Re: 16 month old in 2nd helmet

[Guest guest]

went into his second band at 14 months. Went from first to

second without any delay so no adjustment problems. I do think he

lost his pressure points several weeks before he went into the second

band so he wasn't getting any correction during that time period.

His measurements going from 1st to 2nd were cva 7mm(16mm to begin

with at 9 mo.), skull base 6mm, facial 3mm. His final measurements

at graduation at 17 months were cva 2mm, skull 1mm, facial 2mm. Hope

this helps. The second band fit better than the first (I think

because his noggin was a lot rounder) and he did see correction

although not as dramatic as the first, probably because not as much

needed. I'm sure if I put in a band today a month after he

graduated he would probably adjust to it immediately as that is all

he knew for half his life.

Candy, mom to (DOCband grad 6/3/02)

land

> Hi, Our daughter Jessie will be getting in her 2nd DOC band on July

20th. She

> will be 16 months old. She got out of her 1st helmet on June 29th

and I am

> concerened she will have difficulty readjusting as her 1st helmet

will have

> been off 3 weeks. I wish we could have transitioned into the 2nd

helmet

> sooner but we were originally told she probably wouldn't benefit

from a 2nd

> helmet and that it wasn't being recommended. That was 2 weeks

before the 1st

> helmet came off. Then on the 29th, when the helmet came off, we

were told she

> could have further improvement, as her head will continue to grow

through 18

> months. When we heard this we were not only confused but also a

little upset

> because if we were told this before we could have casted right away

and

> avoided this 3 week delay between helmets. Besides losing time, I

am

> concerned about how Jessie will handle wearing the helmet again

after its

> been off so long. Does anyone out there have any experience with a

similar

> situation, especially with an older baby? Also, if so, how was the

correction

> w'/ the 2nd helmet? We were told there are no guarantees but we

want to do

> everything in our power to help our daughter's head round out to

the best it

> possibly can. When she started @ 11 mos. she was off 21mm. and is

now down to

> 11mm. We are thrilled w/ the results. Her ears have really moved

into place

> nicely and her forehead on the left side has filled in nicely. We

would like

> to see her fill in more on the back right side. Any shared advice

and/or

> experiences is greatly appreciated, Theresa and Jessie :0)

[Guest guest]

Hi Theresa:

It sounds like Jessie has rec'd very good correction in her 1st band

already!

When we stopped Abby's STARband treatment after 3 mos in it(due to no

improvment) we also had about a 2 wk delay while she was out of a

band before receiving her DOCband. I also worried that she wouldn't

allow us to put the new DOCband on (she was 11.5 mos old then, so she

was older). But to my relief, she didn't mind it for a second. I

also had a hard time putting her in another band, it was so nice

having her band free, but I quickly re-adjusted.

I'll keep my fingers crossed Jessie will hit some good growth spurts

while in her 2nd band for even more improvement. Let us know when

it's in & how she handles it.

Debbie Abby' smom DOCGrad

MI

> Hi, Our daughter Jessie will be getting in her 2nd DOC band on July

20th. She

> will be 16 months old. She got out of her 1st helmet on June 29th

and I am

> concerened she will have difficulty readjusting as her 1st helmet

will have

> been off 3 weeks. I wish we could have transitioned into the 2nd

helmet

> sooner but we were originally told she probably wouldn't benefit

from a 2nd

> helmet and that it wasn't being recommended. That was 2 weeks

before the 1st

> helmet came off. Then on the 29th, when the helmet came off, we

were told she

> could have further improvement, as her head will continue to grow

through 18

> months. When we heard this we were not only confused but also a

little upset

> because if we were told this before we could have casted right away

and

> avoided this 3 week delay between helmets. Besides losing time, I

am

> concerned about how Jessie will handle wearing the helmet again

after its

> been off so long. Does anyone out there have any experience with a

similar

> situation, especially with an older baby? Also, if so, how was the

correction

> w'/ the 2nd helmet? We were told there are no guarantees but we

want to do

> everything in our power to help our daughter's head round out to

the best it

> possibly can. When she started @ 11 mos. she was off 21mm. and is

now down to

> 11mm. We are thrilled w/ the results. Her ears have really moved

into place

> nicely and her forehead on the left side has filled in nicely. We

would like

> to see her fill in more on the back right side. Any shared advice

and/or

> experiences is greatly appreciated, Theresa and Jessie :0)

[Guest guest]

Theresa,

Congrats on the improvement that you have seen so far with the first

band! I can imagine that you are very frustrated with having to wait

between the two bands. I don't have any personal experience with

second bands, but I would assume that since Jessie is used to wearing

a band that she might not have any trouble getting used to it

again. As strange as it may sound, I think my twisn viewed their

bands as a comfort item, and even though its been almost a year since

they graduated, they still like to see thier bands and play with

them. Jessie might be very happy to get her band back on, for your

sake I hope that is the case! Let us know how it goes!

