I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis when I was 22. I’d been to the doctors (including physios, chiropractors, and osteopaths) complaining of back pain since I was 15, so it took a long while to get a diagnosis. At the time, I was going through a very stressful period, studying for both
My story began when I was at university at the age of just 19, after I woke up one morning with an inflamed red left eye. At first I just assumed it wasn’t anything serious, but it quickly became very painful and I realised it needed to be looked at. I was seen by a
I first developed signs of psoriatic arthritis when I was 34. I wasn’t living a very healthy lifestyle at the time – I was working long, stressful hours in the heart of London, and my body was always running on adrenaline and stress. I thought that was the normal thing for someone in their
Having experienced symptoms since I was 13, it was a relief to finally get a diagnosis of fibromyalgia (an MSK condition) and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome aged 18. I was prescribed medication to help reduce my symptoms but I struggled to find further support and guidance. It felt like I’d been left to manage my conditions on
Jennifer was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at 23. She quickly realised that people often don’t understand how difficult life with arthritis can be, particularly when you don’t look unwell. Jennifer has found that things like taking public transport to get to work, picking up her child, as well as making decisions about expanding her family have all been impacted.
