Low growth hormone levels

[assumpta]

My 11 year dd has just been tested for low growth hormone. Her level was 11, apparently normal ranges from 17 to 60. Does anyone know anything about this subject. If so i would really appreciate some input. Thanks

Anyone???????

i know my eldest brother had low levels and my mum had to give him injectios...but that was 20 years ago...sorry
I hope she's okay..is she very tiny?

Quite tiny. She is about 130cm, and small all round with it. I'm at my wits end now because I can't seem to find a chart which outlines levels according to ages or at least bone age. I have left messages for dr in st. thomas' and also the doctor that she was referred by, but to no avail. She's not going to thank me either way for growth hormone/no growth hormone injection, if it even comes to this. Just thought that someone out there may have been through it. How tall is your brother? Did he stay healthy throughout his treatment? I have read all sorts. Thanks for answering me. That was kind of you.

Hi, my brother did grow with the treatment although they said it would only make him grow at the rate he should do at that age (he was 12)..he started secondary school at 3'9" (bless him) he's now 5' 2".
The imjections had no ill effect on his health at all but afterwards my mum was horrified when it was discovered he had been put at risk of the disease that is the human equivalent of mad cowws disease (sorry can't remeber the name)...luckily years later they gave him the all clear but not until he had had years of thinking he could have the illness or pass it on to any offspring. This was caused by the hormone being collected from human pituitary glnads that had not been kep in the right conditions...i believe the hormone is artificially created now though - thank God.

I hope you get the answers you are looking for. I can ask my mum for more of her experience of it if you like ( I was only 9 so cannot remember it all clearly).

My brother also had the growth hormone injections (although his were the artificial hormone so no risk of CJD). He is 5 foot 4ish as an adult..(I am 5 foot nothing but have not found it to be a problem being short and female..brother found it a lot worse to be a short lad/man) He became a lot healthier mentally after growing a bit than he was before..was always healthy physically.

Yes Mi8llarkie - my brother also battled some demons whilst he was very short - he is still short now but his ego is HUGE

My daughter is on Growth Hormone injections but I don't know about the levels I'm afraid. If your DD does need the injections though they're not so bad, honestly. My DD has had it since she was 14 months and now at 4.8 helps me do her injection!

Hi everyone thank you for your experience. Sidge the problem I worry about is that my dd is now 11, are gh injections actually have that much of an impact? I understand that being a girl and short is easier than a boy, but still if she only grows to 4' 6", its a huge difference to everyone else. Even Kylie who I know is only 5' nothing. 6" is a big difference. I have so many questions for this dr., that I know only he can answer them really, it was just the level that I thought I could compare with someone. I feel that time is of the essence, but I think that dd will not want to have injections. If so, what do I do then. I know I am jumping the gun, but I don't feel that I can force her to have them, but I also don't feel that I can leave the decision entirely up to her. We all know how different we feel about things now that we are grownups. Thanks guys.

I would insist if it was my dd. I have a friend who is 4'10". She is lovely, clever, has a good life, husband, loads of friends, good job etc, BUT as a teenager and in her early 20s she felt very unhappy about her size indeed. I do think it is much easier for girls, but 4'6" is very, very short.

Oh my goodness Cauldronfrau it sounds like you did the right thing. Your poor friend. She must have felt awful.
Mabanana, I know you say that you would insist, but I don't think it is going to be as cut n'dry as that. If you read what Cauldronfrau has said about her friend, you will see what I mean. Imagine making a decision to go ahead, and that to happen.... It would be terrible. This is where we all will have to weigh up the pros and cons.

GH will stil have an impact at 11, because they will coincide with a normal growth spurt that would happen at puberty. I suppose you have 2 options - do nothing and hope that a pubertal spurt helps her grow or start GH and see how things go. The thing is, is that if she has low natural GH levels she may not have a pubertal spurt and stay very small.

I am 5 foot half an inch and feel very short, I would hate to be any shorter and an adult height of 4 foot 6 is very small.

Hi there.

