THE BLAKELY BUNCH

Friday, May 28, 2010

Testitoxicosis

A few months back I posted about Reed's continuous growth and that he might be following in his daddy's footsteps. This seems to be the case and he has what is called Testitoxicosis. Long story short...He has a major increase in his testosterone levels. A normal testosterone level for a 2 year old is 1, Reed's are at 105. Can you imagine how he must be feeling??? Since testitoxicosis is extremely uncommon, there isn't a ton of research out there for it. When it comes to your children you want to make sure they are getting the best care possible. We visited a couple different specialist and had a bunch of test done to ensure he gets the correct treatment for this. There are so many different outcomes it's difficult to decide what to do.

For now, we have chosen to put Reed on a medication that should help slow things down and allow him to grow at a normal rate. The medication is actually FDA approved for women with breast cancer but has been proven to work in cases like Reed's. We have to go every couple of months and have a bone age done to make sure he hasn't slowed down too much or even stopped growing. Jason really struggled with this decision because he turned out just fine without having to take medication. If we don't put Reed on medication, there is a possibility that he will do just what Jason did which is...grow at an extremely fast rate at a very young age and never grow again. Jason hasn't grown since he was in the 3rd grade. Reed seems to be tolerating the medicine well but it will take some time to see if it is doing the trick!

3 comments:

Jennifer said...

yall are in our prayers...I understand the struggle of trying to do what is best for your children when it comes to health issues. God is good and he will protect your little guy. Hang in there! Hope you are all well!

Paige said...

Jessica, I think you are doing the right thing. I know it must be really difficult making big decisions like that regarding your child's health.

Anonymous said...

It seems that this page has been abandoned...my son who is now seven has testitoxicosis (male familial)... Just trying to get in touch with anyone else who is a parent of a child with the same form as Damon. Anyway, if you do get this I would love to maybe chat via email.
Carrie
Punkimini@gmail.com