Tina Hancock, who lives in Georgia, has managed myasthenia gravis (MG) for decades. She shares how she balances movement and rest to keep going.
Transcript
That’s hard for me because there’s a lot of them. But lately, the newest one has been walking. I’ve started dragging my foot again, like I did when I was a child, so I don’t know how to deal with that. I know I have to sit down and rest, but you can’t fall into the trap of just sitting.
You have to get up and move, or your muscles will atrophy. So it’s a fine balance of physical activity and pushing yourself. It’s a fine balance, and that’s a struggle right now because it hurts to walk.
I tell myself, “This too shall pass.” Just like the trouble swallowing or the trouble breathing, MG attacks me here and there, and usually when I’m tired.
So I tell myself, “Hey, later on this will probably be better, so don’t worry about it so much now. Just do what you can to keep yourself from getting more exhausted so that your muscles will have a chance to get better.”
You know, I do that throughout the day too — not just like throughout more days. I do that throughout the day and give myself rest because I get exhausted throughout the day. So why not rest throughout the day? Sometimes, minute by minute.