REINTRODUCING UNDER YOUNG SKIN!

Hello to all followers/readers - new and old.

Now more than ever feels like the perfect moment to reintroduce myself and share a fresh perspective on what Under Young Skin is all about.

My name is Ali, a 28-year-old living with Arthritis in North Yorkshire and I'm a new mum to a gorgeous baby boy. (Who is now nearly 6 months - I'm not sure how! I started writing this when he was 2 months!) So right now, life is pretty hectic and all about figuring out life as a new version of myself.

A very brief background - when I was about 13/14 years old, I got Glandular Fever and then whilst skiing with school shortly after, I injured my right knee MCL. After a couple of years of the injury never healing and a lot of inflammation, I got diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis. I was able to manage without any medication and just put up with a dodgy knee and being very weak. Fast-forward to when I was 20, after a drunken fall at uni, everything started swelling again and after a while I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Since then, I have been on various medication, had varying severity of arthritis and other conditions that seem to come alongside it, as well as many side effects. During my pregnancy, my arthritis pretty much disappeared and I was off my medication until recently. Approximately 4 months postpartum, I flared up again and now I am back on medication.

If you want a more detailed story - take a look through previous blog posts and a more recent update will be posted soon!

I launched my blog 'Under Young Skin' in 2020, as a way of expressing myself and to help articulate the struggles of living with Arthritis from such a young age. Over the last six years, I’ve connected with countless individuals online who share similar experiences with chronic illnesses. These connections have been my lifeline, providing support and understanding that has been invaluable. Writing a blog helped me to get things off my chest that I found I struggled to say out loud and to my loved ones directly. It has been a kind of escape. When I started connecting with others similar to me and starting advocating more, I knew that it was all worth while and not only helps me but helps others too. With that in mind, in 2021, I came together with others with chronic illnesses and created 'Chronically Connected' - a platform for people to share their stories together. However, like many things in life, it has quieted down recently, and I regret having neglected it for too long. I hope to revive it in the near future!

It means so much when I see people read my blogs and get something out of it.

If you can, please share and when I find the time I can keep doing more!

Thanks for reading,

Ali x