Re: starting to feel discouraged.

July 20, 2009

Hi ,

I completely understand! My son was banded early June the same week he

turned 1. If it helps, since then we have visually seen a slow steady

improvement. At least visually, we have not see any slowing of growth

between 12 and 13.5 months. I worry about it though. Our next scan is

in 2 days.

Hopefully, your son is due for a growth spurt. Ironically, I'm

feeling discouraged since my son's head is already so big that I figure

his head won't grow as fast from now on. I never imagined that I

would wish so badly for a huge headed baby.

Have you tried feeding your son well? We've been feeding our son tons

with lots of protein. I don't know whether this encourages head

growth, but at least it helps me feel like I am doing everything

possible.

Good luck!

Kathy

mom, to (6/4/08) Starband 6 weeks for mild/moderate plagio

bananaaggie wrote:

My son got his helmet a week after turning 11 months. I was

looking at his old stats from previous well-baby checks (barely

starting to organize his baby book!) and I realized his head has only

grown 1 cm from his 6 month appt! At this rate, he will have to wear

the helmet forever, especially if his growth is slowing even more!

mom, to Olsen (7/24/08) banded 6/30/09

July 21, 2009

I'm not sure if I really see much of a difference so far. He's had it for 3

weeks now and he's been on full-time wear for 2 weeks. I've been trying to feed

him more solids, just in case that will help him grow. He was a reflux baby with

some food intolerances so he is on the small side (5 percentile at his 9 month

check). But he has gotten so much better, and I have actually had some dairy (I

am BFing) and he has been fine! yay! I've also been able to give him yogurt

without any ill-effects, so I've been feeding it to him every morning, hoping it

will make him grow.

thanks for the encouragement.

mom to Olsen (7/24/08), banded 6/30/09

> >

> > My son got his helmet a week after turning 11 months. I was looking at

> > his old stats from previous well-baby checks (barely starting to

> > organize his baby book!) and I realized his head has only grown 1 cm

> > from his 6 month appt! At this rate, he will have to wear the helmet

> > forever, especially if his growth is slowing even more!

> >

> > mom, to Olsen (7/24/08) banded 6/30/09

> >

>

July 22, 2009

Hi ,

If you haven't had a scan yet, it may show some improvement. Our first

scan since the helmet did show some improvement. Our second is

tomorrow; I'm really nervous.

When I weaned my first child, he went through a big growth spurt. I

just cut back to morning and evening only feedings. So, I'm hoping we

have some growth. Maybe, it is just wishful thinking, but I'll let you

know if it works.

You could try CST. We started seeing a chiropractor while waiting for

the helmet. The head definitely looks more smooth after our visits.

She does a combination of chiro work and CST with no activator.

Kathy

mom, to (6/4/08) Starband 6 weeks for mild/moderate plagio

bananaaggie wrote:

I'm not sure if I really see much of a difference so far. He's had

it for 3 weeks now and he's been on full-time wear for 2 weeks. I've

been trying to feed him more solids, just in case that will help him

grow. He was a reflux baby with some food intolerances so he is on the

small side (5 percentile at his 9 month check). But he has gotten so

much better, and I have actually had some dairy (I am BFing) and he has

been fine! yay! I've also been able to give him yogurt without any

ill-effects, so I've been feeding it to him every morning, hoping it

will make him grow.

thanks for the encouragement.

mom to Olsen (7/24/08), banded 6/30/09

> >

> > My son got his helmet a week after turning 11 months. I was

looking at

> > his old stats from previous well-baby checks (barely starting

to

> > organize his baby book!) and I realized his head has only

grown 1 cm

> > from his 6 month appt! At this rate, he will have to wear the

helmet

> > forever, especially if his growth is slowing even more!

> >

> > mom, to Olsen (7/24/08) banded 6/30/09

> >

>

July 23, 2009

Hi ,

is in the same boat as Olsen with the reflux and food intolerances. I too eliminate dairy to breastfeed. was also at the 5th percentile at her one-year check (but above 10th for her 9 month). Is his head circumferance also small?

