What can i do now?

[ilcr]

im 18 years old now and im 1/65 sadly
i found out that when the doctors found out i have crohn they gave me steroids for 2 months when i was 13 years old and im pretty sure thats screw my height..
i can somehow disable the effect of the steroids?
i did a bones check and the doctor said i have like 3 cm more to get ..
even my mom is 1/81 its no possible i will stay 1.65 and i dont understand why the doctors gave me steroids without thiking forward...

 

[valleysangel92]

Sorry to hear you are having problems with your growth, eating well and staying as healthy as you can, not smoking and keeping alcohol level to a sensible one may help reach any further potential you have to grow but there int a guarantee. Are you male or female? I ask this because girls generally stop growing younger than boys. On average, girls stop growing around 16-18 and boys around 18-21. This is just an average though so it does not mean its impossible for you to grow further.

I know it may seem strange that they gave you medication that can halt growth, but remember that untreated crohns can be very serious, and will also lead to failure to grow as the body struggles to get the nutrients it needs. Your doctors would of been doing what they thought was best for you at the time and in the long run, steroids are the most common medication given as a first option, and are known to be very effective at reducing inflammation and gaining some stability. They probably would have worked out that the consequences of leaving you untreated were far worse than the potential consequences of not reaching full height.

It may also just be that you were always going to be around that height.. I am only 164 cm and I'm 21, Ive been that height since I was 16, well before any steroids.

 

[Jennifer]

Hi ilcr and welcome to the forum!

As mentioned your need for treatment likely outweighed the side effects of the steroids. It is still possible for you to grow taller though. I started taking high doses of steroids when I was 9 years old (did this about 3 times before I was 17 for about a year each time) and I was told that it's possible that my growth will be stunted BUT my GI also said that I may continue to grow up until my 20's. He was right. For the longest time I was 5'4" even in my early 20's but it wasn't until a few months ago I found out that I had grown an inch and a half some time in my mid-late 20's. I'm 31 now and am 5' 5 1/2". I'm taller than my mom now yet all my siblings are still taller than me.