growing the kid. Or NOT.

Several months ago, I took Richy (R2) to a growth specialist on a recommendation from the nutritionist. He is almost 11, but he weighs less than 40 pounds and is about the height of a 5 year old. They were concerned about his growth, and organ growth and bone health. I vaguely remember being urged to start him on growth hormones lest his organs grew too big or stayed too small or something and, you know, killed him. In retrospect, I had all the kids there by myself and the doctor could have said anything and it would have been a mystery to me. So I came home from that appointment, alarmed the MOG and then waited for the next step. Well, the next step was injections. As in, needles. Every DAY.

This particular child has to be held down by 4 nurses to get his blood taken. Then, he tries to beat himself black and blue for a half-hour, EVERY time. So the thought of daily injections stopped us cold. Then we went on tour, and had holidays, and had January, and so on, and then today was finally the appointment we made to talk to the doctor and ask what-kinda-life-threatening are we talkin bout here. 

She basically said that Richy, based on our stature, would likely be 5'9 or 5'10 at adulthood, if his growth was normal. If we don't intervene, he probably won't get taller than 5 feet, and there is some potential for problems with his bone health and organ growth. The good news is, according to a bone age scan, his body thinks he is 7. So we are several years away from puberty and the beginning of growth-plate fusing. Oh, and the other good news is, they now have a needle-less device that evidently shoots high-powered air and injects the medicine with no needle. I have no idea how it works... they want us to come in and get shot with it so we can feel how easy it is. The demonstration couldn't happen today because all the nurses were at lunch, and I can't say I was disappointed to skip it.

We're coming back in 6 months to do some more charting and testing and we'll decide then if the growth hormones are necessary. If he only makes it to 5 feet tall, at least I know how to navigate the world from that height and I can show him the ropes. We also have to keep in mind that he, without a miracle, will be living  with and dependent on us for his lifetime, so being small is easier, that way. A lot to think about, but I'm glad we don't have to start the injections now. 

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In adoption news, donations are still coming in and we are so grateful. When I finish this blog entry, if the house is still quiet, I am going to go deep into my Self Study document and really think hard about things like, What is my personality, anyway?