Anyone else who's under 25 with chronic illnesses?
Chronic illnesses are hard to deal with anyway, but I feel there's an extra difficulty when you're younger because of people's perceptions. They assume you're capable of more because you look fine. Some of you who use wheelchairs may get more hate from the public or if you have a blue badge. I also feel like my future has been shut down already; what I wanted to achieve may not be possible or it is achievable, but a lot harder, so it can have an impact on your mental health sometimes. I think there's a prejudice for those young people who may apply for a disability benefit too.
So I just wanted some people under 25 with health conditions to share their stories and how they feel their younger age affects them when living with a condition.
im over 25 sorry
Hey, I'm Kaylee. I'm 15 and I grew up with mild Cerebral Palsy, which in turn means life long pain due to muscle issues. This didn't help with me making friends when I was younger because I couldn't run as much as the other kids. Then as I entered middle school it led to anxiety due to little things. Like fitness tests in the gym or just walking home with friends. Then in high school, it made it hard to go to dances because I couldn't wear heels or just be able to be carefree like everyone else. So I think for me it just mostly affected the little things in life which caused me to have social anxiety.
I just hit that 25 milestone! But absolutely agree i think when you are so young it can be really challenging especially when allot of my friends are pretty physical and active it can be very isolating i think. @MythologicalMayhem
@MythologicalMayhem
I just wanted to bump this post up because I don't think it got enough attention!
I used to run a little support group for people with chronic illness on Facebook; it's amazing how many people there are in this age group who are struggling with chronic illness. Often they struggle ever so silently that I would have never known had they not joined. I completely agree that there's a huge stigma around it and have seen and heard of different types of harassment from people just not understanding (especially in invisible illnesses).
This website is a really great resource full of young people with chronic illnesses and might be worth going to especially if you're feeling a bit isolated - thepillowfort.co.uk
@romanticthi3f
That looks like a cool site - I'll check it now. Thank-you!
@MythologicalMayhem
Yeah, it's really frustrating! I'm 17, and right now I'm lying down in bed, pretty much unable to move. I could be at school right now, I could be doing something I reallly enjoy, but instead I'm stuck...
I wouldn't say I get a lot of "hate" or "intolerance" but I certainly feel left out a lot. Although I have a very supportive community, when I can't do something, I don't feel like other people are missing me--I'm just missing out. I always think about what I'm missing, or what I haven't learned because I can't go to school, or what milestones I haven't hit because I was sick.
Eh, that turned into a bit of a rant, but I needed it :)
@TCo
I'm sorry about your situation. I hope you can come to accept how things are though and stay positive! Sending my love.♥
16 with a chronic depressive/psychotic disorder. I agree. I also feel that your issues aren't taken as seriously when you're young.
I am not physically handicapped, i do have deppression and anxiety. I was in a very dark place in my mind during my teens and my parents seemed to turn a blind eye when i really needed help. I feel like because i was young they thought it wasnt possible for me to have real struggles or suffering. I often get lost in my thoughts and tend to keep to myself to avoid being misunderstood or stigmatized. I am afraid to go to college or change jobs because i know changing routine and challenging situations can have a devastating affect on me and this is what people dont understand. Ive already been hospitalized once and im meds but i dont want to be.
I'm 29 now but I have been a type 1 diabetic since I was 6. Yea it's definitely a struggle growing up with a chronic illness. Growing up is hard enough without having to explain to the other kids why you're different, and kids generally lack the tact to express curiossity about your disease without making you feel like a freak about it. Having adults treat you like they know better than you about your own health and body just because you're young (like, no bitch. you had never even heard of type 1 until 5 minutes ago when I told you about it. Just because I'm 9 doesn't mean I'm not educated about my own conditions.) Not being able to concentrate on schoolwork because of brain fog. Being told you're just lazy when you're too tired to participate because of the fatigue. Even now older people still give me attitude when I can't keep up, call me an entitled millennial because I don't have the energy to get a 2nd job or "hustle" to do anything more than make ends meet. Having people accuse me of "using" my disease to get out of things or making it sound worse than it really is. That one hurts. That one really fucking hurts. I wonder sometimes whether my depression and generalized anxiety would be any better or nonexistent if I hadn't grown up with this. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have social anxiety if I'd been healthy as a kid.
@AbsurdBook399
I'm sorry 
my mother was diagnosed with type 1 at 14, I know that it's definitely NOT lazyness or making problems bigger than they are. Besides being tired for the physical consequences of the illness, having to measure and keep track of everything you eat, everything you do, every single day, I think it takes so much mental space and energy! I don't understand how people think they know better!
Well, I feel a little fake here, because I criticize my mother a lot for the way she deals with her illness, but I hope to be justified, since she never makes a meal plan, never checks her glucose levels, eats whatever she pleases, only drinks beer and then shots herself always the same dose of insulin. She falls in hypoglycemic comas 3-4 times a week and she used to force us not to tell anyone, because she wanted her licence to drive. Now she's had so many accidents that they took away her licence. Sometimes she forced herself into a coma in public, on purpose, by taking insuline than refusing to eat, because she likes all the worry she causes, I guess. I think that's a little too much. I bet you're doing far better than this. I mean I'm celiac but I stick to my diet and I don't use it to make myself sick in public.
By the way, does being celiac counts as a chronic illness?
@GhostlyLilian
Thank you for sharing your story. I can understand why you are concerned. It is so hard to watch someone you love when they are going into a downward spiral, or not doing the things they need to do to stay well. It sounds like you are witnessing some behavior where they are doing dangerous things in order to get attention, as well. I am not sure what kinds of support might be out there to help your Mom, but I hope you find some way to get some help. It is more than you should have to deal with all alone. I hope you get some support for the stress, even if your Mom does not get support. You deserve warmth and kindness too! I would say that celiac is a chronic illness, yes.
23. I suffer from IBS.
I'm 19 and have a rare for of progressive mitrochondrial disease. It took three years to diagnose, and I missed a lot of school because of it, including most of my senior year of high school. I struggle with chronic pain, fatigue, muscle rigidity and weakness, food intolerances, fainting spells, as well as other symptoms. Of course with chronic disease some days are better than others, and it is often very hard to explain to my peers. Mostly I try to keep quiet about it.