Learn About MG
What is Myasthenia Gravis?
Myasthenia Gravis (MG) is a rare, chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease that causes weakness in the muscles we use every day. It can affect everyone differently, and symptoms can change from day to day.
If you or someone you love has recently been diagnosed, you may have many questions and may not know where to begin. This section is here to help you better understand MG, learn about the challenges that can come with it, and discover that you are not alone.
Whether you are living with MG, supporting someone you love, or simply want to understand more, you are welcome here.
Understanding brings awareness, and awareness helps create a more compassionate and supportive community.
Education & Awareness
Single Snowflake Myasthenia Gravis Advocacy Association is committed to raising awareness, sharing knowledge, and helping others better understand life with MG.
Through education, community outreach, and advocacy, we work to make sure people living with MG and those supporting them feel seen, understood, and connected. Here are a few things we've accomplished together.
Pamphlets in waiting rooms
Our pamphlets introduce people to Single Snowflake MGAA and Myasthenia Gravis. We place them in clinics, offices, and community spaces to help spread awareness and understanding of MG. Together, we can help more people understand MG.
Presentations
We offer educational presentations in person to workplaces, schools, community groups, and healthcare settings. Our presentations help others better understand Myasthenia Gravis, its symptoms, and what it can be like to live with an often invisible disease.
Annual MG Awareness Walk
June is proclaimed Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month in Halifax. Each year, on the last Saturday in June, we come together for our Annual MG Awareness Walk, a day to raise awareness, honor those living with MG, and bring our community together.
Just Diagnosed?
A new diagnosis of Myasthenia Gravis can bring a lot of questions, emotions, and uncertainty. You don't have to understand everything all at once.
Start here with a few important things to know about MG and take your time learning the rest as you go. We're here to help you find information, connections, and support along the way.
One step at a time. You are not alone.
You won't always feel this overwhelmed.
A new diagnosis can bring a lot of uncertainty, and it can take time to understand MG and find the right treatment approach. Everyone's journey is different, but with time, support, and appropriate medical care, things can become more manageable.
Write down your questions.
MG can sometimes make it difficult to remember everything you want to ask, especially during a busy appointment. Keeping a simple list of questions, symptoms, or concerns can help you feel more prepared and make the most of your time with your healthcare team.
Know the signs of an MG crisis
Understanding the warning signs of a myasthenic crisis can help you recognize when urgent medical attention may be needed. Take some time to learn the signs and remember that knowing what to look for can be helpful if you ever need it.
Find your MG community
For many people, meeting someone who truly understands what it's like to live with MG can be incredibly meaningful. Our founder didn't have the opportunity to meet another person living with MG until 20 years after her own diagnosis. We want to help make sure others don't have to feel that alone. Our MG Warrior Gatherings are a welcoming place to connect, share, listen, and simply be yourself. There is a place for you here.
Common Symptoms of Myasthenia Gravis
Myasthenia Gravis can affect different muscles and can look different from person to person. Common symptoms may include:
- Drooping eyelids or double vision
- Weakness in the arms or legs
- Difficulty speaking or changes in the voice
- Trouble chewing or swelling
- Facial weakness or changes in facial expression
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Muscle weakness that becomes worse with activity and improves with rest
Symptoms can change throughout the day and may vary from one day to the next. Someone may feel stronger at one time and experience more weakness later. Understanding these symptoms can help others recognize that MG may not always be visible, and that someone who looks well may still be struggling.
A day with MG
Worse with activity, better with rest. MG weakness shows up in the muscles you have been using. Tap through one example day and see what each task can bring on. Then stop, and let rest do its work.
You wake up feeling okay. Many people with MG are strongest in the morning.
Tap through the day, then stop and watch the tide come back.
- Often after: washing your hair
Arms and legs
Arms that won't stay up. Many people need a rest after washing their hair.
- Often after: eating a meal
Chewing and swallowing
Jaw and throat muscles can tire partway through a meal. Softer food helps.
- Often after: a long drive
Drooping eyelids
An eyelid can sink, often later in the day or after using the eyes a lot.
- Often after: reading and screens
Double vision
Tired eye muscles stop lining up, so one thing becomes two.
- Often after: everything, adding up
Fatigue that builds
All-over tiredness that builds with use and eases with rest.
- Often after: talking for a while
Speech and voice
Words can soften or slur the longer you talk.
- Often after: smiling, talking
Facial expression
A smile can flatten. That's the muscle, not the mood.
- Often after: stairs, exertion
Breathing
Breathing muscles can tire too. This is the one to take seriously.
This is one example, not a rule. MG looks different from one person to the next, nobody has all of these, and they come and go. If breathing or swallowing becomes difficult, read the signs of a myasthenic crisis just below.
Myasthenic Crisis
A myasthenic crisis is a serious, potentially life-threatening complication of Myasthenia Gravis. It happens when the muscles needed for breathing become severely weakened and breathing is no longer adequate. Severe weakness affecting swallowing and the muscles that help keep the airway open can also be part of a crisis. Emergency medical care and respiratory support may be needed.
A crisis can sometimes be caused by an infection, surgery, physical or emotional stress, or certain medications. However, sometimes no clear trigger can be identified and that does not mean anyone did anything wrong.
About 15–20% of people living with MG experience at least one myasthenic crisis during their lifetime. With prompt medical care and modern treatment, many people recover and go on to live with MG.
If you are experiencing significant or worsening difficulty breathing or swallowing, treat it as an emergency and call 911.
Single Snowflake MGAA is not an emergency medical service and cannot provide emergency care.
Questions we're asked a lot
Honest answers, from people who have been asked these by their own families.
I've been diagnosed. Where do I begin?
A new diagnosis of Myasthenia Gravis can bring a lot of questions and emotions. You don't have to understand everything at once.
Start by learning about MG, connect with others who understand, and give yourself time to take it one step at a time.
Is MG fatal?
For most people, Myasthenia Gravis is a manageable chronic condition, and with appropriate medical care, many people live long and fulfilling lives.
MG can have serious complications, including myasthenic crisis, but effective treatments and medical care have greatly improved outcomes.
A diagnosis of MG does not mean that your life is over. There is treatment, there is hope, and there is a future.
Why can MG be difficult to diagnose?
Myasthenia Gravis can be difficult to recognize because symptoms can vary from person to person and may come and go, and can look similar to those of other conditions.
Because MG is not always visible, a person may look well even while experiencing significant weakness or other symptoms. Learning about MG and recognizing its different signs can help increase awareness and understanding.
Is MG hereditary? Could my children develop it?
For most people with Myasthenia Gravis, MG is not directly inherited from a parent and is not something that is simply passed down to their children.
There are rare inherited forms of myasthenic disorders, but these are different from the autoimmune MG most people are familiar with.
If you have questions about your own family history or your child's health, your healthcare provider can help you understand what applies to your situation.
Can I work?
Many people living with MG continue to work, while others may need adjustments to make work more manageable. Depending on the individual, helpful adjustments may include flexible hours, regular rest breaks, working from home when needed, or limiting exposure to heat.
Everyone's MG journey is different. Finding what works best for you is part of caring for yourself and living well with MG.
