Young Adults with PsA, new diagnosis’s and “coping”
Hello everyone!
My name is Rowan, I’m 24 and, even though I’ve been dealing with symptoms of PsA since I was 12, I was just diagnosed with PsA last week, and have been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s since 2017.
I wanted to introduce myself and see if there are any other young adults in this group, because I’m feeling a little lost in this diagnosis and want to hear from others around my age who also have PsA.
And I want to ask a lot of questions! Like, how do you manage the stress of being at the very beginning of your career?
How do you manage getting together with friends (keeping plans you’ve made for the future) and more importantly, dating?!
If you’re over 26, and we’re previously on a parents health insurance plan, how difficult was it to find a good, reasonably priced plan that covers the meds and doc visits we entail, and if you have a recommendation for a specific plan, let me know!
I’m really just looking for a community of people my age, but I haven’t been successful in finding one yet. Hopefully there are some young adults out here in this group like me!
Hi Rowan!
My name's Elizabeth, I'm 23 and have been dealing with PsA since childhood. It has definitely been a struggle navigating young adulthood with this diagnosis, it has had an impact on every part of my life!
I think starting my career has been one of my biggest struggles so far. I quickly learned I had to make a lot of sacrifices to make it work. During the week, work and my health are my top priorities. I try not to make outside commitments or stress out about chores during the workweek so I can focus on working and resting after work. That's not always possible, but the weeks where there is less on my plate at home are usually a little easier. That said, I've also made a point not to work over the weekends because my body (and brain) need time to decompress.
But working for a company that allows for flexible hours and remote work has been my saving grace. Instead of 9-5, I'm able to work 8-4 to avoid a rough commute. It's really increased my productivity!
Friends and dating are a hard one! Something I learned quickly is that real friends understand if you can't make it out or if you can't fully participate, though they might be frustrated sometimes.
Partners are trickier: when I was dating, I tried to be open and honest from the very beginning. Sometimes people stuck around, other times, they ran off. But it was an excellent way to weed through ideal partners 😉
Anyway, I hope that helps 😀 There are some other young adults in this community and others, and they're all very friendly and helpful! I've met a lot of young adults through support groups on Facebook and Instagram, as well.
See you around!
Elizabeth
Elizabeth,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful and detailed reply. I appreciate all of your comments and am trying to move forward with positivity and strength!
I appreciate you linking your article, I'm going to give that a read through.
Once again, thanks so much. I'm going to try to find more PsA communities on instagram ❤️
-Rowan
Hi! Im Himalia, I am 18 and have been dealing with PsA symptoms since the age of 12 as well. I have PsA and fibromyalgia. Navigating friendships has been very, very difficult and I had not even contemplated dating until I got on Humira but I still can't imagine it being possible
