In Health Watch: A living nightmare...That's how one woman describes her experience with a rare disease.The condition called myasthenia gravis caused her to become so weak she couldn't walk, talk or swallow.Vivien Williams tells us how medication and minimally invasive surgery helped her regain her strength... and her life. To Samantha Monkemeier, a walk in the woods is an amazing gift.Samantha has myasthenia gravis. A condition that causes her muscles to become very weak.She says, 'the first thing that happened with me was i lost my speech. Then i couldn't swallow. My legs would just give out.'Dr. Brian Crum says, 'Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease of the muscle, and it's caused by antibodies in the blood attacking the muscle and destroying the connection between the nerve and muscle.'Dr. Brian Crum says it's not clear why this happens, but in some patients the condition may develop in part because of a small gland called the thymus.Medications such as steroids can reverse and control symptoms, as they did for Samantha.But another option is to remove the thymus gland. During the traditional operation, doctors access the thymus gland by splitting the breast bone.But Dr. Stephen Cassivi uses a minimally invasive approach. First he makes a two to three inch incision in the neck.Then he places a special retractor that lifts the breast bone, allowing access to the thymus, which is underneath the breastbone.With specialized tools and a video scope, he then removes the entire thymus gland through the small incision.Dr. Steven Cassivi says, 'When you remove the thymus gland, it's not an immediate effect. It takes time for the body to wash out the effects that the thymus gland was having."Samantha had the surgery and is in the process of weaning off her medications. Her hope is that she can live symptom-free without needing medication.Samantha says, "I have my strength back."For Medical Edge, I'm Vivien Williams.For more information, visit the Medical Edge Website at our Featured Links.