May is just a few days away, and we wanted to get a jump-start on spreading the word for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Awareness Month. As many out there might know, PatientsLikeMe was founded on the life experiences of brothers Stephen, Ben and Jamie Heywood. In 1998, Stephen was diagnosed with ALS and his brothers… Continue reading Speaking up for hope during ALS Awareness Month
Tag: ALS
Patients as Partners: The Perceived Medical Condition Self-Management Scale questionnaire results
Back at the beginning of April, we launched a new blog series called Patients as Partners that highlights the results and feedback PatientsLikeMe members give to questionnaires on our Open Research Exchange (ORE) platform. This time around, we’re sharing the results of the Perceived Medical Condition Self-Management Scale (PMCSMS), a health measure that looks at… Continue reading Patients as Partners: The Perceived Medical Condition Self-Management Scale questionnaire results
Uniting for hope on Rare Disease Day 2014
Today, healthcare professionals, research advocates and many people living with rare conditions are coming together to observe Rare Disease Day. It’s all about raising awareness for rare and genetic diseases, improving access to treatments and learning more about what exactly makes a condition rare. In the United States, a disease is considered rare if it… Continue reading Uniting for hope on Rare Disease Day 2014
Subjects no more: what happens when trial participants realize they hold the power in clinical trials?
When I first became involved with online communities back in 2002, I moderated a small forum for patients with ALS/MND in the UK at King’s College Hospital to connect with one another, share tips and support, and to help our care center to serve them better. One area that remains controversial even to this day… Continue reading Subjects no more: what happens when trial participants realize they hold the power in clinical trials?
Raising awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
May is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) Awareness Month. As many out there know, PatientsLikeMe was inspired by the life experiences of Stephen Heywood, who was diagnosed with this serious neurological disease back in 1998. Stephen’s brothers (Ben and Jamie) made many attempts to slow the progression of his condition, but their trial-and-error approach just wasn’t… Continue reading Raising awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Spotlighted Blogger: ALS Patient Rachael of “Notes to Self”
Welcome to the third installment of our new blog series featuring patient bloggers. Last week, we introduced you to Parkinson’s blogger Steve, and today, we’d like you to meet Rachael, a three-star member who has been a part of PatientsLikeMe’s flagship ALS community since the very beginning. In fact, she joined PatientsLikeMe in May 2006,… Continue reading Spotlighted Blogger: ALS Patient Rachael of “Notes to Self”
Rare Disease Day 2011: “Rare, But Equal”
For patients with prevalent diseases, it may be easy to find others with your condition. You meet them at clinics; you run into them when seeing your specialist; or you participate in one of the support groups in your area. For those with rare diseases, the simple act of finding another patient like you isn’t… Continue reading Rare Disease Day 2011: “Rare, But Equal”
What Does it Mean When You Have Cold Legs?
If you’ve experienced cold legs yourself, we encourage you to share your experiences to help other patients. PatientsLikeMe’s unique data-sharing platform allows you to share detailed data about all types of treatments, interventions, and lifestyle modifications that have helped you or simply had no effectHave you suddenly realized that your legs are cold? You’re sitting… Continue reading What Does it Mean When You Have Cold Legs?
One for All: A Building of Hope
As you know, we like to just check in with our members to see how you’re doing as a person, not just a patient. Today, we have a very special interview with one of our earliest members with ALS, SmoothS. We sat down with SmoothS to talk about his recent building of the first ever… Continue reading One for All: A Building of Hope
Learn More About Your Heightened Sense of Smell
The medical term for a heightened or increased sense of smell is hyperosmia. Also known as olfactory hyperesthesia and hyperesthesia olfactoria, the word “hyperosmia” is a combination of the Greek work “hyper,” meaning “above,” and the Greek word “osme,” meaning “sense of smell.” Put together, hyperosmia is an abnormally increased sensitivity to smells and odors.… Continue reading Learn More About Your Heightened Sense of Smell