late/delayed puberty

L

latediagnosis

New member
I was diagnosed at 14 years of age and now im approaching 19 (june 10th), I always felt a little under developed compared to my friends but I just assumed it was due to the malnourishment of having CF. I'm a pretty decent height 180cm (5"11) and decent weight 69 kilos (151.8 pounds), which is still skinny but considered normal/healthy for CF or even someone without CF.

Although my main concern is I lack virtually any kind of facial hair and my leg/armpit hair is somewhat similar to a 14 yr old who's just started growing hair (very sparse) to the point its embarrassing. I actually didn't start getting arm pit hair till about 17 and its grown ridiculously slow for the past two years. I'm very observant of others production and I noticed younger kids who started getting arm pit hair after me had a lot more than me even after a few months (now I've gone years <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif" border="0">).

This affects my social life severely as I avoid going to the beach due to feeling inadequate/boy like, it's also harder to get intimate with girls, I've only had two girlfriends and only because I felt 100% comfortable around them which is hard to come across. No speech about 'not worrying what others think' will help either, as I'm far too self conscious to let a few words sway me, I'm almost 19 and it's beyond embarrassing.

I guess you're all thinking why don't I just tell my doctor if it bothers me that much? Now that alone proves how self conscious I am, I rather hide behind the screen and get others opinions or similar experiences first.

Any mums who are curious about how to treat a teenager with CF, are welcome to shoot questions... although remember I can't speak on behalf of all male teenagers.

PS: if this is on the wrong forum - mods feel more than welcome to move it elsewhere.
 
L

latediagnosis

New member
I was diagnosed at 14 years of age and now im approaching 19 (june 10th), I always felt a little under developed compared to my friends but I just assumed it was due to the malnourishment of having CF. I'm a pretty decent height 180cm (5"11) and decent weight 69 kilos (151.8 pounds), which is still skinny but considered normal/healthy for CF or even someone without CF.

Although my main concern is I lack virtually any kind of facial hair and my leg/armpit hair is somewhat similar to a 14 yr old who's just started growing hair (very sparse) to the point its embarrassing. I actually didn't start getting arm pit hair till about 17 and its grown ridiculously slow for the past two years. I'm very observant of others production and I noticed younger kids who started getting arm pit hair after me had a lot more than me even after a few months (now I've gone years <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif" border="0">).

This affects my social life severely as I avoid going to the beach due to feeling inadequate/boy like, it's also harder to get intimate with girls, I've only had two girlfriends and only because I felt 100% comfortable around them which is hard to come across. No speech about 'not worrying what others think' will help either, as I'm far too self conscious to let a few words sway me, I'm almost 19 and it's beyond embarrassing.

I guess you're all thinking why don't I just tell my doctor if it bothers me that much? Now that alone proves how self conscious I am, I rather hide behind the screen and get others opinions or similar experiences first.

Any mums who are curious about how to treat a teenager with CF, are welcome to shoot questions... although remember I can't speak on behalf of all male teenagers.

PS: if this is on the wrong forum - mods feel more than welcome to move it elsewhere.
 
L

latediagnosis

New member
I was diagnosed at 14 years of age and now im approaching 19 (june 10th), I always felt a little under developed compared to my friends but I just assumed it was due to the malnourishment of having CF. I'm a pretty decent height 180cm (5"11) and decent weight 69 kilos (151.8 pounds), which is still skinny but considered normal/healthy for CF or even someone without CF.

Although my main concern is I lack virtually any kind of facial hair and my leg/armpit hair is somewhat similar to a 14 yr old who's just started growing hair (very sparse) to the point its embarrassing. I actually didn't start getting arm pit hair till about 17 and its grown ridiculously slow for the past two years. I'm very observant of others production and I noticed younger kids who started getting arm pit hair after me had a lot more than me even after a few months (now I've gone years <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif" border="0">).

This affects my social life severely as I avoid going to the beach due to feeling inadequate/boy like, it's also harder to get intimate with girls, I've only had two girlfriends and only because I felt 100% comfortable around them which is hard to come across. No speech about 'not worrying what others think' will help either, as I'm far too self conscious to let a few words sway me, I'm almost 19 and it's beyond embarrassing.

I guess you're all thinking why don't I just tell my doctor if it bothers me that much? Now that alone proves how self conscious I am, I rather hide behind the screen and get others opinions or similar experiences first.

