Re: Re: STARband fit issues

[Guest guest]

Holly,

The padding that I was referring to is a very thin and small strip (about the lenght of a thumb and the depth of a fingernail) that was added to the top front of the band, right near where the hole is. It was not in an area where head growth needed to occur. It was designed to hold the helmet in place since 's growth was so slow. We were told it would not affect her treatment if we did or did not add it, but it made me feel better because the band didn't shift as much from the areas that were flat or slide into her eyes when she shifted in bed. Apparantely, the fit of the band is somewhat dependent upon the head shape. For brachy, it moves back and forth. Where there is flatness, the helmet wants to move because there is nothing there to hold it. By adding the padding in a different area, this kept it from shifting because the band was tighter in that area.

I do believe that the STARbands are made to accomodate more growth than the DOCbands, but that makes sense because they can be worn for longer. It also is more common to go less regularly for adjustments so I'm not sure whether the room for growth is more at the onset of treatment. Although 's band is very fitted at the front, top, and sides, I can still fit my fingers half way up the back of her head so I know that there's still a lot of room there. Nothing has been shaved off of the back yet.

, mom to , 19 months 3 weeks

21 weeks in STARband (4 to go) plus CST

land

Re: STARband fit issueswe had the same issue in our starband. you can see photos here (http://shootingallens.blogspot.com/2008/12/helmet-woes.html) and here (http://shootingallens.blogspot.com/2008/12/i-dont-know-what-to-do.html).we had fit problems from the start that only got worse after several adjustments. our original orthotist offered to get us a second band at no cost, which we declined. after extensive research we ultimately decided to go with the doc band (a 4-hour drive for us each way) and have not had a single fit issue thus far. it's a real pain driving 500+ miles every other week, but i have no regrets with this decision. here's alex in his doc band (and also a comparison): http://shootingallens.blogspot.com/2009/01/compare-and-contrast.htmlit's my personal belief (and i'm not a doctor, so take this however you like) that there shouldn't be a need to add padding if the band is fitting correctly from the start. just my $.02.keep us posted and good luck!hollymum to 10-month-old twin boys alex (in doc band since 1/5/09) and max (no helmet required).

[Guest guest]

hi elizabeth,i don't mind you asking at all. we ended up paying for a portion of the starband. (they were really great in helping to lower our cost.) instead of paying $3,600, we ended up paying $950 (which covered the band and the fittings we had had up to that point). still a pain in the pocketbook, considering our insurance isn't covering anything, but much better than the full amount. it was really nice of them to work with us that way. (also, for the record, i don't think the starband is a bad product. it just wasn't working well for alex.)

hope that helps!!holly mum to 10-month-old twin boys: alex (in doc band since 1/5/09) and max (no helmet required).On Tue, Apr 14, 2009 at 9:59 PM, babymonkeyny <devlindumpling@...> wrote:

Hey Holly, Thank you for all your information. I totally see the difference. I wish I had known about this earlier....I think we are going to wait it out for a little while and see how it goes. But I am so glad you alerted me to your situation and trusting your gut. I definitely don't speak up enough for myself, but I seem to have no problem with my son. I will keep an eye on it and keep on my ortho about it. If it's not working, then it's not working.

If you don't mind me asking, did you have to pay for both bands?

>

> we had the same issue in our starband. you can see photos here (http://shootingallens.blogspot.com/2008/12/helmet-woes.html) and here (http://shootingallens.blogspot.com/2008/12/i-dont-know-what-to-do.html).

>

> we had fit problems from the start that only got worse after several adjustments. our original orthotist offered to get us a second band at no cost, which we declined. after extensive research we ultimately decided to go with the doc band (a 4-hour drive for us each way) and have not had a single fit issue thus far. it's a real pain driving 500+ miles every other week, but i have no regrets with this decision. here's alex in his doc band (and also a comparison): http://shootingallens.blogspot.com/2009/01/compare-and-contrast.html

>

> it's my personal belief (and i'm not a doctor, so take this however you like) that there shouldn't be a need to add padding if the band is fitting correctly from the start. just my $.02.

>

> keep us posted and good luck!

>

> holly

> mum to 10-month-old twin boys alex (in doc band since 1/5/09) and max (no helmet required).

>