Growth Hormones? - Tallmadge,OH

Hello K.,
I am a medical assistant and my best friend has two sons who take the hormone shots every night (well they did, they are grown now). There are no side effects other then the prick of the injection. If you would like I can ask her if she would mind if I give you her email address and you can write her and she you. Then maybe you can talk on the phone. My nephew needs the same thing. He chose not to do it because he was afraid of the shots and his mom wishes they would have. He is a senior in high school and is the size of a 6th grader. It has made a huge difference for my friends kids. Any more questions please email me. Hope this helps you. If it were my kid I would do it in a heartbeat.

K.,
I know what your sister is going through. Our middle son was always the smallest and we too considered growth hormones. We decided to wait things out and see what may happenen in a few years. It was rough, I will admit, because our son did not grow barely at all over the next 3-4 years. We, of coarse, guestioned ourselfs if we had made the wrong decsion. Just about then, it seemed like overnight, he started to grow! He is still on the smaller side, but much closer to his "smaller" peers. I know it is hard, but I pretty much lean toward nature and was meant to be is how it was meant to be kind of philosophy. By the way, wrestling is the perfect sport for all sizes. All our kids are envovled in it and you will find all kinds of parents and kids in similar situations. There are also some small ones that try football and are still good. I really think the your nephew will catch up, but I also know what it's like to be the partent and how cruel the other kids can be. It sure is a tough decsion, but through the wrestling community we found several kids/parents that were in the same spot and that really eased my worries. That's so great that you are such a caring sister. Just love this site!
Best regards,
B.

I've done ALOT of research on supplements and growth hormones, etc. I'm a former Ms USA bodybuilder. I would HIGHLY recommend holding off at that age unless there is some substantial evidence that his body is not producing enough. Just because he's small is NOT a good reason. Maybe God designed him to be a jockey, gymnast or some other profession where a small stature is beneficial. If not, maybe he's meant to always be small. Small and quick.....three of the quickest guys I ever knew in high school and college (track, football and basketball) were very small. But boy did you need to pay attention!! One of them was in the state finals in track......lots less weight to carry and easier to move, spin, etc. Just put things into perspective. Size is NOT always beneficial! A small stature can be a blessing. God gives you in specific areas what you may not have some place else.

I know I am late in responding, but would like to add that my niece has had to make this decision regarding her son as well. Through research, she has found that if a child is actually deficient in certain growth hormones, and they do not go through treatment, it can lead to serious health issues later in life, including problems with heart and lungs. If you would be interested in more information, please contact me and I will have her email you more of the specifics.

Good Luck
K.

My 9 year old son has a similar problem. He looks 2 or 3 years younger. He is very skinny & eats a lot.

He was the same size as the other kids his age until about 4 years old. Then we noticed that he never gained weight. His pediatrician sent us to an ETM specialist. He saw right away that his tonsils were very large. He did snore. The specialist said the tonsils blocked his airway when he slept & lack of real sleep prevented the growth hormone from working. He told us to get his tonsils out.

I was afraid because he was so thin & only 35 lbs at 7 years. I feared that he would have bad effects from the being medically sedated. I waited a year & realized he really needed it to grow. He had them out & was fine!! He ate a hamburger the night of his morning surgery. The Dr. said it was fine.

He has grown slowly & did gain weight. He just had his 9th birthday & wears a size 7-8, slim. He is smaller than his friends. We are fortunate to have a great school with an anti-bullying program. He never has complained about it. That may change this summer in sports , but we will take one step at a time.

My 16 year old son was not small but short for his age until he turned 13. Some family members would say he was so short. Then he grew fast & is 5'9" now. His dad is 5'11".

Also my nephew is very short for 14. But he is known for being an great soccer player. He is a very talented bass guitar player & his band continues to win rock competitions. Also he is a year advanced in most of his classes. He has a 6' tall brother & his Dad is 5'8".

Maybe ask his pediatrician about seeing an EMT & ask about the sleep-hormone situation. I hope this was helpful. He can be a great kid no matter how big he is.

Hi K.,
My 6 year old son uses Human Growth Hormone because his pituitary gland is abnormally small and he stopped growing. He is doing remarkably well on them and is now in the 25th percentile for height. I give him one shot daily and he does great with it. :) You can email me if there is anything I can help with. ~K.

I am an adult who took growth hormones from the ages 8-18
( I had a rare pituitary issue) It made all the difference in the world and I would not hesitate in the least.

My ex boy friend had a set of twin boys and one was very small and frail and seemed to stay that way until about 3rd grade and his Grandmother( The boys Mom died from drug use) took him to a Doctor and he was given Hormones and in less than 6 months the boy bulked up and grew 5 inches in height.I don't know if it had any long term effects on him but then he seemed perfectly fine.

A friend of ours was going through the same thing with her daughter and they were just about ready to start growth hormones when she was looking up stuff and found out about siliac diease ?(spelling). I believe it's when your body doesn't process glutone. It's worth checking out before you start a series of growth hormone treatments. She requested a test from her doctor to check for it and she was right. Now that they know, the girl has been eating better and started to grow.

My sons' name was preceeded by little , most of his life. He is now 6 foot tall. I decided no on the hormones. When he was in jr high I would take him out to eat every day after school, I'm talking McDonalds. He would eat good , but it didn't really seem to help. He started lifting weights and drinking protein drinks. I could tell the difference from the wieght lifting, and they all started saying whoa your not little anymore. I put him in karate when he was about 5) so the other kids wouldn't be able to push him around, but when he played football my heart would stop beating until the pile cleared and he got up ok, the following year he played basketball instead. The main reason I said no to the hormones is I looked at his dad and saw that as a man he was a big guy, I knew my son would be big someday.