IPF

“You may not like it, but make the MOST of it.” – An interview with IPF member Nikki

1 Comment / Conditions, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis / By

When Nikki (Nimiha) was diagnosed with IPF in 2010, she was already a survivor of both ovarian cancer and a heart attack. Staying positive and up-to-date on new information is now this retired RN’s best defense – and she’s been sharing it with her IPF family on PatientsLikeMe since March. We had the chance to connect with her recently, and here’s what we learned … 1. Tell us about your life. What are your hobbies and interests? How do you most enjoy spending your time? I was born 71 years ago in a town named Escondido, in Ca. My mother had been a Wave in the Navy in Washington, D.C. where she met my father, a career Marine. It was war time and he was transferred to Camp Pendleton Marine base in Oceanside, where he was immediately sent overseas to fight. I was an only child with no family living close by so my Mother and I were very close. My father went up through the ranks and was up for Brigadier General, and was honored to take over training the 7th Marines at Camp Pendleton in 1962. Two weeks later he died of a heart attack and my mother …

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Your data doing good: IPF treatment experiences

Conditions, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis / By

Every minute of every day, people are sharing their health data on PatientsLikeMe. Some of you are focused on tracking how you’re doing over time. Many want to make sure the next person diagnosed can learn from your experience. All are contributing to the greater good, because what you share helps researchers see what patients really need. During #24DaysofGiving, we’re highlighting some of the most important things we’ve learned from data that members like you have selflessly shared, and all the good your data donations are doing. Every year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves new medications that can help people living with life-changing conditions. But with new treatments come new questions. And that’s exactly what happened at the end of 2014 for people living with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). IPF is a rare condition that causes scarring in deep lung tissue over time and has no cause or cure, and before October 2014 no available treatment. That’s when two FDA-approved medications for the condition became available, simultaneously. They had the potential to make a difference in the lives of IPF patients, but how could they learn which medication might be right for them? If they started taking one …

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Still leading a full life – An interview with IPF member David

Conditions, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis / By

David’s (darbygreenboy) username comes from the village in the English countryside where he lives and is still an active member of the community. We caught up with this grandfather of 10 – a former business owner, mayor and leader of the town council to talk about living with IPF. Here’s what we learned … Tell us a little bit about yourself. What are some of your hobbies and passions? I am 70 years young and live in England in a village called Darby Green in the Parish of Yateley. It is in the countryside, but only 30 miles from London. I live there with my wife of 48 years, Rose, whom I met 51 years ago at Youth Club and we have been together ever since. We have 3 children: Abbie, Emma and Stephen, and 10 grandchildren aged from 3 months to 13 years old and they all live nearby. I had my own business for 30 years, but I am now retired. I am a Yateley town councillor and have been for the last 12 years. I was also mayor of my town some 8-9 years ago and leader of the council for 7 years. I love travelling and before being …

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PatientsLikeMe Names 2015-2016 Team of Advisors, Sets Focus on Redefining Patient Partnerships

2 Comments / Patient Experiences / By

Cambridge, MA, October 19, 2015—PatientsLikeMe has named 14 members to its patient-only 2015–2016 Team of Advisors and challenged them to work through an issue that’s central to everyone in the healthcare system: how to redefine patient partnerships. The team will be focused on rethinking what it means for patients to be partners, and on establishing new ways for the healthcare industry to connect with patients to deliver better care. PatientsLikeMe CEO Martin Coulter said that in an era when patients must be front and center in healthcare discovery and development, the group’s mission is vital to every patient, pharmaceutical company, regulator, payor and provider. “This advisory team includes some of the strongest patient advocates we have ever met. Their experience can empower other patients, and help those serving patients understand what it means to be a good partner. The team’s work will help create a stronger foundation for a more equal and participatory system of care. More than 1,400 PatientsLikeMe members submitted applications for this year’s Team of Advisors. Those selected represent a range of medical and professional backgrounds and ages. The nearly equal mix of men and women are living with a cross-section of conditions, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis …

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Hartfell shares about her PatientsLikeMeInMotion™ experience

Patient Experiences / By

PatientsLikeMe members hail from around the globe, and recently, 63 people gathered on the coast of Scotland for a walk to raise awareness of IPF and help people with IPF through Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland. The coolest part? The event was organized entirely online by PatientsLikeMe member Hartfell, and through the PatientsLikeMeInMotion™ program, everyone was excited to get out there and hike. Here’s what she had to say: “My experience with being diagnosed was quite complacent, as I had never heard of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). But when I read about it, it was a big shock. I found PatientsLikeMe online and was so glad because there was so much information and I was able to communicate with people with the same illness. I decided to organize a sponsor walk 5 months after I had been diagnosed to raise awareness of IPF. I have been a keen hill walker (hiker) for 23 years, and I organized a coastal walk at Kippford, with 3 levels of walks to cater to all abilities. We had a fantastic day with weather views and company and we raised £1,453.68 ($2,268.44), which was brilliant. The money went to Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, which …

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Food for Thought: July (chocolate) edition, take 2

Diabetes, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, Patient Experiences / By

