Re: The Decision - To Band or Not To Band?

[Guest guest]

My dd's asym was mild too. We decided to abnd - and even went for a

2nd band - because she had facial asym that was very noticable. I knew

for me that I had to do all I could, while I could. I didn't want to

regret later in life not doing something.

Ask yourself this... if the head shape never changes and the asyms are

there for the rest of your sons life would you be OK with that?

It ultimatley is a personal desision. You know what is best for your

baby. :-)

>

> My little guy had his Cranial Tech appointment today (everyone was so

> nice) and now my hubby and I have the big decision to make. Here's

the

> scoop (please excuse my lack of medical terminology for all of this):

> his ear and eye asymmetry is 3 mm, which is within normal range. The

> axis (??) measurement (front to back diagonal) was 12 mm which puts

> him in the low to moderate range. Basically his plagiocephaly isn't

> incredibly noticeable. I know that the decision is strictly up to my

> husband and me, but I just HATE the fact that we are even having to

> think about putting our child through this. Please help!!!

>

[Guest guest]

Welcome to the group. Our specialist (cranio facial plastic surgeon)

recommends banding at 10mm or more. I would definitely band at 12.

Many band at 8 and are glad they did. If you're still unsure I would

recommend posting pictures to get a better opinion from the group.

-christine

starband grad, almost 3 yrs, starband grad

>

> My little guy had his Cranial Tech appointment today (everyone was so

> nice) and now my hubby and I have the big decision to make. Here's the

> scoop (please excuse my lack of medical terminology for all of this):

> his ear and eye asymmetry is 3 mm, which is within normal range. The

> axis (??) measurement (front to back diagonal) was 12 mm which puts

> him in the low to moderate range. Basically his plagiocephaly isn't

> incredibly noticeable. I know that the decision is strictly up to my

> husband and me, but I just HATE the fact that we are even having to

> think about putting our child through this. Please help!!!

>

[Guest guest]

Welcome to the group. How old is your baby? We decided to band our

4.5 month son at 8mm, with 2mm mid-face and 3mm skull-base. I

honestly couldnt tell any asymmetry in his face or ears, but the

plagio was bad enough at 8mm that it bothered me tremendously. He had

some bossing above his right ear that bothered me the most. I knew if

he ever had to wear glasses or wanted to wear sunglasses that even a

slight difference in the shape of his head on either side would be

magnified by the different slope of the ear pieces if that makes any

sense. Good luck with your decision, but I would say do it. You wont

regret doing something, but you may regret doing nothing. 12mm is

definitely enough to warrant it.

>

> My little guy had his Cranial Tech appointment today (everyone was so

> nice) and now my hubby and I have the big decision to make. Here's the

> scoop (please excuse my lack of medical terminology for all of this):

> his ear and eye asymmetry is 3 mm, which is within normal range. The

> axis (??) measurement (front to back diagonal) was 12 mm which puts

> him in the low to moderate range. Basically his plagiocephaly isn't

> incredibly noticeable. I know that the decision is strictly up to my

> husband and me, but I just HATE the fact that we are even having to

> think about putting our child through this. Please help!!!

>

[Guest guest]

Hello--

I know that this can all be terribly upsetting, but you are in the

right place to get support. When I first learned of Merrick's plagio, I

felt so incredibly awful--a misture of guilt, sadness, fear, etc. I

stayed in that place for a bit, but then I decided to learn all that I

could and move into action. Merrick has 11mm plagio and 5mm facial

asymatry. The thing is that my husband and I didn't catch it--it was

our pediatrician that did, and it took us a bit to really see it. Now I

can't imagine that it was the case, and we are so thankful that our

pediatrician was proactive and put us in the good hands of CT.

Merrick was three months when he was diagnosed, and I moved into OCD

repo--the poor guy was always moved off of the back right. We also

began working hard to get him on his tummy and sitting up. We felt good

about the repo that we did for a month, and there was some change. Once

we really 'saw' the plagio, we knew that we would not be happy if his

head stayed as it was. Also a read on the older kids with plagio blog

helped me to understand the implications that this has later in life.

All of those young adults would not have hesitated to get a band as an

infant if given the choice--it would have helped their pain later in

life.

After a month of repo, we decided to band. The earlier in age the less

time that they are in the band, and the quicker results are seen. I

went from thinking that the helmet was the enemy to being so thankful

that this treatment is available to us. It is likely that Merrick will

be out of his band in 6-8 weeks. He has adjusted just fine, and we

decorated it all cute. I won't lie, we get some stares sometimes, but

that's just life. There are a lot of people out there though that

immediately know what the band is for, because it is more common. While

SIDS is down 40% with the back for sleep campaign, plagio is up 600%.

While we were happy with the results from repo, the results with the

helmet have been much more immediate. Every night that we take off the

band, we see great change. It's one of those situations where the more

it rounds out, the more we realize how 'bad' it was.

I know that this is a tough decision. The time between finding out

about the plagio to when we banded, was very difficult. Just know that

you can get your questions answered here and you will find a lot of

support. I would also recommend posting some photos of your LO so that

we can take a look and give you some feedback.

H.

Merrick--4 months, 11mm plagio, mild tort, three weeks DOC band

>

> My little guy had his Cranial Tech appointment today (everyone was so

> nice) and now my hubby and I have the big decision to make. Here's

the

> scoop (please excuse my lack of medical terminology for all of this):

> his ear and eye asymmetry is 3 mm, which is within normal range. The

> axis (??) measurement (front to back diagonal) was 12 mm which puts

> him in the low to moderate range. Basically his plagiocephaly isn't

> incredibly noticeable. I know that the decision is strictly up to my

> husband and me, but I just HATE the fact that we are even having to

> think about putting our child through this. Please help!!!

