The Value of Openness: The PatientsLikeMe Blog

Thanksgiving is a time for remembering all the reasons you have to be grateful.  For patients who face numerous health challenges, this can mean reminding yourself of all the things you have gained – not lost – since your diagnosis.

One theme that we’re especially proud to hear our 120,000+ members express is how thankful they are to have found a community of people who truly “get” them at PatientsLikeMe.  Our founders envisioned a way to connect patients with others just like them – so they could learn from each other, support each other and help accelerate the pace of medical research – and today, it’s become a reality.  Touchingly, it’s also been the start of many important friendships among our members.

Here are some patient stories that moved us this year:

• “The people on this site deserve more than a simple thank you from me.  The night I found PatientsLikeMe was about eight hours after my neurologists had told me, ‘You have non tremor Parkinson’s disease.’ That night I had some stinking thinking going on.  I considered myself a freak.  Thanks to this site I now consider myself unique.  We are all unique. To my Parkinson’s brothers and sisters, a big THANK YOU for helping me get away from my stinking thinking.”  – Patient with Parkinson’s disease

• “This is the place where we can wonder what is next, cry about what is now and rant about how unfair it all is to us.  Here we are among friends and patients just like us who know have been there or will be going there. It is so much better for me to be on PatientsLikeMe then to just rant to my family and boyfriend.  I figure we can all listen to someone’s rant as tomorrow it may be us.” – Patient with ALS

• “I called one of our members for the first time.  We were on the phone for over three hours!  Every connection I’ve made here that has progressed to the phone call stage has been like that.  This is the best, most fun, most supportive group of guys and gals that I think I have ever come across.  At PatientsLikeMe, we may all come from different walks of life, different locations and yes sometimes different opinions, but here we share such a unique and caring bond.  I’m so lucky to have found PatientsLikeMe.” – Patient with fibromyalgia

• “I have found that I am better able to deal with my moods now that I am able to relate to others with the same/similar problems. It helps to rant. It helps to talk with people who understand. PatientsLikeMe has helped me to understand myself better too. YAY. I love PatientsLikeMe.” – Patient with bipolar II disorder

• “In large part, my success at escaping that life of depravity, depression and addiction is due to the sense of belonging I found at PatientsLikeMe. I was encouraged, and loved and, yes, even put in my place a few times. Even though my path has been neither straight nor smooth I feel that I have my friends on PatientsLikeMe to thank for the sunlight in my life.” – Patient with HIV

No one should have to go through the experience of chronic illness alone.  If you’ve already realized you’re not alone in your journey, we give thanks for you…and every patient like you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

“The true strength of the American family finds its roots in an unwavering commitment to care for one another.”

– President Barack Obama

November is National Family Caregivers Month, “a time to thank, support, educate and empower family caregivers.”  There are more than 65 million family caregivers in the US who day in and day out fulfill a vital role on the care team for a family member.  They also tend to be the most knowledgeable person when it comes to daily treatment, diet and exercise regimens for the person they love.

The theme for National Family Caregivers Month 2011, sponsored by the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA), is “Identifying Family Caregivers.”  The goal is to encourage both caregivers and medical providers to ask for a designated space on every medical intake form for a caregiver name.  Otherwise, the NFCA argues, caregivers are “invisible in American healthcare.”

In contrast, caregivers play an important and prominent role in PatientsLikeMe’s “CareTeam” concept, which was developed to include everyone who is actively involved in the care of our patient members.  That could be a spouse, partner, parent, child, doctor, home health worker, relative or friend.  Patients can invite anyone on their real-life CareTeam to join PatientsLikeMe and be linked directly to their profile.

Currently, there are more than 7,000 caregivers using PatientsLikeMe.  (Browse their profiles.)  Here is a sampling of their stories and situations:

• “I am a mother who would like to know more about bipolar disorder and know how I can help my daughter, and let her know I care.”

• “I am a caregiver for my wife, who has generalized epilepsy. I have allocated a big part of my life to help my wife become more stable.”

