The Whispered Roar
— Shawna Barnes

When explaining myasthenia gravis (MG) to someone, I often describe it as a “fickle [expletive].” With MG, there seems to be no rhyme or reason for anything. At the start of my diagnostic journey, I asked my healthcare providers what might have triggered the slow, progressive mudslide of…

If you’ve been recently diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG) and you’re looking for a website to help you understand what that means, including how to explain to family members what your life is actually like, you’re in the right place. If you’ve been hearing the same sh*t about being…

I admit it. I’m a nerd. I like the science gobbledygook. I thoroughly enjoy digging into the PubMed catalog of biomedical articles, part of the National Center for Biotechnology Information. But even I can admit that when I tried to explain the science behind how myasthenia gravis…

“Disabled.” It’s a word with many meanings that trigger a gamut of feelings. Myasthenia gravis (MG) is considered a rare and disabling disease. It qualifies those of us who have it to collect disability benefits. (The ease of collecting these benefits is an entirely different topic that I’ll not…

Makeup is one of those things that we women use to “put our face on,” so to speak. But when we start having trouble holding our arms up due to myasthenia gravis (MG), applying makeup is one of the first things to go. MG takes many things away from…

For the first time in a long time, I was frustrated with care that I had received. I recently had to go to a hospital emergency room, where, unfortunately, I didn’t feel that I was being heard as I tried explaining that something other than myasthenia gravis (MG) was…

If you were given the gift of nine extra hours a week, what would you do? This was the situation my husband and caregiver, Justin, and I found ourselves in last week. In February, we met with the owner of an organization that we were referred to by the…

Stepping out of the phone booth, I put my glasses on and look around to make sure I’m not spotted. I look to the left and then to the right one more time before hobbling into the darkness and blending in with that which is unseen. What does that remind…

Are you seeing double? I was. And I still do if I push myself to a certain level of weariness. When I first experienced double vision, I thought that either my crappy vision was worsening (I’ve worn bifocals since I was 18) or that my new symptom, a droopy…

Q: What is myasthenia gravis (MG)? A: It’s a neuromuscular autoimmune disease. Q: What is a neuromuscular autoimmune disease? A: It’s when your immune system attacks the junction where nerve cells meet muscle cells. Does anyone else feel like they’re giving a lecture when explaining this thing we…

“A service-connected condition means an illness or injury that was caused by — or got worse because of — your active military service.” Did you know that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, also known as the VA, considers myasthenia gravis (MG) a presumptive service-connected condition for veterans?…

Love. It’s a four-letter word that can mean a hundred different things, depending on how and where it’s used. One of the things that sets my husband, Justin, and I apart from some folks is that we don’t wait for Valentine’s Day to celebrate and honor the love we…