Myself and vicky took Charlotte to Alder Hey last week to visit one of her many consultants.
She visited Dr Blair's clinic which specialises in the thyroid.
The thyroid is one of the largest endocrine glands in the body. This gland is found in the neck just below the Adam's apple. The thyroid controls how quickly the body burns energy, makes proteins, and how sensitive the body should be to other hormones.
The thyroid participates in these processes by producing thyroid hormones, principally thyroxine and triiodothyronine. These hormones regulate the rate of metabolism and affect the growth and rate of function of many other systems in the body.
Admittedly, the above was a copy and paste job!
Charlotte has an underactive thyroid, although to say anything about Charlotte being underactive seems unimaginable!
One thing that came out of the visit was Charlotte's growth pattern, anybody who knows her will vouch for how small she is for a 4 year-old. She is growing steadily, but slowly. The consultant says if she starts dipping on the growth chart they may need to look at hormone replacement treatment.
Hopefully that won't be needed and in the meantime we just hope she maintains the slow but steady route up the growth chart.
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Greg O'Keeffe wrote...
Great blog and great use of Smiths track in title.
Here's to Charlotte shooting up the chart next time!
Posted by: Greg O'Keeffe | August 14, 2007 3:57 PM