Surviving Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

It’s Men’s Health Week, and we’re featuring the perspectives of – you guessed it – men.  Following tiredoftired’s guest post about depression on Monday, we are pleased to present this poignant essay by longtime PatientsLikeMe member and mentor Rick N, who has lived with multiple sclerosis (MS) for 23 years. I am a 58-year-old man… Continue reading Surviving Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

Mike Wallace, Depression and Me

In honor of Men’s Health Week, we are pleased to present a guest post by PatientsLikeMe member tiredoftired, a young man who has been living with major depressive disorder since 2007.  Don’t miss this moving essay about how Mike Wallace’s passing earlier this year impacted and inspired him. As I was driving to therapy on… Continue reading Mike Wallace, Depression and Me

Someone Like Me

We are pleased to present a guest post by PatientsLikeMe member Jasmine, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in her mid-twenties.  Don’t miss this beautiful essay about the commonalities between all patients who have lost functionality – regardless of how different their conditions might seem. I recently met someone that happened to be just like me… Continue reading Someone Like Me

Spotlighted Blogger: Meet Jessica of “Jessica and Psoriasis”

Welcome to the latest installment of our “Spotlighted Blogger” series.  This spring we are focusing on psoriasis patient bloggers, starting with Lissa back in March and Alisha B. a few weeks ago. Today, we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Gough, a 19-year-old from the UK who recently started a blog called Jessica and Psoriasis.… Continue reading Spotlighted Blogger: Meet Jessica of “Jessica and Psoriasis”

Spotlighted Blogger: Psoriasis Patient Alisha B. of “Being Me in My Own Skin”

Welcome to the latest installment of our “Spotlighted Blogger” series.  So far, we’ve interviewed patient bloggers living with gastroparesis, type I diabetes, bipolar I disorder, Parkinson’s disease and ALS, and today we introduce Alisha B., who felt alone in her struggles with psoriasis until “coming out” on her blog, Being Me in My Own Skin. Alisha is currently participating in… Continue reading Spotlighted Blogger: Psoriasis Patient Alisha B. of “Being Me in My Own Skin”

ALS Patients Reporting Their Health Status over the Internet Just as Reliable as a Clinician in a Hospital

At PatientsLikeMe we’ve been collecting self-reported data about patients with ALS (PALS) since 2006 – over 5,000 PALS to be exact! ALS is a disease that causes muscle wasting in the arms, legs, head and chest, which leads to problems walking, eating, and even communicating. However, unlike a disease like diabetes where there’s a blood… Continue reading ALS Patients Reporting Their Health Status over the Internet Just as Reliable as a Clinician in a Hospital

Love Your Scars: An Interview with Transplant Recipient Amy Tippins

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

Meet ALS “Treat Us Now” Steering Committee Member Tom Murphy

You may remember our interview with ALS advocate Debra Quinn from last fall.  Today, we’d like to introduce you to another ALS patient activist in our midst:  Tom Murphy, a PatientsLikeMe member since January 2011.  As part of the ALS Treat Us Now nonprofit group, Tom and several other ALS patients around the country have… Continue reading Meet ALS “Treat Us Now” Steering Committee Member Tom Murphy

Spotlighted Blogger: Parkinson’s Patient Steve Ploussard of “Attitude & Fitness Wins”

Please meet Steve Ploussard, a longtime PatientsLikeMe member who writes a blog about living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) called “Attitude & Fitness Wins.”  Since the original post date, the blog no longer exists. Steve decided that blogging was the perfect way to “come out” about his Parkinson’s diagnosis and become more at ease with it.… Continue reading Spotlighted Blogger: Parkinson’s Patient Steve Ploussard of “Attitude & Fitness Wins”

Spotlighted Blogger: Bipolar patient Andrea of “Lithium and Lamictal”

How do we know we’re truly living in a Health 2.0 age?  Recently, we’ve discovered that a number of PatientsLikeMe members have fascinating blogs chronicling what it’s like to live with their respective health conditions. For example, we told you in August about the acclaimed gastroparesis blog “My Broken Stomach,” written by one of our… Continue reading Spotlighted Blogger: Bipolar patient Andrea of “Lithium and Lamictal”