When you are diagnosed with a life-changing illness, your doctor may prepare you for how the disease will affect your physical functions. But as our members point out, patients also need to be prepared for the changes in physical appearance they may experience. For example, how do you deal with hair loss, facial swelling, weight… Continue reading Coping with Changes in Physical Appearance
What Would You Tell Yourself 10 Years Ago?
The beginning of a new year is always a time for reflection. You look back, you look ahead and you try to find the big picture. For patients living with chronic health conditions, a new year can be an opportunity to implement and share lessons learned along the way – about how to cope, manage… Continue reading What Would You Tell Yourself 10 Years Ago?
A Patient Poem for the Modern Age
Can you be friends with someone you’ve never met in person? The members of our online health community – now 300, 000+ patients strong – think so. In fact, many of them say they depend on other members for support and encouragement, and for the all-important reminder that they are not alone. As evidence, here… Continue reading A Patient Poem for the Modern Age
My War with Psoriasis: An Interview with British Blogger Simon
Welcome to the latest installment of our “Spotlighted Blogger” series. Earlier this year, we focused on psoriasis bloggers, including Lissa, Alisha B., Jessica and Joni, and today we’re pleased to add a male perspective to the mix. PatientsLikeMe member Simon’s witty blog, entitled My Skin and I, discusses his decade-long battle with psoriasis, a chronic autoimmune condition that… Continue reading My War with Psoriasis: An Interview with British Blogger Simon
Searching for a Diagnosis: An Interview with Lyme Disease Patient Pampe
Getting the right diagnosis can take many years, or in the case of PatientsLikeMe patient Pampe, many decades. After experiencing her first Lyme disease symptom in 1973, it was not until 2012 that she finally received a diagnosis that explained her many symptoms. Discover what hindered the process and what’s she learned along the way… Continue reading Searching for a Diagnosis: An Interview with Lyme Disease Patient Pampe
The Five Different Types of Psoriasis
On Monday, we recognized World Psoriasis Day on our blog, and today we’d like to dig a little deeper into this lifelong autoimmune condition, which can cause skin lesions on almost any area of the body as well as psoriatic arthritis. Did you know that there are several types of psoriasis, and that they can… Continue reading The Five Different Types of Psoriasis
Spotlighted Author: Parkinson’s Humorist Bev Ribaudo on Dispensing Laughter
PatientsLikeMe member Bev Ribaudo (“YumaBev”) was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) at age 47, but it hasn’t dampened her flair for comedy. “Humor comes naturally to me, and a little disease like Parkinson’s can’t take it away,” she says. In fact, her condition has given her a new purpose: entertaining other “Parkies” with her deep… Continue reading Spotlighted Author: Parkinson’s Humorist Bev Ribaudo on Dispensing Laughter
What to Do – and Not Do – When Someone Has a Mental Health Condition
Have you ever wondered how best to interact with someone who is living with depression, bipolar disorder or another mental health condition? Have you worried that you’re saying or doing the wrong things? Today we thought we’d share with you some of the tips suggested by our members in a ongoing forum discussion entitled “What… Continue reading What to Do – and Not Do – When Someone Has a Mental Health Condition
Rediscovering Life’s Simple Pleasures: An Interview with a Heart Patient
Last week, we recognized World Heart Day on the blog and discussed why there is an urgent need for awareness about heart disease and stroke, the world’s number one killer. We also talked about how heart disease can be an abstract concept until you are exposed to someone’s personal story. That’s why we are pleased… Continue reading Rediscovering Life’s Simple Pleasures: An Interview with a Heart Patient
How Social Media Is Changing Research (Part II): A Guest Post by MS Clinical Trial Participant and Blogger Jeri Burtchell
Today’s guest post is written by PatientsLikeMe member Jeri Burtchell (TickledPink), who has been living with multiple sclerosis (MS) for 13 years. A tie dye apparel store owner and mother of two, she writes a blog entitled “Gilenya and Me: My Story of Being an MS Patient, a Hypochondriac and a Guinea Pig.” Her patient… Continue reading How Social Media Is Changing Research (Part II): A Guest Post by MS Clinical Trial Participant and Blogger Jeri Burtchell