The Whispered Roar
— Shawna Barnes

So you have myasthenia gravis (MG). Some of your friends or family have distanced themselves from you. You take handfuls of pills every day to kinda-sorta function. Life isn’t what it used…

For the first time since my medical retirement from the U.S. Army in 2011, my myasthenia gravis (MG) is stable enough that I felt comfortable traveling 12 hours to North Dakota to go…

The eye roll. The “I’m not listening but want you to think I am” head nod. The silence. The outbursts. Any or all of these have been responses I’ve received from people who…

“Umm … are you OK? Why does it look like you’re having a stroke? It sounds like you’re drunk. What’s going on? Why are you choking on our dinner?” When your date has…

My hygiene sucks. All of it. It’s better now, but that’s because I swallowed my pride and admitted to my husband (and caregiver), Justin, that I needed more help than I was asking…

Sixty-one days, 8.7 weeks, two months, or one-sixth of a year — that’s how much time I spent at medical appointments in 2022. When I stop to look at the numbers, it’s…

Neon green snot runs out of my nose and down the back of my throat. A cough sounds like I’ve been smoking two packs of nonfiltered cigarettes a day. Exhaustion hits a bit differently…

“Red light!” “Green light, … red light!” Are you smiling as you remember playing Red Light, Green Light in the schoolyard as a child? I have a smirk on my face as I sit…

I’m fat. My body mass index (BMI) is currently 37.9 kg/m2. (The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute notes that a BMI of 18.5–24.9 indicates a normal weight, while a BMI of 30…

Refresh. Renew. Reflect. Reset. It’s the time of year when folks tend to reflect on the months gone by and create resolutions for those to come. Those of us in the world of chronic…

There’s snow on the ground and a nip in the air. The smell of burning wood fills the air, with smoke dancing from the chimneys. Winter has arrived in northern Wisconsin. It’s different from…

“It really won’t hurt, but it will pull. Your skin will turn yellow. You should be back to normal in a few weeks, but you might not feel 100% for a few months.” What…