Re: One month later

[Guest guest]

That is an awesome story to share! Glad to hear things are looking rounder for your little one.

Leila,

Maysa, 16 months, 5 days till graduationwww.mymaysa.wordpress.com

From: <crisodian@...>Subject: One month laterPlagiocephaly Date: Thursday, May 21, 2009, 8:26 AM

I just thought I would share an update. My son received his DOC Band on April 16th. He was 10 days shy of being 14 months old. We've now been in the band just over one month, and are scheduled for our third adjustment on Friday.We went into this process knowing that as an older child, he may not get substantial correction due to his age. He had moderate to severe brachy with facial asymmetry and mild to moderate plagio. Our ortho never shared his starting numbers with us, and to be honest, we never asked. What she did share was his head mold made from his DSi scan. I could not believe how truly misshapen his poor little head was after seeing that. Photos, even the ones Cranial took, did not do it justice! My husband and I both did tons of research and prep/planning on what to expect after he came home in his band and we hoped we were ready for it all. We have been VERY lucky and did not have the issues we expected - he

accepted the band after about 10 minutes, no sleeping problems, no skin issues, etc. That's NOT to say we haven't had issues. But our challenges seem minor compared to what others have shared here with this group. His progress to date has been phenomenal. His head shape improved after the first week. We were stunned. Now, after a month into this process, his head looks amazing! Even though his bracy is still evident towards the crown of his head, his plagio has nearly evened out and even some of his asymmetry is less apparent. I knew my son's head would not "fix itself" as my pedi insisted. Had I not pushed for his evaluation for banding and progressed forward with treatment, I am 110% convinced we never would have seen his head shape this improved on its own.The support of the people here on this board also helped tremendously. It solidified our decision to progress with this expensive, time intensive and, for some, very

challenging treatment. The comments and stories shared by others gave us the confidence that we were making the right choice. I wanted to try to give some of that back. I wanted to share to encourage other parents who are torn between banding or not, even at an age over one year, to go with their instincts. I wanted to share so that parents who are torn if they made the right decision or not, to make the choice knowing they are supported, no matter what their decision. You know what is right for your child. I hope sharing gives others some confidence, as it did for us, that even though at first it may all be overwhelming, confusing, and even depressing, there is light at the end of the tunnel.Thank you to all those who have been here sharing. You do make a difference. - 15 months (DOC Band 4/16/09) - 3 1/2 yrs