very personal journey of understanding your body and learning to listen to the subtle cues it sometimes sends to take it easy. These cues can be anything from heavy-feeling eyes, voice…

Myasthenia gravis often requires me to adapt my expectations or approach in several ways. One aspect I am currently struggling with is the paradox of cyclosporine, which eases my symptoms but also introduces some unforgiving side effects. Before starting cyclosporine as my long-term immunosuppressive treatment, I was considered…

You never imagine that your life could change in an instant. You never imagine that your “normality” can get turned upside down and spun around like it’s been let loose in a washing machine. You never imagine that you will be told by doctors that they don’t know what more…

I am quickly approaching my mid-20s, and one truth I have learned from life thus far is that hardly anything is black and white. When you form part of a niche community, like the myasthenia gravis community, you learn what it feels like to constantly battle life in a…

There are not many perks to living with myasthenia gravis, especially since it can be difficult for others to understand the fatigability and variation in our symptoms. However, there are also not many things that do not benefit from a having a good sense of humor. The symptoms of…

There are few things as complicated and challenging as interpersonal relationships. The older I get, the more difficult it is to stay in touch with those I once considered to be friends. Supporting someone with a chronic illness will never be an easy task, just as living with one is…

We express ourselves in many ways: through our hairstyle, our clothing, our facial gestures, our voice, and how we choose to articulate our thoughts. One symptom of myasthenia gravis is dysphonia, which results in an unreliable and fading quality of voice. Another symptom is having difficulty with speech, which…

Falling in love is never quite as graceful as they make it out to be in the movies. In reality, things tend to get awkward, uncomfortable, and sometimes downright confusing. When you add chronic illness to the mix, dating just seems to get additionally complicated. I met my boyfriend a…