VERY short child - possible thyroid issues & HGH shots

[Mom-ninja.]

I can only relay a bit from a mom I know in homeschool co-op. Her ds has Hashi and it wasn't found until he was 13. He was short (well below 5' at that age). The endo said he'd most likely had Hashi for awhile but it was not caught earlier. Anyway, they got his thyroid under control, and they were monitoring his growth by looking at bone age and such. At the point she told me this fixing his thyroid had helped and he was growing. The doctors said as long as his bone age was younger then he still had time to catch. If it looked like his bone age was closing the gap they were going to give him GH therapy. 

 

 

[kbutton]

I am going to join the clamor that doctors who aren't into thyroid stuff are going to be an ill fit. I would try to find someone who feels very empowered about their own health and who has thyroid issues and ask them who their doctor is.

 

I am glad someone brought up Noonan Syndrome--I am going to suggest looking into syndromic issues because growth is often a factor. Also, body dysmorphology of all kinds points to syndromes as well. Some of the complications of syndromes are things that are symptomless--including cardiac issues, so if you have clusters of symptoms in a family or in a child, you might want to look more broadly, IMO. Not to be paranoid, but because it sounds like the endo is bent on looking very narrowly. Even with a positive family history or clusters of symptoms, the doctor doesn't always ask the right questions to elicit a "yes, other family members have a related condition." Frankly, doctors often fail to define related conditions, so the patient answers too narrowly. 

 

This is a search on a NIH site for genetic stuff. I searched short stature, and some of the results have syndromic links. https://www.genome.gov/search.cfm

 

This is a reference on that site for dysmorphic features. It's not like these features don't occur on their own just as a normal part of genetic variety, but combined with certain things, they can be a key indicator for additional testing and diagnosis. Dysmorphic features are one of the things that is making is possible for my son to get genetic testing right now, and he is a cutey pie. There are many dysmorphic features that are attractive--not all of them are things that make you concerned or flag something as "What's wrong with my child." My son's issue is unlikely to be hormonal, just to be sure you know I'm speaking very broadly about red flags. Doctors tend to blow off the "ordinary" dysmorphic features, honestly, but they can contribute to the diagnostic process. Facial shape, head shape, chin size/recession, eye spacing, etc. are all things that come up with a lot of syndromes. 

 

***ETA the link for the reference on dysmorphic features: https://elementsofmorphology.nih.gov/index.cgi

 

And I agree about the celiac thing. Kids are hard to pin down about celiac sometimes because they might have "enough" damage to get a firm diagnosis.

Edited January 19, 2017 by kbutton

[Barb_]

Some of my girls are late bloomers.  The craziest one is the 17yo.  She was always tiny like >3rd percentile.  At 14, she was still 5-2 but still hadn't gotten her period.  She finally reached maturity at 15.5 and is now 5-6.  My other girls were all at the bottom of the charts (some falling off completely) and are 5-6, 5-1, 5-2, and 5-2.  I'm 5-4 and my husband is 5-8.  His mom is 4-10.  Genes are weird.

[Gisel_le]

I only read through the first few posts so sorry if this old news. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism as a child. At 13, I had a bone age x-ray done and it had me at 10 years old. Yes, I was about the size of a 9-10 year old. Once I starting taking synthroid, I started to grow again but I was always the tiniest girl in my class. At some point, I started to catch up though and continued to grow until I was about 20 years old. I am now 5'5".

 

I was never offered growth hormone shots that I am aware of. Based on my experience, she will catch up and I wouldn't get the shots. Good luck and I hope they get her thyroid levels figured out soon so she can feel better!

[Amy in NH]

Please address the thyroid before trying anything more invasive.

 

Also, I believe there is someone on this forum whose child was super small until they took him or her off gluten just to see if it would help. The child shot up in height in such an obvious way that there was no doubt that gluten had been an undiagnosed problem.

