Re: Doctors difference of opinions?

March 14, 2002

Hi :

First, congradulations to ! Next - I really cannot explain to

you why craniofacial specialist told you that if cont'd

wearing her band - it might do more harm than good to her head. That

doesn't make any sense to me whatsoever. I think this is the 1st I

had ever heard of this, but didn't you post a simliar question before

inquiring about this? Did you ask Cranial Tech about that????

Hopefully someone else can help you with your question more than I

did, it really makes no sense to me! Sorry!

Debbie Abby's mom DOCGrad

MI

> Hi everyone,

> I have a question that I hope someone can help me with. First of

> all, my daughter just graduated from her DOC band on 3/12.

> She wore it for 2.5 months. We are going for an exit mold and

final

> measurements next week, so I don't know the % of change yet but I

> know just by looking at her and from the photos she has made great

> improvement. My question is this. The craniofacial specialist

told

> us at our last month's visit that if my daughter's head

circumference

> stayed the same, she would be out of the band. It was the same so

he

> told us she didn't have to wear it any longer and he felt that if

she

> continued to wear it longer it would start doing more harm than

good

> and she would start growing in directions that she shouldn't be.

He

> also looked at her photos and head mold and said she made great

> improvements. However, the woman at Cranial Tech wanted to

> stay in the helmet another 6 weeks or so. She pointed out the

areas

> where she could still use improvement. I am very happy my daughter

> doesn't need to wear the hemlet any longer but would like to know

why

> there is such a difference of opinion. Like I said, I am really

> happy with the results and do not want to take any chances of her

> wearing it longer and growing incorrectly, but why would one doctor

> say it would help and another say it would harm. Any ideas?

>

> Thanks in advance!

>

> DOC band 12/27/01 - 3/12/02

March 14, 2002

I was discussing just this question with our orthotist the other

week. She mentioned that certain specialists she knew panicked the

minute the baby's head circumference didn't change and immediately

would take them out of the band. My son's head circumference hasn't

changed all that much because it was so misshapen to begin with and

all the flat areas have filled in. I believe Tim Littlefield from CT

had posted before on this board about head circumference being a

linear measurement, etc., and not what should be gone by to judge

improvement. Maybe you could ask your orthotist to give you

information to disprove what your specialist is saying about causing

harm and ask him to reconsider his decision to take her out of the

band early. I would personally go the extra six weeks for maximum

correction (but I am not a doctor, just a mom).

Candy, mom to (DOCband #1, 10/5/01, #2, 2/25/02)

land