• “In 2005 my husband was diagnosed with young onset Parkinson’s disease and through my desire to be the best caregiver possible I forgot about me.”

• “My husband was diagnosed with ALS at age 47 in June 2007 on our 25th anniversary.  It’s hard to see not only his body deteriorate but his spirit too.”

• “For decades, I have been caring for members of my family and community regarding mental illnesses and life challenges, mostly my beloved auntie.”

• “On July 6, 2008, my partner got results saying he was HIV positive. It was a hard night for us, we cried and talked and cried some more.”

• “I am 30 years old. I am one of the caretakers for my father who was diagnosed with ALS when I was 8 years old.   I try to be there for him as much as he needs.”

Are you a caregiver?  We encourage both you and the patient in your life to join PatientsLikeMe to share your experiences, find support and learn from other patients and caregivers.

Now that daylight savings time has ended, the days are shorter, and before you know it, it’s nightfall.  Has this affected your mood?

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as seasonal depression, is a condition marked by a period of depression that occurs during the same season year after year.  In most cases, that season would be fall through winter (when there is less sunlight), but for some people, SAD can occur during spring or summer.

One of the best ways to learn “what’s normal and not normal?” with SAD is to compare your experiences with other patients. There are 123 patients with SAD at PatientsLikeMe, with 85% of them female and 15% male.  A commonly reported treatment is light therapy, or the use of a special light box that exposes you to bright light.  This mimics the effect of natural outdoor light and appears to cause a change in brain chemicals that positively affects your mood.  (Does it really work?  Check out the 27 treatment evaluations for light therapy that our patients have submitted.)

What’s it like to live with SAD?  Here are some first-hand reports from members of our mental health community, who answered the question “What are your SAD symptoms?”

• “My symptoms tend to be worsening depression and anxiety.  There are no ‘indicator’ symptoms for me - meaning I don’t realize necessarily ‘Oh I’m starting to feel SAD, crap!’  But all of my Major Depressive Episodes (five so far since I was 20) have occurred in November and December.  And looking back, I can see a downward trend in especially depressive symptoms getting worse starting in mid October - such as depressed mood, more frequent crying spells, fatigue, worse insomnia, headaches worsen, weight and appetite changes, and urges to self-injure.  Three of my Major Depressive Episodes led to suicidal thoughts and short hospitalizations.  The other two, I had frequent suicidal thoughts but did not feel in danger of acting upon them.” – Member with panic disorder

• “[Symptoms are] mild now, but they ran the spectrum from comatose to the walking functional. Kids don’t understand, and our school bus arrived at 6:00 a.m. Needless to say they weren’t hungry, food on the bus = school contraband, so I’d whip up scrambled eggs with cheese and wrap them in a taco shell and tell them to sneak a bite when they got hungry. They just threw them in the bushes for the local dogs to eat. Then I’d watch TV and answer the ever increasing phone calls all day long. If I felt OK, I’d start to prepare for the tornado that was spring.  Nowadays since I don’t have so much responsibility, my symptoms seem mild, but that could change depending on the winds of life events.” – Member with bipolar II disorder

• “I think it varies year to year in terms of severity.  The March/April period is characterized by an increase in my anxiety levels together with restlessness and restrictive eating. The September/October period is characterized by an increase in my feelings of sadness along with intense carbohydrate cravings and a need to sleep more.  Both periods are marked by problems concentrating.  I notice that the light box really helps with the carbohydrate cravings. I think it might even make me less hungry overall.  It’s not that the cravings go away entirely, but instead they are dampened to the level where I *don’t* find myself eating cookies without realizing how I got them.” – Member with major depressive disorder

Wondering what else they patients have to say about SAD?  Or think you might experience the condition yourself?  Join PatientsLikeMe and take part in this ongoing SAD forum discussion.

Have your health conditions ever caused you to lose a job? Or prevented you from applying – or getting hired – in the first place?

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, an event that aims to recognize the skills that those with disabilities bring to the workforce and promote employment opportunities and access for those with disabilities. The issue, of course, is that discrimination, employment barriers and higher rates of unemployment remain ongoing concerns for Americans with disabilities.

