Bone age X-Ray?

[MommaoffherRocker]

Ds 9 had to have a bone age x-Ray done to day because he went from the 50% to the 20%. Doc also said he is not up to his genetic potential. Has anyone else been through this?

 

[mommasita]

Yes, my Daughter had to go through this a few years back. I believe they tested the bones in her arms? She was 11. She is now 16, going on 17, still not 5 feet, but then again both myself and my husband are not tall people. All turned out well. She was always on the smaller side.

Have they tell you what bones they are testing?

 

[MommaoffherRocker]

They did an x-Ray of his wrist. Then they will bring him back in 3 months and take all his measurements again. She didn't want to do blood work until they find his bone age first. So scary to hear he might need hormones etc. I hope it's just genetics. DH and I are 5' 5" and 6" but my MIL is on the small side.

 

[mommasita]

Yes, it was the wrist. I just confirmed it. They did the blood work also. I hope for the best. Try not to worry, unless you need to, I know that is easier said than done.

I will give this a move over to the Community forum, for more traffic.

 

[low-key]

Im sure he will be ok, nothing more scarier then having something "not right" with our children

 

[MommaoffherRocker]

Yes, it was the wrist. I just confirmed it. They did the blood work also. I hope for the best. Try not to worry, unless you need to, I know that is easier said than done.

I will give this a move over to the Community forum, for more traffic.

Thanks for all your help, it makes me feel better knowing that others have been through this and had a good outcome!

 

[MommaoffherRocker]

Im sure he will be ok, nothing more scarier then having something "not right" with our children

Thats for sure! Thanks for the kind words

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Ds 9 had to have a bone age x-Ray done to day because he went from the 50% to the 20%. Doc also said he is not up to his genetic potential. Has anyone else been through this?

Yes. Did it with my daughter. Took xray of her wrist. And did bloodwork. They determined that she would be about 5' tall when she "grew up".

She was always 10% below the "average" line in the growth charts. Followed the curve just wasn't in it.

And there's really not much they can do about someone who's going to be small. They can give growth hormones, but it only means that they will reach their max height earlier than if they don't take the hormones. It won't make them grow larger than what nature has determined their max size will be.

But, it sort of gave me some peace of mind, knowing that she wouldn't be dramatically small and have to have concessions her whole life for her size.

 

[Makcarly]

We started the process of checking for growth hormone disorder with our 10 year old last year. He's always been small (less than 3rd percentile) but our pediatrician got really concerned when he didn't grow at all in more than a year. The first thing we did was the bone age X-Ray. The radiologist who initially read the report didn't see a delay but our endocrinologist marked him at about a year and a half behind. We had blood work done to rule out any other issues and finally a stim test to see if he has a growth hormone disorder. He didn't pass with flying colors but his body is definitely making growth hormone. The endocrinologist basically left it up to us if he wanted to try shots. There's no guarantee they'd work but we weren't even sure if he'd hit 5'0" as an adult. He's been on shots since June and he's already grown 1.5"! He's still the smallest kid in 5th grade but it's really helped boost his self esteem knowing that he is growing.

 

[punkin]

Yes. Did it with my youngest. Pediatrician really freaked us out, but when we finally got to see the endocrinologist, it turned out to be nothing much. Now, at 17, DD is 5'2" and I'm 5'4". Her sister with no issues is 5'5". Not really a problem.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Ds 9 had to have a bone age x-Ray done to day because he went from the 50% to the 20%. Doc also said he is not up to his genetic potential. Has anyone else been through this?

Yep.

My youngest dd did growth hormone shots from K-6th grade. She is 19 & a freshman in college today. She is 5'1". Without the shots she probably would have been 4'2".

She was born SGA which is small for gestational age. Make sure you get an MRI to check for pituitary tumors first. They did not do that with my dd.

Here is the deal with the shots, growth, etc.

1) Your body is programmed to grow for only so long. Short people stop growing sooner than tall people. So time is a factor if you decide to do growth hormone shots. The sooner you start the more growth you can get..

2) As you are well aware I am sure since you have a kid that does not grow, using growth hormone is not just about "getting taller".

It encompasses your entire bone structure, head to toe. This may sound silly to someone who does not understand the seriousness of this. My dd's shoe size did not go up for over 2yrs.

3) Yes it is a PITA & very expensive.

4) Weight gain. That was the first thing that happened with my dd. She was able to actually gain weight.

 

[MommaoffherRocker]

Yep.

