Columns

When I discuss myasthenia gravis with new acquaintances, I usually get shocked faces and confused looks. I don’t blame them — MG isn’t exactly one of the most well-known rare diseases. I would even say it’s the Jan Brady of rare diseases: It’s always been there, but no one…

It is entirely typical not to feel fearless during health tribulations. I am confident in my decision to have a thymectomy in a few short weeks. Nevertheless, I am incredibly anxious and hyperfocusing on multiple days in the hospital and an unpleasant recovery. Myasthenia gravis warriors are brave…

Exercise and I have never been the best of friends. I would make a commitment to work out more, which included buying new sneakers, workout gear, and equipment that I absolutely did not need. And what did I do with all of these new purchases? I completed four…

At the end of last June, I began experiencing a health crisis provoked by hydroxychloroquine. I was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG) in the emergency room after a month of worsening symptoms, including double vision, sudden slurred speech, a drooping eye, difficulty swallowing, and overall weakness. Three weeks before my…

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…

Unlike most people, I’m torn between loving and disliking the summer months. On one hand, as a teacher, I enjoy the time off. On the other hand, temperatures in my home state of Texas are almost unbearable.  But my favorite thing…

I’ve always been a bit of a loner. Even before I was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG), I tended to keep to myself. As I stated in a previous column, privacy has always been important to me. We could dive…

For most of my life, I have been a private person. Most of the time, I keep things close to my chest, because some people tend to be nosy. I purposefully keep parts of me closed off from others, and one of these is myasthenia gravis (MG). …

Today, May 5, is widely celebrated in the U.S. as Cinco de Mayo. As a proud Mexican American, I never ignore this particular day. While I don’t party hard like others, I do take a few minutes to acknowledge the meaning of the…

Those of us with myasthenia gravis have several treatment options to help us get our lives back on track. My road to remission consisted of prednisone, Mestinon (pyridostigmine), CellCept (mycophenolate mofetil), intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) replacement therapy, and a thymectomy…