living with RA at 20

hi im 20, and i got diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in June. But due to my long standing ocd and health anxiety i havent been able to google anything/ reach out until recently. Just curious how i join a local support group for young people who may be in a similar position to me, or if anyone has advice/ has been in my position, thanks.

Comments

  • noddingtonpete
    noddingtonpete Moderator Posts: 1,239

    Hello @rachelena and welcome to the Community. We are a friendly and supportive group and I hope that will be your experience as well.

    There are a couple of ways to see if there is anything local to you, firstly you can search our In Your Area page, just click on the link - it will take you to the page - In Your Area

    Secondly you could contact our Young People and Families Service

    You can email them at ypfsUK@versusarthritis.org and they might know of groups in your area.

    I hope you find something soon.

    Best wishes

    Peter

    Need more help? - call our Helpline on0800 5200 520Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm

  • Welsh1
    Welsh1 Member Posts: 89

    There are a couple of young people on Instagram if you use that that are informative and talk about daily life with RA the one account is both serious and fun

  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,764

    You don't have to 'google anything'. Just take your DMARDS and eat and exercise sensibly. I was diagnosed at 15 many years ago and I've had a good life.

    @noddingtonpete 's link looks usedul. Good lu k.

    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • Nurina
    Nurina Member Posts: 458

    Don't google about your condition or your find horrible things. Every case is different from others. I was diagnosed with RA when I was 5 years old and I had a perfect normal life even much more active than "healthy" people. I kept a low weight, tried no to eat processed food, did a lot of exercise and I've never labelled myself as an ill person.