The Value of Openness: The PatientsLikeMe Blog

PatientsLikeMe made the following announcement last night at the TEDMED conference.  For more on Jamie Heywood’s presentation, check out what people are saying on Twitter.

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PATIENTSLIKEME ADDS ONLINE COMMUNITY FOR PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME
Researchers Use Open Medical Network to Measure Real-World Impact of XMRV Virus

Cambridge, MA–October 30, 2009–PatientsLikeMe (www.patientslikeme.com), the leading online community for people with life-changing conditions, announces the expansion of its fibromyalgia community to welcome patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also know as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). By sharing information about their experience with CFS, patients can now find others just like them, including other patients who may have the newly discovered xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV). The purpose of this expansion is for PatientsLikeMe to research the impact XMRV has on CFS patients.

“With 1 million patients diagnosed with CFS, and potentially 10 million Americans who could be infected with the XMRV virus, there is an unique opportunity to use the power of our open medical network to understand this illness and accelerate the validation and development of new biomarkers and treatments,” says Jamie Heywood, co-founder and chairman of PatientsLikeMe.

There are currently more than 7,000 patients, many who have CFS, in the PatientsLikeMe fibromyalgia community sharing meaningful data for researchers to analyze about the condition. As part of this expansion, the PatientsLikeMe platform will allow patients who test positive for XMRV to indicate that on their profiles, much how ALS and Parkinson’s patients can now add their genetic information.

Adds David S. Williams III, head of business development at PatientsLikeMe, “This discovery may spur research into the efficacy of anti-retrovirals for patients with CFS, which could have a dramatic impact on the $10 billion market for these medications.”

Heywood will announce the new CFS community on stage at the health technology conference TEDMED in San Diego, CA today. CFS marks the 17th condition available to patients on PatientsLikeMe, which now boasts more than 45,000 patients sharing health data on treatments, symptoms and outcomes. The company’s next community for people with epilepsy is scheduled to launch in early 2010. More about PatientsLikeMe partnerships can be found on its partner site: http://partners.patientslikeme.com.

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Did you know that yesterday was Fibromyalgia Awareness Day?

The PatientsLikeMe Fibromyalgia community is growing exponentially with more than 3400+ members just five months after its launch!  Many  of our members are feeling newly empowered by their membership in our community and are attending events, wearing pins and ribbons and taking the time to spread awareness about what it’s like to live with fibromyalgia.

This sharing mirrors the sharing they do on the site. At PatientsLikeMe, members build their profiles by sharing information about their condition, such as symptoms and treatments.  Top treatments cited to date include rest, heating pads, walking, stretching and the drug Lyrica.  The most commonly listed symptom is pain, followed by fatigue, memory problems and lower back pain.  In addition to sharing health information, patient members also share their personal experiences and tips with each other.  In our forum these past few months, patients have discussed all kinds of topics, including finding the right doctor, coping with pain and fatigue and how to explain how they really feel to their friends and family.

With all this sharing, patients are learning more about themselves, helping each other better understand this condition, and improving their overall quality of life. In fact, in a recent survey amongst some of our members with fibromyalgia, 85% of our respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement - “I feel better about myself because of the recognition by others at PatientsLikeMe that my condition is real.”

If you are not already sharing and learning with other patients like you, we invite you to join our community here at PatientsLikeMe.

13.1 grueling miles.  A half marathon.  Running that distance for anyone is a challenge that takes months of training and dedication.  Imagine running that distance having fibromyalgia.

My close friend and PatientsLikeMe member, Minnie Lee, has fibromyalgia and courageously ran in the Surf City Half Marathon last Sunday.  This wasn’t even her first time running it.  She has dedicated herself to running and finishing half marathons and triathlons despite her disease.  Pain or no pain, Minnie finishes.

PatientsLikeMe was there to sponsor and encourage Minnie to achieve her goal:  finish in under 3 hours.  “I run because so many people can’t,” says Minnie breathlessly through tears after crossing the finish line.  Supported by close friends Shirley Huang and Lilian Tham, Minnie finished strong despite the pain.

Yes, Patients Like Minnie can run 13.1 miles!

For more inspirational videos from our fibromyalgia community, visit www.youtube.com/PatientsLikeMeFibro.

As we end the year, we give you the last 2008 video from PatientsLikeMe and the first of our new fibromyalgia community.  We asked this newly launched community to tell us “How are you overcoming fibromyalgia?”  This is what they had to say:

Thanks to all of you who contributed your “voice” to this video.   It’s truly a reflection of patients helping patients live better every day.  We look forward to hearing more voices in 2009!

Happy New Year!

PatientsLikeMe’s David S. Williams sits down with well-known blogger, triathlete and fibromyalgia patient, Minnie Lee.   Lee, an early member of our new fibromylagia community which launched this week, has a public profile on the site.

