» On 1/03/2026 07:00:00 AM Mountain Standard Time, Alan wrote:
MG Memes. 

I recently found many Myasthenia Gravis support groups on Facebook and Reddit, with thousands of members. A few of them allow memes featuring the issues commonly experienced in our myasthenic subculture. Here are a few samples. (I believe the most reliable way to get to know a group of people is by trying to understand what tickles their funny bones - tap images to enlarge.)

Labels: mg

 
» On 1/01/2026 12:01:00 AM Mountain Standard Time, Alan wrote:
MG Iconography/Mythology: Snowflake, Sloth, Spoons... 

Myasthenia Gravis is often called the Snowflake Disease because, like snowflakes, no two cases are precisely alike, with symptoms varying widely in type, severity, and timing for each individual. This nickname reflects the condition's unpredictable nature, when symptoms like drooping eyelids, double vision, or muscle weakness can appear and disappear, worsen with exertion, and improve with rest, making each patient's journey unique and requiring customized treatment. Also, an abstract teal snowflake is the symbol and brand of MGFA, the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America.

The sloth is the unofficial mascot for Myasthenia Gravis because MG patients like to use the animal as a representation of the way they manage their energy, adopting "Sloth Mode" to conserve strength by prioritizing rest and pacing activities, mirroring the sloth's naturally slow movements to cope with profound muscle weakness from this autoimmune condition. While sloths are naturally slow due to low metabolism, MG patients embrace slow living to avoid fatigue, turning the animal's trait into a positive, adaptive strategy for daily life.

The Spoon Theory is a concept used by MG patients to signify how they manage finite reserves of energy. Spoons are metaphors describing the amount of physical or mental energy that a person has available for daily activities and tasks, and how it can become limited. The idea was expressed in a 2003 essay by American writer Christine Miserandino. She describes her experience with chronic illness, using a handful of spoons to represent the units of energy available to perform everyday actions. The Spoon Theory has since been used to describe a wide range of disabilities and mental health issues.


And June is MG Awareness Month. (Ribbon 🎗️ color is teal.)

Labels: mg

 
» On 12/31/2025 08:05:00 PM Mountain Standard Time, Alan wrote:
Myasthenia Gravis Swag. 

Full Disclosure: I have no financial connection to any of the links below, and earn no money from them. I just have a large t-shirt connection, and some of the following items caught my eye. When one of my friends (a self-proclaimed "goddess"😉) saw these products, she wrote: Only Etsy would have a category entitled "Funny Thymus T‑Shirt & Thymectomy Gifts." Right next to its "Hilarious Terminal Diagnosis Tchotchkes" section. BTW, there are no good thymus jokes or puns on the internet. WAY easier to find rhymes for spleen. Pancreas, not so much. 😉

T-shirts:
My Favourite Childhood Memory Is Not Having A Thymus That Is Trying To Kill Me!
Hostile Thymus ⭐ Terrible, Would Not Recommend It!
#LMTO Laughing My Thymus Off
Thymectomy Done! Now Where's The Beer?
I've Got 99 Problems And A Thymus Ain't One!
I Don't Look Sick? You Don't Look Stupid! Looks Can Be Deceiving. MG Awareness
100% Neuromuscular Chaos MG
flare day in progress
personally victimized by my immune system
this body came with a lot of terms and conditions I did not agree to
Autoimmune - Because the only thing tough enough to kick my ass is me. Myasthenia Gravis Awareness
Snowflake Stong MG Warrior (NOT Strong - this hilarious tyop won't last long)

Other MG items on Etsy for The Myasthenic

Rare Patient Voice [[[Monetize Your Illness! There's gold in them thar ills...]]]

Neuroscience Institute t-shirt

Labels: mg

 
» On 12/26/2025 05:30:00 AM Mountain Standard Time, Alan wrote:
WTF Is A ClinCard?! 

A ClinCard or ScoutPass is a reloadable prepaid debit card used by research institutions to pay human subjects (study participants) in clinical trials. I just received fifty smackeroos, for my first per diem stipend. If things go well during the next two and a half years, I'll also receive meal-allowance compensation for myself and the caregiver (translation: wife) who accompanies me to test appointments, reimbursement for gasoline mileage expenses, and payment for taxi/uber costs (if necessary). It turns out that research subjects are treated pretty well. We represent a significant investment for the pharmaceutical companies (a/k/a "Swiss Overlords" 😉), and they want to make sure we're happy, so we'll keep coming back for our monthly appointments. But hopefully, the efficacy of the medication we're testing will provide the main part of our motivation.

PS: Is it just me, or does ClinCard sound vaguely pornographic? "Hey bay-bee, I'm a-gonna lick your ClinCard 'til you hollah wit' deee-lite!"

Labels: mg

 
» On 12/22/2025 05:20:00 AM Mountain Standard Time, Alan wrote:
Christmas Split Flashback. 

First, Jean-Claude Van Damme did a split between trucks (2013):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7FIvfx5J10
Then, Channing Tatum did a split between craft service carts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Vj0ugEI0dg
Finally, Chuck Norris did a split between airplanes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-D1KVIuvjA

UPDATE - Ballerina Stunt:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGHVE-ikQwM
UPDATE2 - But the one that really cracked me up was the Hamster Stunt:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N87uxyDQT0

 
» On 12/20/2025 02:13:00 PM Mountain Standard Time, Alan wrote:
Confirmation Bias? 

It's been 72 hours since I started taking the Myasthenia Gravis research pills, but I still haven't figured out whether they're real medicine (iptacopan) or placebos. The research supervisor told me to wait patiently for a month. My body seems to be reacting in unusual ways, but who knows? It might be the dreaded placebo effect. 😉

Labels: mg

 
» On 12/20/2025 05:30:00 AM Mountain Standard Time, Alan wrote:
De Quervain's Tenosynovitis. 

Here we go again... about a year ago, my wife had surgery for a trigger finger (stenosing tenosynovitis) on her left hand.

This time, she has a similar inflammation of the tendon sheath on the thumb side of her right wrist. The ailment is named after Fritz de Quervain (1868-1940), a surgeon from Sion Switzerland who documented the condition in 1895. Caused by repetitive strain (like carpal tunnel), it's also called "Texting Thumb," "Washerwoman's Sprain," or "Mother's Wrist."

When Anikó told her new doc (who is a handsome devil, I must say) about the mundane incident that precipitated this latest medical appointment, he translated her actions into "aggressively mashing potatoes" and promptly prescribed a cortisone injection. She liked that--and him--better than last year's surgical treatment. 😉

UPDATE: I really like this guy. He said he's been offering the same advice for 20 years, but he just recently figured out that patients "remember" a lot more info, if he gives them two business cards, printed front and back. Why don't ALL doctors do this?