I'm jealous that Olsen seems to be outgrowing some of his food issues. still can't tolerate any dairy or wheat and has tested positive to peanuts. The doctor always told us that she would outgrow these by 12 months and she didn't, but it looks like that may be the case for you.

For us, her previous trouble gaining weight worked to our advantage. She had some catching up to do and by the time she graduated from her band, we had her up to the 15th percentile. Hopefully, this will work out for you this way as well.

, mom to , almost 23 months

Re: starting to feel discouraged.

I'm not sure if I really see much of a difference so far. He's had it for 3 weeks now and he's been on full-time wear for 2 weeks. I've been trying to feed him more solids, just in case that will help him grow. He was a reflux baby with some food intolerances so he is on the small side (5 percentile at his 9 month check). But he has gotten so much better, and I have actually had some dairy (I am BFing) and he has been fine! yay! I've also been able to give him yogurt without any ill-effects, so I've been feeding it to him every morning, hoping it will make him grow. :)thanks for the encouragement. :)mom to Olsen (7/24/08), banded 6/30/09> > > >> > My son got his helmet a week after turning 11 months. I was looking at > > his old stats from previous well-baby checks (barely starting to > > organize his baby book!) and I realized his head has only grown 1 cm > > from his 6 month appt! At this rate, he will have to wear the helmet > > forever, especially if his growth is slowing even more!> >> > > > mom, to Olsen (7/24/08) banded 6/30/09> >> >>

July 23, 2009

Hi Kathy,

Olsen's in a hanger band, so he hasn't been scanned. I believe there is an

Orthoamerica facility somewhere near there (our insurance didn't cover them).

I've been thinking about calling them just to see how much it would cost to be

scanned, but I'm not sure if my husband would go for paying for it, hee hee.

I hope 's second scan went well!

> > > >

> > > > My son got his helmet a week after turning 11 months. I was

> > looking at

> > > > his old stats from previous well-baby checks (barely starting to

> > > > organize his baby book!) and I realized his head has only grown 1 cm

> > > > from his 6 month appt! At this rate, he will have to wear the helmet

> > > > forever, especially if his growth is slowing even more!

> > > >

> > > > mom, to Olsen (7/24/08) banded 6/30/09

> > > >

> > >

> >

>

July 23, 2009

Hi ,

I'm sorry 's reflux and food intolerances haven't gotten better. It was

such a frustrating time for me when Olsen's got really bad. I had tried the

total elimination diet for a month but I wasn't sure if I really saw much of a

difference (his stools were still very frequent and green/muscousy). He also

ended up getting an endoscopy and colonoscopy done at 6 months (because he had

spit up blood on 4 occasions - I'm still not really sure what that was all about

and we never got clear answers). But he is doing so well now! And I hope that

things get better for .

His head is bigger than his body. It was at the 15%ile at his 9 month appt. But

I hope it still has some catching up to do! I feel like all of his issues were

related somehow. I am on the shorter side (5') so I wonder if he was crammed in

my uterus (I think he was also pretty low too). But he was born with hip

dysplasia (he wore a harness for a couple of months and his hips are normal now)

and torticollis and then all that weird digestive stuff. I feel like this

plagio/brachy is our last big hurdle!

mom to Olsen (7/24/08), banded 6/30/09

> > >

> > > My son got his helmet a week after turning 11 months. I was looking at

> > > his old stats from previous well-baby checks (barely starting to

> > > organize his baby book!) and I realized his head has only grown 1 cm

> > > from his 6 month appt! At this rate, he will have to wear the helmet

> > > forever, especially if his growth is slowing even more!

> > >

> > > mom, to Olsen (7/24/08) banded 6/30/09

> > >

> >

>

July 23, 2009

Hi,

Sorry, but bad news. The scan showed no growth. It actually showed

his head shrunk .3cm. The asymmetry measurement went down .6mm, so at

least that is okay. In all our asymmetry measurement has gone down

1.5mm in 7 weeks.

