The road to diagnosis and management of Myasthenia Gravis is different for everyone. Each person has unique triggers and symptoms. Learn how Mymee helped Christine beat her Myasthenia Gravis symptoms and get her life back in this success story.
Meet Christine, living with myasthenia gravis.
Christine has lived with Myasthenia Gravis (MG) for over 25 years. MG is an autoimmune disease that causes weakness in the body's skeletal muscles, and it's often referred to as "the snowflake disease" because symptoms vary significantly from person to person, making it challenging to find the proper treatment. Christine was first diagnosed with MG as a teenager and experienced periods where she had to be hospitalized, primarily through her high school and college years.
Although she has experienced stability with her MG over the last ten years, Christine has been struggling with constant fatigue since the birth of her children, ages six and five. "Over the last year since I had kids, I was really struggling with fatigue. Four out of seven days a week, I had to take hour-long naps. Otherwise, I couldn't make it through the day."
Christine saw several doctors, but none had a satisfactory explanation for her extreme fatigue. She reports that her gynecologist suggested taking antidepressants, while her neurologist explained fatigue as a side effect of MG. These suggestions were not helpful or satisfactory, especially since her extreme fatigue didn't seem to be going anywhere.
"I was unable to function. I'm someone who is known for her energy and enthusiasm, so this was really hard for me. I just thought, okay, this must be part of my disease. Or just part being a mom - you're busy with kids, so it's just what happens. I didn't really consider another way."
Now, Christine has Overcome Constant Fatigue from Myasthenia Gravis.
Finally, Christine discovered Mymee and began the program in March 2020. She tracked everything she was eating in the Mymee app, and her health coach began to notice a pattern. Whenever Christine ate gluten, her symptoms increased. Christine's health coach recommended that she try eliminating all gluten from her diet. The discovery was life-changing.
"Working with my coach, we cleaned up my diet, and I felt healthier. It was super easy. But the biggest difference by far was my fatigue. As soon as I cut the gluten from my diet, the naps stopped! It was gluten! TADA!"
By June – just three months after she started the Mymee program – Christine was able to give up her daily naps. She no longer had to "disappear (to go to sleep) for two hours," and more importantly, she was able to be with her son and daughter throughout the day.
"My kids love it, and they are hilarious. Every time I eat something, they ask if it has gluten in it! They help me filter, and they make me special (gluten-free) treats."
Giving up gluten wasn't so hard for Christine, especially when she experienced nearly-immediate results. "The upside is worth everything," explained Christine.
Her advice to those experiencing constant pain and fatigue is to give Mymee a try. "While it may feel hard or far off, Mymee takes a scientific and supportive look at what's going on in your body. Then they help you figure out specific, incremental steps you can take that will actually make a difference in your health."
Christine has nothing but gratitude and praise for her health coach, who she credits with identifying the cause of her fatigue. She appreciated her health coach's collaborative, results-focused approach. She felt her experience was in contrast with seeing a doctor where she had only minutes of their time and then felt "out of sight, out of mind," once out the door.
"It's really cool to have someone totally vested and in your corner, to help you achieve better health. I had never experienced anything like that before."
Overall, Christine says, anyone with an autoimmune disease should not stop looking for ways to improve their health. "There is a way. With Mymee, the chance to feel better exists!"