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	(David) When were you diagnosed with fibromyalgia and when were your first symptoms?
	(Minnie) I was diagnosed in late 2002.  However, my first symptoms started as early as 1998, and then became more prevalent and frequent in late 2000.
	(David) How has fibromyalgia changed your life?
	(Minnie) On its onset, the changes were negative.   I couldn’t engage in my usual social activities and I was getting sick more often than I was used to.  It was a shock to me, having always been such a healthy person all my life.  I limited myself even further using my “strangely named illness” as a crutch, which led me to be even more dormant.  That was early on.However, in the past 2-3 years, I have to say that fibromyalgia changed my life for the better.  It has given me purpose in life - to improve my own life and help others improve theirs by example of exercise, healthy eating and proper treatments.That said, while I still manage a fairly active and busy lifestyle– from having a full-time job to training for triathlons– I did have to make certain adjustments in my life to make sure I can work within my limitations.  First of all, I had to make the huge adjustment mentally to be ok with admitting that there are just certain things I can’t do.  For a type A person like me, it was one of the most difficult things I had to change (and it took a while).  I limit the number of errands I run in a day, even if I have a much longer list of things to do.  I spread them out over several days - which requires planning some things ahead.  To ensure I get good sleep (in both quality and quantity) to accommodate my training regimen, I make choices every day that make sleep and rest a priority.  If this means limiting my social engagements and having to cancel certain commitments, so be it.  I also had to make a mental shift at work to not get as affected by stressful situations, which has helped me greatly.
	(David) What motivates you to train for triathlons and half-marathons?
	(Minnie) There are three major factors that motivate me. First and foremost, this was my promise with God - to turn this negative situation around into a positive one.  I made a promise to swim, bike and run to not only help myself but to help others find hope in their every day lives.  Secondly, it is my fellow patients that motivate me to get up and moving.  I know there are people out there whose conditions have gotten so bad that they cannot engage in any kind of exercise.  I can’t imagine the pain and suffering they go through, and I want to dedicate my races to them, while giving hope to others that anything is possible.  I know that these endurance races are a rather extreme measure to promote the benefits of exercise, but I think by doing something extreme I can make a better point about what we’re capable of.  (If I can do a triathlon/half-marathon, you can definitely go for a walk and see how you feel!)  Lastly, my motivation is my own past.  Four to five years ago I was drowning in self-pity, dependent on muscle relaxants and pain killers, spending a lot of my leisure time in bed, and was frequently missing work enough to make me feel concerned about keeping my job.  They were some of the darkest days of my life.  Now, all I have to do is remember those days to get myself moving on a tough day.
	(David) How do you see PatientsLikeMe helping the fibromyalgia community?
	(Minnie) Launching a community site for fibromyalgia on PatientsLikeMe has significant meaning.  First of all, it adds to the recent recognition the illness has been gaining in the medical community.  It is time for any discussion of this illness being real or not to be over and done with.  Secondly, and more importantly, it has massive potential of being a crucial resource for patients that lack information and options about their conditions, by having every possible symptom and treatments laid out in one central source.  Additionally, patients can and will find friends that understand what they go through (and we don’t have many of those, because fibromyalgia is still a foreign language to many people).  Another amazing possibility is that this can be a great source for doctors, because knowledge and understanding of fibromyalgia among doctors can always be improved.  This can be the perfect linkage between patients, their support system and health care professionals.  I can’t help but be so enthused and excited about this endeavor PatientsLikeMe has set forth.  They are bringing such a helpful platform of information and communication to the fibromyalgia community.  Thanks!!!!

You raised your voice, we listened.  Today we launch our newest community:  Fibromyalgia.  This is the first in our special blog series, Voices of Fibromyalgia.

The impact of the disease on people’s lives can be enormous.  People often have difficulty completing even the easiest of tasks during the painful episodes, while the fatigue can also be debilitating.  Many patients with fibromyalgia struggle with presenteeism at work which can lead to disciplinary action or worse.

It’s time to take a stand.  We have decided to build this fibromyalgia community because we want to capture the realities of this disease and give patients a voice.  We want to research it and understand how it affects people’s lives.  We want to use this data and the community to create awareness about the disease and settle the “debate” about the validity of the condition.

Let your voice be heard.  Join the PatientsLikeMe fibromyalgia community, share your experiences, and let’s work together to advance the knowledge of this disease.

It’s exciting times for PatientsLikeMe!

Today, our new community for people with fibromyalgia goes live on our site.  Spread the word!  Let’s bring a new level of understanding to this disease in a way that nobody else can.  Next week: a blog series regarding this new community and the people in it.

If you haven’t checked out the most recent issue of BusinessWeek yet, you’re in for a treat. Senior writer Catherine Arnst takes an in-depth look at how PatientsLikeMe is “changing the nature of drug research and the practice of medicine” in her article -  “Health 2.0:  Patients As Partners.”

Finally, turn your channel to CBS Evening News with Katie Couric tonight to see PatientsLikeMe featured in a segment with medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.  Part of a week-long series about patients finding medical information online, our piece will include interviews with a patient member, as well as our founders.

We have lots happening, and lots more to come!  Stay tuned…literally.