Any mums who are curious about how to treat a teenager with CF, are welcome to shoot questions... although remember I can't speak on behalf of all male teenagers.

PS: if this is on the wrong forum - mods feel more than welcome to move it elsewhere.
 
J

JazzysMom

New member
Your height & weight seems to indicate that your are meeting the nutritional part ok. I know that this wont make you feel much better, but I know quite a few NON CFers that went thru the same thing. Once they finally hit there "time" they filled out, grew hair & look totally different. I dont have any real advice, but maybe others would and try googling it to see if there are any other ideas out there. Please be careful with any ideas tho. I am sure there some odd things. I do feel for you.......
 
J

JazzysMom

New member
Your height & weight seems to indicate that your are meeting the nutritional part ok. I know that this wont make you feel much better, but I know quite a few NON CFers that went thru the same thing. Once they finally hit there "time" they filled out, grew hair & look totally different. I dont have any real advice, but maybe others would and try googling it to see if there are any other ideas out there. Please be careful with any ideas tho. I am sure there some odd things. I do feel for you.......
 
J

JazzysMom

New member
Your height & weight seems to indicate that your are meeting the nutritional part ok. I know that this wont make you feel much better, but I know quite a few NON CFers that went thru the same thing. Once they finally hit there "time" they filled out, grew hair & look totally different. I dont have any real advice, but maybe others would and try googling it to see if there are any other ideas out there. Please be careful with any ideas tho. I am sure there some odd things. I do feel for you.......
 
K

kswitch

New member
well, there is a difference between late puberty and not growing much hair. during puberty, the body matures, and reproduction becomes possible. your voice deepens, sex organs mature, and sex becomes more prevalent in the mind. this all occurs because the amouint of testosterone in the body (i am assuming your a guy, being that you're concerned about not having facial hair).

if everything else is in place, it may be that you just don't grow hair like everyone else. hair growth is a genetic factor, independent of pubescence or cf. i'm pretty sure that hair growth/loss pattterns come from the mother's side, so comparing yourself to the men in you mother's family might give more insight in what you're supposed to look like...hair wise.

i'll confess a little here, too. i didn't have all my hair until well into my twenties. my pit hair became more prominent after my twenty-first, and it still grows uneven. one pit looks like a forest and the other is more like a meadow. i also grow funky chest hair; a patch in the middle and rings around my nipples. they get long and curly and yuck. i end up shaiving it all off periodically. let me tell you, there's nothing more masculine than shavng your chest!!

my facial hair didn't really become a presence until i was about 25. up until then, it was soft and light colored. i had been told shaving regularly would help thicken and darken it, but it took almost two weeks for it to be long enough to shave!!

there really isn'tmuch you can do to speed up the process, and it takes a medical professional to declare you and excessively late bloomer, and they will not base their dx solely on irregular patterns of hair growth. if it is truly a stunted onset of puberty, they can treat it with hormones i believe. if it's just irregular patterns of hair growth, then there isn't much you can do besides wait.

i know that sucks, but it's really all you can do. i know the effect that insecurity about your body image can have; it is actually a common problem in America, anerexia bulemia, and body dismorphic disorder. you can even put some chronic peirrcing and tatooing into this category. if it is that troublesome, maybe seek counseling. self esteem issues can be far too powerful for an individual to attack by themselves. being as you were dx during adolescence (an already confusing and emotional time) you may have developed some irrational anxieties that are manifesting in this way.

so, after my long winded response, it comes down to either being patient, or seeking medical help, be it a doc or a therapist.
 
K

kswitch

New member
well, there is a difference between late puberty and not growing much hair. during puberty, the body matures, and reproduction becomes possible. your voice deepens, sex organs mature, and sex becomes more prevalent in the mind. this all occurs because the amouint of testosterone in the body (i am assuming your a guy, being that you're concerned about not having facial hair).

if everything else is in place, it may be that you just don't grow hair like everyone else. hair growth is a genetic factor, independent of pubescence or cf. i'm pretty sure that hair growth/loss pattterns come from the mother's side, so comparing yourself to the men in you mother's family might give more insight in what you're supposed to look like...hair wise.

i'll confess a little here, too. i didn't have all my hair until well into my twenties. my pit hair became more prominent after my twenty-first, and it still grows uneven. one pit looks like a forest and the other is more like a meadow. i also grow funky chest hair; a patch in the middle and rings around my nipples. they get long and curly and yuck. i end up shaiving it all off periodically. let me tell you, there's nothing more masculine than shavng your chest!!