I know someone with multiple kids with confirmed celiac diagnoses. One kid disproved of celiac had multiple medical problems including growth which essentially stopped between 3-5yo. Mom took him off gluten on a whim around age 8, and all medical problems resolved including growth. Kid is now a slightly short teen for his age, but within normal bounds. If you have a history of celiac in your family, I'd definitely try this before resorting to drugs.

[Supertechmom]

Oh please please please investigate celiac disease. Short stature, slow growth and thyroid are connected to celiac. So much that with a husband responding to a paleo diet, I would institute a strict gluten free dairy free diet right after the blood work. The body often considers dairy gluten as the molecules are close in structure. Once the body has calmed it's reaction to gluten, dairy can be added back. I would jump on the duet no matter how crazy it seems. In kids, if gluten is the culprit, you will know within the first few months as growth will pick up.

 

When my daughter was dx with celiac, my son wound up being dx because he grew 6 inches on the diet in the first few months. He had celiac as well just not any symptoms other than slow growth. Fine growth hormone function as did my daughter. Just unable to grow.

[Classic Mom]

Diet change is something we're thinking about. DH follows a Paleo diet and has felt better (although not 100%).

If you want to test for celiac, she must be eating gluten when you test. Don't change her diet until after you do the testing.

[Supertechmom]

Yea, you must be on a gluten diet when tested for Celiac.  There's a blood test now.  Big problem with testing though is if you have non classic symptoms, the blood panel may be low and the biopsy which is the official dx may be negative.    Celiac testing only rules in, never rules out the disease. 

[Tess in the Burbs]

Interesting.  My son was -15% for years.  We were so excited when he got to 0% on a growth chart.  No Dr ever asked to test anything.  I asked once if we needed to be concerned and they said we have people in all sizes/shapes, not to stress about it.  I did stress b/c this kid doesn't eat well(allergies and extreme pickiness).  He's a teen now and on the charts!  

So I'm curious what made the Dr pursue testing of any kind?  

I hope you get some answers about the thyroid.  I have Hashimoto's and it's so frustrating trying to nail down what is causing issues and how to stop it.  You do need to be eating gluten for the endoscopy or blood test for celiac.  I couldn't get an app't for 8 weeks but stopped gluten anyway and felt immediately better. OF course my testing was negative...  

But as to the height thing...if I went by all the info I read about it, my son had an issue no Dr ever looked in to.  But now, He's growing and seems to be reaching the expected height the old Dr's said he would based on my/dh height.  It was his hip measurement they said that determined how much growth is left.  They x-rayed the hip and his measurement is R2.  They said they grow until R6.  Has the Dr done this X-ray??  

[Vintage81]

Yea, you must be on a gluten diet when tested for Celiac.  There's a blood test now.  Big problem with testing though is if you have non classic symptoms, the blood panel may be low and the biopsy which is the official dx may be negative.    Celiac testing only rules in, never rules out the disease.

 

I looked back at her original bloodwork and they tested her for Celiac Disease - there was no evidence of celiac. The report did say to consider testing HLA DQ2, DQ8 in order to rule out celiac. I'll have to research that further and see if it's something we want them to test. Looks like it might be a good idea. I'm not sure why it wasn't done in the first place (or during her most recent blood tests).

[Vintage81]

Interesting.  My son was -15% for years.  We were so excited when he got to 0% on a growth chart.  No Dr ever asked to test anything.  I asked once if we needed to be concerned and they said we have people in all sizes/shapes, not to stress about it.  I did stress b/c this kid doesn't eat well(allergies and extreme pickiness).  He's a teen now and on the charts!  

So I'm curious what made the Dr pursue testing of any kind?  

I hope you get some answers about the thyroid.  I have Hashimoto's and it's so frustrating trying to nail down what is causing issues and how to stop it.  You do need to be eating gluten for the endoscopy or blood test for celiac.  I couldn't get an app't for 8 weeks but stopped gluten anyway and felt immediately better. OF course my testing was negative...  

