Re: Re: Please, take a look / Now it's up to you!

[Guest guest]

Melinda,

Thanks for your reply. As much as my husband keeps telling me that things will resolve on their own and that we shouldn't band her, I am leaning more and more towards a helmet. I honestly don't see how her head will just round up on its own at this point and I don't want to keep wondering whether it ever will.

I staying at home now but will be going back to work in 6 weeks. I want to take advantage of the fact that she is 5 months old and that I am at home to help her and me with the adjustment ahead. I will try to make an appointment with the makers of the Hanger band as well as the Starband, but by next Wednesday my decision will be made. As a matter of fact it is already made I just need to figure out what type of helmet to go with.

I saw a picture of your little Keegan but I cannot find any of his before pictures on the site. Would you be willing to share?

Thanks for your thoughts and support.

Leila, mother of Maysa (5 months old, rt tort, plagio-brachycephaly, trying to decide on a helmet for her)

From: Melinda <melindz@...>Subject: Re: Please, take a look / Now it's up to you!Plagiocephaly Date: Saturday, June 21, 2008, 12:58 AM

Hi LeilaMy son has a similar profile to Maysa's... He also has Brachy and tort; which we addressed ourselves by encouraging him to always look to the right. His pediatrician totally missed the Torticollis and I diagnosed him myself with the confirmation of a second pediatrician because I noticed very early that he ALWAYS slept in the same position which caused flattening on left of his head. Even when I repositioned myh son, he'd end up back on that left flat spot. We decided to band and we wanted to do it early to take advantage of the optimal banding time which CT states is between four to six months. We paid out of pocket because insurance didn't approve CT's DOCBand and I really didn't want to waste the time dealing with insurance and I just wanted to get my son in the band.This decision was based on several sleepless nights worth of research for Brachy. While repositioning

may work for Plagio, it's VERY difficult to reposition and correct Brachy... But it was our decision for our son. In fact, a lot of the material/research I ended up finding was in the "files" link for this group. I didn't join the group until we were in the band already. You are facing the same crossroads we did; to band or not to band OR try repositioning then to band. In my non-medical- professional opinion, I'd band Maysa. Once again, based on her profile in her PhotoStudy (just like my son's Brachy), repositioning alone may not work for her Brachy. We are also going to "encourage" my son, once out of the helmet, to sleep on his sides and even tummy because truthfully, I can't go through this experience again... it's been a nightmare for me as my son is our first child and I blamed my lack of Mommy skills. Hope we've been able to help you in your decision making... also keep in

mind that MOST of us are pro-banding as MOST of our kids are in bands or have graduated from bands (which is why I didn't want to join the group until after we made our final decision as to not skew our decision). MelindaMommy to Keegan, 5 months 3 weeks, R Tort / Brachy, DOCBand - 4 weeks 3 days 8 hours... That's how long it's also been since he's slept well too! >> Hello to all,> > Could some of you please take a look at the before pics of my > daughter Maysa in the M folder on page 90. We took her to CT this > past Wednesday and I don't know what to make of it. We did not get a > sheet of her measurements but when I asked, the PT told me she was at > a 7mm and then told me that she had

moderate brachy-plagiocephal y. > What do you think?> > Her head is changing every day it seems and I think that I am going > crazy. She has been handling tummy time a lot more just within this > past week but she still sleeps a lot, on her back...> > I felt that the therapist at CT was trying to sell us the band and > didn't even have us talk to their insurance specialist. As much as I > was anxious to pay them a visit, I am quite disappointed.> > Also, after examining her the therapist was saying that the fact that > she has a right tort makes it hard for her to turn right, which is so > not the case. What she can't do is tilt her head left. When I said > that, she looked at her again and said oh yes, she (my daughter) was > just trying to trick her. > > Needless to say that I wasn't too impressed...>

> Leila, mother of Maysa (5 months, right tort, brachy-plagio)>

[Guest guest]

Melinda,

Thank you for sharing the pictures of your little Keegan. He is adorable too and you were right, their profile looks very similar. So he's been in the band for about four weeks, right? Have you seen any improvement yet. Have his measurements changed for the better so far? I can't wait to see her get in a helmet although my husband is still not quite convinced. He is more sensitive in a sense than I am when it comes to "medical stuff" and can't even look at the pictures of those babies online. I will worry about that later, right now what matters is that I take advantage of this window opportunity and give a good chance for her head to round up nicely. I know she'll thank me later...

