Grant

[Guest guest]

,

Its my feeling that it never hurts to get second and third opinions! I would

keep the date with the specialist and go with your gut on who you should see

for further treatment. If you feel more comfortable with the CT folks, ask

your Doc for that rx, it is really your decision to make. Do your homework

so that you can ask lots of questions and really be a part of the planning

process for what's to come next- don't hesitate to question your Doc to death

and let him know that YOU know what's what! Good luck and please keep us

posted!

' Mom

[Guest guest]

Hi :

I'm happy to hear that the stretches & exercises you are doing for

Grant's tort. has helped improve his condition!

As for your debating on which band to use, why don't you wait & see

how your appt. with Dr. Witt goes next week then take it from there.

Have you talked it over with your ins. company yet to see if they'll

cover either band?

I have definitely heard of Hangar Orthotics in the group before. Let

me search our archive & see what I can turn up (can you tell work is

a *bit* slow for me? hehe).

Debbie Abby's mom DOCgrad

MI

> Well, it's been a while since I posted, so I thought I'd share in

our

> progress here. If you remember, Grant is 8 mos (just turned 8 mos

on

> Sunday!) and has mild torticollis which we are doing exercising

for,

> and has flattening on the left side of his head. After months of

> mentioning these issues to my ped and getting no where, we got a

wake

> up call when, by a fluke, we saw a different pediatrician in the

same

> practice, who noticed the problems right away. She gave me

exercises

> to do with Grant (the same two that are linked to the

> plagiocephaly.org site) and they have helped Grant's ROM a lot.

She

> still did not address the head flattening, though.

>

> After researching this stuff a lot on the internet and finding you

> all here, I asked for referral to a specialist. The first one we

> were referred to couldn't see us for almost 3 months...the second

one

> (I found this one myself) had availability in 6 weeks. I made the

> appt. with the second one (Dr. Witt here in Kansas City).

But,

> being anxious to get things going, I also took Grant to a free

> evaluation at the CT office here (Rehab Designs of America). They

> said Grant's plagio was borderline moderate/severe. I asked my ped

> if we could GET GOING on this stuff and he ordered the skull

xrays.

> I'm waiting here today for them to call with the results (we had

the

> xrays done last week).

>

> Assuming the xrays are normal, I'm not sure what I should do from

> here...now that we're only 6 days from the appt. w/ Dr. Witt...I'm

> thinking we should just go ahead and do that, but bring Grant's

xrays

> to expedite the process. I struggle with not using the CT office,

as

> the orthotist I met there really, really impressed me. He has

> treated 600+ kids over the years and spent soooo much time with me

on

> the phone and in his office. He was very caring and gentle with

> Grant. Dr. Witt's office uses the STARband and after asking lots

of

> questions with his nurse I found out they use HANGER

> orthotists...anyone know anything about this organization? Anyone

in

> KC that has used them? I'm torn on what to do next. The other

issue

> I think about is that I would think DR Witt might be able to write

a

> better letter of medical necessity to the insurance co than my

> ped...simply because he is so experienced dealing with this. But,

> I'm so comfortable and really am drawn to using the CT office. I

> wonder if Dr. Witt would be willing to write an rx for the DOC

band?

> I don't know...I'm confused!

>

> Sorry I have written such a LONG post...

>

> , Mom to Grant (born 9/26/01)

>

> PS I met (also from KC and on this group...is waiting for an

> appt with Dr Witt on the same day for consultation) at Starbucks

this

> morning! It was so fun to meet her and her cute baby ny. I

> really appreciated talking with someone who understood this

> experience. Thanks, ! I'll email you personally, but just

> wanted to say Thanks :) so much!

[Guest guest]

-

I'm glad to hear the exercises are working. I know what a relief

that is!

If it's just 6 days away, why don't you just keep that appointment.

It is always great to get additional advice from an expert and it

sounds as if he is an expert! You probably couldn't get a casting

appt before then anyhow. Can you call and make a casting

appointment for sometime next week? That way if you decide to go

with the DOC Band, you could go for casting shortly after your appt

with Dr. Witt. If you go with the STARBand, then you can just

cancel the appt!

