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Long term health conditions >> Women 19-23 >> Jodie - Interview 18 >> After she finishes her degree, she plans to do a PhD and her goal is to become a university lecturer. Says that her doctors, nurses, family and friend

Jodie has cystic fibrosis (CF) and was diagnosed with CF related type 1 diabetes in her early teens. Of the two conditions she finds her diabetes the harder to control particularly because she has a very active life. She finds that the specialist care she received is brilliant. She remains thankful for all the nagging she got from her Dad and her children's consultant.

Long term health conditions >> Women 24+ >> Catherine - Interview 02 >> Says that a seizure can sometimes disrupt your social life and that plans and activities would have to be rearranged. It can be discouraging.

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+ >> Lara - Interview 03 >> When she was a teenager she felt angry and blamed her mother for her epilepsy but now their relationship is much better.

Lara was diagnosed with myoclonic juvenile epilepsy when she was 17 years old. She became depressed and lost her confidence after diagnosis but she wasn't offered counselling. Her nurse has provided her with lots of support. Nowadays she jokes about her epilepsy giving it derogatory names and says that it is one way of coping with it. She has no problem in telling others about her epilepsy.

Long term health conditions >> Women 16-18 >> Charlotte - Interview 10 >> She feels that her mum can be 'a bit mollycoddly' and that she worries too much about her going out.

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 24+ >> Lara - Interview 03 >> She used to think that her dad didn't care about her epilepsy but now she has a better relationship with him.

Long term health conditions >> Women 16-18 >> Donna - Interview 25 >> Despite financial difficulties she feels that her condition has brought the family much closer and she appreciates her stepdad more than before her su

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+ >> Miriam - Interview 07 >> Her relationship with her mother has been shaped by her experience of having ME. She didn't want to tell her mother some things because she knew it wo

Almost ten years ago Miriam was diagnosed with glandular fever and given three courses of antibiotics. Her symptoms didn't improve and she couldn't continue with her university course. It was a homeopathic doctor who suggested she might have developed ME or chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). It has taken her nine years to feel better again. She says that pacing and the acknowledgement of limitations are important tools for mending.

Long term health conditions >> Men 19-23 >> Rollo - Interview 11 >> ME affected his confidence particularly when he was a teenager. Says that when he is well he feels more positive about things including finding a girl

Rollo thinks that what triggered his ME/CFS was an overdose of vaccinations that he had received at school prior to travelling to Asia. Following this he started having joint pains and became very emotional. He was diagnosed with ME/CFS by an 'alternative practitioner' a few years after getting ill. Says that ME/CFS affects different people in different ways and that doctors should learn to recognise that.

Long term health conditions >> Women 19-23 >> Katie - Interview 23 >> She thinks that things are easier because she has become less conscious about the way she looks as she gets older.

Katie was diagnosed with chronic eczema at the age of 11 but her eczema began to get worse in her teen years. She has had lots of different treatments for her eczema and has learned from experience what works and has improved her symptoms. She said that sleep is important as well as drinking plenty of filtered water.

Long term health conditions >> Men 24+ >> Clint - Interview 26 >> His HIV makes it difficult to find a partner. He discloses his condition from the start because he does not want to be dishonest like the person who i

Clint was infected with HIV at the age of 17 from a partner and, at the time he lacked any knowledge of HIV. Clint rapidly developed the symptoms of the AIDS defining illnesses. Although it was initially suspected he had cancer (a common kind of presentation for AIDS), he in fact had a positive HIV result.

Long term health conditions >> Women 19-23 >> Kate - Interview 19 >> She has been in a relationship for the last four years. They were introduced by a common friend and he knew she had a chronic condition.

Kate was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) when she was 4 years old by a new consultant who spotted the symptoms straight away. Previously, she had been misdiagnosed with other conditions such as asthma and a milk allergy. Kate has very few CF related symptoms and although she has had the odd chest infection, she has never required intravenous antibiotics.

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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