My youngest dd did growth hormone shots from K-6th grade. She is 19 & a freshman in college today. She is 5'1". Without the shots she probably would have been 4'2".

She was born SGA which is small for gestational age. Make sure you get an MRI to check for pituitary tumors first. They did not do that with my dd.

Here is the deal with the shots, growth, etc.

1) Your body is programmed to grow for only so long. Short people stop growing sooner than tall people. So time is a factor if you decide to do growth hormone shots. The sooner you start the more growth you can get..

2) As you are well aware I am sure since you have a kid that does not grow, using growth hormone is not just about "getting taller".

It encompasses your entire bone structure, head to toe. This may sound silly to someone who does not understand the seriousness of this. My dd's shoe size did not go up for over 2yrs.

3) Yes it is a PITA & very expensive.

4) Weight gain. That was the first thing that happened with my dd. She was able to actually gain weight.

That's so interesting about the shoe size because his feet haven't been growing and I kept thinking the other kids always need new shoes and he is still in the same shoes he has been in for almost 2 years, thanks all the info. We are suppose to hear from the doc today with the bone age and next steps.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

That's so interesting about the shoe size because his feet haven't been growing and I kept thinking the other kids always need new shoes and he is still in the same shoes he has been in for almost 2 years, thanks all the info. We are suppose to hear from the doc today with the bone age and next steps.

Good Luck. Your next step is to see a pediatric endocrinologist no matter what the doctor says.

 

[mom2grace]

Disclaimer: my husband is in the pharmaceutical industry. I'm a nurse. This is much more of an issue with boys from the psychological perspective in the US. Short girls are cute, short boys are not.

The medication does make a difference, HGH is not just about height, it's about muscle mass, fat, motor skills, etc. I've given it to a teen boy with kidneys that don't work correctly. I have a friend who's son was very tall early and then had precocious puberty and stopped growing.

They typically use very small needles, like the kind that you use to put insulin into your stomach. So there is little pain.

It is a commitment, you need to do it daily for a few years and it is very expensive. So expensive that most parents don't start it on a whim, to make their son taller to be an NBA star, that's not how HGH works.

It's a carefully considered option. Please see an endocrinologist for a complete work up for any growth changes that don't seem normal. The earlier HGH is started, the better the outcome.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

We've been seeing an endocrinologist for my DS for the last 8 years. We only go once a year (twice now that he's getting towards puberty) but the original visit was to determine if he was what they termed a "late bloomer" or did have growth deficiencies. The bone age test helps determine that. If a child's skeletal structure is not as developed based on standard markers of bone fusions as their chronological age, that is an indication of a late bloomer, meaning that puberty will hit later, resulting in a larger puberty driven growth spurt, resulting in a taller person. If there is a deficiency in growth hormones, they can give additional hormones, before puberty hits, which can give the child a larger head start on the growth, so that puberty results in taller growth rather, our doctor said up to 3" or so.

Once puberty hits, the hormones aren't as effective, at least for boys, and result in more musculature development, rather than skeletal.

 

[Makcarly]

That's so interesting about the shoe size because his feet haven't been growing and I kept thinking the other kids always need new shoes and he is still in the same shoes he has been in for almost 2 years, thanks all the info. We are suppose to hear from the doc today with the bone age and next steps.

That was another red flag for us. His shoe size didn't change for like 2 years. Same with clothing sizes as well.

 

[DisneyNutMary]

My DS went through bone age testing and seeing an endocrinologist for a few years. He was always in the 2-5%ile for height and weight. The doctor didn't worry at first because I am 5ft tall and he could be taking after me.
When he was late on the road to puberty, the doctor sent us to the endocrinologist because he was concerned DS had "failure to thrive"
With my DH at 6'2" the kid could have been anywhere on the chart, but both of his brothers were on the taller side, so he chose to err on the side of caution.
The testing was easy, and it turns out, DS was just destined to be short. At 22 he is just 5'6" in a house of males over 6ft tall.

 

[MommaoffherRocker]

The doctor just called back, looks like his bone age is that of a 9 year old. She said it is more concerning now because it probably isn't just a late growth spurt, but that is still a possibility. So now we go for bloodwork and to see an endocrinologist.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

They typically use very small needles, like the kind that you use to put insulin into your stomach. So there is little pain.

With my dd they I used dial up cartridge pen thing.

 

[mom2grace]

With my dd they I used dial up cartridge pen thing.

Yes, that pen was originally designed for insulin.