Six-months ago today we visited the Endocrine Clinic at ACH to have Ellie's growth reviewed. They indicated that Ellie's Bone Age Test (the wrist x-ray from September to give an estimate of the age of her bones) was likely only 30 months at that time. This was a relief since we could then do a slight adjustment for her bone age and be a little closer to her developmental age delays.
In January, they ordered a few tests - some for information and some for ruling out significant issues - and asked us to come back in six-months for another weigh and measure. The importance of coming back gave us a weight and measurement on the same scale and ruler.
In April, I noticed that Ellie's pants seemed to be getting shorter - the rate of which she grows (slowly) I thought we were just shrinking her clothes from too much washing. Then in May, I noticed the sleeves on her t-shirts and sweaters were also too short and I realized she really was growing! Hooray, I had to go shopping because Ellie was out-growing clothes!!! I was so excited - I usually go shopping due to seasonal changes, so this was incredible.
Today we learned that Ellie has grown 4.9 cm (almost 2" for my American friends) in the last 6-months. Our Endocrine doctor said that rate of growth is more important to watch than the actual height of a child, and the recommendation for a child who is around 4-years old is between 4 and 9 cm of growth annually. She said that since Ellie has done 4.9 cm in six months, she could extrapolate that she would grow 10 cm in a year which tells her that Ellie is catching up a little bit to where she should be for her body. From this, she feels that Ellie does not have an Endocrine disorder and that we don't need to have more tests or even delve into the world of growth hormones.
Praise God!
And so we were officially discharged from going back to that clinic - the first one EVER! As we walked back to the car, I realized how light I felt emotionally - who knew that this was weighing so heavily on my heart and mind.
I am so thankful that Ellie's growing again and having growth spurts to bring her back to where she should be. There is nothing more scary than seeing your baby's growth chart flat-line and often reverse because they aren't growing or gaining weight but losing weight.
There's more that I could say, but I will save that for another blog post. Thanks everyone for your thoughts and prayers - they do carry us through!
