Growth stunt?

[jt5]

I'm 18 turning 19 soon, I was diagnosed with crohn's when I was 14. Grew a few inches taller and had my period when I was 16/17? I've always been "small" or underweight my whole life. My doctor told me I was a "latebloomer" or I developed slower than others. I went through most puberty symtoms (underarm hair, facial hair, private spots hair, breast developement (not much LOL) but not so much in weight. I have a really tiny body that looks like I'm 12 (reason cause i look pretty thin and have long arms and legs) and I'm only 4'11. I've been waiting 3-4 years but haven't seen much growing in height or weight I'm real thin, (72lbs) I heard crohn's can stunt your growth? is this how I'm gonna be for the rest of my life since I heard you stop growing when you're 19/20? I eat aloooooooooot, more than a normal person but still not growing, I'm not flaring and been pretty healthy. Did anybody had this problem before during puberty? I've heard of HGH, but I haven't talked to my GI doctor about it since I rarely see him and it's abit uncomfortable talking to him since he's a guy. Is there a specialist I can see for this?

Thanks!

 

[my little penguin]

Can you see an endocrine doc?
they would be able to help with determining if you can still grow.
BMI determines if you will grow not crohn's per say.
Have you tried a nutritional drinks to add to your diet.
DS is 9 and once we added peptamen jr three times a day plus the right crohn's meds.
He went from the 25% to the 75% for weight and 66% for height.
He weighs about 80 lbs now from 50 lbs 2 years ago ..

there are better tasting shakes as well ensure or boost.

Good luck.

 

[Cross-stitch gal]

I'm 35, 5ft and about 84lbs. I didn't weigh over 80lbs until a few years after I got married. I too have always been very thin and wasn't diagnosed until I was 18 and my growth was stunted too. However, doctors looked at my charts and determined that from my family history, I may not have gotten a whole lot bigger anyway. I don't know if you'll grow any more, but I can tell you what happened in my experience. I hope you'll be able to get some answers. Sending hugs your way.

 

[kiny]

If you're 4'11'' it is probably genetically determined. Are your parents of small stature?

What you can do is get a CT scan and see if your growth plates have closed. But it is very likely that they are closed at 18 and 19 so it's probably good to accept that will be your final height.

Shorter people are some of the most interesting people I know, don't let something silly like that ever get you down.

 

[jt5]

If you're 4'11'' it is probably genetically determined. Are your parents of small stature?

What you can do is get a CT scan and see if your growth plates have closed. But it is very likely that they are closed at 18 and 19 so it's probably good to accept that will be your final height.

Shorter people are some of the most interesting people I know, don't let something silly like that ever get you down.

Most of the people in my family are over 5', around 5'2 - 5'3. So i'm pretty short compare to everyone else in my family and people my age :/ Not sure if my growth plates is closed yet but a few years ago I got my hand xray and it was said to be 12years old so I'm not sure if it got any bigger or if it'll stop growing :confused2: But thanks for the advice! I guess I'm happy with my height, it's just that I'm really concern about my weight. I've eat soooooo much but have not gain any weight and it makes me look very young. Sigh

 

[jt5]

Can you see an endocrine doc?
they would be able to help with determining if you can still grow.
BMI determines if you will grow not crohn's per say.
Have you tried a nutritional drinks to add to your diet.
DS is 9 and once we added peptamen jr three times a day plus the right crohn's meds.
He went from the 25% to the 75% for weight and 66% for height.
He weighs about 80 lbs now from 50 lbs 2 years ago ..

there are better tasting shakes as well ensure or boost.

Good luck.

I was thinking about seeing an endocrine. But do you know if we need a referral? I definitely want to get it checked out before it's too late I haven't really tried nutritional drinks except BOOST but it taste horrible I usually drink regular milk but it gives me diarhrea.

 

[UnXmas]

I believe my growth was stunted, specifically by being so malnourished and underweight through adolescence. However, I also have endocrine problems, so I'm far from typical, and I can't prove this for certain, so it's just based on my observations. As a child I was tall - I was skinny, but I was taller than most kids my age. When I reached my teens I began to get sick. First it seemed like all the other kids were starting puberty and having growth spurts (the boys especially), and I hadn't reached that stage yet. But then I never reached that stage, and never really had a teenage growth spurt. As an adult I'm 5'4" (I'm female) which isn't that tall given that I was one of the tallest throughout childhood.

 

[UnXmas]

I was thinking about seeing an endocrine. But do you know if we need a referral? I definitely want to get it checked out before it's too late I haven't really tried nutritional drinks except BOOST but it taste horrible I usually drink regular milk but it gives me diarhrea.

Which country do you live in? Referrals to consultants vary from place to place. In the UK you need to see a GP and get a referral to an endocrinologist. However, I'm not sure it would be considered a medical problem, as 4'11" isn't that abnormal. Are you actually underweight? If you are, it would probably be more useful to address any malnutrition with a gastroenterologist, though I'm not sure whether or not being underweight would actually be contributing to your height.

 

[jt5]

Which country do you live in? Referrals to consultants vary from place to place. In the UK you need to see a GP and get a referral to an endocrinologist. However, I'm not sure it would be considered a medical problem, as 4'11" isn't that abnormal. Are you actually underweight? If you are, it would probably be more useful to address any malnutrition with a gastroenterologist, though I'm not sure whether or not being underweight would actually be contributing to your height.

I'm from Canada. However, my GI is very hard to reach, I see him every 6 months and when I'm flaring, I have to go through all the trouble to reach the IBD nurse to contact him. He hasn't contact me for the next appointment date, so really want to know if I can contact an endocrinologist without a referral. I know 4'11 is not exactly abnormal since I've seen people with that height, what I'm most concern is my weight. I'm very underweight for my age and I feel like my puberty stages is not fully completed since I have a kidish structure and face. I think I look like I'm 12 since I'm pretty skinny and have very small bones? I haven't been gaining much weight or height for two or more years as well, so I just want to know if I can still grow or not

 

[shamrock15]

I would also be one who thinks crohn's stunted my growth. I ended up a good 4-5 inches shorter than my brother. It's strange though, as my hands and feet are both small for my height, but my torso height is a bit high for my overall height. My earliest (suspected) crohn's attack would have been about age 6 and could have slowed a little growth, but I think that I was being affected by crohn's two or three years in advance of the one that resulted in my diagnosis when I was 18. That is when I started getting asthma attacks, something that has completely disappeared with my remission. At that time, I was above average height and very solidly built. Two years later in midget hockey I was only average height. Maybe just supposition, but I think I was supposed to be taller.