Now even though the scan showed no growth everybody says the head

visually looks a little better. One theory I have is that there was

some swelling on the forehead. There was definitely a rash from the

helmet. Now that the rash is gone, the scan showed the head shrunk

there. Since the rash was where the pressure was, the asymmetry went

down. Probably a little too far fetched....

Anyhow, I don't understand how the band could feel a bit tighter and

the asymmetry improve slightly yet there was no growth. Now I'm

feeling discouraged too since I'm scared the growth won't pick back up.

Anybody have any thoughts?

Sorry about the bad news. At least maybe you will change your mind

about wanting the scan. :|)

Thanks,

Kathy

bananaaggie wrote:

Hi Kathy,

Olsen's in a hanger band, so he hasn't been scanned. I believe there is

an Orthoamerica facility somewhere near there (our insurance didn't

cover them). I've been thinking about calling them just to see how much

it would cost to be scanned, but I'm not sure if my husband would go

for paying for it, hee hee.

I hope 's second scan went well!

> > > >

> > > > My son got his helmet a week after turning 11

months. I was

> > looking at

> > > > his old stats from previous well-baby checks

(barely starting to

> > > > organize his baby book!) and I realized his head

has only grown 1 cm

> > > > from his 6 month appt! At this rate, he will have

to wear the helmet

> > > > forever, especially if his growth is slowing even

more!

> > > >

> > > > mom, to Olsen (7/24/08) banded 6/30/09

> > > >

> > >

> >

>

July 23, 2009

His head didn't shrink. The swelling thing sounds too hokey to me. There is some

error in the scanner. Also when they compare from one scan to the next they have

to line up certain points on the head - I'm not sure which, but let's say ears,

temples, etc. Then they see what the difference is. If the two images aren't

lines up accurately, or if the baby's head was in a slightly different position

from one scan to the next, the report of growth won't be completely accurate.

How far off depends on how well the images are lined up etc.

Also which images did the ortho compare? Sometimes they just do the 2D

comparison that shows the old outline of the headshape and the new outline. But

our ortho also had a program that did a 3D comparison, where he could rotate the

head model on his computer, and it was color coded to show which areas had more

growth. I think the growth was shown in blue. The advantage of this is that the

outline of the head at a certain level may remain the same, but some growth may

be there above or below that level. Think about the shape of your head at eye

level (sort of like a slice of your head). If you were flat in the back you

could still get rounding down by the neck without changing that outline shape at

eye level.

I hope this makes some sense. So you may see some improvement, but the scan is

not capturing it well. Also it is probably also true that the improvement is not

dramatic, or the scan would likely have picked it up better.

Hope this helps.

-christine

sydney, 3.5 yrs, starband grad

>

> Hi,

>

> Sorry, but bad news. The scan showed no growth. It actually showed his

> head shrunk .3cm. The asymmetry measurement went down .6mm, so at least

> that is okay. In all our asymmetry measurement has gone down 1.5mm in 7

> weeks.

>

> Now even though the scan showed no growth everybody says the head

> visually looks a little better. One theory I have is that there was

> some swelling on the forehead. There was definitely a rash from the

> helmet. Now that the rash is gone, the scan showed the head shrunk

> there. Since the rash was where the pressure was, the asymmetry went

> down. Probably a little too far fetched....

>

> Anyhow, I don't understand how the band could feel a bit tighter and the

> asymmetry improve slightly yet there was no growth. Now I'm feeling

> discouraged too since I'm scared the growth won't pick back up.

>

> Anybody have any thoughts?

>

> Sorry about the bad news. At least maybe you will change your mind

> about wanting the scan. :|)

>

> Thanks,

> Kathy

>

July 24, 2009

Hi,

Thanks! He printed the 2D comparison at a few different levels. The

3D comparison sounds more informative. I'll ask the ortho about it

next time.