Here’s what the White House’s Presidential Proclamation has to say about these troubling statistics:

“More than 20 years after the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), individuals with disabilities, including injured veterans, are making immeasurable contributions to workplaces across our country.  Unfortunately, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities remains too high — nearly double the rate of people without disabilities — and reversing this trend is crucial.” - President Barack Obama

Last week, we featured a post about wheelchair barriers and hazards and asked readers to appraise their neighborhood for wheelchair accessibility. Today, we ask you to think about the barriers to employment that might exist for people with disabilities – both physical and mental – in your workplace. Would you say your work is “supportive” and “inclusive,” as the Presidential Proclamation states is the goal?

Whether you’ve faced job discrimination or noticed a potential barrier at work, we encourage you to share your stories in the comments section.

Mobile.  Active.  Independent.  How close are you or the patient in your life to those attributes?

October is National Physical Therapy Month, which is designed the highlight the role of physical therapy (PT) in restoring and improving motion.  According to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), the benefits can include enhanced quality of life as well as avoiding surgery or the long-term use of prescription medications.

The theme for this year’s event is Sports Injury Prevention Across a Lifespan.  ”Participating in sports the right way is the key to avoiding injuries that can sideline you for a significant amount of time,” writes the APTA.  Learn more about preventing sports injuries and the role of PT at www.MoveForwardPT.com.

Here at PatientsLikeMe, 700 patients report using PT as part of their treatment regimen, and nearly 300 of them have submitted treatment evaluations of their experience.  The most common reported dosage is “weekly,” and the most common reported reason for having PT is stiffness/spasticity.

What do these patients have to say?  Here’s a sampling of their feedback:

• “I had not realized how badly I walked and moved until my PT evaluation and treatment. PT has helped me regain muscle movement and has helped the leg/foot pain go away.” - Patient with Parkinson’s disease

• “If it tires you, stop. Do only light, non-resistant exercise. If it tires your muscles or causes pain, tell them immediately. Pain is not gain, it is loss of function.” - Patient with primary lateral sclerosis (PLS)

• “PT actually does help in building up weakened muscles, especially in my legs. I am very sore after I leave, though. It works itself out after an hour or so at home.” - Patient with fibromyalgia

• “I am walking better with and without the walker.  I work out for an hour and fifteen minutes a day now. Monday, Wednesday and Friday with therapist, and the other four days alone.  I WILL WALK ALONE AGAIN.” - Patient with MS

Have you tried PT? Share your experiences at PatientsLikeMe today.

I recently had a chance to speak about PatientsLikeMe at the 3rd Annual Comal County Parkinson’s Support Group Symposium, held in New Braunfels, Texas, on Saturday October 1, 2011.  Both the event and the support group were started by one of our longtime members, daddytom, who’s been part of PatientsLikeMe since 2007.  As daddytom said:

“In July 2007 after much prodding from my bride…and my neurologist, I started the Comal County Parkinson’s Support Group. Thought I’d get it going then bow out after three or four months…Three and a half years later we have grown from six people to having over 160 folks registered with us…We have gone from meeting once a month to twice a month…What started as a laborious project has turned into a project of love.”

This year’s symposium featured presentations by two neurologists, Dr. Vikki Alvarez and Dr. Michael Merren, as well a presentation by a local speech pathologist. It was a great event to help educate and support Parkinson’s patients and their families in the Comal County area.

The audience included roughly 100 people, primarily Parkinson’s patients and their caregivers. I had a chance to meet a group of PatientsLikeMe members, and it was great to hear them talk about some of the ways they use PatientsLikeMe - as a support system, as a place to ask and answer questions from other ‘Parkies’ and as a resource for finding out more about what to expect as their Parkinson’s disease progressed.

What a great experience to meet some PatientsLikeMe members face to face.  While we can’t be at every support group meeting, we’ve produced some great materials to help you talk about PatientsLikeMe with your own support group.  Visit the Tell the World! page to find PatientsLikeMe flyers, slide decks and business cards.