Hi, my ds 3 and a half and was diagnosed with growth and stress hormone deficiency in April. They started him on Genotropin (synthetic growth hormone) straight away. The endocrine specialist said that he could get headaches and if this was the case we were to contact them straight away. They then lower the dosage and build it up slowly. He hated the injections and cried when they were done. It's not the pain of the needle but the actual fluid going into his body. It doesn't go very deep into the body. Also the hormone has to kept in the fridge which makes it incredibly cold. It doesn't matter how long it's left out for, it still hurts. he's fine now though. Just gets on with it.
When I took ds for his first check up he had grown 3cm in a month and a half. And I cried......It's something most parents take for granted, your child grows. But ours hadn't grown in nearly a year.
As for how tall a child will grow when on the hormone replacement. We were told that your body has a programmed hight that it will grow to. It's normally around your parents hight. Ds should grow to about 5ft 7 - 5ft 8. He also has immature bones for his age so at some point he'll have a growth spurt. There can be complications with thyroid, sugar levels, even the chance that puberty will have to be artificially stimulated for him. The sugar and thyroid levels are something that the hospital keep a very close eye on. If ds doesn't have the replacement then he probably won't grow to be 5ft. And There's no way I'm going to put my beatiful boy through that. We had the option to say no. The good outways the bad. I hope this may help anyone that is in the same boat as me. I was driven to distraction when it all happened. Weebob has gone from being 82cm to 90cm in 6 months. Its amazing!!!
Apparently the results are better, the younger the child is but if you've been given the information and tests have been done then there must be something that can be done, if you want to that it.
Adults also take growh hormone for other reasons. Growth hormone is produced by us all. Just small amounts in adults that keep us ticking over. Making us feel healthy and alert. If adults have a low amount in their bodies they can become tired, depressed, put weight on.
I'm new on here so I don't know if I'll get ino trouble for putting this link up.....If you need any help or questions give me a shout x

www.magicfoundation.org

Hi weebob I am wondering if your DS has the late onset version of what my DD has? Don't want to go into it mch on here but there is a very good UK support group if so.My DD has the salt wasting version if that makes any sense to you?

Sorry, I don't know what you mean.
Ds has stress and growth hormone deficiency. He's had an MRI scan to check out his petuity gland but there was nothing wrong with it, that they could see anyway. His gland just doesn't produce the hormones it's supposed to.

There are a few support groups that I've eventually found. It took me ages though!!

My email is there, I think, if you want to chat. It seems that it's quite a confusing subject and condition. Not many people know about it.

Ah ok its not the same I don't think. DD's got a genetic condition which means her adrenal glands don't work. The stress hormone thing made me think it was the late onset version as DD can't produce cortisol so is steroid dependant. The late onset version causes growth problems. It is all very confusing and the support group has been a life saver, it is a specific one for her condition but CLIMB is the parent organisation which is also great. Likewise if ou fancy a chat I am more than happy, DD was diagnosed shortly after birth and is two now but it has sunk in gradually I think.

Bobs is idiopathic. They did say it could be genetic...Again confusing....
I get upset when he gets ill cos I never know when I should give him his steroids. The specialist said not to unless he had a temp or was being physically sick. Last time he had a normal infection it spread all over his face like acne!!
I can handle GHD. I find it difficult to accept stress hormone. That's his health, if you know what I mean. It could get worse, I have heard. There are always loads of new questions to ask the proff when bob goes to the hospital to get measured.

The stress hormone thing is the same as DD. I have to double it if she is ill, inject it and take her to hospital if she is vomiting(therefore not keeping it down) or if she is badly hurt. It has got so much easier but I spent the first months just terrified in case I failed to notice that she was ill, but I have got better at judging it and as she gets older it is easier to see how she is. DD has very little or no function in her adrenal glands so is entirely dependant on her steroids which she takes three times a day (then once more for the salt retaining steroid) and so long as she takes her medication she will have a normal life expectancy so I hope that reassures you.

See, ds woke up with green and brown snot plastered all over his face this morning and cearly wasn't well. Wouldn't ea his breakfas, although he didn't have a temp. Gave him his tablets and calpol. And I sent him off to nursery for a couple of hours. Do I take him to the drs? Has he got an infection?
I'm no good at this ill child thing. The nurse said it won't hurt to give it to him if in doubt but I still don't like doing it just cos I'm not sure

It really won't hurt to(provided it is the same thing as dd, she takes hydrocortisone). I don't double up for a cold but I do for a temperature as the body needs extra to fight it. Does DS only take it when ill then or is it a case of doubling it like I do for DD? DD was over treated for a period of months and it affected her growth slightly (she has since caught up)so as a one off it wouldn't hurt and is safer to give if unsure. Would you like to chat? Shall I CAT you with my e mail address?

Yeah that would be cool. Nice to have someone else to talk to about it all!
Ds needs it the same. He take 2.5mg twice a day and double or triple depending on how ill. The specialist says it's not a major deficiency.
I always thought it was strange how he bounce back so quickly after chickenpox. He didn't even seem that ill. Yet 8 months on his body reacts so much differently.

It sounds so similar to the late onset version of dd's condition. I'm wondering if its worth you talking to the support group anyway as they are so great. I will CAT you now.

Hi its coming back that you have cosen not to accept contact from other mumsnetters, you may need to adjust your message settings. I would put my e mail on here but its my full name so better not!

Sorry, I vanished this afternoon. Changed my settings

I have sent you a message through CAT so hopefully you will have my e mail soon. Not sure how it all works as its the first time I've done it!