On the last day of February, people around the world recognized “Rare Disease Day.” For people suffering from those conditions, it’s an opportunity to bring awareness to the illnesses affecting them.
“You feel very isolated especially since it’s not a well known disease,” said Beverly Watrous, a Myrtle Beach resident who said in her 30s, she started showing symptoms of Myasthenia Gravis.
She said she started experiencing double vision and slurred speech and as the years progressed, she said symptoms started to get worse and more started appearing.
It took about 20 years, she said, for her to get properly diagnosed.
“I didn’t really attribute it to anything and then much later I started where I couldn’t hold my arms up, I couldn’t lift them up to wash my hair,” said Watrous.
She said Myasthenia Gravis is an autoimmune disease of the neuromuscular junction. Watrous said she experienced many of the common symptoms from difficulty chewing to muscle weakness and double vision.
For her, daily activities like cooking, she said, involved too much strength.
“You have a certain feeling and then it becomes pain and then it’s disconnect and you’re finding you can’t swallow, you can’t chew,” said Watrous.
The Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America website said doctors aren’t sure what causes the disease. B the site said there are effective treatments even though there is no known cure.
“Doctors now are much more familiar with it but there was a time when not many doctors were familiar with it so you really need to be very proactive,” said Watrous.
Watrous said she’s sharing her story so people are aware and said she hopes her story will make more people pay attention to early signs so they’re able to get diagnosed and treated.
She said anyone living with Myasthenia Gravis is welcome to join her support group in Myrtle Beach.
The group meets the second Saturday of every month from 1-3pm at 4620 Dick Pond Road in the AA Health building. For more information on the Myrtle Beach support group, call (843) 504-8063.
