If you have a medical problem whether it is diabetes, asthma, epilepsy, sickle cell or something else, it can be easy to feel that it is taking over your life.
You might get quite low about it and feel that whatever you do to take control is useless. You might just want to ignore it and hope it goes away. Feeling like this is normal, most people feel like this when they are first diagnosed with a medical problem whether they are young or old.
We would like you to live your life as you want to.
Initially, it can be hard but we are here to try and make your medical problem fit around you, not the other way round. It is possible to still have control of your life.
Sometimes other people (i.e. parents and teachers) get worried about your health more than you do and you might feel more restricted than other people. We can give you and the people you care about lots of information that might help.
You should be able to go out, have relationships, get work, play sports, go on holiday and do anything you want. The difference is that you might need to plan a little bit more and make sure that your health doesn't suffer.
Check out the other zones to see if they help you think about how you might feel about your mood, exercise, relationships and work. You might have specific questions. Why not email and ask us or drop in to see one of us?