But as to the height thing...if I went by all the info I read about it, my son had an issue no Dr ever looked in to.  But now, He's growing and seems to be reaching the expected height the old Dr's said he would based on my/dh height.  It was his hip measurement they said that determined how much growth is left.  They x-rayed the hip and his measurement is R2.  They said they grow until R6.  Has the Dr done this X-ray??

 

Her pediatrician is the one who suggested we see a ped endo. With her sister being almost the same height, the pediatrician wanted to have her checked out further, just to make sure nothing else was going on.

 

They have not x-rayed her hip. They only x-rayed her left wrist (twice). I've not heard about the hip x-ray, so I'll look into that.

[Supertechmom]

I looked back at her original bloodwork and they tested her for Celiac Disease - there was no evidence of celiac. The report did say to consider testing HLA DQ2, DQ8 in order to rule out celiac. I'll have to research that further and see if it's something we want them to test. Looks like it might be a good idea. I'm not sure why it wasn't done in the first place (or during her most recent blood tests).

That's a gene test. Wonderful in theory but it doesn't test for the latest genes that have been found, just the original group. Did the celiac panel show if iga deficient? Also did it show any level of antibodies? It's one of those things to monitor and watch if levels rise from year to year until dx can be made. Or go gluten free and see if makes a difference.

[MeaganS]

I haven't read the responses, but dd8 had similar growth problems, except she was projected to be 4'10" and dh and I are both unusually tall, so it was really off. At when dd was 6, her younger sister was already taller than her, even though she was only 4yo. She doesn't have thyroid issues that we are aware of but she does have Turners Syndrome (diagnosed by her endo after a genetic test). We chose to do hgh shots. It hasn't been a big deal at all. A height of 4'10" can be considered legally disabled. The world isn't built for people that short. Heck, driving cars can be dangerous. I didn't love the idea at first, but I'm glad we chose to do it. Now, 2 years later, she just officially got on the growth chart at barely 5th percentile!

[JumpyTheFrog]

I looked back at her original bloodwork and they tested her for Celiac Disease - there was no evidence of celiac.

Which tests did they do? Did they test IgA levels? If they are low, she won't have enough antibodies to show up as celiac even if damage is being done. Also, biopsies aren't considered positive until severe damage is done in the exact areas they check. In short, there are many, many false negatives for celiac. This doesn't even include all the people with non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

[Pawz4me]

I haven't read the responses, but dd8 had similar growth problems, except she was projected to be 4'10" and dh and I are both unusually tall, so it was really off. At when dd was 6, her younger sister was already taller than her, even though she was only 4yo. She doesn't have thyroid issues that we are aware of but she does have Turners Syndrome (diagnosed by her endo after a genetic test). We chose to do hgh shots. It hasn't been a big deal at all. A height of 4'10" can be considered legally disabled. The world isn't built for people that short. Heck, driving cars can be dangerous. I didn't love the idea at first, but I'm glad we chose to do it. Now, 2 years later, she just officially got on the growth chart at barely 5th percentile!

 

I'm glad your DD is growing but as someone who IS batrely 4'10" I really have to dispute a lot of what you've written. I've yet to meet a vehicle I couldn't drive safely and competently. That includes an almost 20,000 pound 35 feet long RV. It's absolutely ridiculous to think driving a car "can be dangerous" for someone like me. Being short seems to be much more of a "problem" for people with attitudes like yours than it is for people who are actually short.

[MeaganS]

I'm glad your DD is growing but as someone who IS batrely 4'10" I really have to dispute a lot of what you've written. I've yet to meet a vehicle I couldn't drive safely and competently. That includes an almost 20,000 pound 35 feet long RV. It's absolutely ridiculous to think driving a car "can be dangerous" for someone like me. Being short seems to be much more of a "problem" for people with attitudes like yours than it is for people who are actually short.

Neither of my statements were meant to offend, but are simply facts. A quick Google search shows that a height of 4'10" or less can be (often isnt) considered disabled. From a website for short people, I see that many don't consider themselves so, and that's fine, but many also want height to be a factor when it comes to accessibility. As for driving a car, I was referring to airbags, which are usually designed for people 5 feet tall or taller. Thus, using a car with an airbag when you are shorter than that could be dangerous. I totally believe height is a factor when it comes to driving safely. There have been many cars that my tall dh couldn't drive safely because he didn't fit. It follows that the opposite would be true as well. If that hasn't been your experience, I'm glad I was wrong.

