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Long term health conditions >> Women 24+ >> Nicola - Interview 13 >> A review with a specialist nurse showed her that she was not using her inhalers correctly.

Nicola has moderate asthma and needs to take her inhaler everyday to keep her symptoms under control. She does not get many asthma attacks now, but is prone to developing bronchitis which can last for up to a week. Nicola recently saw an asthma nurse and found it most useful. It provided an opportunity to discuss her asthma and treatment in detail.

Long term health conditions >> Women 16-18 >> Donna - Interview 25 >> She was diagnosed at 13 with kidney disease. For 3 years she was fine on her medication but then her condition deteriorated and she had to be put on d

Donna was diagnosed age 13 with a kidney condition called Mesangiocapillary Glomerulonephritis type II. After diagnosis she was on medication and remained stable for three years. But her condition deteriorated and she needed a kidney transplant. Her mother was her donor. Her sudden deterioration affected her physically and also emotionally. She became depressed and felt rejected and isolated from her then 'group of friends'.

Long term health conditions >> Women 24+ >> Catherine - Interview 02 >> She knows that if she does want to get pregnant she will probably have to change her treatment to avoid harming the unborn baby.

For many years Catherine stayed on a treatment that was not successfully controlling her epilepsy. And as a teenager she didn't know much about the different medications available. In her early twenties her new consultant put her on new medication that has improved the overall management of her condition.

Long term health conditions >> Women 24+ >> Lynn - Interview 28 >> Took no painkillers for the first 12 weeks of her pregnancy. Worried that her medication might affect the baby and had to stay in bed for much of the

Lynn has lived with chronic pain for the last fourteen years. She experienced the pain before and during her periods. At first health professionals thought that she had endomietrosis. She had several exploratory tests and treatments, but she still does not have a clear diagnosis. She describes her condition as 'a chronic pelvic pain sufferer; or as a chronic lower pain sufferer with a black hole'.

Long term health conditions >> Women 24+ >> Catherine - Interview 02 >> She lacked basic information about epilepsy and its treatment. It was only when a new doctor changed her medication that she found out more.

Long term health conditions >> Women 24+ >> Nicola - Interview 13 >> From experience she knows that if she gets wheezy and does not have her medication with her she will feel horrible and her evening will be interrupted

Long term health conditions >> Men 16-18 >> Joseph - Interview 17 >> Has had information from the hospital, the Arthritis Research campaign and the internet. Thinks the resources that exist need to be better publicised.

Joseph was diagnosed with Enthesitis Related Arthritis at the age of seven. After initial remission his condition flared up again and it became more difficult to control. He was started on a new drug, Enbrel and has been on remission for the last two years.

Long term health conditions >> Men 16-18 >> Joseph - Interview 17 >> When his arthritis was active he never knew in advance if he could go out or would have to cancel. Now in remission he does not need to plan ahead.

Long term health conditions >> Women 16-18 >> Charlotte - Interview 10 >> One problem that has resulted from her epilepsy is memory loss. She feels a bit scared as she is dealing with new difficulties as a result.

Charlotte was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 13. She sees her consultant every three months and feels well supported by her. Her main problems are the frequency, till recently, with which seizures have occurred and the fact that her memory has been affected by the frequent incidence of her 'absence' seizures. Until three months ago Charlotte was having seizures twice a month and sometimes, even as frequently as once a week.

Long term health conditions >> Women 19-23 >> Sara - Interview 27 >> Because she had so many physical problems she was off school for a year and a half. She has memories of her school life before she was diagnosed with

Sara was diagnosed in 1990 with Juvenile chronic arthritis. She has had a finger tendon repair & a hip replacement. Current medication Anti-TNF Humira injected 2/month, indometacin, co-codamol & Lansoprazole. Says that with her current medication she has more energy to do things like exercise. She attended a Tai Chi course for people with arthritis and really enjoyed it.

Long term health conditions >> Men 16-18 >> Tomas - Interview 09 >> Has more asthma attacks when the weather is bad, or if he does not uses his inhaler before doing sport. He also needs to try to avoid dust mites and p

Tomas has had asthma since he was six months old. Apart from asthma, Tomas has developed various allergies and he attends a specialised hospital clinic. He says that the work that Asthma UK does at schools has helped to improve the understanding of the condition among teachers and children.

Long term health conditions >> Women 19-23 >> Sara - Interview 27 >> She refused to continue on a drug that made her feel sick all the time. Doctors eventually gave her another medication that she could accept.

Long term health conditions >> Women 16-18 >> Sarah - Interview 29 >> She needs regular blood tests to monitor her liver function because the drug she takes can damage the liver. Also she can't drink much alcohol.

Sarah was diagnosed with a localised form of a skin condition called morphea in which there are well demarcated plaques of fibrosis restricted to the skin. In her case this affects the right side of her nose and the top of the right side of her forehead. Recently she has had surgery in which fat from her stomach was injected into the right side of her nose and her forehead and the cheekbones. Doctors have explained that she will need several similar operations before they reconstruct her nose an

Long term health conditions >> Men 16-18 >> Joseph - Interview 17 >> He had taken various drugs for his arthritis without much success, until a consultant suggested he tried a new drug called Enbrel.

Long term health conditions >> Men 19-23 >> William - Interview 22 >> He says that he doesn't need to take his medication but he prefers to take the folic acid and penicillin every day to be on the safe side and avoid si

William has lived with sickle cell anemia since birth. His mother and father have both got the sickle cell trait but his sister is not affected. When he was a child he remembers that he was in hospital many times. His condition is much improved now that he is older. He takes penicillin and folic acid everyday and says that he does not need to take medication but he does it because his aim is to prevent crisis.

Long term health conditions >> Women 19-23 >> Annette - Interview 31 >> In her teens it was difficult for her to accept that for medical reasons she couldn't go out and get drunk like her friends did but now she doesn't mi

Annettte was diagnosed with epilepsy when she was 15 years old. Before her diagnosis she was going through what she described as a 'very rebellious phase' and both drinking a great deal and taking illegal drugs. After her diagnosis she stopped taking illegal drugs and nowadays she hardly drinks alcohol at all. Family and friends have been very supportive.

Long term health conditions >> Men 19-23 >> David - Interview 08 >> Says that young people on medication ought to be very careful when drinking alcohol. He is not affected by it but only drinks in moderation.

David has had twenty-seven operations in twenty-three years - the main ones including knee and hip replacement, leg straightening and spinal fusion. This meant that he has missed a great deal of schooling but he has always been determined to continue with his education. He finished his GCSE's, did his A' levels and has recently finished his university degree.

Long term health conditions >> Women 19-23 >> Annette - Interview 31 >> Talks about her initial reactions after she was diagnosed with epilepsy and says that the NHS is not well prepared to deal with the issue of drug taki

Publication date: October 2007 Last updated: February 2012

Review date: February 2014

Various long-term health conditions can occur in young people. We interviewed 30 young people about their experiences of different chronic illnesses. Select from the key topics below, choose from the full list of topics on the right hand side of this page, or explore all the interviews by clicking on people's stories below.

Sophie says: “I've had a good weekend despite my lungs not feeling too good. My boyfriend's training to climb Mount Kilimanjaro so we have been hiking!”
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