Columns

Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with various pain management techniques. Not everyone will have the same response to these modalities. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. Living with a chronic illness means I am never truly well. Early in the morning, my muscles might…

I have an unusual and slightly weird affection for old-time hymns. Something in me responds to the great hymns that have endured for thousands of years, such as “Sub Tuum Praesidium,” one of the oldest known hymns in Christianity. I feel a physical reaction to them. I also…

Myasthenia gravis (MG) has taken plenty from me — strength, stamina, the ability to pretend I’m fine when I’m absolutely not. But here’s the twist nobody expects: Some of the things MG yanked out of my life were things I should’ve tossed years ago. MG may be a…

I was having a spirited discussion with my twin, Aaron, about the upcoming “Avengers: Doomsday” film when I suddenly noticed something. His eyes moved, just a little, and his eyelids weren’t drooping! Normally when I talk to him, his pupils don’t move or his eyelids droop due to myasthenia…

When I was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG), the flare was so severe that I could no longer pray the way I used to. As a Muslim, I pray five times a day, and the prayer ritual includes standing, bowing, kneeling, and getting back up several times, but my…

Texas in July is rough. By 9 a.m., the light is blinding and the heat is oppressive. The grass has given up and gone the color of straw. Cicadas saw away at the heat. You move from one air-conditioned location to another. The spaces in between are brutal reminders that…

There’s a strange quiet that settles over a house when two people who usually move in tandem suddenly have to live on opposite sides of it. My husband has been fighting off a nasty head and chest cold. The kind with heavy coughing and congestion that rattles the walls and…

Sixteen years ago, when I was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG) at the age of 12, I was very active. I played sports, including volleyball, until I had to quit because double vision made it impossible. I didn’t like giving up sports, but since I was a teenager and…

Years after being diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG), I still find myself navigating other people’s perceptions of my disease almost as often as I navigate my symptoms. But while my muscles are unpredictable, people’s reactions seem surprisingly consistent. Most fall into three categories: those who think I’m faking,…

I celebrated Independence Day a little differently this year. While the rest of the country lit fireworks, grilled burgers, and gathered with friends, I quietly celebrated a different kind of freedom — the kind that comes from choosing a new path when the one you’re on stops serving you. Last…