 

I have had many short friends and have no problem with them or their height. Except when they ask for me to grab them something from a top shelf, it never crosses my mind. My family's choice for dd is our own. I just wanted to show to the OP an opinion from a mom who was faced with the growth hormone decision and some factors that influenced us.

Edited January 20, 2017 by Meagan S

[Vintage81]

That's a gene test. Wonderful in theory but it doesn't test for the latest genes that have been found, just the original group. Did the celiac panel show if iga deficient? Also did it show any level of antibodies? It's one of those things to monitor and watch if levels rise from year to year until dx can be made. Or go gluten free and see if makes a difference.

  

Which tests did they do? Did they test IgA levels? If they are low, she won't have enough antibodies to show up as celiac even if damage is being done. Also, biopsies aren't considered positive until severe damage is done in the exact areas they check. In short, there are many, many false negatives for celiac. This doesn't even include all the people with non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

Here's what the results showed...

Tissue Transglutaminase AB IGA - <1 U/mL (I believe this means that no antibodies were detected.)

IMMUNOGLOBULIN A - 53 mg/dL (This was in normal range.)

 

These tests are from the end of 2015, so they're not recent. I'm not sure why the endo didn't retest her when we last went. Sounds like even if they did retest her, and came up with similar results, it may still not give us a clear picture.

 

This is already frustrating and we've just started. 😕

[shawthorne44]

My background:   DD is growth hormone deficient and she is on the HGH shots.  

 

DD was born 6 lbs 2 oz, so in the normal range.   Her growth chart tracked fine until I stopped compulsively tracking it every few days when she was 6 months old.  From 6 months to 9 months, she didn't grow.  She was labeled "Failure to Thrive" and I got lots of stink-eyes from medical people thinking I wasn't feeding my baby.   She got many many tests thrown at her.  Your daughter probably got the same tests.  Her thyroid was fine, but her growth hormones were low.  That took several months of testing, so I'd had time to research.  DH had been resistant to the idea that anything was wrong with DD.   He was 4' 6" at the start of his senior year in high school.   (He grew a foot that year)  His mother is under 5" and she was the tallest in her family of origin.   He always got the message from his mom that it is fine to be short.   Then I had him read the medical description of people with low growth hormones, and he recognized himself.  

 

While researching, I came up with an analogy to explain how the true benefit of HGH to kids who don't have enough.   Kids don't grow until they are done, they grow until about puberty hits.  So, there is a time-limit.   Kids with low HGH is like baking a cake on a lower temperature and taking it out at the normal time.   The stuff on the inside just isn't fully matured.   They are much more likely to have problems with their bones, heart and lungs.  Weirdly, they also seem to have immunity to diabetes and something else I forgot.  

 

I am so rarely on facebook, so I don't know how to find stuff even on my own page.  But there is a helpful facebook group for parents of kids with growth problems.  It was extremely helpful in the early time.  My husband is still active on it.  

 

 

 

Edited January 20, 2017 by shawthorne44

[shawthorne44]

I haven't read the responses, but dd8 had similar growth problems, except she was projected to be 4'10" and dh and I are both unusually tall, so it was really off. At when dd was 6, her younger sister was already taller than her, even though she was only 4yo. She doesn't have thyroid issues that we are aware of but she does have Turners Syndrome (diagnosed by her endo after a genetic test). We chose to do hgh shots. It hasn't been a big deal at all. A height of 4'10" can be considered legally disabled. The world isn't built for people that short. Heck, driving cars can be dangerous. I didn't love the idea at first, but I'm glad we chose to do it. Now, 2 years later, she just officially got on the growth chart at barely 5th percentile!

 

I remember the day that DD got back on the growth chart.  

