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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 24+ >> Miriam - Interview 07 >> She differentiates between the 'being ill type of tiredness' and the tiredness that comes from physical activity and discusses how her ME affected her

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 >> Women 19-23 >> Kate - Interview 19 >> She is very busy doing her final year at university and also working part-time in a restaurant. Is looking forward to the smoking ban in public places

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.

Long term health conditions >> Men 24+ >> Clint - Interview 26 >> He does not complain about the side effects of his HIV treatment because he is grateful for the opportunity to live.

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 >> Men 19-23 >> Rollo - Interview 11 >> When feeling ill he becomes emotional and tends to cry. His fellow students at his all male school found this 'weird'.

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 >> Sophie - Interview 15 >> Her social life at university was hectic and she began to feel run down. She has learned what she can and can't do and the health implications of her

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.

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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