Leila, mother of Maysa (5 months old, rt tort, brachy/plagio)

From: Melinda <melindz@...>Subject: Re: Please, take a look / Now it's up to you!Plagiocephaly Date: Saturday, June 21, 2008, 11:25 PM

Hi Leila!Of course I can share! I just didn't have the time to convert PDF to jpg yet. I posted under "K". Also, with or without the band... doesn't change the fact that Maysa is SUPER cute!Please keep us all informed about your decision.(Also, I made the decision to band and asked my husband to support my decision... He too felt, based on pediatrician' s finding, that Keegan's head would round out that's until I showed him the difference between plagio and brachy/plagio) .Melinda> >> > Hello to all,> > > > Could some of you please take a look at the before pics of my > > daughter Maysa in the M folder on page 90. We took her to CT this > > past Wednesday and I don't know what to make of it. We did not get > a > > sheet of her measurements but when I asked, the PT told me she was > at > > a 7mm and then told me that she had moderate brachy-plagiocephal y. > > What do you think?> > > > Her head is changing every day it seems and I think that I am going > > crazy. She has been handling tummy time a lot more just within > this > > past week

but she still sleeps a lot, on her back...> > > > I felt that the therapist at CT was trying to sell us the band and > > didn't even have us talk to their insurance specialist. As much as > I > > was anxious to pay them a visit, I am quite disappointed.> > > > Also, after examining her the therapist was saying that the fact > that > > she has a right tort makes it hard for her to turn right, which is > so > > not the case. What she can't do is tilt her head left. When I > said > > that, she looked at her again and said oh yes, she (my daughter) > was > > just trying to trick her. > > > > Needless to say that I wasn't too impressed...> > > > Leila, mother of Maysa (5 months, right tort, brachy-plagio)>

>>

[Guest guest]

Hello all,For some reason, I feel compelled to "defend" Cranial Technologies.Our family was very much in the same boat as you guys. CT told us Lyla was a moderate case (her photos are in the "L" folder) and we could choose whether or not to go ahead with the Doc Band. I went knowing that Doc Bands were the only thing CT does and fully expected them to "sell" us. However, I was pleasantly surprised with them. I think they are well organized and give you the most information possible in a short amount of time. Because that information includes subjects like financing and payments, maybe some would feel like it was a sales pitch. I, though, just took it to be

Frequently Asked Questions sort of presentation - where they tried to sum up the answers form me to questions I hadn't even yet considered.If CT were truly out to sell bands, I think they would have strongly suggested us getting the band or even have called her case more severe than it really was. As fr the measurements, I do believe they are difficult to go by - I would go by the appearance instead. Lyla's measurements aren't severe, but looking at her, the asymmetry is very apparent to me.Since we went ahead with the Doc Band, CT has been more than kind to us. They are both professional and personable - a rarity in the world these days.I realize this is a difficult decision for some, and I just want to encourage you that you're a great parent already simply for noticing and taking action to have your child evaluated. For us, it was an easy decision. I never want my daughter to grow up, see an

apparent asymmetry in her face and then realize I could have corrctedd it within a few weeks during the first year of life, yet I didn't. It's hard enough to be a girl, why add more undue difficulty? I realize this is not the logic everyone uses, but rather mine.And then when she's sixteen and wants a shiny new car, I'll remind her I spent $3,500 on that band and I have no money saved up for the car! =)In the end, it sounds like you'd always question yourself if you didn't band, so I'd encourage you to move forward with it. In reality, it's a very sort time period in the grand scheme of things - it'll be over before we know it!Good luck and God bless,Sandymom to Lyla - 6 months - 3 weeks in Doc Bandand Owen - 4 years-----