While height isn't the reason we have DD on the shots, it is a very handy tracking tool for her progress.  

[HomeAgain]

Neither of my statements were meant to offend, but are simply facts. A quick Google search shows that a height of 4'10" or less can be (often isnt) considered disabled. From a website for short people, I see that many don't consider themselves so, and that's fine, but many also want height to be a factor when it comes to accessibility. As for driving a car, I was referring to airbags, which are usually designed for people 5 feet tall or taller. Thus, using a car with an airbag when you are shorter than that could be dangerous. I totally believe height is a factor when it comes to driving safely. There have been many cars that my tall dh couldn't drive safely because he didn't fit. It follows that the opposite would be true as well. If that hasn't been your experience, I'm glad I was wrong.

 

I have had many short friends and have no problem with them or their height. Except when they ask for me to grab them something from a top shelf, it never crosses my mind. My family's choice for dd is our own. I just wanted to show to the OP an opinion from a mom who was faced with the growth hormone decision and some factors that influenced us.

 

Actually, airbags are more about weight and body development.  Most cars have adjustable steering wheels and seats (my next car will have a programmable height adjustment for the seat instead of just back and forth).  I can move the airbag down to where I need it to be to hit me squarely in the chest instead of creating an upward thrust to my chin.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Neither of my statements were meant to offend, but are simply facts. A quick Google search shows that a height of 4'10" or less can be (often isnt) considered disabled. From a website for short people, I see that many don't consider themselves so, and that's fine, but many also want height to be a factor when it comes to accessibility. As for driving a car, I was referring to airbags, which are usually designed for people 5 feet tall or taller. Thus, using a car with an airbag when you are shorter than that could be dangerous. I totally believe height is a factor when it comes to driving safely. There have been many cars that my tall dh couldn't drive safely because he didn't fit. It follows that the opposite would be true as well. If that hasn't been your experience, I'm glad I was wrong.

 

I have had many short friends and have no problem with them or their height. Except when they ask for me to grab them something from a top shelf, it never crosses my mind. My family's choice for dd is our own. I just wanted to show to the OP an opinion from a mom who was faced with the growth hormone decision and some factors that influenced us.

 

Oh I can imagine this.  I'm about 5 ft tall and I can attest to the fact that being that height can be a pain in the arse from time to time.  I can reach stuff in my car, but if I were any shorter, I'd need to have it modified.  I am not comfortable being that close to the airbag, but that is what it is. 

 

HOWEVER, taking hormone treatments of any kind has risks as well.  And to me the risks are greater than "you'll need modifications for your car if you are short".  So I would not proceed with that without a very good reason.  I'd want to know that the height issue would impact my child's health and not so much it'll sometimes make reaching stuff annoying.

[SparklyUnicorn]

and forgive me if that is out of line...I admit I did not read every single post

 

I'm a little sensitive about being told I'm disabled for being short. LOL

 

 

[MeaganS]

Hgh does a lot more than just make you taller. According to WebMD, "HGH, produced by the pituitary gland, spurs growth in children and adolescents. It also helps to regulate body composition, body fluids, muscle and bone growth, sugar and fat metabolism, and possibly heart function." So my dd, whose body barely absorbs it is missing out on a lot more than height. These things are never just that simple. I imagine that is the case also for other hgh deficient disorders. Again, it is what our family has decided. Dd has a chromosomal disorder and this is the standard of care. Everyone has to follow their own conscience.

 

Also, sorry about the disabled thing. I was going off what I read, that legally there's a point where it can be considered disabled under certain circumstances, and that's about 4'10". I didn't realize this would be such a controversy.

Edited January 20, 2017 by Meagan S

[Supertechmom]

And please remember from an old age standpoint.....You shrink.   My 4"10 aunts wish something could have been done as they are even shorter in their 70's which does make things difficult.

[Mom-ninja.]

That's a gene test. Wonderful in theory but it doesn't test for the latest genes that have been found, just the original group. Did the celiac panel show if iga deficient? Also did it show any level of antibodies? It's one of those things to monitor and watch if levels rise from year to year until dx can be made. Or go gluten free and see if makes a difference.

