Subject index

Topic
Long term health conditions >> Going to work >> Going to work

Going to work

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!”
Join the Long term health conditions discussion on MyYouthhealthtalk

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 24+ >> Lara - Interview 03 >> She fainted once at her work (she has epilepsy) and had to go home and her colleagues accused her of skiving. And the manager threatened her with dism

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 19-23 >> Elizabeth - Interview 01 >> She has scoliosis and says that what worked best for her was to look for flexible hours or jobs where you can work from home. She recommends the NHS 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 >> 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 >> Jodie - Interview 18 >> She has tried many sports including skiing and scuba diving. She does not cough so says she does not need to do her physiotherapy.

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+ >> Miriam - Interview 07 >> Even though she had gaps on her CV she got a part-time job, felt a huge sense of achievement and enjoys earning her own money and being more independe

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 >> David - Interview 08 >> He has just left university and knows there are schemes aimed to help people in his position (he has arthritis) manage at work. Now all he needs is a

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 >> Lynsey - Interview 14 >> Talks about her own experience and gives advice to young people with (CF) about how to go about finding a job.

Lynsey was diagnosed with Cystic fibrosis at birth and says that her parents and now her husband are most supportive. She and her husband would love to have a child and they have discussed all the implications involved in such a decision.

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

Publication date: October 2007 Last updated: February 2012

Review date: February 2014

Long term health conditions >> Women 24+ >> Catherine - Interview 02 >> She discloses her epilepsy but adds 'controlled by medication' or 'one or two seizures a year' on the form which she thinks helps her cause.

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 19-23 >> Helene - Interview 04 >> Sometimes she doesn't tell employers that she has sickle cell as she's found that they don't really understand what it means.

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 >> Women 24+ >> Lynn - Interview 28 >> She describes what it was like having to give up the well paid job she loved and rely on benefits.

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'.