It makes sense that there was an error. This was the third scan. The

second showed a bigger than expected growth. Maybe, this was an error

too. Perhaps, the error is in the second scan. Hopefully, the

asymmetry really did decrease at least a little bit and our eyes are

not playing tricks on us.

Thanks,

Kathy, mom to almost 14 months, Starband since June 2

christineashok wrote:

His head didn't shrink. The swelling thing sounds too hokey to me.

There is some error in the scanner. Also when they compare from one

scan to the next they have to line up certain points on the head - I'm

not sure which, but let's say ears, temples, etc. Then they see what

the difference is. If the two images aren't lines up accurately, or if

the baby's head was in a slightly different position from one scan to

the next, the report of growth won't be completely accurate. How far

off depends on how well the images are lined up etc.

Also which images did the ortho compare? Sometimes they just do the 2D

comparison that shows the old outline of the headshape and the new

outline. But our ortho also had a program that did a 3D comparison,

where he could rotate the head model on his computer, and it was color

coded to show which areas had more growth. I think the growth was shown

in blue. The advantage of this is that the outline of the head at a

certain level may remain the same, but some growth may be there above

or below that level. Think about the shape of your head at eye level

(sort of like a slice of your head). If you were flat in the back you

could still get rounding down by the neck without changing that outline

shape at eye level.

I hope this makes some sense. So you may see some improvement, but the

scan is not capturing it well. Also it is probably also true that the

improvement is not dramatic, or the scan would likely have picked it up

better.

Hope this helps.

-christine

sydney, 3.5 yrs, starband grad

>

> Hi,

>

> Sorry, but bad news. The scan showed no growth. It actually showed

his

> head shrunk .3cm. The asymmetry measurement went down .6mm, so at

least

> that is okay. In all our asymmetry measurement has gone down 1.5mm

in 7

> weeks.

>

> Now even though the scan showed no growth everybody says the head

> visually looks a little better. One theory I have is that there

was

> some swelling on the forehead. There was definitely a rash from

the

> helmet. Now that the rash is gone, the scan showed the head shrunk

> there. Since the rash was where the pressure was, the asymmetry

went

> down. Probably a little too far fetched....

>

> Anyhow, I don't understand how the band could feel a bit tighter

and the

> asymmetry improve slightly yet there was no growth. Now I'm

feeling

> discouraged too since I'm scared the growth won't pick back up.

>

> Anybody have any thoughts?

>

> Sorry about the bad news. At least maybe you will change your mind

> about wanting the scan. :|)

>

> Thanks,

> Kathy

>

July 24, 2009

Hi Kathy,

Did the baby squirm at all or fight during the scan. Sometimes, it's hard to get a good scan in these cases.

There is supposed to be a 0.5 mm error rate for the STARscan in cases where the baby holds still. So, my guess is that the .3 decrease in size is due to error rate. So, it's difficult to say what has really happened. I agree that the 2D picture doesn't show all. Our 2D picture showed very little progress for the last 4 months that wore her helmet, yet I can clearly see that her head shape improved overall.

Try and do what you can to encourage growth in the baby. Of course, some of it is that they are on their own growth schedules, but feeding them really well can't hurt in my book. You still have lots of possible time that the band will contiue to be good for so you should be able to catch a couple of really good growth spurts if you hang on long enough.

, mom to , 23 months

STARband grad

land

Re: starting to feel discouraged.

