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
Category: Patient Experiences
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
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 have very different presentations? Here’s a quick primer on the five… 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
Rediscovering Life’s Simple Pleasures: An Interview with a Heart Patient
We are pleased to introduce you to Alan, a PatientsLikeMe member who is living with congestive heart failure (CHF) following a heart attack. A few years ago, he had a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) – or a battery-operated mechanical pump – surgically implanted to help his heart continue to pump blood to his body. … Continue reading Rediscovering Life’s Simple Pleasures: An Interview with a Heart Patient
Snapping the Glove on Prostate Cancer Awareness: An Interview with Dan Hennessey
Canadian Dan Hennessey (Goalie at PatientsLikeMe) started out as a prostate cancer patient. Today, following successful treatment, he is not only a prostate cancer survivor, but an author, speaker and activist in the prostate cancer awareness movement. In honor of National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, we’ve interviewed Dan to learn about his experience and find… Continue reading Snapping the Glove on Prostate Cancer Awareness: An Interview with Dan Hennessey
What Part of MS Are You Most Afraid of?
Can facing your fears help you come to terms with them? That’s the idea behind a recent discussion in our multiple sclerosis (MS) forum, in which one member asked, “What part of MS are you most afraid of?” The answers poured in from dozens of MS members who found it cathartic to reveal their true… Continue reading What Part of MS Are You Most Afraid of?
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