Niki

Kaylie & Danny (STAR grads)

Phila., PA

> Hi, Our daughter Jessie will be getting in her 2nd DOC band on July

20th. She

> will be 16 months old. She got out of her 1st helmet on June 29th

and I am

> concerened she will have difficulty readjusting as her 1st helmet

will have

> been off 3 weeks. I wish we could have transitioned into the 2nd

helmet

> sooner but we were originally told she probably wouldn't benefit

from a 2nd

> helmet and that it wasn't being recommended. That was 2 weeks

before the 1st

> helmet came off. Then on the 29th, when the helmet came off, we

were told she

> could have further improvement, as her head will continue to grow

through 18

> months. When we heard this we were not only confused but also a

little upset

> because if we were told this before we could have casted right away

and

> avoided this 3 week delay between helmets. Besides losing time, I

am

> concerned about how Jessie will handle wearing the helmet again

after its

> been off so long. Does anyone out there have any experience with a

similar

> situation, especially with an older baby? Also, if so, how was the

correction

> w'/ the 2nd helmet? We were told there are no guarantees but we

want to do

> everything in our power to help our daughter's head round out to

the best it

> possibly can. When she started @ 11 mos. she was off 21mm. and is

now down to

> 11mm. We are thrilled w/ the results. Her ears have really moved

into place

> nicely and her forehead on the left side has filled in nicely. We

would like

> to see her fill in more on the back right side. Any shared advice

and/or

> experiences is greatly appreciated, Theresa and Jessie :0)

[Guest guest]

Theresa,

How has Jessie acclimated to her second band? I'm particularly

interested because next month my daughter will also be going into her

second band at 16 months old -- except it will have been 3 months

between bands!

Here's the story in a nutshell. Started DOC Band at 9 mo, and told

at that time she would only need one band. She grew slow and lost

pressure points at 13mo. No discussion of 2nd band at that time. I

was willing to live with the remaining flattness, but became really

bugged about the residual eye asymmetry. We saw a new specialist

(the first one who could see us) at 14mo. He said she would benefit

from a 2nd band. Took almost a month to run through insurance pre-

approval nightmare. Then over a month on the CT end of things (Cast

#2 delayed 3 weeks by CT clinic closure.)

Anyway, we're here now and I'm really concerned as to how my daughter

(who is now self-aware toddler) is going to react to the 2nd band.

She was never particularly thrilled about the first one, but did

become resigned to it eventually.

Anyone else (besides Colleen) have their toddler get their first band

at 16mo or older?

-

Durham, NC

> Hi, Our daughter Jessie will be getting in her 2nd DOC band on July

20th. She

> will be 16 months old. She got out of her 1st helmet on June 29th

and I am

> concerened she will have difficulty readjusting as her 1st helmet

will have

> been off 3 weeks. I wish we could have transitioned into the 2nd

helmet

> sooner but we were originally told she probably wouldn't benefit

from a 2nd

> helmet and that it wasn't being recommended. That was 2 weeks

before the 1st

> helmet came off. Then on the 29th, when the helmet came off, we

were told she

> could have further improvement, as her head will continue to grow

through 18

> months. When we heard this we were not only confused but also a

little upset

> because if we were told this before we could have casted right away

and

> avoided this 3 week delay between helmets. Besides losing time, I

am

> concerned about how Jessie will handle wearing the helmet again

after its

> been off so long. Does anyone out there have any experience with a

similar

> situation, especially with an older baby? Also, if so, how was the

correction

> w'/ the 2nd helmet? We were told there are no guarantees but we

want to do

> everything in our power to help our daughter's head round out to

the best it

> possibly can. When she started @ 11 mos. she was off 21mm. and is

now down to

> 11mm. We are thrilled w/ the results. Her ears have really moved

into place

> nicely and her forehead on the left side has filled in nicely. We

would like

> to see her fill in more on the back right side. Any shared advice

and/or

> experiences is greatly appreciated, Theresa and Jessie :0)

[Guest guest]

Theresa-

I miss seeing you and Jessie. I hope she enjoyed her 3 week break

from the band.

I know that the lag time was difficult, but I hope you were able to

take advantage of being outside in this hot weather w/o having to

worry about her sweating in the band!

Hope the casting wasn't that bad.

