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Long term health conditions >> Men 16-18 >> Joseph - Interview 17 >> He has been in remission for the last two years and his biggest fear is to relapse for a second time. Deals with it by keeping positive and focusing o

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.

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

Publication date: October 2007 Last updated: February 2012

Review date: February 2014

Topic
Long term health conditions >> University >> University

University

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 >> Women 19-23 >> Sophie - Interview 15 >> She was feeling healthy but started to cough blood. Her doctors decided to conduct a procedure called bronchial artery embolisation.

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 >> Men 19-23 >> David - Interview 08 >> He does not like relying on others to help with daily activities but knows when he needs help. Learning to drive has improved his life.

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 24+ >> Miriam - Interview 07 >> Says that she found it easier to cope with other people when she went back to university on a part-time course.

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.

Long term health conditions >> Women 19-23 >> Sophie - Interview 15 >> She is generally open about her cystic fibrosis and thinks that is it better to tell others the reason why she does not drink alcohol to avoid awkward

Long term health conditions >> Women 19-23 >> Kate - Interview 19 >> She is in her final year at university and also works so she finds it difficult to go to the gym everyday. Prefers exercise to physiotherapy because s

Long term health conditions >> Women 19-23 >> Sophie - Interview 15 >> At university she found it hard to get the balance right and ended up not eating the high energy diet she needed to maintain her weight, exercise regi

Long term health conditions >> Women 24+ >> Catherine - Interview 02 >> Her worries about her epilepsy faded when she went to university. She started to accept her condition more and was able to talk about it with friends

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 >> Men 19-23 >> Rollo - Interview 11 >> Feels that things couldn't be better in terms of the support and help he's got from the university, tutors and the student services.

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 >> Jodie - Interview 18 >> She remembers reading medical journals in her early teens because she wanted to know more about her condition. Tutors at university have been very sup

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 >> Men 19-23 >> David - Interview 08 >> Explains the assessment process for Disabled Student Allowance and the help he got that enabled him to study.

Long term health conditions >> Women 19-23 >> Elizabeth - Interview 01 >> Her physical symptoms gradually deteriorated from sixth form to university. She found it hard to apply for the DSA because she didn't see herself as a

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 >> 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

Long term health conditions >> Men 19-23 >> David - Interview 08 >> As a teenager he lacked self confidence but university and the experience of being seriously ill changed him into a more outgoing person. His social l

Long term health conditions >> Women 19-23 >> Katie - Interview 23 >> At university because people are looking after themselves you hear more about others living with a medical condition. Students are mainly understandin

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 >> Women 24+ >> Miriam - Interview 07 >> She did her first degree part-time alongside mature students. Did a Masters degree and used time management skills to help her.

Long term health conditions >> Women 19-23 >> Jodie - Interview 18 >> She studies full-time and works part-time and says that she's always up-front about CF with employers and that its not yet held her back.

Long term health conditions >> Men 19-23 >> Rollo - Interview 11 >> He talks to his other friends with ME about how he feels but won't discuss his health with his friends without ME because he thinks it is tiresome.

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 :