Hi C.,
My son was on growth hormone therapy for years. It is definitely a controversial issue, and certainly not something I entered into lightly.
He was born normal size, but by 2 years of age his size fell completely off the charts. He was tested for many things and eventually diagnosed as Failure to Thrive. He spent his chilhood healthy, but was always a full 3 years behind in bone size. He was simply monitored annually until age 9, then they started watching his growth with bone growth hand xrays, and did another battery of tests to see if there was any other issues. Everything came back fine, but again, his bone age was 3 years younger.
At age 10 his bone age fell even farther behind, so finally the referral to an Endocrinologist followed. He administered a test that took about 4-5 hours where they used an IV to stimulate the body to produce it's own Growth Hormone, then tested his blood levels. My son was then "officially" diagnosed with Pituatary Dwarfism - also called Growth Hormone Deficient. (my son's nickname in school was dwarf, so I was glad I could use the term GHD. Kids can be so mean)
I did the research, I read the books, I sought additional opinions, and hesitated quite a bit before making my decision. After all, this was MY son. No one else cared about him the way I do, and no one else feared for him as much as I do. But the reality was that he would most likely never even reach 5 feet tall. And the hormone used is supposed to be safe, and the body recognizes it as something that is supposed to be there.
My son is 17 and 5'8". We stopped the growth hormone just before he turned 16, and that was my son's decision at the time. We could have continued since his bones were still open, but he had caught up to the average size of his friends, and I think he was just tired of taking the shots after a few years. He is happy the shots worked, and feels normal - and no more height related nicknames for him.
We saw Dr. Alvin Perelman in North Scottsdale, and we do highly recommend him. He is wonderful, and always available by phone after hours. His website shows that he also has a new office in Mesa:
http://www.swpedendo.medem.com/
If you go to the website there are extensive resources and websites you can go to for more info. The other organizations I used for info:
http://www.magicfoundation.org
http://www.hgfound.org
Good luck to you and your little one!
D.