I thought I remember seeing someone post that they saw Dr. Witt and

use the STARBand. I bet he would be open to writing you a

prescription for a DOC Band, if that's what you decide. Maybe you

could call his office and ask the secretary if anyone ever uses the

DOC Band.

Good luck!

Dane's mom DOC Grad

> Well, it's been a while since I posted, so I thought I'd share in

our

> progress here. If you remember, Grant is 8 mos (just turned 8 mos

on

> Sunday!) and has mild torticollis which we are doing exercising

for,

> and has flattening on the left side of his head. After months of

> mentioning these issues to my ped and getting no where, we got a

wake

> up call when, by a fluke, we saw a different pediatrician in the

same

> practice, who noticed the problems right away. She gave me

exercises

> to do with Grant (the same two that are linked to the

> plagiocephaly.org site) and they have helped Grant's ROM a lot.

She

> still did not address the head flattening, though.

>

> After researching this stuff a lot on the internet and finding you

> all here, I asked for referral to a specialist. The first one we

> were referred to couldn't see us for almost 3 months...the second

one

> (I found this one myself) had availability in 6 weeks. I made the

> appt. with the second one (Dr. Witt here in Kansas City).

But,

> being anxious to get things going, I also took Grant to a free

> evaluation at the CT office here (Rehab Designs of America). They

> said Grant's plagio was borderline moderate/severe. I asked my

ped

> if we could GET GOING on this stuff and he ordered the skull

xrays.

> I'm waiting here today for them to call with the results (we had

the

> xrays done last week).

>

> Assuming the xrays are normal, I'm not sure what I should do from

> here...now that we're only 6 days from the appt. w/ Dr. Witt...I'm

> thinking we should just go ahead and do that, but bring Grant's

xrays

> to expedite the process. I struggle with not using the CT office,

as

> the orthotist I met there really, really impressed me. He has

> treated 600+ kids over the years and spent soooo much time with me

on

> the phone and in his office. He was very caring and gentle with

> Grant. Dr. Witt's office uses the STARband and after asking lots

of

> questions with his nurse I found out they use HANGER

> orthotists...anyone know anything about this organization? Anyone

in

> KC that has used them? I'm torn on what to do next. The other

issue

> I think about is that I would think DR Witt might be able to write

a

> better letter of medical necessity to the insurance co than my

> ped...simply because he is so experienced dealing with this. But,

> I'm so comfortable and really am drawn to using the CT office. I

> wonder if Dr. Witt would be willing to write an rx for the DOC

band?

> I don't know...I'm confused!

>

> Sorry I have written such a LONG post...

>

> , Mom to Grant (born 9/26/01)

>

> PS I met (also from KC and on this group...is waiting for

an

> appt with Dr Witt on the same day for consultation) at Starbucks

this

> morning! It was so fun to meet her and her cute baby ny. I

> really appreciated talking with someone who understood this

> experience. Thanks, ! I'll email you personally, but just

> wanted to say Thanks :) so much!

[Guest guest]

,

remember me? I wrote you before about Dr. Witt....anyway, just wanted to say that when WE saw Dr. Witt, he was prescribing the DOC band (I believe this was before the Starband came along). I can't imagine why he wouldn't write you the scrip for the DOC if that's what you told him you really felt strongly about. RDA is great, that's for sure--we mostly saw Jan there but loved Bob, too. And if Dr. Witt would rather do the Starband, then have your ped write you the scrip instead. In any case, it's a good idea to take the xrays with you. Good luck at your appointment!

