Growth Hormone Supplement

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The endocrinologist told us that growth hormone would only make our son reach his maximum height sooner not increase his height. So we opted not. He was a premie he has CP they said he would never reach 4 feet tall but has grown to 5 3. We paid real strict attention to nutrition. If I were you as you have a syndrome I would also seek the advice of a medical nutritionist. The whole idea is to prepare our children to be as autonomous as possible. If there is a way with hormone therapy to create a sense of normalcy I would seriously consider that option.

M. my son has been diagnosed with Idiopathic Short Stature and will be receiving the growth hormone Genotropin by Pfizer. He is 7 years old and has had growth problems since he's 2. At the age of 3 I took him to a ped endocronologist who found absolutely nothing wrong with him (other than to say his Mom is short so its a no brainer). My pediatrician has monitored him since and last year we realized that we needed to get back to an endocronologist (just not the first one) and reevaluate him. My pediatric endocronologist is named Richard A. Noto, M.D. and works at Phelps Memorial Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, NY as well as Maria Ferrari Children's Hospital. On my son's first visit Dr. Noto pointed out that if a child is a comparable height of a child 2 years younger than him then more than likely there is an underlying problem.
My first recommendation would be to take your pediatrician's advice and seek an endocronologist (appts are very hard to get so do it as soon as possible) and even if its to monitor her, its worth it. If you live within my area I would ask your doctor to refer you to Dr. Noto. He's amazing and what's more, he doesn't beat around the bush, he's honest and gets directly to the matter. (On our first visit he even gave us websites to look at). Don't get nervous too early, your endocronologist will advise you if and when you'll need the growth hormones and if you find a doctor like ours will really work with you hand in hand to help you through it.
Feel free to respond back if I can help you further.

Dear M.,

Although I have no personal experience with HGH, I know of people who do. I have also heard of CHARGE syndrome. Some children with Di George Syndrome or with VCFS are given HGH. If you would like me to put you in touch with a mom whose son was started on HGH between 15 and 19 months, do let me know. He is now 6 yrs old and by all accounts, is doing great.

Take care
A.

Hi. We gave our daughter growth hormone shots for several years, starting when she was in seventh grade until about tenth or eleventh grade. Although I know nothing about the condition your daughter has, my daughter simply did not produce growth hormone. She had NO side effects. My husband and I are both short and when she was in the 5th percentile or less all along, we were not concerned until the doctors projected that she would only grow to be 4'6'' at full height. When they told us the side effects were minor, we decided that she'd be better off with the shots. We feel we made the right decision as she is now 4'10''at full height. She is a sophmore in college and is flourishing. If you are looking for endocrinologists, there are two that we saw who we were happy with. One is Dr. Damore in Westchester,NY and the other is Dr. Siegel at Clarkstown Pediatrics in New City, NY. If you are near either one of those they are both worth checking out. I hope this is helpful. If you have any more questions, let me know and I will try to help.

I would be weary as well. All I know is that my niece, now 17, used it and she is doing fine.

Hi M., Celiac disease has also been shown to cause growth retardation. You could try to remove all gluten products from her diet and see if that helps. Lastly, chlorella has been shown to greatly stimulate growth in children. You should do research on celiac disease and chlorella to see if it could be a benefit to you. Try talking to a naturopath-it helps greatly. I am a holistic health counselor and strongly believe in healing through nutrition and not medicine. Medicine treats the symptom and not the underlying cause.

Dear M.,
I have 2 friends who have their daughters on Growth Hormone. They both have seen a significant improvement in the growth of their children and are very happy that they made this choice. One is a girl who is 10 but was theheight of a 7 year old because she had beena twin and was born small and the other twin past before birth. So she has grown at least 2 inches in thepast year and is a happier child. My other friend has an Italian family where everyone is very petite. Themom didn't want her daughter to be a tiny as the rest of the family and since she had already helped her son with these products ,got them fro her daughter as well. In both cases the children were noticably smaller than everyone else, wore different sizes and embarrassed. Now they feel much better,But they don't like taking shots every day. I think that has been their only downside, but check books doctorsand do what feels right to you.

M.,
I have a 4 year old son who has a genitic disorder, and has been on growth hormones from 9 months old. He has done great! We have had no side effects and the needle is very small so the kids do get used to it. Meeting with the endocrinologist really clears up a lot of questions, so you can weigh the pros and cons. Good luck!
C. M

Dear M.,

my brother has a son of 9 who has been taking growth hormone for more than one year. The child's problem was that he would not grow in stature. He underwent a series of exams and they found out that his Hypophis is small and not working well. So he is taking medicines and hormones. But he is closely followed by an endocrinologist. He has been growing ever since he started to take these medicines, though he is still a small boy. He has a younger brother of 6 and he is also monitored. I would strongly advise you to go and see a specialist.

Bye bye V. (an Italian Mum of a boy of 10 and a girl of 6, living in Torino Italy)

Hi M.,

Are you using any specific nutritional methods? If she was my daughter I would really be hesitant about using hormones. When my son was young he was considered ADHD and I used natural methods & nutritional supplements. I now represent the nutritional supplement comany. I also have DR that is a chiropracter that works with children - contact me & I will refer you to him - Take the time to do your research and mak the best decision for your daughter.

L.

Hi My name is M. too. My sister's son took the growth hormone and did very well. He is now 20 years old and average height. I 'm sure you will want to research and meet with the Doctor for advice. I pray that all goes well.