Hi,Thanks! He printed the 2D comparison at a few different levels. The 3D comparison sounds more informative. I'll ask the ortho about it next time.It makes sense that there was an error. This was the third scan. The second showed a bigger than expected growth. Maybe, this was an error too. Perhaps, the error is in the second scan. Hopefully, the asymmetry really did decrease at least a little bit and our eyes are not playing tricks on us. Thanks,Kathy, mom to almost 14 months, Starband since June 2christineashok wrote:

His head didn't shrink. The swelling thing sounds too hokey to me. There is some error in the scanner. Also when they compare from one scan to the next they have to line up certain points on the head - I'm not sure which, but let's say ears, temples, etc. Then they see what the difference is. If the two images aren't lines up accurately, or if the baby's head was in a slightly different position from one scan to the next, the report of growth won't be completely accurate. How far off depends on how well the images are lined up etc.Also which images did the ortho compare? Sometimes they just do the 2D comparison that shows the old outline of the headshape and the new outline. But our ortho also had a program that did a 3D comparison, where he could rotate the head model on his computer, and it was color coded to show which areas had more growth. I think the growth was shown in blue. The advantage of this is that the outline of the head at a certain level may remain the same, but some growth may be there above or below that level. Think about the shape of your head at eye level (sort of like a slice of your head). If you were flat in the back you could still get rounding down by the neck without changing that outline shape at eye level.I hope this makes some sense. So you may see some improvement, but the scan is not capturing it well. Also it is probably also true that the improvement is not dramatic, or the scan would likely have picked it up better. Hope this helps.-christinesydney, 3.5 yrs, starband grad>> Hi,> > Sorry, but bad news. The scan showed no growth. It actually showed his > head shrunk .3cm. The asymmetry measurement went down .6mm, so at least > that is okay. In all our asymmetry measurement has gone down 1.5mm in 7 > weeks. > > Now even though the scan showed no growth everybody says the head > visually looks a little better. One theory I have is that there was > some swelling on the forehead. There was definitely a rash from the > helmet. Now that the rash is gone, the scan showed the head shrunk > there. Since the rash was where the pressure was, the asymmetry went > down. Probably a little too far fetched....> > Anyhow, I don't understand how the band could feel a bit tighter and the > asymmetry improve slightly yet there was no growth. Now I'm feeling > discouraged too since I'm scared the growth won't pick back up.> > Anybody have any thoughts?> > Sorry about the bad news. At least maybe you will change your mind > about wanting the scan. :|)> > Thanks,> Kathy>

July 25, 2009

Hi ,

Thanks.Â The baby was crying during the scan.Â It must be error.Â

Unless it was our imagination, the helmet even got tighter.

I really hope you are right and we catch a growth spurt.Â My son is

sure eating well lately and he dropped several percentiles on the

weight curve since 6 months.Â His head is still big though, but so is

my husband's.

Kathy, mom to Â almost 14 months, Starband since June 2

Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

melanie.watson@... wrote:

Â

Hi Kathy,

Â

Did the baby squirm at all or fight during the scan. Sometimes,

it's hard to get a good scan in these cases.

Â

There is supposed to be a 0.5 mm error rate for the STARscan in

cases where the baby holds still. So, my guess is that the .3 decrease

in size is due to error rate. So, it's difficult to say what has really

happened. I agree that the 2D picture doesn't show all. Our 2D picture

showed very little progress for the last 4 months that wore her

helmet, yet I can clearly see that her head shape improved overall.

Â

Try and do what you can to encourage growth in the baby. Of

course, some of it is that they are on their own growth schedules, but

feeding them really well can't hurt in my book. You still have lots of

possible time that the band will contiue to be good for so you should

be able to catch a couple of really good growth spurts if you hang on

long enough.

Â

, mom to , 23 months

STARband grad

land

Â Â

Re: starting to feel discouraged.

Â

Hi,

Thanks!Â He printed the 2D comparison at a few different levels.Â The

3D comparison sounds more informative.Â I'll ask the ortho about it

next time.

It makes sense that there was an error.Â This was the third scan.Â The

second showed a bigger than expected growth.Â Maybe, this was an error

too.Â Perhaps, the error is in the second scan.Â Hopefully, the

asymmetry really did decrease at least a little bit and our eyes are

not playing tricks on us.Â

Thanks,

Kathy, mom to almost 14 months, Starband since June 2

christineashok wrote:

Â

His head didn't shrink. The swelling thing sounds too hokey to

me. There is some error in the scanner. Also when they compare from one