As muscle tissue degenerates, whether quickly or over decades, people undergo a series of physical losses. These may include strength and balance, the ability to walk, manual ability, breathing without mechanical help and more.
Disability can bring interpersonal losses as relationships end or caregiving parents age and die.
Even positive changes, such as retirement or marriage, involve some loss. You may not identify your feelings about the losses associated with progressive disease as grief. You may have anticipated changes ahead of time and adjusted your life accordingly, with a minimum of obvious emotion. But, even when changes seem to go smoothly, every major loss has an impact. A loss caused by neuromuscular disease can be like losing a part of yourself or your identity.