Happy New Year..."2010"

Brandon is nearly 22 months old now and 22 pounds. We are looking forward to what this year will bring. As far as we know Brandon should be surgery free this year.

We will continue to see our wonderful pediatrician on a regular basis. Tis the season for colds, flu, etc... Brandon is actually trying to get over pneumonia right now. Sickness seems to hit him pretty hard, but he is a tough little guy.

We will also continue to be involved with Help Me Grow which has been very helpful. Our early intervention worker comes to the house for home visits to see how Brandon is progressing. She is even bringing a speech therapist and occupational therapist here and there to evaluate Brandon as well.

Brandon will also be following up with his endocrinologist for his growth hormone deficiency. He is growing taller each day with the help of his growth hormone shots, however he is not gaining weight as fast as we thought. He is doing fabulous with his shots and even rolls over into position on his own when he sees us coming towards him with the supplies. No tears, he just says "All done" in his own little way when we are finished. Such a good boy!

Also on the agenda this year is our scheduled follow ups with his opthamologist, Dr. Delmonte at U of M, his geneticist Dr. Hoo at St. V's, his urologist, Dr. Liu at St. Vs, and his orthopedist, Dr. Buerke at Toledo Hospital. As you can see, Brandon has a very busy social calendar. :o)

Starting the Growth Hormone Shots

So we met with Brandon's endocrinologist to review all of the testing. He stated Brandon was a good candidate for starting Growth Hormone Injections. This medication is very costly and some insurances will not cover this treatment at all. We are fortunate to have an insurance provider that will cover 80% of the cost, but our 20% portion is still rather large. I recommend anyone who has children who are in need of growth hormone therapy to contact the drug company who makes the product your physician recommends. Even though insurance is paying 80%, I called the drug company and applied for patient assistance. We qualified for $125 per month towards are cost which helps tremendously.
He is supposed to get one shot every night. This will continue most likely until he is a teenager and he has hit an appropriate height and weight for his age. I'm not thrilled about having to give him a shot every night, but I also realize he needs this, and it will help him in the long run.

This is Brandon before starting his growth hormone shots...Age: 17 1/2 months, Weight: 19 pounds, Height: 28 1/4 inches. He is currently plotting below 0% on the growth chart for his age.

So...Daddy gave Brandon's first injection while I held his leg. I have to say, Brandon did extremely well. He "whimpered" a few seconds and then stopped as I held him and gave him his nightly cup of milk.

This is him a few minutes afterwards...doing very well as you can see.

Day number two - I gave him his injection this time while his dad held his leg in place. As a nurse I have given many shots and I thought to myself "Piece of cake...I can do this". Medically I know how to give injections properly and it's never bothered me before to poke someone, but as a mom feeling the needle poke through my babies skin made me feel horrible inside...I was thinking to myself "What have I just done to him?" It all went well and I know this is just something that has to be done. Afterwards...again...just a slight whimper from him for a few seconds; and then I held him, gave him his milk, and all was well. He is doing fantastic.

Medical update

Since his last surgery, we have had further testing done regarding Brandon's growth. As it turns out, he has a Growth Hormone Deficiency. We meet with his endocrinologist soon to discuss more of the details, but it is likely he will be starting growth hormone injections in the near future. This means we will have to give him nightly injections...sorry little guy. Some kids receive these shots up until the age of 18.