 

I'm curious, what new genes have been found? 

[Supertechmom]

I'm trying to find the research paper from a few years back but off of memory, there is a group of "- gene" Celiac patients.  Positive biopsies or skin biopsies but no  DQ2  or DQ8 genes.   Like less than 2%.    So that group was studied.    Other genes were found and I think they were DQ6, DQ5, DQ7, alpha chain variants, and CD59 along with recent finding of RNA that controls the inflammation process.  I think it doubled to like 20 genes but testing centers on DQ2 and DQ8 (rightly so, those two  cover pretty much everyone )

 

Here's one research 

http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v42/n4/full/ng.le from543.html

 

https://books.google.com/books?id=gqaDD3jkcfYC&pg=PA32&lpg=PA32&dq=new+genes+discovered+in+celiac&source=bl&ots=pPA2saHp6Y&sig=kDFyOJ6z6Babj0VbrVm0EcjioSs&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwin_5uNr9HRAhXo54MKHe30CJk4ChDoAQgyMAQ#v=onepage&q=new%20genes%20discovered%20in%20celiac&f=false

 

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/50849065_Controversies_in_the_laboratory_diagnosis_of_celiac_disease_in_children_new_haplotypes_discovered

 

Ugh I can't find the one I'm trying to recall.    IT was a factor for us because at the time, no one had celiac in our families and the gene testing was too expensive to do.  Now, tons of relatives have celiac so we are probably not one of those rare 2% group.

[Mom-ninja.]

Thanks for posting the links. Yes, I have read about those. I had my kids tested and only 1 of them has the DQ2 and DQ8. The other kids have neither. I am comfortable with a 98% chance of them not developing celiac that we don't test them anymore. My 1 child with the genes gets tested every couple years. 

[Deb in NZ]

I'm a short mother (4'11") of short children.  Dh is the tallest by far in his family, currently 5"6" at age 66, but he tells us he used to be 5'10"  :laugh: Both of his parents were really short.  When ds#1 was 7yo we took him to the paediatrician as we were worried that he was still wetting the bed.  The dr was more worried at how short he was & sent him for blood tests & a wrist x-ray.  The x-ray results showed he was 2 years delayed in development.  This proved true as both my boys didn't begin their growth spurts until after age 15.  Ds#1 was 7 pounds 14 oz at birth, so about average (midway on the chart) but by 6 months he was off the bottom of the chart.  He was growing consistently each month but just at a slower rate than the chart showed.  We took him to a dr but she wasn't worried when she noticed that he was meeting or exceeding all developemental milestones, just growing physically at his own rate.  All 3 of my dc were / are the smallest in their peer group.  The dr who saw ds#1 at age 7 tried to push for growth hormones, but when we asked what the possible side affects of taking them were longer-term, he couldn't tell us that it was risk free.  When were asked what would happen if we didn't start them, he said ds#1 would most likely be short.  Well, being short was normal in our family so that wasn't a problem in our eyes & we refused the growth hormones.  Ds#1 is now 22 & is about 5'4"-5'5".  He was very active growing up, doing quite well in gymnastics & sailing.  He is a qualified tradesman (heavy fabrication & welding) & isn't the smallest man in the workshop at all.  

 

Dd is only 5'2" & her height hasn't held her back at all.  She pulls her weight on the ship, just like her larger members of her crew.  

 

Ds#2 is about 5'6" but still growing at age 19.  He has always been the smallest in his peer group, but this hasn't stopped many from "looking up to him" as his personality is much larger than his physical size.  He plays on the NZ u19 hockey team as a goalie, something that is a HUGE achievement for any size young man.  His team mates call him "Bilbo" fondly  :lol: but he is their first choice to have in the net, ahead of much bigger men.  When he was younger he also did gymnastics, karate, sailing, soccer, etc.  Size has never held him back in his eyes & has been beneficial in some ways as others' preconceived ideas about being short have limited what they thought he could do, giving him an advantage.  We never had him tested, like we did ds#1, as his growth echoed his brother's path.  