my facial hair didn't really become a presence until i was about 25. up until then, it was soft and light colored. i had been told shaving regularly would help thicken and darken it, but it took almost two weeks for it to be long enough to shave!!

there really isn'tmuch you can do to speed up the process, and it takes a medical professional to declare you and excessively late bloomer, and they will not base their dx solely on irregular patterns of hair growth. if it is truly a stunted onset of puberty, they can treat it with hormones i believe. if it's just irregular patterns of hair growth, then there isn't much you can do besides wait.

i know that sucks, but it's really all you can do. i know the effect that insecurity about your body image can have; it is actually a common problem in America, anerexia bulemia, and body dismorphic disorder. you can even put some chronic peirrcing and tatooing into this category. if it is that troublesome, maybe seek counseling. self esteem issues can be far too powerful for an individual to attack by themselves. being as you were dx during adolescence (an already confusing and emotional time) you may have developed some irrational anxieties that are manifesting in this way.

so, after my long winded response, it comes down to either being patient, or seeking medical help, be it a doc or a therapist.
 
K

kswitch

New member
well, there is a difference between late puberty and not growing much hair. during puberty, the body matures, and reproduction becomes possible. your voice deepens, sex organs mature, and sex becomes more prevalent in the mind. this all occurs because the amouint of testosterone in the body (i am assuming your a guy, being that you're concerned about not having facial hair).

if everything else is in place, it may be that you just don't grow hair like everyone else. hair growth is a genetic factor, independent of pubescence or cf. i'm pretty sure that hair growth/loss pattterns come from the mother's side, so comparing yourself to the men in you mother's family might give more insight in what you're supposed to look like...hair wise.

i'll confess a little here, too. i didn't have all my hair until well into my twenties. my pit hair became more prominent after my twenty-first, and it still grows uneven. one pit looks like a forest and the other is more like a meadow. i also grow funky chest hair; a patch in the middle and rings around my nipples. they get long and curly and yuck. i end up shaiving it all off periodically. let me tell you, there's nothing more masculine than shavng your chest!!

my facial hair didn't really become a presence until i was about 25. up until then, it was soft and light colored. i had been told shaving regularly would help thicken and darken it, but it took almost two weeks for it to be long enough to shave!!

there really isn'tmuch you can do to speed up the process, and it takes a medical professional to declare you and excessively late bloomer, and they will not base their dx solely on irregular patterns of hair growth. if it is truly a stunted onset of puberty, they can treat it with hormones i believe. if it's just irregular patterns of hair growth, then there isn't much you can do besides wait.

i know that sucks, but it's really all you can do. i know the effect that insecurity about your body image can have; it is actually a common problem in America, anerexia bulemia, and body dismorphic disorder. you can even put some chronic peirrcing and tatooing into this category. if it is that troublesome, maybe seek counseling. self esteem issues can be far too powerful for an individual to attack by themselves. being as you were dx during adolescence (an already confusing and emotional time) you may have developed some irrational anxieties that are manifesting in this way.

so, after my long winded response, it comes down to either being patient, or seeking medical help, be it a doc or a therapist.
 
D

dbtoo

New member
I'm still waiting... <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif" border="0">

All 5 of my chest hairs are now white. I just shave them!
 
D

dbtoo

New member
I'm still waiting... <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif" border="0">

All 5 of my chest hairs are now white. I just shave them!
 
D

dbtoo

New member
I'm still waiting... <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif" border="0">

All 5 of my chest hairs are now white. I just shave them!
 
L

latediagnosis

New member
honestly i dont have self esteem issues, its just that it affects my life greatly not being able to go to the beach etc without feeling comfortable... I think I should confront my doctor about this, I just rather my parents not know cause they hassle me and make things 10x worse.
 
L

latediagnosis

New member
honestly i dont have self esteem issues, its just that it affects my life greatly not being able to go to the beach etc without feeling comfortable... I think I should confront my doctor about this, I just rather my parents not know cause they hassle me and make things 10x worse.
 
L

latediagnosis

New member
honestly i dont have self esteem issues, its just that it affects my life greatly not being able to go to the beach etc without feeling comfortable... I think I should confront my doctor about this, I just rather my parents not know cause they hassle me and make things 10x worse.
 
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