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Got diagnosed with Crohn's disease

Just figured out I had Crohn's disease. Found this forum and wanted to know how much does this affect my growth. Like can growth get back to normal. I'm 15 btw.
 

Lisa

Adminstrator
Staff member
Location
New York, USA
Welcome to the forum, glad you were able to get a diagnosis so that the proper treatment can be prescribed.

As far as growth, yes, you can catch up on growth, but it is VERY important to have the disease under control so that your body can concentrate on that vs. fighting the disease.

There are multiple parents here on the forum who have dealt with their children being ill, and have had them catch back up on growth/weight.

In my case, I was diagnosed a loooong time ago when I was @7, and was always on the smaller side....as an adult, I'm definitely not behind in any way.

Hopefully some others will chime in here soon, there is also a sub-forum for kids where you can connect with others close to your age.

Lisa
 

my little penguin

Moderator
Staff member
:welcome:
My kiddo was dx at age 7
Now is 15
Definitely caught up on growth

Besides meds my kiddo uses supplemental formula
Your Gi will have samples to try
My kiddo drinks 50% of his calories as neocate jr chocolate

Some kids use peptamen jr or kids boost /pediasure
Tagging the other moms
Crohnsinct
Maya142
Tesscom
Pilgrim

Sometimes the Gi has the kids drink formula only for 6-8 weeks (no solid food )
Then go back to food and formula
This is while taking meds

Good luck
 
Hi my son probably had crohn's since he was a young teen but we only discovered this last year at the age of 19. He was always smaller than the average teen but still managed to grow normally - although he was tiny going into high school, by the time he finished high school, he was normal - 5'8".



You will grow. Welcome and feel free to ask any questions or to share anything you might be going through.
 

crohnsinct

Well-known member
Both of my girls grew once their disease was under control. At 15, much of it will depend on whether or not your growth "window" has closed but even then a Crohn's kid's window usually stays open past when other kids windows will close.

Are you a girl or boy?

My younger daughter's Crohn's was caught long after her growth window had supposedly closed and she still grew 4 inches after we got the disease under control.

My younger daughter was dx'd at 12 and she was 4' 11". She started growing after her disease was controlled and the GI said she might even hit 5'5". She is now 5' 8".
 

Maya142

Moderator
Staff member
My kiddo was diagnosed at 16. She was 5'1.5 when diagnosed and did grow half an inch after being diagnosed and treated, but she was pretty much done growing at that point. She was always going to be small though, due to genetics.

However, each kid is different. Kids who have had the disease for a long time without being diagnosed often have a delayed bone age. They check that by taking an x-ray and look to see if the growth plates have closed and what age the bones show, if that makes sense.

That means, for example, if a child is 12 years old but has had active disease for quite a while, his bone growth might be slower and his bone age may show that of a 10 year old. So his bone age would be 2 years behind his actual age.

So, if your bone age is delayed, you have more time to "catch up" with your peers. The best thing to do to help you catch up, is making sure your disease is controlled and you're getting enough calories. Some kids do need to have a formula supplement (such as Boost or Ensure or Peptamen) to get additional calories/nutrition.

My daughter was on formula for several years and it really helped her get to a normal weight - she was severely underweight and malnourished at that point. She went from 80 lbs at her worst, to a healthy weight of 110 lbs with the shakes. She also said she just felt much better - had much more energy and just felt better.

Hang in there - things WILL get better.
 
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