People get confused because my MG is so very, very fluctuating. If I were always as weak as I am during a weak spell, I would need a wheelchair all the time. If you're out in public and see a woman who can't really walk, but she has no devices to assist her, you assume she has something acute rather than something chronic.

I brought my zero-gravity recliner to the graduation because my back, shoulder, and neck muscles get tired if I have to sit for a long time in a straight chair. Someone asked me if I had just had back surgery. By the way, this is a wonderful, wonderful chair! Highly recommended for anyone with back or neck weakness. Good for any outdoor sitting, like a Little League game or a trip to the park or beach. It folds up, but it's heavier than a regular lawn chair--too heavy for me to carry far by myself.

Re: Jerry's kids: I grew up without a television (and don't have one now), so if someone said that to me, I wouldn't know what it meant. Google to the rescue tells me it's a MDA telethon thing. My question: is this a phrase any normal American would recognize immediately? If so, I think it could be very useful shorthand. I'm not sure if people know what "neuromuscular" means.

Thanks, everyone. It was 95 degrees at the graduation, and I ended up sitting in the full sun. I tolerate the heat better than most myasthenics, but evidently I have my limits--or maybe it was just the exhaustion of the trip (and the energy expenditure of getting all my little boys to look presentable!).

Abby