February 1: Update from the Doctor

Isla was quite the charmer at the doctor's office this morning.  She was showing off her shirt and her shoes and her smile and her toys.  She marched around the halls like she owned the place; it was pretty cute.  From the receptionists to the nurses to the doctors, she had everyone talking about her!

I liked the endocrinologist, and she talked to me for a long time.  It was helpful to hear more details about what could be going on with Isla.  A few things she mentioned:  short stature (meaning that she is just going to be short because that's the way she is!), constitutional growth delay (which means her growth is slow now, but it should pick up and then she might have delayed puberty but that's about it), growth hormone deficiency, hypothyroidism, and celiac disease.  She mentioned a few other things, but based on her physical examination, she didn't think those things were a possibility.

The best part of our morning was getting an accurate measurement of Isla's height.  Last week Isla was measured at 30.1 inches and 31.2 inches at the same appointment.  At the office today, they had a special measuring table with a board against her head and a springboard at the bottom that moved up against her feet.  Once they put the board against her feet, she really couldn't move and she was lying perfectly straight...therefore it appears to be an accurate measurement.  They measured her twice (by different people) and both felt that 30.7 inches was the correct measurement for her.  30.7 inches puts her in the 6% for height.  That makes her curve on the growth chart go up just the slightest bit. 

The doctor gave me the choice of whether I wanted to have them run tests today or whether we wanted to wait a few months and see what happens with her growth curve.  A part of me just wants them to go ahead with the blood work, so we can have a definite answer on this and move on!  But from the way everyone talks about it, it sounds like the blood work is fairly extensive.  And I hate to do all that unless we feel it is completely necessary.  I'm not feeling that it is necessary at this point.  So, we are going to give her some more time to grow.  More waiting...my favorite!!

We will go back to the endocrinologist in May, right before her second birthday to put one more measurement on her growth chart and see what happens with the curve.  We are hoping that the slight increase in growth that she just recorded will continue over the next few months!  If not, then they will probably run all the tests on her.

Also, later this afternoon, we met with someone from Early Intervention to get set up for a speech evaluation.  After giving Isla's medical history to the endocrinologist this morning and then again to the EI worker this afternoon, I feel like I have been talking about her health all day long!