In August, we recognized Psoriasis Awareness Month on our blog and shared some facts and figures about this autoimmune disease, which affects 7.5 million Americans. One of the statistics we shared is that psoriasis often occurs in conjunction with other serious health conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, heart attack and obesity.

What these conditions share is that they can often be improved by reaching an ideal body weight. But losing weight – and maintaining it – is easier said than done. That’s why the National Psoriasis Foundation has launched the Healthy for Good campaign. Here’s what Catie Coman, Director of Communications at the National Psoriasis Foundation, tells us about this new online program.

1. What is Healthy for Good, and why should patients join in?

Healthy for Good (www.healthyforgood.org) is program designed to help people lose weight, while raising funds for a cure for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. It’s unique in that is uses a public platform and the fundraising tactic of “friends asking friends” to help people reach their goals.

Forty percent of people with psoriasis have metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and abdominal obesity. By joining Healthy for Good, they’ll get tools to stay motivated, lose weight and reduce their risk factors for these associated conditions. They’ll also be able to support research to find a cure for psoriatic diseases.

2. How will Healthy for Good reduce the risk factors for these conditions?

Healthy for Good may reduce the risk factors for these other serious conditions by providing participants with a platform to lose weight safely and set achievable goals. Healthy for Good supports a weight loss goal of up to two pounds per week. Participants will make a commitment to eat right and exercise—and reduce their risk for other serious diseases while they get healthy.

3. How is this program different from other health and fitness campaigns?

First, it gives people a chance to go public. Research shows that people are far more likely to achieve a goal when they put their reputation on the line—by publicly announcing their intentions. Healthy for Good helps people be accountable by giving them a platform to broadcast their commitment.

Also, it will help people stick to their resolution by asking others to support their efforts. For every pound that someone commits to lose, they will ask loved ones to donate $1, $5, $10 or more to help the National Psoriasis Foundation find a cure for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

Participants will track their progress each week, and the Healthy for Good tracker will calculate their overall progress toward their goal. In order to help people stay motivated, each person who meets their weight-loss and fundraising goals will be entered to win prizes.

4.  Is Healthy for Good only available to psoriasis patients or can anyone join?

Anyone can join Healthy for Good. People without psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis can use this program to overcome weight loss obstacles and lose the pounds, while helping others at the same time. And it’s a great way for people with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis to get healthy, reduce their risk of other serious associated diseases and raise funds to find a cure.

Today, October 3rd, is World MSA Day.

MSA stands for multiple system atrophy, a degenerative neurological disorder that causes symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease. As a result, it is included in a group of diseases called “Parkinson-plus syndromes,” which have the classical symptoms of Parkinson’s (such as tremor and stiffness) as well as additional physical and mental features. In addition, these diseases typically do not respond to Parkinson’s treatments.

The theme for this year’s World MSA Day is “A Mile and a Candle.” All around the globe, MSA activists will be lighting a candle today at 8:00 p.m. local time for one hour. Participants are being asked to light a candle for each person they know who is living with MSA or has been lost to MSA. As candles are lit across every continent, a virtual 24-hour wave of light will be created as it moves from time zone to time zone.

In addition, activists will be walking a mile (or more) in honor of MSA, then reporting their mileage on the “A Mile and a Candle Counter Page.” The goal is to tally enough miles from enough participants to equal 24, 901 miles, which is the circumference of the earth at the equator. If this goal is accomplished, MSA Day supporters will have “walked around the earth” to raise awareness of this little-known disease.

Here at PatientsLikeMe, 485 patients report MSA, with 54% of them female and 46% of them male. The most common age bracket reported is 50-59 years of age, while some of the most commonly reported symptoms include excessive daytime sleepiness, sexual dysfunction, emotional lability and bladder problems. Get to know our MSA patients today and, if you can, light a candle or walk a mile in their honor.

September is National Cholesterol Education Month, which means it’s a good time to find out your total cholesterol levels as well as your HDL (“good” cholesterol) and LDL (“bad” cholesterol) levels. Have you had them checked in the last five years?

