Why am I short?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
21

I’m 5’3", and I’m short because of cats. Yes, felines. That is the story that I tell myself anyway.

I come from short people. At 5’3" I’m the third tallest male on my Mom’s side of the family. My brother and male cousin are taller than me, but I’m taller than my maternal grandfather, uncle (the cousin’s dad), maternal great-grandfather, and maternal great-uncle. I’m taller than all of my by-blood female relations on my Mom’s side.

My Dad is of average height, probably about 5’10" before senior shrinking.

I was always the shortest boy in class in school, so at one point my parents took me to the doctor to get my height investigated. They did whatever kind of tests you’d do in the early 80s to check that. Maybe X-rays of growth plates, and hormone levels? Everything came back normal, and the doctor predicted I would grow to a normal height of 5’9 or whatever. My brother is around that height.

Where does the cat come in?

I had childhood asthma. It was bad enough that I took several pills everyday, plus rescue inhalers, some other daily inhaler. Sometime later I saw that one of the side effects of the pills I took was slowing growth. I don’t remember the exact medication. In my head I always think prednisone, but I really don’t know if that would be right, as long term use has lots of other side effects which I didn’t get.

When I finally moved out of my parents house to go to college I discovered that I didn’t have chronic asthma, what I had was a cat allergy, and the primary allergic response was asthmatic. A doctor can tell me if that counts as asthma, but with no allergy triggers, then no asthma.

So cats in the house caused me to be asthmatic which caused me to take a drug which stunted my growth which caused me to stay short.

Or it might just be luck of the draw in the genetics, and I got the short genes and my brother got the average genes. My kid also got the short genes. She’s 13 and will be lucky to make it to 5’.

I do love cats, though.

22

We are a tall straight up and down bunch.

My Daddy always wanted his own basketball team I guess.

Dating, buying clothes,shoes. It was all difficult.

And short people needing help in a store to reach the top shelves. I don’t mind so much getting Aunties Le Sueur English peas for her.

But, really with the light bulb changing? C’mon. :rofl:

23

I heard somewhere that most of the time a son’s height is likely going to be taller than the Mother. If that’s true* then to not be taller is notable, and my guess is something unusual is at play, a genetic anomaly probably.

*I can easily believe it’s not true

24

My sister was full-term, and she’s 5’1. The thing is though, I’m not that small. My shoe size is 8 1/2, I have a medium 34-32 inch waist, I wear large size shirts, I weigh 160 pounds, and I have 23 inch thighs and 14 inch calves.

I might also add I didn’t get enough oxygen at birth and my mom was very sick when she was pregnant with me.

25

Update, since I can’t edit the opening post:

My mom’s uncles were 5’11-6’0, my mom’s cousins are 5’10-6’0 (one of them is a woman) and my girl cousin (my dad’s sister’s daughter) is 5’6.

26

If you’re interested, I found a research paper that – while it doesn’t create a substantive path forward for an adult – may help to explain the current evidence about the past: the etiology of short stature in children.

The abstract isn’t too awfully tough to wade through, and it’s pretty … um … brief:

27

Coming from 5’2" me, I’d like to thank all the people over the past 70 years who have gotten cans of whatever for me. They’ve one and all been very gracious to me, even the sole guy who apologetically had to refuse because he had some shoulder problem.

Thank you, one and all.

(I would always have been happy to retrieve stuff off bottom shelves, but no one has ever asked. :frowning: )

28

It could be genetics. There are several short people in my family and on my mother’s side, and it is due primarily to a genetic feature passed down from at least my mother (4’11"), to me (5’4"), to my son (5’3"), to my sister (5’3") and one of her sons (5’4"). PM for details, if you would like.

29

Heh. My freakishly long monkey arms are also a super power.

I’m expert at getting shopping buggies unstuck. I ain’t fixin’ to sit there and hope they magically separate.

I can easily reach the fourth buggy and wrench them apart. Releasing 3.

It kinda like holding the door for a frail granny on a walker and the next thing you know you’ve held the door for 37 people.

So I only use my superpower if absolutely necessary.

With great power comes great responsibility.

But yeah, I’ll get that off the top shelf for you.

30

It’s weird because I’m the same height as my dad when we’re both sitting, and even when we’re both standing, I’m the same besides the legs.

31

That’s a big part of why I wound up shorter than everyone thought I would. My father was 6’4" when he was younger, and my mother was 5’10"; everyone in the family figured that I’d wind up at least as tall as my father.

Nope. I topped out at 5’10", likely due in part to recessive genes from both of my grandmothers, who were both around 5’0", with short arms and legs for their heights – as one of my aunts, who also has the build, said, “we’re built like Yoda.” :wink: I have a longish torso, but short limbs: my inseam is only about 30", which is more typical for a guy who is 3-4" shorter than me overall.

32

My two best friends from high school are 6’1" and 6’3", while I’m just 5’6". When we’re all sitting down, though, we’re within about half an inch of being the same height. It was murder trying to keep up with them when we were walking, and even tougher if we were running.

33

How tall would I be if I were full-term?

34

As I noted near the start of the thread, studies have shown that being a premature baby – in and of itself – does not appear to have a significant impact on adult height. However, there are various health issues which, if you experience them when you are a baby/child, which apparently can have at least a minor impact on adult height.

35

Again, go to your family doctor. Ask them to refer you to a specialist who can do various tests on you to we if there is any medical problem which has affected your height. The SDMB is not a medical expert (although we have some doctors). Asking us for an answer to a medical question is almost as bad as asking a typical worthless online group. Can’t you afford to go to a doctor?

36

Hoping that everyone here has a sense of humour, I can’t help referencing Randy Newman…

‘https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8UVBgUd9GE’

37

Did you ever get singled out for double-checks during school scoliosis checks? I’m built the same way - long torso, short legs and am right about the average American male height at 5’9" (plus a smidge, which puts me just over the exact average). I was constantly getting pulled over for a second opinion on those scoliosis bends they did in the 1970’s, because my long torso fooled the eye into thinking there was a bend. Those bandy short legs have been my (very, very minor) bane. Just anecdotally I ended up almost exactly halfway between my 6’ 3" father and my 5’ 3" mother.

38

Ohhh, heck, yes. That’s something I haven’t thought about in decades, but yeah, I remember that they’d screen me, and then the nurse would call over the other nurse for a second opinion.

39

Hehe, I’m another one with a long torso and short legs. My wife is 5’ even. If it put her jeans on, they fit perfectly.

40

Kinda raises the question of who wears the pants in the family. Apparently, you both do.