Original Message ----From: Hildreth <rezalisa1@...>Plagiocephaly Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2008 11:09:15 AMSubject: Re: Please, take a look / Now it's up to you! Hi Leila/Melinda (and group), My name is . My daughter, Aryana, was recently evaluated by CT in San Diego and was also diagnosed with brachycephaly and left plagiocephaly. Her profile/pictures are nearly identical to Maysa's. My husband and I have also been struggling as to if she needs to have the band, or not. On one hand, CT indicated that Aryana's case is mild to moderate, and

yet their 'measurements' indicated that she is outside the 4th deviation (and according to them and our insurance, only being outside of the 2nd deviation is required for treatment/banding) . I question their measurements in that if our daughter's case is so mild/moderate, then how can she be so far off the charts? It felt like a sales job and yet we are still left wondering as to if we should band or not. We were told by CT that her condition poses no medical risks, and were also told that in many cases, many parents of daughters choose not to band since girls typically have hair, which covers it up. I am feeling very much the same reaction as Melinda. I've been feeling very guilty as a new mom as this is our first child and at the same time just wanting to give our daughter the best care she needs. We are scheduled to have our daughter remeasured and will make a decision based on that (now that

we've done our research and feel better about making an informed decision). I suspect, like Melinda, that we will decide to band as we too feel that repositioning will not help with the brachy. We were just notified on Friday that our insurance (Health Net) will cover $2200 of it, which is great. I too have been one of the group members who have been reading all of the postings and learning from you all. This group has been a great wealth of information. Many thanks! As it is likely that we will be banding our daughter very soon, I look forward to learning even more and gaining support from this group. Good luck with your decision, Leila. I feel your pain...we're in the same boat. Sincerely,(mom to Aryana, 5 months 1 week, L Plagio/Brachy - soon to determine using DOC

band)

[Guest guest]

I have to say that I struggled with the "sales-y" feeling that I got from our first visit to CT too (and I went to the visit praying that Ethan would be a candidate for the band). I wasn't sure if it was just my untrusting, NY attitude or what :-). After a lot of thought I came to this conclusion: I don't expect medical providers to be organized in such a corporate/business way, and if I were working on a transaction in a different area of business I would appreciate the fact that I got all of the information upfront and met some of the local people working on my "account". We went ahead with the band and I never got that sales-y feeling again, and more recently I have been so thankful that we made the longer trip to CT; their wealth of knowledge has been a

blessing.

I know it's a hard decision, good luck.

Audra

(Mom to Ethan, 5.5mo's rt tort, left plagio)

Re: Please, take a look / Now it's up to you!

Hi Leila/Melinda (and group),

My name is . My daughter, Aryana, was recently evaluated by CT in San Diego and was also diagnosed with brachycephaly and left plagiocephaly. Her profile/pictures are nearly identical to Maysa's. My husband and I have also been struggling as to if she needs to have the band, or not. On one hand, CT indicated that Aryana's case is mild to moderate, and yet their 'measurements' indicated that she is outside the 4th deviation (and according to them and our insurance, only being outside of the 2nd deviation is required for treatment/banding) . I question their measurements in that if our daughter's case is so mild/moderate, then how can she be so far off the charts? It felt like a sales job and yet we are still left wondering as to if we should band or not.

We were told by CT that her condition poses no medical risks, and were also told that in many cases, many parents of daughters choose not to band since girls typically have hair, which covers it up.

I am feeling very much the same reaction as Melinda. I've been feeling very guilty as a new mom as this is our first child and at the same time just wanting to give our daughter the best care she needs. We are scheduled to have our daughter remeasured and will make a decision based on that (now that we've done our research and feel better about making an informed decision). I suspect, like Melinda, that we will decide to band as we too feel that repositioning will not help with the brachy.

We were just notified on Friday that our insurance (Health Net) will cover $2200 of it, which is great.

I too have been one of the group members who have been reading all of the postings and learning from you all. This group has been a great wealth of information. Many thanks!

