Guest guest Posted January 19, 2002 Report Share Posted January 19, 2002 >I can only tell you how I personally feel about it. My daughter is 4.5 months old and has been in her helmet for four days....it has not been that big a deal. She doesn't mind the helmet at all...I personally don't care for it but only because I miss her head. I never thought twice about the treatment...we too are paying $1700 out of pocket (are you in Indpls. by chance). Not extra money we have but I had to ask myself how I would explain to her someday why we didn't take care of something that could be taken care of. I have read too many stories of children who are teased and the emotional toll it can take. My ped has also told me that many times the head does not round out on its own significantly unless the repositioning is aggressive and done in time. I tried for eight weeks with my daughter....but she is so strong and always found a way to go back to the right side that she favored. I can't tell you the relief I feel just knowing we are doing something about it.... If you are concerned about the money and the " trauma " of the helmet...I can tell you what this group told me.... " don't worry about the child minding the helmet...most don't " They were right...she is upstairs quietly sleeping for the second night in a row with her helmet on....wore it all day today too! The money is another issue....but in 18 years...how much would that really seem like.....? Tough decision...you have to do what you feel right about...the treatment isn't for everyone....do what you think is best for her....Best of luck! I am interested to know if anyone has had success with a wait and > see approach. Our daughter was diagnosed with " mild to moderate " > plagiocephaly at 4 months and we have seen some improvement over the > last two months with repositioning. At six months, however, her > head is still flatter on the left side although not as bad. The > doctor said that her hair may eventually hide the slight flatness or > we could fit her for a helmet ($1600 out of pocket). Anyone had any > success with a head rounding out on its own? We are having a really > hard time with this decision! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2002 Report Share Posted January 19, 2002 HI there: I don't remember seeing a post from you before, so I'd like to welcome you to our group! Most of the parents in our group have decided to go with a band or helmet to treat their child's plagiocephaly. It's such a hard decision to make, to helmet or not to helmet. Ultimately, the decision is up to you. We don't know if the child's head will round out on it's own until they're usually 2 or older, and by then it's too late for helmet therapy. That's what made my mind up for me to band my daughter. She also had severe plagio. It sounds like you've had good success with repositioning thus far. Have you seen a specialist (usually a pediatric neurosurgeon) yet for his/her evaluation? You might want to ask your pediatrician for a referral to get another opinion on your daughter's head shape. Check out the plagiocephaly parents support page for more information: http://www.plagiocephaly.org/support/default.htm I do know that since my daughter's graduation from her DOCband 7 mos ago, her head has not improved (she's nearly 2). Best of luck with your decision.....please let us know what you decide to do. Debbie Abby's mom 3/1/00 DOCGrad 6/22/01 MI > I am interested to know if anyone has had success with a wait and > see approach. Our daughter was diagnosed with " mild to moderate " > plagiocephaly at 4 months and we have seen some improvement over the > last two months with repositioning. At six months, however, her > head is still flatter on the left side although not as bad. The > doctor said that her hair may eventually hide the slight flatness or > we could fit her for a helmet ($1600 out of pocket). Anyone had any > success with a head rounding out on its own? We are having a really > hard time with this decision! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 18, 2009 Report Share Posted April 18, 2009 Welcome- Some people have had success with repositioning alone, but honestly, it doesn't happen often enough. If you've been doing repo for 3 months already, during prime growing time, and haven't noticed much improvement, I'm not sure you'll see much more from here on out. Repo gets harder after 6 months old because the baby becomes more mobile and it's harder to keep their head in the position you want it, plus their growth slows. Conversely, they also aren't laying on their heads as much because they begin sitting up, crawling, etc. But if you're asking whether it will round out on it's own without doing aggressive repo or a helmet, the answer is no. At least in my experience. We were not given the option to band when my son was 4-6 months old (oh how I wish we were), nor were we told to continue repo (beyond the little we had done to help his torticollis). We were told it would round out on it's own, but my son's head shape was the same at 16 months old as it had been at 6 months old, just bigger. So we were finally able to band him, much later than we should have, and while we got fantastic improvement given his late age, his head still isn't " perfect " (but we're happy with it). Nor has there been any natural improvement since he graduated from his band more than 6 months ago (time will tell if there is any down the road, so I plan to stick around long enough to report back either way to people on this board!). Does have tort as well? If so, that makes repo even harder. Obviously, it's a personal decision to make, and I know it would be easier for you if the doctor had just said " he needs a helmet. " My point of view is that you can rarely go wrong with getting a helmet, but you might go wrong NOT getting it, if you know what I mean. If it's the stigma or the fear of it that is bothering you, it's really much easier/better than you think it will be. Making the decision is half the battle. Where are you located? Do you know what your helmet options are? It might help to research and get a feel for the experience of the orthotists and helmets in your area, it could help sway you one way or another. Most (if not all) offer free evals and it might help to get another professional opinion. Good luck with the decision! Jake-2.5 (DOCBand Grad 9/08) Jordan-5 > > Hi Everyone, > > I have just joined the group. I have a 5 months old son who has a flattened head at the back. We have been trying repositioning for the last three months but haven't noticed much improvement. We went to a specialist yesterday who advised us that 's head is moderate and it is a borderline case whether to get a helmet or not.. basically he said it is our decision. This has left us in a tough position as we don't want to do it unless necessary but if it is needed we are more than happy to put him in a helmet. > > I just wanted to know whether any other parents have had improvements without using the helmet and I would love to see some photos if possible. > > I'm also interested in hearing other peoples opinions about whether they think the helmets are helpful, useful etc. > > Thanks! Regards > > Liz > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 19, 2009 Report Share Posted April 19, 2009 I know some have had success with repositioning, but my daughter was already too mobile by the time I knew anything about that option. The specialist we saw for my daughter said the same thing your's did. She said she would recommend the helmet, but essentially the decision was our's to make. FWIW, her plagio was moderate also. I knew there was a small window of opportunity to do the helmet, as she was 8 months old by the time we saw the specialist. In the end, I knew that no matter what, we'd be glad we banded her and didn't want to not do it and look back when she's older and wish we had. She just graduated from her Starband last Monday with 5 mm assymetry. I look at her head everyday and am so glad we went through with it. It was definitely a hard thing to do and was emotional for me in the beginning, but so worth it! Kristi > > > > > Hi Everyone, > > > > I have just joined the group. I have a 5 months old son who has a flattened head at the back. We have been trying repositioning for the last three months but haven't noticed much improvement. We went to a specialist yesterday who advised us that 's head is moderate and it is a borderline case whether to get a helmet or not.. basically he said it is our decision. This has left us in a tough position as we don't want to do it unless necessary but if it is needed we are more than happy to put him in a helmet. > > > > I just wanted to know whether any other parents have had improvements without using the helmet and I would love to see some photos if possible. > > > > I'm also interested in hearing other peoples opinions about whether they think the helmets are helpful, useful etc. > > > > Thanks! Regards > > > > Liz > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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