 

From what we've found being short has less problems than what our really tall friends have had to deal with over the years.  

 

JMHO

 

Edited January 21, 2017 by Deb in NZ

[sassenach]

Zombie thread. 
 

Though I do wonder how this ended up working out for the OP and her dd. 

[vonfirmath]

Oops. Missed ZOmbie thread

Edited December 17, 2019 by vonfirmath

[Ellie]

On 1/18/2017 at 9:57 AM, Vintage81 said:

Blood work showed abnormality with thyroid - TSH was high, 5.6, total T4 normal, T3 uptake(?) normal. Free T3 and free T4 were not tested. Everything else was normal. Endo wants to do blood work in a month to retest the thyroid. (My husband has Hashimoto’s, so it wouldn’t surprise me if my daughter had thyroid issues too.)

Total T4 and T3 uptake are useless in determining whether someone has thyroid issues; Free T3 and Free T4 are the numbers that matter. TSH is a pituitary thing, not a thyroid thing; it releases TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) when it sees that there is not enough thyroid hormone (and I forget whether that is T3 or T4). With a TSH of 5.6, I would say there's definitely a hypothyroid problem, but (1) your doctor needs to order Free T3 and Free T4, and (2) you need a doctor who will treat your dd based on the Frees and not on the TSH. If your endo will not do both of those, then honestly, you need to look for another doctor.

Be sure to get hard copies of all lab results and keep them. Don't depend on a portal, because you may not always have that portal. Hard copies. You want hard copies.

[Vintage81]

Wow...this feels like so long ago! I feel so honored to get a zombie thread! 🤣

Just in case anyone is curious...

It took us a while, but we decided to put DD on growth hormone shots. It was a tough decision, and it took us a long time to make it, but things have been going really well. She's been on the shots for almost two years now and went from being 0% on the growth chart to 5%. The shots are not going to make her a giant! The goal is to hopefully get her to around my height, which is 5'1" or thereabouts. Without the shots, her projected height was 4'9", give or take a few inches. That "give or take" was a big factor for us. The projections are not an exact science, so knowing 4'7" was a possibility helped with the decision-making process. It also helped to understand that while she's not growth hormone deficient, her body wasn't using the growth hormone she had the way it was supposed to. We did a trial run of the growth hormones to see if the extra boost helped, and it did, so we decided to continue on.

Taking the shots really hasn't been a huge deal for her. It's part of our daily routine and it's not at all painful for DD. We've been fortunate that she's not experienced any side effects. The biggest headache has been dealing with the insurance company and the drug company to get everything coordinated. However, again we're so fortunate because our insurance company actually covers the majority of the costs (some insurance companies don't for Idiopathic Short Stature) and we also get co-pay assistance. 

Oh, and DD does not have any issues with her thyroid, at least not right now. I looked at her bloodwork the last two years. In January 2018 her TSH was 3.413, free T4 was 1.1. In January 2019 her TSH was 2.125 and free T4 was 1.3. The doctor said her TSH would have to be WAY higher to cause growth issues and it's common to see the TSH levels bounce around in kids. However, since her dad has Hashimoto's, my children having thyroid issues in the future is definitely on our radar. DD gets yearly bloodwork, so if something doesn't look right, hopefully it'll be caught early. She was also tested for celiac (via a blood test) and that was negative.

For now, we just keep going with the growth hormone until DD hits puberty and her growth plates start to fuse. She's 11 now and showing no signs of that, so I think we still have a few more years to go. We don't measure her height at home (because we don't like to make a big deal about it), but at her last doctor's appointment in July she was 4'4.3", so we still have a ways to go. She has a positive attitude about everything and isn't at all bothered by her height. She knows that she's going to be a shorter adult and she's totally okay with that. She's currently doing MMA and has no problem sparring/training with bigger kids, boys, or whoever...she's a tough cookie. 😊

Edited December 17, 2019 by Vintage81