She already had Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA), so anytime she brought up something new to the doctor – whether it was fatigue, pain, or other issues – it was usually brushed off as just part of her arthritis. Because of that, she wasn’t really taken seriously for quite a while.
My diagnosis journey was a long and frustrating one. It took around five years from when new symptoms started showing up to when I finally received a proper diagnosis. I wasn’t really taken seriously for quite a while.
Beth’s diagnosis journey was a long and frustrating one. It took around five years from when new symptoms started showing up to when she finally received a proper diagnosis. She already had Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA), so anytime she brought up something new to the doctor – whether it was fatigue, pain, or other issues – it was usually brushed off as just part of her arthritis. Because of that, she wasn’t really taken seriously for quite a while.
Beth, 31, from Essex said: “My diagnosis journey was a long and frustrating one. It took around five years from when new symptoms started showing up to when I finally received a proper diagnosis. I wasn’t really taken seriously for quite a while. It was important for me to be involved in #SayScleroderma to help raise awareness about the emotional and physical toll of delayed diagnosis and the irreversible damage it can cause. We must push for improvements in the healthcare system.”