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Long term health conditions >> Women 24+ >> Lynn - Interview 28 >> The psychologist helped her to understand the relationship between pain and emotions and how techniques such as breathing exercises can help to contro

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+ >> Lynn - Interview 28 >> She divides consultants between the authoritarian and the dismissive types. She prefers her GP because she can talk to him on a more personal and inti

Long term health conditions >> Women 24+ >> Lynn - Interview 28 >> Was devastated when she was told that she would not be able to have children 'naturally' and absolutely delighted when she became pregnant without med

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

Long term health conditions >> Women 24+ >> Lynn - Interview 28 >> Physical pain can place a lot of strain on a relationship. She felt guilty about affecting the life of her partner.

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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Long term health conditions >> Women 24+ >> Lynn - Interview 28 >> It has been very difficult to live with physical symptoms and not really know what it is causing them. Her condition is described as chronic pelvic pa

Long term health conditions >> Women 19-23 >> Sara - Interview 27 >> Explains the difference between a general and a localised arthritis flare up and describes how she feels physically on those occasions.

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

Publication date: October 2007 Last updated: February 2012

Review date: February 2014

Long term health conditions

Publication date: October 2007 Last updated: February 2012

Review date: February 2014

Long term health conditions >> Women 19-23 >> Sara - Interview 27 >> Her sex life with her boyfriend was difficult for some weeks after a hip operation. Otherwise does not think her arthritis has caused problems for her

Long term health conditions >> Women 19-23 >> Sara - Interview 27 >> Health workers need to be gentle and to allow plenty of time for the consultation.

Long term health conditions >> Women 16-18 >> Mica - Interview 16 >> Her mum can be quite tough and makes her take exercise during attacks (she has sickle cell) but even though it hurts at the time she knows it's good f

Mica has lived with sickle cell anemia since birth. Her Mum and her brother also have the condition. Her mother has played an important role in helping Mica and her brother to develop a positive attittude towards having sickle cell anaemia. Mica says that she now feels in control of her condition.

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 >> Men 16-18 >> Joseph - Interview 17 >> Had dreadful pain from his arthritis that would leave him feeling exhausted at school and frustrated not to be able to do things.

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 >> Women 19-23 >> Elizabeth - Interview 01 >> She went through a phase of not wanting to take painkillers for her scoliosis but found the pain unbearable.

Elizabeth was diagnosed with scoliosis at the age of 16. She now works for a Department of Health funded project. She says that as a teenager she 'rebelled' against her condition and stopped taking her painkillers. Her attitude now is to work with her condition rather than against it. She takes regular exercise and does a lot of walking.

Long term health conditions >> Women 19-23 >> Elizabeth - Interview 01 >> She says that pacing and accepting her condition and limitations have helped her cope better with it.

Long term health conditions >> Men 19-23 >> William - Interview 22 >> He says that he knows and respects his limits and when in pain, he just rests until he feels better. He hasn't had a sickle cell crisis for the last t

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 16-18 >> Mica - Interview 16 >> She now knows more about how to control pain. Her mother has played a pivotal role in helping her to keep active and not to dwell on her pain in times

Long term health conditions >> Women 19-23 >> Elizabeth - Interview 01 >> Her scoliosis affects her social life because she often can't do the things her friends are doing. It also affects other everyday activities like carr

Long term health conditions >> Women 24+ >> Lynn - Interview 28 >> She divides consultants between the authoritarian and the dismissive types. She prefers her GP because she can talk to him on a more personal and inti

Long term health conditions >> Women 19-23 >> Helene - Interview 04 >> Sometimes she feels depressed about her sickle cell disease when she is ill and in pain.

Helene has had sickle cell anemia since birth. Sickle cell is when the blood cells are shaped like a half moon and they cannot pass through the veins so easily and this causes pain in, for example, elbows and knees. Helene takes penicillin and folic acid everyday and needs to avoid getting cold.

Long term health conditions >> Men 16-18 >> Joseph - Interview 17 >> He remembers feeling different to his peers in primary and secondary schools because of his arthritis. He also felt frustrated by the pain and having

Long term health conditions >> Women 19-23 >> Sophie - Interview 15 >> She thought that alcohol didn't affect her but one time she drank a lot and ended up in hospital with acute pancreatitis. She hasn't drunk alcohol sin

Sophie was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when she was 8 years old. She was taught by her parents to do all her own medications and treatments and encouraged to do sport. She is the Social secretary for her university Netball Cub. Sophie has a positive approach to her condition and says that she lives life to the full.

Long term health conditions >> Women 16-18 >> Mica - Interview 16 >> She drank a lot of vodka which triggered a sickle cell crisis. She still remembers the pain and says that after that she can't stand alcohol.

Pain and physical problems

Long term health conditions

Publication date: October 2007 Last updated: February 2012

Review date: February 2014

Long term health conditions >> Men 16-18 >> James - Interview 21 >> Had emergency surgery but then got an infection called peritonitis which made him feel very ill and in terrible pain.

James has a renal condition called Senior Loken Syndrome and it means that his kidneys didn't develop as he grew older. James was diagnosed with his condition when he was eleven years old and since then he has spent much of his time on dialysis. Four times a week he goes to hospital to have dialysis and he is able to attend school two days a week. This condition affects both his kidneys and his eyes and James is now registered blind.

Long term health conditions >> Women 19-23 >> Elizabeth - Interview 01 >> She went through a phase of not wanting to take painkillers for her scoliosis but found the pain unbearable.

full list of topics

Diagnosis & learning more :

Physical problems, med's & managing your condition :

Life style :

What makes a good doctor and transition issues :

Living with it :

Talking about relationships :

Advice to others :