The Dual Diagnosis Diaries: 💜 Moving with MG — When Everyday Tasks Become Extraordinary Challenges

📖 Dear Diary,

I’m moving!

New home. New beginnings. A fresh start.

Sounds exciting, right?

Well, let me tell you something.

Absolutely NOTHING about this move has gone according to plan.

Not the timing. Not the process. Not the experience.

And apparently, my body decided it wasn’t going to cooperate either.

Because honestly, nothing else about this move went as planned, so why on earth would my body comply? 🙄😂

I guess Myasthenia Gravis (MG) didn’t want to feel left out of the chaos.

And let me tell you, MG has made her presence known!

📦 Moving Is Hard. Moving with MG? That’s a Different Story.

Now, before anyone asks, YES, I hired professional movers.

I may be stubborn, but I’m not completely unreasonable. 😂

However, there are certain things I prefer to move myself. Personal belongings, smaller items, and those things you just don’t want anyone else handling.

Sounds simple enough.

Except apparently, my muscles didn’t receive the memo.

I’m not talking about carrying furniture down flights of stairs or lifting ridiculously heavy boxes.

I’m talking about moving around my bedroom.

Packing. Organizing. Picking things up. Putting things away.

Ordinary activities.

Yet here I am, breathing like I just completed a marathon.

And every fifteen minutes?

Break time!

Not because I want one.

Not because I’m being lazy.

But because my body is making it abundantly clear that continuing without resting isn’t an option.

🫁 When Breathing Becomes Part of the Work

Here’s what people may not understand about living with MG.

Just because I stop moving doesn’t mean my breathing immediately returns to normal.

After approximately fifteen minutes of activity, I’m breathing heavily enough that I need to stop.

So I sit down.

I rest.

I wait.

And I’m still breathing heavily.

Not as heavily as when I was moving around, but enough to remind me that my body hasn’t fully recovered.

It takes approximately ONE HOUR of sitting still before my breathing finally returns to normal.

AN HOUR!

For fifteen minutes of activity!

Let that sink in.

I’m spending four times as long recovering from an activity as I spent actually doing it.

At this rate, I’ll finish unpacking sometime next year. 🙄😂

And the entire time, I’m looking around at everything that still needs to be done, thinking:

Ma’am, we’re just packing a bedroom. Why are we breathing like we’re climbing Mount Everest?

But that’s the reality of MG.

Sometimes the smallest physical activities demand the greatest amount of energy.

And sometimes resting doesn’t provide the immediate relief you desperately need.

💜 Understanding Why MG Makes Everyday Activities Difficult

For those unfamiliar with Myasthenia Gravis, MG is a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease that disrupts communication between nerves and muscles.

This disruption causes muscle weakness that often worsens with repeated activity and improves with rest.

But here’s the part that isn’t always obvious.

MG doesn’t affect everyone the same way.

Some people experience weakness primarily in their eyes, face, or limbs.

Others experience difficulties with speaking, swallowing, or breathing.

And for those of us with respiratory involvement, even seemingly minor physical activities can become physically demanding.

In my case, MG has affected my diaphragm and other muscles involved in breathing.

So when I say moving around my bedroom leaves me struggling to catch my breath, I’m not exaggerating.

My body is working harder than the activity itself would suggest.

And while rest may eventually improve my symptoms, the amount of time it takes to recover is a reminder that my physical limitations are very real.

It’s also a reminder that significant breathing changes with MG deserve medical attention, even when symptoms eventually improve.

🧠 The Mental Battle Nobody Sees

Here’s the thing about living with chronic illness.

Sometimes the hardest part isn’t the physical limitation.

It’s the mental adjustment.

My mind knows exactly what needs to be done.

I have a plan.

I have a schedule.

I have things to accomplish.

But MG?

MG has apparently decided we’re operating on a completely different timeline.

And that is frustrating.

Because I remember when I could push through a task without having to calculate how much energy it would require.

Now, something as simple as packing my bedroom requires strategy.

Fifteen minutes of activity.

An hour of recovery.

And a growing list of things that still need to be done.

Meanwhile, my brain is saying, Girl, we have an entire apartment to move!

And MG is responding, That sounds like a personal problem. 🙄😂

🌻 Learning That Rest Is Part of the Process

Living with MG has forced me to redefine what productivity looks like.

There was a time when I measured accomplishment by how much I could get done in a day.

Now?

Sometimes accomplishment means recognizing when my body needs a break.

Sometimes it means asking for help.

And sometimes it means accepting that everything doesn’t have to happen today.

That doesn’t mean I’ve stopped being independent.

It means I’m learning that independence doesn’t always look the way it used to.

I can still be determined without pushing my body beyond its limits.

And perhaps that’s one of the hardest lessons chronic illness continues to teach me.

Because slowing down doesn’t come naturally to someone who has spent most of her life figuring out how to get things done.

But MG doesn’t particularly care about my personality, my determination, or my to-do list.

She has her own agenda.

And apparently, today that agenda involves sitting down and doing absolutely nothing for an hour.

💭 Reflection Corner

This move is teaching me something about living with chronic illness.

There is a difference between giving up and recognizing your limitations.

Taking a break doesn’t mean I’m defeated.

Asking for help doesn’t mean I’m incapable.

And accomplishing something slowly doesn’t make the accomplishment any less meaningful.

But I’m also learning that listening to my body means more than simply waiting for symptoms to pass.

It means recognizing when something isn’t right and taking it seriously.

Especially when breathing is involved.

Because while I may be determined to finish this move, there is absolutely nothing in those boxes worth risking my health over.

My new beginning will still be waiting for me when I’m ready.

And if MG thinks she’s going to steal the excitement of this next chapter, she’s mistaken.

She may have forced me to reconsider the schedule, but she doesn’t get to take away the joy.

Although, at this point, I’m seriously considering putting MG in a box and letting the movers deal with her. 📦😂💜

🎵 Music Playing…

“Unwritten” — Natasha Bedingfield 🎶

Because even when life forces us to slow down, every new beginning is still an opportunity to write another chapter.

And this next chapter?

I’m determined to make it a good one.

Even if getting there takes a little longer than expected.

💜 A Question for My Readers

For those living with MG or another chronic illness, have you ever found yourself struggling with something that used to be second nature?

How do you handle the frustration when your mind is ready to keep going, but your body insists on slowing down?

And have you ever had to completely rethink how you approach an everyday activity because of your health?

I’d love to hear your experiences.

Because sometimes the greatest comfort comes from knowing we’re not navigating these challenges alone.

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💜 Until Next Time…

Living with chronic illness means constantly adjusting expectations, redefining strength, and learning to celebrate progress differently.

Some days, strength looks like accomplishing everything on your to-do list.

Other days, strength looks like recognizing when it’s time to stop.

And today?

Strength looks like accepting that my body needs more than a fifteen-minute break, that I may need additional help, and that finishing this move isn’t worth compromising my health.

Because the goal isn’t simply to finish moving.

The goal is to make it to my new beginning without sacrificing my health along the way.

One box. One break. One breath at a time.

💜🦋

Kia Lorice
Founder • Author • Advocate • Future Wellness Coach
The Dual Diagnosis Diaries
Living with Crohn’s Disease, Myasthenia Gravis, and everything life throws in between.

🌐 thedualdiagnosisdiaries.com