Growth Hormone Deficiency

[Beckysc]

My son has just started therapy for having low growth hormone. He has always been little, but his growth has always matched the curve on the growth charts, until the last year or two. We kept waiting for the growth spurt to kick in, but it didn't happen. He is 14, in 8th grade and around 54 inches tall.

We have almost finished our first month, so I was wondering if anyone has any experiences or advice to share.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

I know a boy in one of the ds classes had the course of treatment. He ended up having to have a liver transplant after it. I dont know the reason why, but make sure they closely monitor your son. I took my ds to a pediatric endo for his growth issues too. It took him like 2 years tio catch up to everyone as he never had growth spurt at the right time either. She said she tested ium for 14 differet diseases etc, I think his had to do with all the steroids he was taking for his asthma. She didnt agree with me however.She said she was thinking of giving him a shot of testosterone but she decided not to. Eventually he caught up but it took a long time. She just kept monitoring him at checkups and charted his progress. Best of luck to your ds.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

My dd was on growth hormone from K-5th grade. I imagine daily injections would be easier with an older kid.
She was on genotropin.

You do go in for checkups to test the level of hormone. My dd was able to gain weight and grow normally. She has stopped at 5ft & 96lbs at age 13.

What was his bone age? Did they give a timeframe of how long he has to get the shots in to grow before his bones fuse?

 

[golfgal]

We had DS17 tested because he stopped growing, at all, for a couple years. He didn't qualify because his growth hormones were in, just barely, the normal range. They did all of the tests, etc and he SHOULD be 6', give or take a couple inches when he is done growing. His is about 5' 7" now-as a senior in high school.

My niece is just starting the shots-she is in 8th grade and really tiny. She is at least a foot shorter than our DD, who is in 9th grade and is about 5' 5" tall right now.

 

[Beckysc]

They said that my DS's bone age was good...11.5 I think. His size wasn't as much of an issue before, but now that he is in 8th grade, a lot of the other boys are just shooting up and he hasn't. At least he has a pretty good attitude about it.

He is taking nutropin and so far so go. I was a little nervous about doing the shots, as was he, but we are both doing ok. We have found that it's better for him if we put an ice pack on the injection area before hand. It kinds of numbs it up and we found that it easier if he is doing something to keep his mind concentrating on something else, like a battle in a video game.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

They said that my DS's bone age was good...11.5 I think. His size wasn't as much of an issue before, but now that he is in 8th grade, a lot of the other boys are just shooting up and he hasn't. At least he has a pretty good attitude about it.

He is taking nutropin and so far so go. I was a little nervous about doing the shots, as was he, but we are both doing ok. We have found that it's better for him if we put an ice pack on the injection area before hand. It kinds of numbs it up and we found that it easier if he is doing something to keep his mind concentrating on something else, like a battle in a video game.

My dd was in a race to get the shots before her bones fused. So sounds like you are in a good spot to do some catch up.

Has he gained any weight? That was the first thing my dd was able to do. It was amazing.

 

[Beckysc]

He hasn't gained weight. He has a little extra weight in his middle section and the dr's said that he may lose that once he starts growing. He also said that some kids start eating more to compensate for the growth so he also could gain weight.

 

[sturdypeasantstock]

We don't do them with our kids, although some people have had the nerve to suggest it. If people don't accept them b/c of their height, then they are really shallow and not worth having as a friend anyway.

To each his/her own, but I don't understand why people do this just to have their kid "fit in" with the bigger kids. Short kids are perfectly healthy. Why not teach them to accept and love themselves for the way they are?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We don't do them with our kids, although some people have had the nerve to suggest it. If people don't accept them b/c of their height, then they are really shallow and not worth having as a friend anyway.

To each his/her own, but I don't understand why people do this just to have their kid "fit in" with the bigger kids. Short kids are perfectly healthy. Why not teach them to accept and love themselves for the way they are?

Growth deficiency is more than about height. It is about your overall growth. It is about your skeletal structure, internal organs, etc.

In addition, it is about weight gain. My dd was unable to gain weight without the hormone.

If a doctor told you that your dd might not make it to 4ft, would you consider growth hormone? My dd was projected at best to be 4'2" (maybe). She is at 5ft today with growth hormone. Granted she is still "short" but she is happy to be 5ft.

 

[mjkacmom]

We don't do them with our kids, although some people have had the nerve to suggest it. If people don't accept them b/c of their height, then they are really shallow and not worth having as a friend anyway.

To each his/her own, but I don't understand why people do this just to have their kid "fit in" with the bigger kids. Short kids are perfectly healthy. Why not teach them to accept and love themselves for the way they are?

I would do it in a heartbeat if my boys were very short. I know a few short grown men (5'4") who went through some tough emotional issues because of their height. Taller men are more likely to be successful than shorter men. I just want my kids to be happy.