Estimated reading time: 7 minutes Clinical Trials Explained Often, we hear of new treatments becoming available, but have you ever wondered what each new treatment has to go through to get approved by a regulatory body like the FDA? Before a new treatment is approved for commercialization, it needs to go through a meticulous trial… Continue reading From Preclinical to Approval: How Clinical Trials Bring New Treatments to Market
Tag: patient interview
The Surprising Benefits of Summer for Your Psoriasis
7.5 million Americans and 125 million people worldwide are living with psoriasis. Some factors can make the summer months challenging for people with psoriasis, including dry air conditioning, increased sweating, and feeling self-conscious about exposing your skin. However, it is not all bad news – the summer also provides a few surprising ways to improve your… Continue reading The Surprising Benefits of Summer for Your Psoriasis
Lupus Weight Gain: Q&A with the founder of Making Lupus Look Good
Alyshia Merchant knows first-hand how lupus can affect you inside and out. After her diagnosis in 2012 and struggles with visible symptoms and self-esteem, she launched an organization called Making Lupus Look Good, which provides wigs and “glam sessions” to people with lupus-related hair loss and other symptoms. The organization currently serves people in Alyshia’s home… Continue reading Lupus Weight Gain: Q&A with the founder of Making Lupus Look Good
PF Awareness Month
September is Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month, and in honor of that, we’re rounding up what members of the PatientsLikeMe community have shared about pulmonary fibrosis on our blog. First off, for those who don’t know – what is pulmonary fibrosis (PF)? It’s a chronic, progressive scarring or thickening of the lungs, which makes it difficult for… Continue reading PF Awareness Month
“Everyone needs a “Me too!” moment” – Member Shannon on exposing her truth
“With every part of me that becomes less than what it used to be, a different part of me usually becomes more than what it used to be. In fact, maybe that’s the point, but it doesn’t make it any less difficult.” Shannon (Sna2164) is a wife, mother, animal lover and writer, living in southern California. She was officially… Continue reading “Everyone needs a “Me too!” moment” – Member Shannon on exposing her truth
“I finally feel like there is hope for me to have a life that has purpose.” – Member Robin shares her story living with complex PTSD
Robin (survivinglife) is a PatientsLikeMe member living with complex PTSD. Recently, she shared her story with us, from her childhood to now, delving into the hardships she’s faced and how she continues to find the courage to forge through. Content within this story may be triggering for some readers. Here’s her story… I am a… Continue reading “I finally feel like there is hope for me to have a life that has purpose.” – Member Robin shares her story living with complex PTSD
“There were so many people asking the things that I was too afraid to ask”
It’s the 10-year anniversary of the MS community, and we’re sharing a story from one of our members, Jackie (OldSalt). Jackie was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in 2007 and more recently, her condition transitioned to secondary progressive MS (SPMS). She found PatientsLikeMe in 2008 and believes that being part of the site over… Continue reading “There were so many people asking the things that I was too afraid to ask”
Meeting PF patients where they are
Say hello to John (John_R), a father, grandfather and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) survivor. Sound familiar? Last year he shared his story about life after a double lung transplant and the importance of considering a lung transplant early. This year, John started a Facebook group to live-stream pulmonary fibrosis (PF) support group meetings and conferences.… Continue reading Meeting PF patients where they are
Oceans of Hope: An interview with PatientsLikeMe member Beth
Beth (sailebeb) has been living with MS since 2010, but it hasn’t stopped her from leading an active lifestyle. In the spring of 2015, she joined a crew of MS patients on a sailing trip from Tahiti to American Samoa. The journey was organized by the Sailing Sclerosis project, Oceans of Hope, to change perceptions that people… Continue reading Oceans of Hope: An interview with PatientsLikeMe member Beth
“We are the ones that know what is required to give us the care we deserve” — Member Ann shares her story for Rare Disease Day
February 29 only comes around every four years – and this year, it’s extra special: Today marks the 9th annual Rare Disease Day. In the United States, a disease is considered rare if it affects less than 200,000 people at any given time.1 This year’s theme is all about elevating the patient voice, so we caught up with… Continue reading “We are the ones that know what is required to give us the care we deserve” — Member Ann shares her story for Rare Disease Day