Identifying True Friends
Going along with the theme of adjusting, my friendships and interactions with people have changed greatly. Relationships are easy to make when you are a young, active, in-shape, and around all the time. It gets a lot tougher when you can’t participate in these activities and don’t have as much in common with people your age anymore.
Admittedly I don’t have as many friends as I used because of this phenomenon, but I like to think of my condition as a filter; who wants to have “friends” who will drop you the instant you become sick, or who don’t genuinely care about your livelihood? The friendships I have now are more meaningful, have substance, and will last longer.
A New Outlook on Life
Lastly, my condition has greatly changed my outlook on life. Before I developed arthritis, I was very active but not always happy. I was preoccupied with superfluous and meaningless things that would get me down and anxious. I took my livelihood and health for granted and would look at various aspects of my life in a pessimistic manner.
My condition has forced me to appreciate my health, the many blessings in my life, and all the activities I can physically participate in. It has also helped to reinforce the importance of a strong mind and education to make up for my physical deficits; I applied and got into medical school the year after I developed arthritis and hope to use my education to help people with similar health deficits in the future.
It’s easy to get caught up in the difficult moments as young person with arthritis, but keeping perspective over the long-term has helped me a lot. The pain and physical limitations from osteoarthritis will probably always be there, but that doesn't mean I won't have my good days where I can barely feel the pain.
My friends and family have also gotten better about accommodating my condition and making sure to provide the support I need. And although progress is slow, the modalities in healthcare to help alleviate the pain caused by arthritis are getting better. There is still a long way to go for proper treatment of the disease, but any improvement is better than none.
Infuriating and Exhausting, But Not All Bad
Describing arthritis for a young person as ‘frustrating’ is an understatement. It’s infuriating to see people your age able to accomplish physical feats that you may never be able to even participate in. It's also exhausting to get your peers to understand the limitations that the disease creates when there is no shock factor.
Fortunately, it hasn’t all been bad with arthritis; it has allowed me to make more meaningful relationships, I value my health more now, and it has motivated me to use my education as a tool to help others with similar physical conditions.
I would love to hear the stories of others who are reading this post who also developed arthritis at a young age, and the strategies you have created to overcome the physical and emotional obstacles that the condition creates.
