Gage

I thought I would send an update about Gage.  I took him for an x-ray of his bone age and then we had an appointment with his endocrinologist to talk about it and get bloodwork done to get his growth hormone levels.  Well, the bone age showed his age about 5 instead of 7 which is not too far behind but tells us that he could very well have a growth hormone defiency and that he may not have a delayed growth spurt later in life.  The dr. & I talked about all the issues and I made it very clear to her that we are COMPLETELY fine with his small stature if it's just a genetic issue and not a health issue and that we would only do growth hormone therapy if it's proven to be a health issue and not just a size issue.  Gage is fine with his size and if he wanted to do growth hormones we would consider but he does not.  We feel God made him just the way He intended (just like He made Autumn) & we accept it unless it's causing a health issue for him.  The dr. wanted to get his bloodwork to see what it showed and also wanted to schedule a stimulation test to be done as well.  I was not for the stimulation test since it's an intense test & I did not want to put him through it if it was not needed.  So, we headed out to get his bloodwork done and I was going to wait to schedule the stim test depending on the results from his bloodwork.  Well, the bloodwork showed his growth hormone levels were slightly low but it also showed his cortisol levels were low as well.  So, the dr. said she wants him to have both his pituitary & adrenal glands tested.  So, Monday night we will fast Gage starting at 9pm & Tuesday morning we have to have him at the hospital by 6:30am to start the 4-6 hour test. They will put in an IV and then give him medication to see if his glands respond how they should to the medication.  They will take blood levels every 30 minutes for about 4 hours.  The medication could cause him to become sick to his stomach. ;(  It should take about 2-3 weeks for the results to be ready & then we will meet with the dr. to discuss the results and options for therapy/treatment if needed.  I really hate going through all of this with him but at least we will know for sure if there is any medical issues that need to be addressed.  His last endrocrinologist who wanted to start him on growth hormones never wanted to do any testing which made us so uncomfortable so I'm glad this dr. is pushing for proven medical testing instead of just looking at a growth chart to recommend growth hormone therapy. Please keep Gage in your prayer on Tuesday & I will try my best to update on how it went & results when we get them.