More than 102 million Americans have a total cholesterol level at or above 200 mg/dL, which is beyond healthy levels, and more than 35 million of those individuals have levels of 240 mg/dL or higher, which puts them at high risk of heart disease. That’s a major concern given that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.

Fortunately, high cholesterol can be lowered with lifestyle changes – including losing weight, eating healthier, exercising and quitting smoking – as well as medication. But to start turning things around, you have to know there’s a problem. Even children and adolescents can have high cholesterol, especially if they are overweight.

Here at PatientsLikeMe, 335 patients report hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol) while 235 patients report hyperlipidemia (high lipids in the blood, including cholesterol and triglycerides.) Across both conditions, some of the top reported medications include Simvastatin, Atorvastatin, Pravastatin and Rosovastatin.

If you’re unsure of your cholesterol levels, talk to your doctor at your next visit. And if you’re already aware that your levels are high, reach out to other patients like you today at PatientsLikeMe. Changing your lifestyle isn’t easy, but it’s easier when you have a community to lean on for support, answers and advice.

We’ve shared a lot of great photos on the blog lately of run/walk teams sponsored by PatientsLikeMeInMotion this year. Now you can learn more about this dynamic program in a more dynamic format with our new PatientsLikeInMotion video. Find out how to get involved, what sponsorship entails and how much PatientsLikeMe has donated towards our sponsored teams’ fundraising efforts since the program’s inception.

Ready to get out there and raise awareness and funds for your condition? Let us support you every step of the way. Sign up for PatientsLikeMeInMotion today.

Today, September 21^st, is World Alzheimer’s Day. For this annual event, Alzheimer’s associations around the globe are coming together to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s disease, which affects an estimated 36 million people worldwide. This degenerative brain syndrome impacts memory, thinking, behavior and emotion. Eventually, those affected require assistance with all aspects of daily life.

The theme of this year’s event is “Faces of Dementia,” and it is designed to show how this incurable disease knows no social, economic, ethnic or geographic boundaries. In addition, it pays tribute to those who work tirelessly to support and care for people with dementia. The need for such care will only increase as the world’s population ages. By 2050, the global prevalence of Alzheimer’s is expected to triple (115 million).

Here at PatientsLikeMe, we have both patients (or caregivers of patients) who have reported Alzheimer’s disease, as well as Early Onset Dementia, which is the term used when Alzheimer’s is diagnosed before the age of 65. If someone you love has exhibited signs of dementia – including memory loss, word-fishing, personality changes and difficulty performing routine tasks – talk to a healthcare professional as soon as possible.

Never done a downward dog? Now is your chance.

September is National Yoga Awareness Month, a grassroots campaign to inspire a healthy lifestyle. As part of this national observance, those who have never experienced yoga can try it for free for a week at more than 1,600+ participating studios. Also, beginners and veterans alike are invited to come together for “The Time for Yoga,” a worldwide yoga session held on the last day of the month – Friday, September 30th – at 7:00 p.m. local time.

Here at PatientsLikeMe, more than 530 patients report practicing yoga for reasons such as general health, spasticity/stiffness, fibromyalgia and improved flexibility. The most common “dosage” is 30 minutes daily.

What do these patients have to say about yoga? Here is a sampling of the reviews and tips found on the more than 120 treatment evaluations submitted about yoga.

• “Yoga is so good for so many reasons! It helps me stretch my stiff body, strengthen core muscles, and gives me calm and purpose for the day. I always tell myself I should do some yoga every day! Unfortunately, I find having a class and good teacher is really the motivation I need to stick with it.” – Patient with MS

• “Yoga comes with many other benefits, such as learning to get in touch with your body, listen to your body, and treat your body with the compassion that it deserves. In the process, you also learn to treat your whole self with compassion. Since being chronically ill involves a lot of surrender to discomforts that are way out of our control, it is good to have a way to remind yourself that you are sacred and that you are not your pain and fatigue, but something bigger.” – Patient with fibromyalgia

