Alex's Story

Alex, Age 17

Alex is 17 yrs old and a High School Senior. He is a very bright young man and works very hard to maintain his A/B average in school. He misses a lot of school because he has a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD for short) called Crohn's disease.

Alex was mildly ill from birth to 3 yrs old. The doctors blamed his diarrhea, constipation, vomiting, fevers and stomach pains on being lactose intolerant and gastritis. We took away all the milk and milk products but he continued to have the same problems.

By age 2 1/2 we added joint pains and rectal fissures to his list of complaints. At age 3 the constipation went away but was replaced with bloody diarrhea 25 - 30 times a day. One doctor suggested he might have IBD but she was dismissed by the military doctors we were having to deal with. They did scans and other x-rays, sent him to surgeons who said it was his diet. At age 5 1/2 we went to see the doctors at Walter Reed Army Medical Center but by this time he weighed only 24 pounds and was almost 6 yrs old. I truly believed he would die.

They diagnosed him with indeterminate ulcerative colitis and later Cohn's disease. He was placed on medication that kept the disease under some control and he began to grow and gain some weight but the damage to his gastrointestinal tract had been done and he had trouble tolerating foods.

In 1997, his illness became worse and was started on the dreaded prednisone which was very hard on him and then immunosuppressives were added to his medication list. He remained under the care of the doctors at Walter Reed until 1997 when we moved back home to Arkansas and found a wonderful doctor. At this time he is currently taking Elevil, Zyrtec, Protonix, multi-vitamin, Methotrexate Injections and is receiving Remicade infusions every 3-4 weeks to control the symptoms of this terrible disease.

IBD has caused my son to miss out on lots of activities such as sports and school functions. There are days he just feels to bad or to tired to go to school or socialize with friends. He has missed up to 50 days of school a year. When he was in JR High he thought he would give up being in the band but decided he would stick it out for a little longer. Well he stuck it out and in his 9th grade yr he hurt his knee while learning to march with the band. Steroids and the disease had weakened his joints. he had to have surgery and was told he could not march percussion anymore. But that didn't keep him down....the following spring one of his friends taught him how to spin rifles and flags and he tried out for the bands color guard team. He made the team and this year (2005) he is Color Guard Captain.

Alex has really been "Growing Up IBD" and has become a very rounded, well liked, smart and talented young man with wonderful friends and family that look out for him.

-Written by Alex's Mother, September 2005