Last year, July’s Food for Thought revolved around MS members sharing their experiences with chocolate. This year, we thought we’d continue the tradition – check out what a few members had to say about their relationships with the delicious sweet: “I have been trying a dairy free diet for a couple of months due to me having a problem with milk protein which is an antigen to the lungs and acts like any other substance that can affect our breathing. I have a treat of dark chocolate now and again and have been grateful for a plentiful supply of dairy free products.” -IPF member “For me, I don’t deny myself a little sweet treat.  What I do deny myself is massive amounts of sweet treats. I buy a few high quality dark chocolates and allow myself one per day. Or I buy the sugar free mousse packs in the refrigerator section or the sugar free Jell-O puddings. They seem to work. I also make my own brownies and cookies using high fiber ingredients and sugar substitutes. I have been using Xylitol with good success too.” -Diabetes member “I will take a teaspoon or two of coconut oil (organic, extra virgin) …

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“Don’t go it alone” – IPF member Christine shares about her health journey

4 Comments / Patient Experiences, Pulmonary fibrosis / By

Christine_Williams was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) in 2009, and ever since, she’s been managing a “rollercoaster ride that’s terrifying and not fun.” But she’s connected with your community on PatientsLikeMe for inspiration and was even referred to a new medical center to be evaluated for a lung transplant by her “rehabilitation buddies.” Below, read what Christine shared about her diagnosis, progression and thoughts on living with IPF. Can you share a bit about your diagnosis experience? We’ve heard from many members that finding an official diagnosis isn’t always easy. What that true for you, too?  Mostly no. In March 2009, I contracted pneumonia back to back within 8 weeks. It was around the time when the swine flu became a big deal, and I had visited Cancun, Mexico that year. I wasn’t necessarily in great health but fairly healthy. I had always attributed my shortness of breath to me being overweight. Because of the pneumonia, a CT scan was ordered. Then a bronchoscopy and finally a video assisted lung biopsy. I was diagnosed however right after the bronchoscopy. I started exhibiting shortness of breath symptoms in 2001. Even went through a series of PFTs at the time but …

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Day-by-day, hand-in-hand

Rare Diseases / By

All around the world, everyone impacted by a rare disease is taking everything day-by-day. But they can take each day hand-in-hand with the help and support of others. Today, on Rare Disease Day (RDD), EURORDIS (Rare Diseases Europe) and its global partners are calling on everyone to lend a hand to anyone affected by a rare disease. RDD’s international theme is “Living with a rare disease” because every patient’s story and needs are different, and only by sharing our experiences and raising awareness can we all hope to improve the lives of those living with a rare disease. It’s also about the million of parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends that are impacted and who are living day-by-day, hand-in-hand with rare disease patients.1 Check out the official video below: According to the Global Genes Project, there are 350 million people living with a rare disease around the globe. Just how many is that? If you gathered those people into one country, it would be the third most-populous country in the world. There are more than 7,000 identified rare diseases, from skin conditions to progressive neurological disorders, and more are being discovered every day.2 Here’s how you can get …

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PatientsLikeMe members to be highlighted in patient empowerment webinar

Epilepsy, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, Patient Experiences / By

Many PatientsLikeMe members talk openly about the reasons why they donate their health data and why they believe patient-centered healthcare means better healthcare for all. And just a week from now, two of them will be sharing their stories with everyone in a live webinar. On Tuesday, January 20th, at 2:00pm EST, the Partnership to Improve Patient Care (PIPC) is hosting their first “Patient Empowerment Webinar,” an online event focusing on the importance of patient engagement in their own healthcare and in health policy. Two PatientsLikeMe members, Ms. Laura Roix and Ms. Letitia Brown-James, will be participating in the discussion, and their experiences will be a part of the webinar. Here’s a little bit about Laura and Letitia, and more ways they’re already empowering others: Laura is a member of the idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) community on PatientsLikeMe, and she recently traveled to Maryland to speak at the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Patient-Focused Drug Development Public Meeting on IPF.  Laura went with our very own Sally Okun RN, VP of Advocacy, Policy and Patient Safety and spoke about her journey and what it’s like to live with IPF. (She recapped her experiences in an October blog interview.) But that’s …

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2014 recap – a year of sharing in the PatientsLikeMe community

ALS, Bipolar disorder, Diabetes, Epilepsy, Fibromyalgia, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, Mental Health, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Patient Experiences, Pulmonary fibrosis / By

Another year has come and gone here at PatientsLikeMe, and as we started to look back at who’s shared their experiences, we were quite simply amazed. More than 30 members living with 9 different conditions opened up for a blog interview in 2014. But that’s just the start. Others have shared about their health journeys in short videos and even posted about their favorite food recipes. A heartfelt thanks to everyone who shared their experiences this year – the PatientsLikeMe community is continuing to change healthcare for good, and together, we can help each other live better as we move into 2015. Team of Advisors In September, we announced the first-ever PatientsLikeMe Team of Advisors, a group of 14 members that will work with us this year on research-related initiatives. They’ve been giving regular feedback about how PatientsLikeMe research can be even more helpful, including creating a “guide” that highlights new standards for researchers to better engage with patients. We introduced everyone to three so far, and look forward to highlighting the rest of team in 2015. Meet Becky – Becky is a former family nurse practitioner, and she’s a medically retired flight nurse who is living with epilepsy and …

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