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Growth hormones



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natmichal




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Oct 26 2009, 11:45 am
Ok, so we are now in the final stages of having to decide if ds needs them or not . He's small but then we're not that big but the issue is that he was born very premature and did not "catch up" in height. Dr also says he didn't grow much last year (but his regular pediatrician said he's fine).
WWYD? pro and cons please? We feel that if it might end up in boosting or deflating his self confidence we might go for it (and he IS a boy... only 6 now but shidduchim time will soon enough...)
And if yes - what is the procedire? anyone here went through it?
Thanks
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PinkFridge




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Oct 26 2009, 3:46 pm
Curious what the research you've come up with indicates, e.g. not to start giving hormones till certain growth maturity (even if you don't see it, his system is maturing, there may be a minimum age).

I know it's hard to be tiny, even in elementary, but you really don't want to start too young.

My son stopped growing for about two years due to an underlying medical condition; he was 4' 9" at his barmitzvah but 5' 7" by 16. The great thing was, not only were there other petite guys but his menahel is not much more than five feet. Gave him great perspective during that point when the progress was slow.

I guess my big point is, don't start too early! The potential side effects later in life might just be harder to deal with.
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shiradye




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Oct 26 2009, 4:08 pm
My DD 11 1/2 is going to be started on GH soon. Here in EY the procedure is long & drawn out requiring more than one blood test and an MRI and genetic testing. We are under the care of a pediatric endocrinologist.

You can Google the Magic Foundation. The website is very helpful in explaining the whole process. If it is indicated, it is not too early at any age.

Sorry I can't be of more help since that's as far as we have come. I'll try to be in touch once we start.
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PinkFridge




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Oct 26 2009, 5:03 pm
Shiradye, thanks for chiming in. I don't have any experience in this myself so take what you have to say very seriously. I couldn't tell how much the OP had looked into this already and was trying to get the ball rolling as far as the "rashei prekim."
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mandksima




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Oct 26 2009, 5:51 pm
I have two preemies, now 8. I considered it for my son who is pretty tiny but it happens to be that a lot of his friends also happen to be on the small side. They may grow but some of the kids' parents are really short too. The shotst are invasive and sometimes they only help for a centimeter or two. Is it really worth it?

Now, even though my dd is tall for her age, they say she most likely won't be over 5 ft, due to early onset puberty. She is terrified of needles and I can't do that to her if it may only make a slight difference. It is a tough call and we are basically decided against it, especially since the pediatric endo agreed.

I find that in Israel, people are slightly less into appearances so I'm a little less worried than I was when we were in the States. Maybe I'm wrong but I hope not.

Btw, my dh and I are on the short side too.
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natmichal




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Oct 27 2009, 9:16 am
That's exactly my pb... ds was born at 26 weeks, and our pediatrician (who is NOT pro-invasive procedure btw) has been monitoring his since he's out of hospital and started mentioning GH over 2 years ago. We've been going very slowly and he's now seeing a pediatric endocrinologist for 9 months or so now. He's had a X-ray of his hand, blood test and more to make sure there isn't another underlying condition. So far nothing is wrong and there is no reason why he hasn't grown more/is still small. This week we had the "last test' - clonidine - were you check how his hormones react to stress (taking these samll pills and then taking blood every 30 min for 2 hours- very hard on him and me.. Sad )
The thing is that neither dh nor me are really tall but what's bugging the dr is that ds did not catch up what he was supposed to in the past 6 years, and since I do not have nevua I don't know if he'll suddenly start growing. I've been told by many many people to give him GH if we get the ishurim from the kuppa etc.
Pb is ds is hypersensitive (another preemie side effect) and is terrified of getting hurt (ie needles...) - and of course since dh also gets "weak" next to needles I'll be the one injecting Confused
At the last test a dr told us to take an appointment for 2nd opinion and referred us to a dr in Tel Hashomer who supposedly only gives GH if really needed. He said that it's worth waiting an extra 6 months to start if that's what it takes.
So that's the pb - I DID do research - I'm just even more confused by it, and would really like to know how it went for kids who did have to go through it (side effects etc)
Thanks again
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Hashem_Yaazor




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Oct 27 2009, 9:23 am
No personal experience at this point (though my oldest did show signs at a young age of a deficiency in a precursor to growth hormones; I forgot which one -- b-I-l said not to worry about anything before 2. I haven't gotten him retested and he's over 4 now)...but my brother in law is a ped endo and does give some of his children the shots (and we come from a very naturally-minded family). He himself was a preemie (born at 28 weeks well over 30 years ago) and was one of the first to get them (experimental). He's short, but not terribly short; he's a decent height. I have a couple more brothers in law who took them, and I have a husband who refused to be bothered. Guess who's the shortest? My husband Wink (He's just touching 5' 5")...I don't care at all, but considering my son is on target for only being a shade over 5 feet and considering he has shown indications that he is deficient in the hormones, it is something I would research more for my particular case....
If shortness is just genetic, that's one thing, but if there is a hormonal issue, that's another, and I wouldn't dismiss it offhand (and anyone who knows me from this board knows I'm not quick on injecting anything or messing around with fragile systems...)
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