As it is likely that we will be banding our daughter very soon, I look forward to learning even more and gaining support from this group. Good luck with your decision, Leila. I feel your pain...we're in the same boat.

Sincerely,

(mom to Aryana, 5 months 1 week, L Plagio/Brachy - soon to determine using DOC band)

[Guest guest]

I AM FROM SAN DIEGO TOO. IT IS NICE TO KEEP FINDING OTHER SAN DIEGANS ON HERE. MY SON GOES TO SCOPE FOR A STARBAND. HE HAS BEEN IN IT A WEEK AND I CAN ALREADY SEE A DIFFERENCE. I FELT GUILTY AS A NEW MOTHER TOO, BUT I FELT THAT I HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING I CAN DO TO MAKE MY SON'S HEAD AS NORMAL AS POSSIBLE.

Re: Please, take a look / Now it's up to you!

Hi Leila/Melinda (and group),

My name is . My daughter, Aryana, was recently evaluated by CT in San Diego and was also diagnosed with brachycephaly and left plagiocephaly. Her profile/pictures are nearly identical to Maysa's. My husband and I have also been struggling as to if she needs to have the band, or not. On one hand, CT indicated that Aryana's case is mild to moderate, and yet their 'measurements' indicated that she is outside the 4th deviation (and according to them and our insurance, only being outside of the 2nd deviation is required for treatment/banding) . I question their measurements in that if our daughter's case is so mild/moderate, then how can she be so far off the charts? It felt like a sales job and yet we are still left wondering as to if we should band or not.

We were told by CT that her condition poses no medical risks, and were also told that in many cases, many parents of daughters choose not to band since girls typically have hair, which covers it up.

I am feeling very much the same reaction as Melinda. I've been feeling very guilty as a new mom as this is our first child and at the same time just wanting to give our daughter the best care she needs. We are scheduled to have our daughter remeasured and will make a decision based on that (now that we've done our research and feel better about making an informed decision). I suspect, like Melinda, that we will decide to band as we too feel that repositioning will not help with the brachy.

We were just notified on Friday that our insurance (Health Net) will cover $2200 of it, which is great.

I too have been one of the group members who have been reading all of the postings and learning from you all. This group has been a great wealth of information. Many thanks!

As it is likely that we will be banding our daughter very soon, I look forward to learning even more and gaining support from this group. Good luck with your decision, Leila. I feel your pain...we're in the same boat.

Sincerely,

(mom to Aryana, 5 months 1 week, L Plagio/Brachy - soon to determine using DOC band)

[Guest guest]

Hi , I also am from San Diego and initially went to CT for our sons eval. I advise you to get a second opinion at Scope Orthotics loacted in Kearny Mesa (not sure if you went to the CT in that area). They are right next store to one another. CT is 8010 Frost Street and Scope is 8008 frost street...same parking lot. Anyways my point is that it is good to get a second opinion. I know that CT's measurements were higher than Scope's. Scope uses the Starscanner. If you go to scope, I would suggets getting an appt with Ellie Boomer. She is very thorough and sets you mind at ease. i know that is where Dylans momma goes also. if you have any

questions, please ask. My son has been in his Starband coming up on six weeks. He was banded at 5 and a half months. You have time to make a decision you feel comfortable with.

Re: Please, take a look / Now it's up to you!

Hi Leila/Melinda (and group),

My name is . My daughter, Aryana, was recently evaluated by CT in San Diego and was also diagnosed with brachycephaly and left plagiocephaly. Her profile/pictures are nearly identical to Maysa's. My husband and I have also been struggling as to if she needs to have the band, or not. On one hand, CT indicated that Aryana's case is mild to moderate, and yet their 'measurements' indicated that she is outside the 4th deviation (and according to them and our insurance, only being outside of the 2nd deviation is required for treatment/banding) . I question their measurements in that if our daughter's case is so mild/moderate, then how can she be so far off the charts? It felt like a sales job and yet we are still left wondering as to if we should band or not.

We were told by CT that her condition poses no medical risks, and were also told that in many cases, many parents of daughters choose not to band since girls typically have hair, which covers it up.

