During the stable periods, adolescents found they did not have much struggle in their lives. When adolescents were experiencing minimal problems with symptoms, their lives could best be described as "normal." 

Stable Period of Symptoms

All adolescents experienced unstable periods, that is, periods when their symptoms were more severe and difficult to manage. A few adolescents referred to their unstable periods as "hell" or a "nightmare." About half of adolescents experienced more frequent unstable periods of their symptoms than the others.

Unstable Period of Symptoms 

The difficulty experience varied for each adolescent depending on whether the adolescent was experiencing a stable or unstable phase of their symptom trajectory. 

University of Illinois at Chicago

"Hard" as the overall theme illustrated the difficulties and hardships that come with having a chronic illness. Adolescents felt their life was not as easy because of their chronic illness. Obstacles that they encountered which made their life difficult included treatment regime, controlling symptoms, and integrating their illness experiences into their everyday life. 

Adolescents' perspective on living with a chronic illness: Hard

Woodgate, R. L. (1998). Adolescents' perspectives of chronic illness:“It's hard”. Journal of pediatric nursing, 13(4), 210-223.

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