After five years of dealing with undiagnosed multiple hepatic adenomas (hemorrhaging tumors), PatientsLikeMe member Amy Tippins underwent a liver transplant in 1993. Two years ago, she received a ligament allograft using donor tissue. How does she feel about it all today? Check out our interview with this transplant activist to learn how these experiences led… Continue reading Love Your Scars: An Interview with Transplant Recipient Amy Tippins
Category: Organ Transplants
Coping with Holiday Stress and Blues
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Or is it? The holidays can be a time of merriment and joy marked by festive parties and family reunions. But they can also be quite challenging. Despite the great cheer advertised everywhere you look, some people find themselves struggling with stress, anxiety, loneliness and/or depression. This… Continue reading Coping with Holiday Stress and Blues
What Patients Are Thankful For
Thanksgiving is a time for remembering all the reasons you have to be grateful. For patients who face numerous health challenges, this can mean reminding yourself of all the things you have gained – not lost – since your diagnosis. One theme that we’re especially proud to hear our 120,000+ members express is how thankful… Continue reading What Patients Are Thankful For
Giving Caregivers the Recognition They Deserve
“The true strength of the American family finds its roots in an unwavering commitment to care for one another.” – President Barack Obama November is National Family Caregivers Month, “a time to thank, support, educate and empower family caregivers.” There are more than 65 million family caregivers in the US who day in and day… Continue reading Giving Caregivers the Recognition They Deserve
It’s the Season for Seasonal Affective Disorder
Now that daylight savings time has ended, the days are shorter, and before you know it, it’s nightfall. Has this affected your mood? Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as seasonal depression, is a condition marked by a period of depression that occurs during the same season year after year. In most cases, that season… Continue reading It’s the Season for Seasonal Affective Disorder
Battling the Complications: An Interview with Diabetes Patient Michael Burke (Part II)
Last week, in Part I of this interview, PatientsLikeMe member and blogger Michael Burke shared his sister Linda’s struggle with type 1 diabetes. Today, we learn about his own type 1 diabetes journey, including his June 2011 kidney transplant as a result of diabetes-induced kidney failure. 1. What diabetes complications have you faced? Diabetes is… Continue reading Battling the Complications: An Interview with Diabetes Patient Michael Burke (Part II)
Remembering My Sister Linda: An Interview with Diabetes Patient Michael Burke (Part I)
As we’ve discussed in recent blog posts, November is American Diabetes Month. To help you learn about diabetes from a patient’s point of view, we interviewed Michael Burke, a PatientsLikeMe member who writes “Life on the T List”, a blog about his life as a diabetic before and after a kidney transplant. But as you’ll soon… Continue reading Remembering My Sister Linda: An Interview with Diabetes Patient Michael Burke (Part I)
What Patients Are Saying About Physical Therapy
Mobile. Active. Independent. How close are you or the patient in your life to those attributes? October is National Physical Therapy Month, which is designed the highlight the role of physical therapy (PT) in restoring and improving motion. According to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), the benefits can include enhanced quality of life as… Continue reading What Patients Are Saying About Physical Therapy
How’s Your HDL and LDL?
September is National Cholesterol Education Month, which means it’s a good time to find out your total cholesterol levels as well as your HDL (“good” cholesterol) and LDL (“bad” cholesterol) levels. Have you had them checked in the last five years? More than 102 million Americans have a total cholesterol level at or above 200… Continue reading How’s Your HDL and LDL?
PatientsLikeMe Calls All Patients With Any Condition to Join
Today, PatientsLikeMe announces its expansion in the following news release. ***** CAMBRIDGE, MA–(Marketwire – April 11, 2011) – Today, PatientsLikeMe (www.patientslikeme.com) announces the expansion of its platform and invites patients with any condition to join. The five-year-old free online health data-sharing website was previously only available to patients with 22 chronic conditions (including ALS, Parkinson’s disease, HIV,… Continue reading PatientsLikeMe Calls All Patients With Any Condition to Join