1.  How old were you when you were diagnosed and how did your CAH affect you as a yound boy, say elementary school age and under?

2 weeks old

2.  How about jr high or middle school age and high school age? Did you find that explaining CAH was benficial in any way ( to friends etc) or did you keep it rather private?

It was difficult to explain, many kids did not understand and even a rumor was that I was to die at a young age, I told only selective people.

3. How did it affect you physically and do you feel it affected your energy levels?

I was sort of shelterd in many ways, but still free to go out and play, I was a chubby kid which made it difficult to compete in sports as a child, it affected my morale and self-esteem in lots of ways, I had energy and was a bright child, but still slow in some aspects mainly because I felt I had this chip on my shoulder psychologically you know.

4. How many crisis’ have you had and could you possibly explain to us how it feels and can you tell when they are coming on?

I have never had an adrenal crisis’ which required me to be sick, or ill due to crisis’, I did get sick a lot with regular infections of the sinus’ and the tonsils. I am sure that was a strain on my system. I did not heal easily.  I was never hospitalized for anything after my initial year of birth, I have been very fortunate because I had great parents and a very good team of doctors from Baylor/Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, TX., under the leadershipe of Dr. George Clayton. We had to make trips from NE Louisiana (Monroe) to Houston, TX as frequent as 4 times a year for checkups. I now live in New Haven, CT and get care from an endo at my health plan.

I hope this is sort of helpful, of course feel free to ask more questions.