Dane's mom DOC Grad

> Hi, Our daughter Jessie will be getting in her 2nd DOC band on

July 20th. She

> will be 16 months old. She got out of her 1st helmet on June 29th

and I am

> concerened she will have difficulty readjusting as her 1st helmet

will have

> been off 3 weeks. I wish we could have transitioned into the 2nd

helmet

> sooner but we were originally told she probably wouldn't benefit

from a 2nd

> helmet and that it wasn't being recommended. That was 2 weeks

before the 1st

> helmet came off. Then on the 29th, when the helmet came off, we

were told she

> could have further improvement, as her head will continue to grow

through 18

> months. When we heard this we were not only confused but also a

little upset

> because if we were told this before we could have casted right

away and

> avoided this 3 week delay between helmets. Besides losing time, I

am

> concerned about how Jessie will handle wearing the helmet again

after its

> been off so long. Does anyone out there have any experience with a

similar

> situation, especially with an older baby? Also, if so, how was the

correction

> w'/ the 2nd helmet? We were told there are no guarantees but we

want to do

> everything in our power to help our daughter's head round out to

the best it

> possibly can. When she started @ 11 mos. she was off 21mm. and is

now down to

> 11mm. We are thrilled w/ the results. Her ears have really moved

into place

> nicely and her forehead on the left side has filled in nicely. We

would like

> to see her fill in more on the back right side. Any shared advice

and/or

> experiences is greatly appreciated, Theresa and Jessie :0)

[Guest guest]

:

Thanks for sharing your daughter's story. DO you know when she'll be

receiving her 2nd band? I hope she'll tolerate the band well as well

as get good improvemet from it.

It's so nice to hear of your Drs willingness to put your daughter

into the band. SO many Drs/specialists are against banding,

especially at an older age.

Please keep us updated on her progress with the new band! Best of

luck to you & your family.

Debbie Abby's mom DOCGrad

MI

> > Hi, Our daughter Jessie will be getting in her 2nd DOC band on

July

> 20th. She

> > will be 16 months old. She got out of her 1st helmet on June 29th

> and I am

> > concerened she will have difficulty readjusting as her 1st helmet

> will have

> > been off 3 weeks. I wish we could have transitioned into the 2nd

> helmet

> > sooner but we were originally told she probably wouldn't benefit

> from a 2nd

> > helmet and that it wasn't being recommended. That was 2 weeks

> before the 1st

> > helmet came off. Then on the 29th, when the helmet came off, we

> were told she

> > could have further improvement, as her head will continue to grow

> through 18

> > months. When we heard this we were not only confused but also a

> little upset

> > because if we were told this before we could have casted right

away

> and

> > avoided this 3 week delay between helmets. Besides losing time, I

> am

> > concerned about how Jessie will handle wearing the helmet again

> after its

> > been off so long. Does anyone out there have any experience with

a

> similar

> > situation, especially with an older baby? Also, if so, how was

the

> correction

> > w'/ the 2nd helmet? We were told there are no guarantees but we

> want to do

> > everything in our power to help our daughter's head round out to

> the best it

> > possibly can. When she started @ 11 mos. she was off 21mm. and is

> now down to

> > 11mm. We are thrilled w/ the results. Her ears have really moved

> into place

> > nicely and her forehead on the left side has filled in nicely. We

> would like

> > to see her fill in more on the back right side. Any shared advice

> and/or

> > experiences is greatly appreciated, Theresa and Jessie :0)

[Guest guest]

Debbie,

My daughter will get her second DOC band on August 15th, a few days

before her 16 month 'birthday'.

Thanks for your words of encouragement. I find the disparity in

opinions by specialists to be maddening. Sometimes I wonder if it is

a good thing that the most recent specialist we saw is recommending a

second band at 16mo. It seems to me that that particular group is

fairly aggressive about recommending banding (they hold clinic

together with CT techs). Don't get me wrong, I really want to see my

daughter complete treatment if it's necessary, but I hate to loose 3

to 4 more months of seeing my pretty little happy girl, especially if

her PP is something that will not be a medical issue in the future.

BTW, we're in this situation b/c the first specialist we saw at 6mo

was anti-band. It took us to 9mo to find a supportive specialist &

run through insurance, casting etc. Wish I had known that I could

have gotten a general ped to make the prescription back when I was

ready to band at 5mo!

Also, I estimate we would have seen about 20% more growth if we had

started the 2nd band at 13mo, immediately after the first. So

really, you'd think that doctors who recommend banding at 12-13

months should also be recommending them at 15-16mo. Go figure.

-

> > Theresa,

> >

> > How has Jessie acclimated to her second band? I'm particularly

> > interested because next month my daughter will also be going into

> her

> > second band at 16 months old -- except it will have been 3 months

> > between bands!

> >

> > Here's the story in a nutshell. Started DOC Band at 9 mo, and

told

> > at that time she would only need one band. She grew slow and

lost

> > pressure points at 13mo. No discussion of 2nd band at that

time.

> I

> > was willing to live with the remaining flattness, but became

really

> > bugged about the residual eye asymmetry. We saw a new specialist

> > (the first one who could see us) at 14mo. He said she would

> benefit

> > from a 2nd band. Took almost a month to run through insurance

pre-

> > approval nightmare. Then over a month on the CT end of things

> (Cast

> > #2 delayed 3 weeks by CT clinic closure.)