I am feeling very much the same reaction as Melinda. I've been feeling very guilty as a new mom as this is our first child and at the same time just wanting to give our daughter the best care she needs. We are scheduled to have our daughter remeasured and will make a decision based on that (now that we've done our research and feel better about making an informed decision). I suspect, like Melinda, that we will decide to band as we too feel that repositioning will not help with the brachy.

We were just notified on Friday that our insurance (Health Net) will cover $2200 of it, which is great.

I too have been one of the group members who have been reading all of the postings and learning from you all. This group has been a great wealth of information. Many thanks!

As it is likely that we will be banding our daughter very soon, I look forward to learning even more and gaining support from this group. Good luck with your decision, Leila. I feel your pain...we're in the same boat.

Sincerely,

(mom to Aryana, 5 months 1 week, L Plagio/Brachy - soon to determine using DOC band)

[Guest guest]

,

Thanks for your input as well. It is good to know that we are not alone struggling to figure out what's best for our daughter. Maysa is also 5 months and 1 week and I was able to get her two more appointments this week with two other "band makers". We will be going to Orthoamerica tomorrow morning, ECA on Wednesday and Hanger on Thursday. All of them offer a helmet for a lot less than what CT. I just want to make sure that the service and product they provide is also great.

I will keep you posted. I also can't wait to see pictures of Aryana and updates on her journey towards a "rounded head".

Thanks,

Leila (mother of Maysa, 5m 1w, shopping around for the best service and helmet)

From: Hildreth <rezalisa1@...>Subject: Re: Please, take a look / Now it's up to you!Plagiocephaly Date: Sunday, June 22, 2008, 12:09 PM

Hi Leila/Melinda (and group),

My name is . My daughter, Aryana, was recently evaluated by CT in San Diego and was also diagnosed with brachycephaly and left plagiocephaly. Her profile/pictures are nearly identical to Maysa's. My husband and I have also been struggling as to if she needs to have the band, or not. On one hand, CT indicated that Aryana's case is mild to moderate, and yet their 'measurements' indicated that she is outside the 4th deviation (and according to them and our insurance, only being outside of the 2nd deviation is required for treatment/banding) . I question their measurements in that if our daughter's case is so mild/moderate, then how can she be so far off the charts? It felt like a sales job and yet we are still left wondering as to if we should band or not.

We were told by CT that her condition poses no medical risks, and were also told that in many cases, many parents of daughters choose not to band since girls typically have hair, which covers it up.

I am feeling very much the same reaction as Melinda. I've been feeling very guilty as a new mom as this is our first child and at the same time just wanting to give our daughter the best care she needs. We are scheduled to have our daughter remeasured and will make a decision based on that (now that we've done our research and feel better about making an informed decision). I suspect, like Melinda, that we will decide to band as we too feel that repositioning will not help with the brachy.

We were just notified on Friday that our insurance (Health Net) will cover $2200 of it, which is great.

I too have been one of the group members who have been reading all of the postings and learning from you all. This group has been a great wealth of information. Many thanks!

As it is likely that we will be banding our daughter very soon, I look forward to learning even more and gaining support from this group. Good luck with your decision, Leila. I feel your pain...we're in the same boat.

Sincerely,

(mom to Aryana, 5 months 1 week, L Plagio/Brachy - soon to determine using DOC band)

[Guest guest]

You are TRULY welcome. It is a very tough decision to make! You WILL make the right decision, that is best for you and your baby! Try not to stress too much!

Hugs,

Re: Please, take a look / Now it's up to you!

Many thanks for the support and input. While I feel Cranial Technologies was very kind and professional, at least for our experience, the first round did feel "sales-y." That being said, it's obvious they are a great company doing wonderful things for many. And we are likely to benefit from their services upon our decision to band our daughter.

Also thanks to the fellow San Diegans for their advice/referrals/ support. It is greatly appreciated as we were unaware other locations.

Sincerely,

(mom to Aryana, 5 months 1 week, L Plagio/Brachy - soon to determine banding)