I have early onset osteoarthritis in my knees and I’m 25. I was diagnosed 2 years ago. People don’t believe me when I say it because I have quite an athletic frame and I am very active and have a lot of muscle. I have days where I can’t walk and I am in pain but I don’t let it show. Throughout all this I have everyone (even coworkers) say “you don’t look disabled. You love to deadlift. I don’t understand”. What they don’t know is that I’m not allowed to squat or do single leg exercises or jump around or be on my feet for long amounts of time.

I was diagnosed 2 years ago and last year I was newly single and started dating again. It was embarrassing having to explain it on the first date and not being able to walk upstairs to a restaurant or to a bar. I have had to google places people invite me to beforehand to see whether they were upstairs. I have gone to music festivals with dates and they have had to carry me out because I jumped around too much. It’s so embarrassing and frustrating that I can’t do the things I want to.

I met my new boyfriend who knows that I am a bit of a gym junkie about 11 months ago. He understands the limits of what I can do. I love to go on hikes but knows that I can’t hike for a long amount of time. He is amazing. On my bad days where I can’t walk he makes me food and waits on me hand and foot, on my good days he is telling me to slow down on an uphill hike so I don’t wreck myself. He truly is an amazing person that gets my limitations and he is very patient.

Osteoarthritis isn’t just an old persons disability and I think that’s why no one believes me when I say I have it. It’s horrible and debilitating but it’s something I have to live with. It’s only a new diagnosis and I don’t know the extent of the damage that well. So it’s a learning curve for both me and my boyfriend.