A panic attack is defined as suddenly feeling intense fear that develops for no apparent reason and triggers severe physical reactions. Some people feel like they are having a heart attack or possibly dying during a panic attack. Certainly, there is fear in losing control. They can make your heart pound, cause dizziness, nausea, and shortness of breath. While a panic attack would be frightening for anyone, it must be terrifying for a child. A child just placed with an adoptive or foster family probably... more

Many parts of the body are affected by Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome. Infants affected with this syndrome are considerably larger than normal. Technically, it is referred to as macrosomia. Beckwith-Wiedemann is classified as an overgrowth syndrome. Children who are diagnosed with this syndrome continue to grow and gain weight at an unusual rate during childhood. By the time these children reach the age of eight years, their growth begins to slow down. As they reach adulthood, their height should be comparable... more

As your child reaches puberty, your doctor (especially if your child is seeing an endocrinologist, gynecologist or has been on psychiatric medications for a long period of time), may wish to have blood tests done to show various hormone levels One of these, especially in girls, will be the prolactin levels Prolactin levels can be elevated in both males and females.. The two basic questions to be asked are “what is causing this?” and “what does an elevated prolactin level mean?”

Well, several things can cause prolactin levels to elevate. The most common is in... more

Are you adopting a child diagnosed with pituitary dwarfism or growth hormone deficiency? It can be overwhelming at first. You have a new child in your home and you are trying to create a bond with that child and build a relationship. Yet, each day you must cause your newly adopted child some pain by giving an injection.

The first thing you should do is educate yourself about your child’s condition. Check the children’s department at your local library for books about the endocrine system. Show the pictures to your child. Make sure that you both understand... more

Are you adopting a child that requires daily shots? The thought of giving your new child a shot everyday can be a little intimidating if you don’t have any experience giving injections. It is important for you to become confident in giving the shots for the health of the child you are adopting.

You may want to familiarize yourself with the feel of giving shots by practicing. You can fill your syringe with water and practice injecting the water into an orange or a grapefruit. Try to press the needle quickly through the skin and practice injecting the... more

A new study indicates that your body’s skeleton is actually an endocrine organ and that it plays an important part in the body's hormonal system. They found that cells located in bones actually produce a hormone that affects blood sugar levels and fat deposits. One expert in skeletal development, Gerard... more

When your child begins to show signs of puberty before reaching the age of seven in girls or the age of nine in boys, you should suspect your child is experiencing precocious puberty and have an immediate medical evaluation. Some indicators of beginning puberty are the growth of pubic and underarm hair, a growth spurt, the onset of acne, and an adult body odor. Girls will also begin... more

“Puberty is considered delayed (delayed puberty) if it hasn't occurred by the age of 13 years in girls and 14 years in boys.”

If you suspect your child has missed puberty, and you are lucky enough to have access to your child’s birth family, then ask them when family members experienced puberty. This method worked well for us when our daughter was about 13. We knew she might have a problem entering spontaneous puberty... more

Definitely one medication can’t do it all, but how many medications are too many for one child? My daughter originally just had her daily injections of Protropin, an older version of human growth hormone that had to be mixed and refrigerated. Then as she got older her thyroid wasn’t working properly so Synthroid was added daily. Then eventually we realized that her body wasn’t going to go into spontaneous puberty so progesterone and the Vivelle estrogen patch were added.

Apparently it is also quite common for children with... more

We had a little insulated lunch bag with a long strap that contained everything my child needed to do her own injections. The bag contained new syringes, cotton balls, rubbing alcohol, the inject ease, and of course the growth hormone. She began using growth hormone about fourteen years ago. Back then you had two separate vials, one was the growth hormone powder the other was the aqueous solution to reconstitute it and it had to be refrigerated, thus the insulated bag. Well it also provided a padded layer of protection for the glass... more