Magic Portals

We haven’t had a joke in a while, so here’s one of my favorites:

A family who lived in the backwoods was making their very first trip to the big city. Their grandfather had been taken to the hospital and they wanted to go visit him. They had never been to the city or a hospital before, so everything was going to be new for them.

When they arrived, they walked into the lobby of the hospital. They were amazed at all that was going on around them. The building was huge and there were people everywhere. The mother went to find out how they could find their grandfather’s room and left the dad and the son standing in the lobby.

As the dad and son stood there looking around, they saw an elderly woman walk up to the wall and press a button. Suddenly the wall opened to reveal a small room. The elderly woman walked into the small room and the doors closed behind her. In a couple of minutes, the doors opened again and out walked a beautiful young lady.

In amazement, the boy looked at his dad and said, “Whoa! What just happened?”

To which the father replied, “I don’t know, but go get your mother!”

When things are new or strange to us, we tend to perceive them a little differently than they actually are. Since the father and son had never seen an elevator before, they assumed it must be some kind of magic portal where an elderly woman walks in and turns into a beautiful young woman. They could only process the information based upon how it appeared, rather than what actually happened.

Myasthenia Gravis can be like that. Before I had ever even heard of the term “Myasthenia Gravis”, I was experiencing my eyelids drooping. I just assumed I was tired. When I began to have trouble walking because my legs would become so easily fatigued, I assumed it was because I was out of shape. When I experienced brain fog, I thought I was just getting old. I had a logical explanation for everything, but my perceptions of what was happening weren’t correct.

Once I saw a neurologist, I learned all these symptoms were actually related and I got a much clearer picture of what was going on. My doctor explained what Myasthenia Gravis could do and got me on a treatment regimen that helped immensely.

Regardless of whether or not you’re an MG patient, if you’re having recurring symptoms or experiencing things in your body that are unusual, go to the doctor and get them checked out. Early detection in a lot of diseases and conditions can be a lifesaver. We don’t have the medical knowledge to always know what’s happening to our bodies, so we have a tendency to assume what may be going on. Doctors, on the other hand, have the knowledge and experience to recognize symptoms, diagnose conditions and apply the proper medical treatment.

Our lack of knowledge or understanding can lead us to assume things that aren’t true. That elderly woman didn’t turn into a beautiful young lady by walking into a magical portal, but to the father and son, there didn’t appear to be any other explanation.

If you’re experiencing unusual things going on with your body, don’t try to apply logic or figure it out on your own. Talk to your doctor and let them decide if additional tests or a course of treatment is necessary. Having frank conversations with your doctor doesn’t make you a hypochondriac; it makes you astute.