Re: Dr. H GH Weight/height ratio

[Guest guest]

Cindy - The biggest thing I think she would say about weight and GH

is that with GH, at least in the first year or two, your child will

probably DOUBLE their height growth velocity. This means,

therefore, that your child will have to take in additional calories

to meet the needs of the growing body, and gain at least DOUBLE what

s/he was already gaining, just to stay at the same weight for height

ratio. And since most of our kids start GH when they are already

TOO Thin, it means they should gain even greater than double weight.

So..... if you have problems getting calories into your child

before you begin GH, you really need to have a plan of action before

starting GH. I strongly recommend this. If you have a school age

child, you should consider a bag of snacks on his desk. Access at

all times. I would like to remind everyone that " Frusion " yogurt

smoothies (come in colored screw top bottles in various

colors/flavors) have 270 calories for 10 oz. I take a baby bottle

insulated bag, stick a frozen cold pack at the bottom, put one

Frusion inside, and then pack about 5-6 various snacks (usually 3

complex carbos, 2 proteins and 1 dairy or fruit). typically

eats about 600 extra calories a day just through her Frusion and her

snacks, on top of her lunch at school, and then meals/snacks at home

after school. Now imagine if we did NOT do the snack bag.....

Dr. Harbison just 4 years ago recommended the more normal 50% weight

for height (remember this doesn't mean 50th percentile in weight).

cdc.gov website has the growth charts and you can actually chart

your child's weight for height. Now she likes 15-25th. Most of our

kids don't even fall into that range!!! I think if your child is

at the 25th percentile weight for height, then starting GH isn't

going to jeopardize your child's weight/health. However, and I am

NOT a doctor, if your child is way less than the 15th percentile in

weight for height, I would strongly encourage you to talk to your

child's pediatric endocrinologist before starting GH, and ask him or

her for a plan in monitoring/maintaining weight.

We personally have found that , while on GH, MUST stay on the

Periactin. I do believe that if she wasn't growing in height at

such a fast velocity, she could do without the Periactin. But

without it, she just doesn't have the enormous appetite necessary to

keep up with double height velocity.

Hope this helps. Salem

> Can anyone tell me what Dr. H recommends as far as the weigh to

height ratio for a child to begin GH therapy? Is it 25% or less?

>

> Cindy F.

>

> [Cindy Funk] Re: Roll Call - S.

>

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> 1. S.

>

> 2. Manhattan Beach, CA (southern california on the beach just

> south of Los Angeles)

>

> 3. , age 8 (January) RSS; 52lbs and about 52 inches tall

> and Tyler, age 7 non-RSS (don't know but 75%'tile in height and

> 25%'tile in weight)

>

> 4. Born 1/13/96 at 39 weeks gestation, 5lb 2 oz and 17.5 inches

> long. They had estimated her prior to be more than 7lbs. Doctor

> was obviously clueless....

>

> 5. started GH and Periactin in Oct '00 when she was 37 "

and

> 27lbs or so. Added Zantac and Prevacid along the way, and most

> recently Miralax for constipation. Except for infancy prior to

meds

> for reflux, she has always been a great eater -- just can't get

> enough calories into her to grow without Periactin. She currently

> takes in more than 1,800 calories A DAY!!!!!

>

> 6. Peds Endo -- Dr. Madeleine Harbison in New York (yes, we fly

> there every 3 months) -- Mitch Geffner at CHLA when we can't get

to

> NY; Geneticist: Rena Falk at Cedar Sinai (awesome); Peds GI --

> Fred Watanabe at CHLA (incredible); Orthopedics - Skaggs,

> Chief at CHLA;

>

> 7. Diagnosed at about 2 years of age by Genetics at Yale

Children's

> Hospital; confirmed at 3 years of age by Genetics at Cedar Sinai

in

> LA; and then again at 4 1/2 years of age by Dr. Harbison (whew,

if

> someone had changed their mind I would have gone crazy)

>

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> _____

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