WMBD/WYZZ - BARTONVILLE --
Could your child's stomach ache be
something more serious?
Doctors say abdominal
pain in kids is common. It's often how stress manifests itself. But it could be one of two gastrointestinal
diseases- Chron’s or Colitis- now being diagnosed more frequently in kids.
When 12-year old Brandon Fulton was
diagnosed with Chron's Disease at age 9, the family had mixed feelings. There was fear in facing a lifelong
condition, but relief in knowing what was causing his severe stomach aches.
“Once I figured it out, I was like
oh this is what's happening. I'm going
to have it for the rest of my life. I'm
going to have to deal with it,” Brandon said.
Three and a half years ago, Brandon says he spent much of the summer on
the couch in severe pain, missing out on being a kid. “I always saw them out playing in
the yard, kickball and stuff, and I’d be like man, I wish I could do that,"
he said.
Several months later, Brandon was diagnosed with Chron's Disease. The condition causes inflammation in the
digestive track. When a child develops the disease, it can interfere with
development and growth. Two years after
his diagnosis, Brandon was still struggling.
“For his age group, he should be 80-90
pounds, and he was at 45. And that was
scary. That was really scary,” Melissa Fulton, Brandon’s Mom, said.
After two years of battling low
weight, Brandon finally got a feeding tube. And that's changed everything.
“It was just like bang. I got the boost I needed and started growing
and getting better and going outside,” Brandon said.
Brandon says the support of his family
helped keep him going. And though he has
a lifelong condition, he says he focuses on all the good things in life.
“There's other things I need to
think about, like living my life as a kid," Brandon said.
Doctors encourage you to have your
child checked by a pediatrician if they experience frequent stomach problems.