• “Give it a try for three months, most everyone I know comes and sticks with it. I was one of the only males in the class to begin with but now about eight guys rotate in and out. Love yoga. The teacher said the para sympathetic something is activated with yoga, and Tai Chi does it as well; other exercise does not. Give it a try, it helps me.” – Patient with Parkinson’s disease

• “It was a huge step for me to start taking yoga as I have found it increasingly difficult to be around people, but I went for myself and found that it really helped me to just delve into my own space. Hatha yoga is very pleasant because it is enough of an exercise that you notice the health benefits, but it is not so strenuous as to create long lasting physical discomfort. The unexpected benefit is the increase in self control that I am finding, and I haven’t had any lingering thoughts of suicide since starting it.” - Patient with major depressive disorder

If you’re considering yoga, learn more about what it entails – and what potential benefits it has – on Yoga Month’s “New to Yoga” page.

“We founded PatientsLikeMe on the concept that sharing health data could lead to a more empowered patient and better overall healthcare system. It’s an exciting and giant step forward for us as an industry as we unite around making health data more accessible to those that matter most – the patients.”

– Ben Heywood, PatientsLikeMe Co-Founder, President

Today the first-ever Consumer Health IT Summit is taking place in Washington, DC. Sponsored by a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), this new initiative is designed to empower individuals to be more engaged in their health through the use of health information technology (IT).

During the summit, both government health agencies and private sector organizations like PatientsLikeMe will be highlighting the ways they plan to support your access to electronic health data. For example, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius unveiled new proposed rules that would expand the rights of patients to access their health information as well as a model privacy notice template that can be used in the process. In addition, HealthIT.gov, a new resource for consumer health empowerment, was announced.

PatientsLikeMe is participating in this important initiative by making our own pledge to you, which we are committed to completing by spring 2012.

“We pledge to make it easier for individuals and their caregivers to have timely access to their health information in a convenient, useable format through our website.  As we continue to encourage and enable them to use this information to improve their health and their care, we pledge to:

1) improve patients’ accessibility to their personal health information by making our Doctor Visit Sheet (a document detailing an individual’s health data and experience) downloadable through multiple formats, including electronically readable formats like PDFs and the “Blue Button” ASCII text standard format;

2) encourage patients to dialogue with their peers and providers about the benefits of accessing and understanding their health data;

3) continue “Putting Patients First” by building a website that helps them to share, access and learn from their health information online.”

What’s a Blue Button, you ask? An open government initiative, Blue Button represents a collaboration between the Veteran’s Administration and HHS to develop an online feature that would enable Veterans and Medicare beneficiaries to easily read, use and share their personal health information with providers and others they trust. The ASCII text file format was selected for its ease of use by individuals, while allowing computers to easily “read” the information.

Haven’t heard of the Nike MAG shoe? Perhaps that’s because it’s only been worn by one person – the indelible Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox).

Yet today, this rarest of Nike Footwear will become a reality for a lucky few. 1,500 pairs of “the most famous shoe never made” are being auctioned off on Ebay thanks to a special partnership between Nike and the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. “Together, we’re going to help erase Parkinson’s disease from the time-space continuum,” they write. 100% of proceeds benefit the Foundation. In addition, a matching gift will be made for all final bid amounts by Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google, and his wife Anne Wojcicki, founder of 23andMe, a PatientsLikeMe partner.

Originally developed as a prop for Back to the Future Part II, the 2011 Nike MAG shoes have been entirely rebuilt and perfected by top Nike designers for this special limited edition run. They feature an electroluminescent outsole, space-age materials and a rechargeable internal battery good for 3,000 hours. Hello, McFly! While they are not recommended for sports use or your regular footwear, they are definitely recommended for blowing the minds of Back to the Future fans around the world. Need your own pair? Tune in to the Ebay auction, as bidding ends soon.

While this incredible collector’s shoe may be too “out of this world” for many non-time-travelers’ budgets, we applaud this unique cross-promotional approach to raising research funds for Parkinson’s disease, a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects more than 5,700 PatientsLikeMe members. Here’s to a MAG-tastic auction and a future without Parkinson’s.