Wendi, mom to (DOC grad)

On Tue, 28 May 2002 18:51:52 -0000 "kellysdogs" <kellysdogs@...> writes:

Well, it's been a while since I posted, so I thought I'd share in our progress here. If you remember, Grant is 8 mos (just turned 8 mos on Sunday!) and has mild torticollis which we are doing exercising for, and has flattening on the left side of his head. After months of mentioning these issues to my ped and getting no where, we got a wake up call when, by a fluke, we saw a different pediatrician in the same practice, who noticed the problems right away. She gave me exercises to do with Grant (the same two that are linked to the plagiocephaly.org site) and they have helped Grant's ROM a lot. She still did not address the head flattening, though. After researching this stuff a lot on the internet and finding you all here, I asked for referral to a specialist. The first one we were referred to couldn't see us for almost 3 months...the second one (I found this one myself) had availability in 6 weeks. I made the appt. with the second one (Dr. Witt here in Kansas City). But, being anxious to get things going, I also took Grant to a free evaluation at the CT office here (Rehab Designs of America). They said Grant's plagio was borderline moderate/severe. I asked my ped if we could GET GOING on this stuff and he ordered the skull xrays. I'm waiting here today for them to call with the results (we had the xrays done last week).Assuming the xrays are normal, I'm not sure what I should do from here...now that we're only 6 days from the appt. w/ Dr. Witt...I'm thinking we should just go ahead and do that, but bring Grant's xrays to expedite the process. I struggle with not using the CT office, as the orthotist I met there really, really impressed me. He has treated 600+ kids over the years and spent soooo much time with me on the phone and in his office. He was very caring and gentle with Grant. Dr. Witt's office uses the STARband and after asking lots of questions with his nurse I found out they use HANGER orthotists...anyone know anything about this organization? Anyone in KC that has used them? I'm torn on what to do next. The other issue I think about is that I would think DR Witt might be able to write a better letter of medical necessity to the insurance co than my ped...simply because he is so experienced dealing with this. But, I'm so comfortable and really am drawn to using the CT office. I wonder if Dr. Witt would be willing to write an rx for the DOC band? I don't know...I'm confused!Sorry I have written such a LONG post..., Mom to Grant (born 9/26/01)PS I met (also from KC and on this group...is waiting for an appt with Dr Witt on the same day for consultation) at Starbucks this morning! It was so fun to meet her and her cute baby ny. I really appreciated talking with someone who understood this experience. Thanks, ! I'll email you personally, but just wanted to say Thanks :) so much!For more plagio info

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Sounds like you had a really good appt. with Dr. Witt. I doubt seriously

that you will ever regret your decision to band- as the Doc said- its very

non-invasive, and what do you have to lose? Nothing- just lost of roundness

to gain! There's not much about the casting process you probably don't

already know, and the fact that DH will be there will help out immensely. If

Grant has a pacifier he loves, or a favorite musical toy to listen to, or

even a bottle or lollipop (not sure if they'll allow that- it seems like that

might be more of mess), then I would try anything you can think of to make it

as easy as possible. No matter what we did, as soon as they sat my son up,

he cried from start to finish- but, as soon as they took off the cast, he was

all smiles and enjoyed the bath. A quick 10 minutes of no fun, but all very

well worth it. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

' Mom

[Guest guest]

Well, we saw the specialist, Dr. Witt. What a sweetheart he was. He actually classified Grant's plagio as mild to moderate (RDA called it Moderate to Severe) and classified his tort as moderate (RDA said they thought it looked mild). In my 'expert' opinion (LOL!), I agree more with CT's assessment of the head and Dr. Witt's assessment of the neck. I think I am probably more the expert, really, on Grant's neck, since I see his habits, ROM, etc. on a daily basis. Dr. Witt referred him for PT, which I am thankful for because I think he needs it. On Grant's plagio, Dr. Witt was supportive of our plan to band him with the DOC band. He said he was on the fence on whether or not he would treat the plagio...but, that certainly the banding was non-invasive, etc. I was surprised he called it mild to moderate. He didn't really look at Grant's head long and he did nothing to pat down his tons of fuzzy blonde hair (RDA put a little stocking on his head and it REALLY showed the asymmetry) Also, RDA did CV measurements and found 8mm difference, but because Grant's flatness is more on the side...the asymmetry is really worse than that. So, we are keeping the appt. TODAY to cast Grant at RDA (A CT authorized clinic). My dh is going with us thank goodness.

So, keep Grant in your thoughts. After much thought, both my husband and I think going forward with the banding is the best idea. I'm definitely going to ask that they measure Grant's ear asymmetry today, too. Eyeballing it, I'd say they're off about 10mm.

