After a long wait on the transplant list, you finally get your transplantation surgery. You immediately start to feel better, but suddenly you notice some tenderness over the transplant site. You may even begin to experience flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, and body aches. While this could be an infection, it could also be …
4 Tips for Preventing Organ Transplant Rejection Read More »
February 14th isn’t just Valentine’s day, it’s also National Donor Day. Did you know there are currently around 120,000 people waiting for a life-saving organ donation in the United States today? What better time to take a look at some of the measures other countries around the world are taking in order to combat their …
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 …
What is idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF)? How many people does it affect? Do we know what the cause is? Can it be treated? If you don’t know the answers, you’re not alone. IPF is considered a rare disease by the National Institutes of Health and much of the research surrounding it is not definitive. So …
Valentine’s Day is all about showing your love for your significant other. But what if it were also about showing your love for perfect strangers? February 14th is National Donor Day, a day of awareness about how registering to be an organ donor can give someone a second chance at life. Does your driver’s license …
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 …
Last year, over 170,00 patients learned from each other’s shared experiences every day on PatientsLikeMe. In 2013, we promise to continue putting the patient first. We’ll provide better, more effective ways for sharing real-world health experiences that help you, other patients like you, and organizations that focus on your conditions. You’ll hear us talk more …
Can you be friends with someone you’ve never met in person? The members of our online health community – now 300, 000+ patients strong – think so. In fact, many of them say they depend on other members for support and encouragement, and for the all-important reminder that they are not alone. As evidence, here …
For many newly diagnosed patients, accepting help can be as difficult as accepting the diagnosis itself. According to some of the members of our Parkinson’s disease community, here are a few signs that you may be struggling with the idea of becoming someone who might need help. Have you found yourself feeling resentful when family, …
Is there a caregiver in your family? For example, someone who looks out for an elderly parent or grandparent – or who cares for a child or spouse with a debilitating illness? November is National Family Caregivers Month, a time for recognizing the important role of family caregivers in our society as well as the …
