Hello Again!
Well I just wanted to update you with Katie's latest blood test results regarding her horomones.
Well this time her Thyroid Levels came back high so they want us to stop giving her double doses on Saturday and Sunday and just stick to 1 pill each day. Which is good news. :)
Now the not so good news... Katie's growth horomone levels came back LOW. :( I was not prepared to hear that so it's been really hard to deal with. Her next appointment is not until March but if they are still not satisfied with her growth rate at her next visit then we have to schedule Katie for growth horomone testing which requires her to stay at Johns Hopkins Again. If testing is required then she will need to be admitted to the hospital and hooked up to an IV. They will then give her a medication by mouth and through her IV and they will then draw her blood every 15 minutes. I'm not to sure as of how long they will want to keep her there for testing but we will get further information when the date nears. Here are a few related articles about growth problems that I thought you might want to read:
Growth Hormone Deficiency
One growth disorder that is specific to the hormones that govern growth is called growth hormone deficiency (or GH deficiency). This condition involves the pituitary gland, the small gland located at the base of the brain that produces growth hormone and other hormones. If the pituitary gland doesn't produce enough hormones for normal growth, growth slows down or stops.
GH deficiency can occur at any age, and the most common sign in kids and teens is a slowing of growth to less than 2 inches (5 centimeters) a year. Kids with this disorder usually have normal body proportions - in other words, their bodies look normal, just smaller. Growth hormone deficiency does not affect intelligence or brain function.
The cause of growth hormone deficiency can be an underdeveloped, damaged, or malfunctioning pituitary gland or hypothalamus, which can happen before or during birth or can be caused later by an accident or trauma or certain diseases. Tumors near the pituitary gland, like craniopharyngioma (pronounced: kray-nee-o-far-un-jee-o-muh), can also damage the hypothalamus and pituitary gland and affect growth. In most cases, though, the cause of growth hormone deficiency is simply unexplained.
If a doctor finds that a person has growth hormone deficiency, it can be treated by replacing the missing hormone. The replacement hormone is produced in a laboratory and is given as a daily shot. Taking the hormone by mouth doesn't work because the hormone is destroyed by the stomach's digestive juices. Depending on when the diagnosis is made, treatment usually lasts for several years - until the growth areas of the bones close (after that, no more growth can occur).
It can take weeks or months to notice the effects of growth hormone replacement, but most kids will grow two to five times faster during the first year of treatment than they were growing beforehand. The rate of growth after that is usually somewhat slower, about 3 to 4 inches (7.6 to 10.2 centimeters) per year.
Growth Hormone Deficiency Treatment in Children
Medications
Growth hormone deficiency can be treated with growth hormone replacement therapy. A drug called somatropin or growth hormone (Nutropin, Genotropin, Norditropin, Saizen, Humatrope) is injected into the fat underneath the skin. Shots are usually given daily. There is also a preparation of growth hormone (Nutropin Depot) that is designed to be given once or twice per month.