Any other suggestions for his casting appt today? It's at 2pm...thanks. , Mom to Grant (born 9/26/01)

[Guest guest]

,

I'm so glad you liked Dr. Witt--he IS a sweetheart. Good luck at the casting today, too. Wear something you're willing to get messy in! And if Grant has a comfort object, you might take that along. I am sure he'll be fine, it just takes about 10 minutes to cast them. Then they'll let you bathe him. Let us know how it goes.

Wendi, mom to (DOC grad)

and a big fan of RDA in KC

On Tue, 4 Jun 2002 05:33:56 -0700 (PDT) Robben <kellysdogs@...> writes:

Well, we saw the specialist, Dr. Witt. What a sweetheart he was. He actually classified Grant's plagio as mild to moderate (RDA called it Moderate to Severe) and classified his tort as moderate (RDA said they thought it looked mild). In my 'expert' opinion (LOL!), I agree more with CT's assessment of the head and Dr. Witt's assessment of the neck. I think I am probably more the expert, really, on Grant's neck, since I see his habits, ROM, etc. on a daily basis. Dr. Witt referred him for PT, which I am thankful for because I think he needs it. On Grant's plagio, Dr. Witt was supportive of our plan to band him with the DOC band. He said he was on the fence on whether or not he would treat the plagio...but, that certainly the banding was non-invasive, etc. I was surprised he called it mild to moderate. He didn't really look at Grant's head long and he did nothing to pat down his tons of fuzzy blonde hair (RDA put a little stocking on his head and it REALLY showed the asymmetry) Also, RDA did CV measurements and found 8mm difference, but because Grant's flatness is more on the side...the asymmetry is really worse than that. So, we are keeping the appt. TODAY to cast Grant at RDA (A CT authorized clinic). My dh is going with us thank goodness.

So, keep Grant in your thoughts. After much thought, both my husband and I think going forward with the banding is the best idea. I'm definitely going to ask that they measure Grant's ear asymmetry today, too. Eyeballing it, I'd say they're off about 10mm.

Any other suggestions for his casting appt today? It's at 2pm...thanks. , Mom to Grant (born 9/26/01)

[Guest guest]

:

I'm glad you had a good appt with Dr. Witt & he was supportive of

your decision to band Grant . That's good news he referred Grant

for PT for his tort.. That will help tremendously I'm sure.

Best of luck at today's casting. Let us know how it goes/went

Debbie Abby's mom DOCGrad

MI

>

> Well, we saw the specialist, Dr. Witt. What a sweetheart he was.

He actually classified Grant's plagio as mild to moderate (RDA called

it Moderate to Severe) and classified his tort as moderate (RDA said

they thought it looked mild). In my 'expert' opinion (LOL!), I agree

more with CT's assessment of the head and Dr. Witt's assessment of

the neck. I think I am probably more the expert, really, on Grant's

neck, since I see his habits, ROM, etc. on a daily basis. Dr. Witt

referred him for PT, which I am thankful for because I think he needs

it. On Grant's plagio, Dr. Witt was supportive of our plan to band

him with the DOC band. He said he was on the fence on whether or not

he would treat the plagio...but, that certainly the banding was non-

invasive, etc. I was surprised he called it mild to moderate. He

didn't really look at Grant's head long and he did nothing to pat

down his tons of fuzzy blonde hair (RDA put a little stocking on his

head and it REALLY showed the asymmetry) Also, RDA did CV

measurements and found 8mm difference, but because Grant's flatness

is more on the side...the asymmetry is really worse than that. So,

we are keeping the appt. TODAY to cast Grant at RDA (A CT authorized

clinic). My dh is going with us thank goodness.

>

> So, keep Grant in your thoughts. After much thought, both my

husband and I think going forward with the banding is the best idea.

I'm definitely going to ask that they measure Grant's ear asymmetry

today, too. Eyeballing it, I'd say they're off about 10mm.

>

> Any other suggestions for his casting appt today? It's at

2pm...thanks.

>

>

>

> , Mom to Grant (born 9/26/01)

>

>

> ---------------------------------

>