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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 >> Women 19-23 >> Katie - Interview 23 >> She is worried about the side effects of long term use of steroid cream. She uses it only when her eczema is very bad.

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 19-23 >> Elizabeth - Interview 01 >> Says that her mum worries about her because she's a mum but that she also knows when to back off.

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 24+ >> Catherine - Interview 02 >> She does drink alcohol and it doesn't affect her but she was worried about her epilepsy and alcohol when a teenager.

Long term health conditions >> Men 19-23 >> William - Interview 22 >> Says that his mother still worries a lot about him especially when he goes out with friends.

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.

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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