1st time in 9 months

Guess what? For the first time in 9 months, I drove!!! Any MGer reading this will completely understand my excitement about that. Everyone else, let me explain.

In October 2012 I had an exasperation of MG which resulted in a hospital stay of a month and a half. I didn't feel much better and couldn't do much of anything on my own. I improved a little but I then returned to Chicago from San Antonio and thus started the setting up of surgery. It was supposed to happen fairly quickly but it got postponed. So then I was in the hospital another month and a half March through all of April for the plasmapheresis, thymectomy and complication of pulmonary embolism. I've been out of the hospital 2 months and feel about the same that I did going into the hospital in March.

The biggest reason for not driving up until now is my MG of course, the weakness. Unless you have it you'll never really understand how rapidly someone with MG goes weak and how suddenly without notice it can come on. 1 that's a slightly scary concern being in a car. and 2 driving somewhere means I need to walk because I can't take the wheel chair myself (I cannot lift it in/out of the car and I cannot push myself in it as MG is also arms just as bad sometimes worse) and I cannot walk far. This presents a problem.

But after being so dependent on others for so long I just went for it today. My mom said she was going to the grocery store. I bounced into the room and said "Show me how to use your car, I'm going to drive." and that I did. Probably the best way to do it to not think twice and back out. Crazy how driving comes back to you like you just did it yesterday. Though my mom looked about as terrified as can be LOL. She shouldn't... I drive more like an old lady than probably anyone she knows. She even got into the seat and commented that I have it closer to the stearing wheel than she does when she is shorter than I am haha. Knock on wood for successful grandma driving, never had a ticket or even been pulled over! Really, knock on wood, don't want to ruin my streak.

Anyways, back to my story. She only had to get one thing and I wanted to get one thing so I decided to go in even though we didn't have the wheel chair. Well by the time I got back to the car I was out of breath and extremely fatigued- that's MG for you. So she drove home. This explains why I can't really drive. But at least now I know I can drive a short distance to do something very quick like pick up food in a drive through (how wonderful ay?) or maybe Walgreens/another very small store. But it's something, it's a start! I'll still pray my MG improves so I can do more!

You know what I want? I want to be able to hike again, to play basketball again, to run again, to draw again without doing so at 5 minute intervals because my arms get tired, to make plans without knowing the strong possibility of not being able to stick to them, to shop on my own, to have the energy I used to have. But we don't always get what we want, so we have to be happy with what we already have. And happy I am with my 5 minutes of driving! I'm now on the road to recovery... literally... ha ha bad joke.

I was going to talk on another topic but then this came up and I talk too much so I'll leave it with just that today. If anything it gives a little more insight into a life with MG. Life is different but you really start to value every little thing much much more. Thank you God for all You have given me!