I developed breast cancer 18 mos. ago. At first I thought it was going to be my way out of life with MG. Was that discouraged by my lack of relief from the symptoms. I was fortunate to have a great oncologist, and she put me in touch with a neurologist that eventually got me into an aphoresis program, and this has helped my mood, as I am now able to drive myself around town to buy groceries, and go to my medical appointments, and even go to PT. All of these help my mental health .
Through the cancer support group, I discovered a book called Getting Well Again. It focuses on visualization for healing and finding joy in everyday activities, including meditation, laughter and play. Part of this is doing an inventory of activities which bring me joy and deep fulfillment. That was both a painful and a growth producing action, as 26 of the 50 activities which gave me those positive feelings were already taken away by MG. It took me time to grieve those losses. Unlike cancer, which MAY resolve or go into remission, I had no hope for that. But I am learning to find joy, nonetheless.
Also, there is still Covid, which gives me anxiety, and knowing that my immune system is already compromised adds to that.
The newer MG drugs are giving me a sense of hope for the future. I am not a candidate for some of them because of the cancer, but there are several drugs out there, and maybe in the next year I will be able to start on one of them. I just work at keeping myself nourished and ambulatory. Right now both are challenging for me. I’m no longer giving up on getting healthy.