> >

> > Anyway, we're here now and I'm really concerned as to how my

> daughter

> > (who is now self-aware toddler) is going to react to the 2nd

band.

> > She was never particularly thrilled about the first one, but did

> > become resigned to it eventually.

> >

> > Anyone else (besides Colleen) have their toddler get their first

> band

> > at 16mo or older?

> >

> > -

> > Durham, NC

[Guest guest]

WEndy

Hi! I was wondering if you were seen at Charlotte Plastic Surgery? I

cant remember if I asked you that or not. But when I read what you

wrote about the docs doing clinics with the CT people I thought hey i

wonder if shes being seen at Charlotte Plastic Surgery because thats

where Mya is seen and they do the same thing. ANd that is one of the

main reasons my husband was a little concerned about if Mya really

needed a second band or not. Anyway just wondering

Christi

> > > Theresa,

> > >

> > > How has Jessie acclimated to her second band? I'm particularly

> > > interested because next month my daughter will also be going

into

> > her

> > > second band at 16 months old -- except it will have been 3

months

> > > between bands!

> > >

> > > Here's the story in a nutshell. Started DOC Band at 9 mo, and

> told

> > > at that time she would only need one band. She grew slow and

> lost

> > > pressure points at 13mo. No discussion of 2nd band at that

> time.

> > I

> > > was willing to live with the remaining flattness, but became

> really

> > > bugged about the residual eye asymmetry. We saw a new

specialist

> > > (the first one who could see us) at 14mo. He said she would

> > benefit

> > > from a 2nd band. Took almost a month to run through insurance

> pre-

> > > approval nightmare. Then over a month on the CT end of things

> > (Cast

> > > #2 delayed 3 weeks by CT clinic closure.)

> > >

> > > Anyway, we're here now and I'm really concerned as to how my

> > daughter

> > > (who is now self-aware toddler) is going to react to the 2nd

> band.

> > > She was never particularly thrilled about the first one, but

did

> > > become resigned to it eventually.

> > >

> > > Anyone else (besides Colleen) have their toddler get their

first

> > band

> > > at 16mo or older?

> > >

> > > -

> > > Durham, NC

[Guest guest]

Christi,

Yes the doctor who recommended Adele's second band was from Charlotte

Plastic Surgery! I'm pretty sure that the doctor from Duke

Children's Hospital who wrote the prescription for her first band

would not have recommended it -- particularly since he was on the

fence from the start. This is one (of many) reasons why my husband

is against the second band. He thinks I just kept looking til I

found comeone who would support a 2nd band. (Not true, I was

actually hoping for someone to say all that we'd done all we could.)

I think some of the difference between views of cranio-facial surgeons

(#2) and pediatric neurosurgeon (#1) are based on the population of

patients they see. Cranio-facial drs see folks of all ages, so are

more likely to see adults with head asymmetry and corresponding

medical problems. Pediatric neurosurgeons and neurologists only see

children, and so may never see patients who have plagio associated

medical problems. Anyway, this is just my theory.

BTW, I wonder if others on this board were seen by specialists in

clinics with rep from a band company present. I seem to recall

someone else posting about a similar experience not so long ago --

with the thought that there was some sort of collusion. (BTW,

another concern of my husband.)

-

> > > > Theresa,

> > > >

> > > > How has Jessie acclimated to her second band? I'm

particularly

> > > > interested because next month my daughter will also be going

> into

> > > her

> > > > second band at 16 months old -- except it will have been 3

> months

> > > > between bands!

> > > >

> > > > Here's the story in a nutshell. Started DOC Band at 9 mo,

and

> > told

> > > > at that time she would only need one band. She grew slow and

> > lost

> > > > pressure points at 13mo. No discussion of 2nd band at that

> > time.

> > > I

> > > > was willing to live with the remaining flattness, but became

> > really

> > > > bugged about the residual eye asymmetry. We saw a new

> specialist

> > > > (the first one who could see us) at 14mo. He said she would

> > > benefit

> > > > from a 2nd band. Took almost a month to run through

insurance

> > pre-

> > > > approval nightmare. Then over a month on the CT end of

things

> > > (Cast

> > > > #2 delayed 3 weeks by CT clinic closure.)

> > > >

> > > > Anyway, we're here now and I'm really concerned as to how my

> > > daughter

> > > > (who is now self-aware toddler) is going to react to the 2nd

> > band.

> > > > She was never particularly thrilled about the first one, but

> did

> > > > become resigned to it eventually.

> > > >

> > > > Anyone else (besides Colleen) have their toddler get their

> first

> > > band

> > > > at 16mo or older?

> > > >

> > > > -

> > > > Durham, NC