We went to the pediatric endocrinologist today. He is wonderful! We love him and his staff!!! (Dr. Jabbar and Amanda – we love you!) My twelve year old has “low growth hormones” also known as “idiopathic short stature”. To further complicate the issue he has advanced bone age, which means he has less time to grow than if he had a “less mature” bone age. He had been seeing the pediatric endocrinologists at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor Michigan for several years. They monitored his growth and checked his GH levels regularly for six months then administered a “growth hormone stimulation test”. His growth hormone levels were consistently very low. The stimulation test showed that his body was capable of producing growth hormone in the high range of low levels when stimulated so they recommended continued monitoring of blood and growth. Since his body was capable of producing the hormones (even though it was not doing it on its own) the insurance companies would give a hassle to cover the treatment and we could not afford it (at $30,000 a year minimum), so we waited.
After several years of minimal growth he had another growth hormone stimulation test. This time it showed that his body produced amazingly low amounts of growth hormone when stimulated. This was wonderful news for us. It meant that he was finally able to get the treatment he needed. We were not happy to learn that his body was not functioning properly, but we already knew that. It was also good timing because his self esteem was beginning to be affected. People generally thought he was two to three years younger than he really was. Thank GOD he is home schooled and was able to avoid daily teasing.
He has been receiving daily injections of Genotropin, a growth hormone for over a year. He has grown 4.5 inches in the past twelve months! It is a miracle
The body produces growth hormone while we sleep, so to more closely mimic how our bodies work, we give the hormone right before bed. Actually, my son prefers that I give it to him after he has fallen asleep! Occasionally he will wake up, go to the bathroom and come back a bit groggy but ready for the injection. He says that having it after he has fallen asleep alleviates any pre-injection anxiety.
Around nine months old he began to fall out of the “average” height range on the growth charts and has been way below ever since. The doctors estimated that he would be lucky to reach 5’3” without treatment. The last time we visited the pediatric endocrinologist he had finally entered the “average” height range for his age. This time he is about in the middle of the average height! It is absolutely amazing to see the spikes on his growth chart after seeing it barely moving for most of his life.
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