>

[Guest guest]

This is exactly where we were at too - Lucy's difference in axis lengths was

1.1cm which is

not severe but stlll somewhat noticeable if you know what you are looking for.

Our othotist

said severe is greater than 2cm difference. She really has no facial assymetry,

but does

have a bit of a bulging forehead on the right side. She just got her band

yesterday and we

decided to go ahead with the band for a few reasons. 1 - it is correctable with

a fairly easy

treatment (ie NO surgery, meds, etc) 2 - studies show that palgiocephaly is no

longer just

a cosmetic problem, it can affect the way facial bones develop including sinus

cavities,

jaw, etc. 3 - she will never remember this at all (what a blessing!) I know it

won't be the

easiest thing for my husband and I over the next few months, but we'll get

through it! We

are lucky to have a healthy, happy girl, and if this is the worst thing we ever

have to deal

with we will be truly blessed.

I hope my experience and thoughts help you make a decision - in the end you just

have to

decide what is right for your family and baby.

- Meg

>

> My little guy had his Cranial Tech appointment today (everyone was so

> nice) and now my hubby and I have the big decision to make. Here's the

> scoop (please excuse my lack of medical terminology for all of this):

> his ear and eye asymmetry is 3 mm, which is within normal range. The

> axis (??) measurement (front to back diagonal) was 12 mm which puts

> him in the low to moderate range. Basically his plagiocephaly isn't

> incredibly noticeable. I know that the decision is strictly up to my

> husband and me, but I just HATE the fact that we are even having to

> think about putting our child through this. Please help!!!

>

[Guest guest]

Your baby's numbers are very similar to my 's. However 's

plagio problem is very obvious. Every time I went to the ped's office

they'd pat him on the right side of this head and say " he sleeps a lot

on this side right? " ~_~

When we finally asked our ped about the band option he told us to think

about it before the first appointment. He was helpful and supportive

but at the same time he told us that most likely they will tell us it's

necessary to do the band, the insurance wont' cover it and the final

result won't be as perfect as we'd hoped.

I was pretty scared at that time so I asked him if 's head shape

will get better without the band. He said " oh yeah, of course! it's not

going to be perfect but he's going to get better all by himself. " I

then asked him if he's gonna be laughed at by other kids later for his

funny head shape and he laughed and told me that's not gonna happen.

Still my husband and I talked about it before the consultation and

decided to do it rather than regret later. Now 's in his band for 2

weeks I still think my ped's advice is honest and realistic. I think

you should follow your mom's instinct and do whatever you feel best for

your baby.

[Guest guest]

My DS is almost 5 1/2 months, but he was 6 weeks premature. His PT

said they use his adjusted age, so he's more like 4 months.

Thankfully he'd only be in the band around 6-8 weeks.

> >

> > My little guy had his Cranial Tech appointment today (everyone

was so

> > nice) and now my hubby and I have the big decision to make.

Here's the

> > scoop (please excuse my lack of medical terminology for all of

this):

> > his ear and eye asymmetry is 3 mm, which is within normal

range. The

> > axis (??) measurement (front to back diagonal) was 12 mm which

puts

> > him in the low to moderate range. Basically his plagiocephaly

isn't

> > incredibly noticeable. I know that the decision is strictly up

to my

> > husband and me, but I just HATE the fact that we are even having

to

> > think about putting our child through this. Please help!!!

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Do you regret banding your ds?

>

> Your baby's numbers are very similar to my 's. However 's

> plagio problem is very obvious. Every time I went to the ped's

office

> they'd pat him on the right side of this head and say " he sleeps a

lot

> on this side right? " ~_~

>

> When we finally asked our ped about the band option he told us to

think

> about it before the first appointment. He was helpful and

supportive

> but at the same time he told us that most likely they will tell us

it's

> necessary to do the band, the insurance wont' cover it and the

final

> result won't be as perfect as we'd hoped.

>

> I was pretty scared at that time so I asked him if 's head

shape

> will get better without the band. He said " oh yeah, of course!

it's not

> going to be perfect but he's going to get better all by himself. "

I

> then asked him if he's gonna be laughed at by other kids later for

his

> funny head shape and he laughed and told me that's not gonna

happen.

>

> Still my husband and I talked about it before the consultation and

> decided to do it rather than regret later. Now 's in his band

for 2

> weeks I still think my ped's advice is honest and realistic. I

think

> you should follow your mom's instinct and do whatever you feel

best for

> your baby.

>

[Guest guest]

I had 2 peds tell me that my son's head would correct itself no

problem, but it didn't and it's still not " perfect " even after 2

bands (because we waited so long to band him BECAUSE of the peds

advice, so we got really good overall correction, but not as much as

we would have if we had banded much earlier, we were well aware of

the situation at 2 months old). He's 2 years 3 months old now. One

ped said that his majorly bossed forehead would magically correct

itself by the time he is 3. His forehead corrected A LOT from the

band, but there is still some inuterine shaping that wasn't

corrected, so apparently we have 9 months to wait and see what it

does next. Unfortunately, I think MANY peds are misinformed about

plagio and can wrongly lead parents astray, giving false hope and

assurances that the head will magically transform on its own,

especially in moderate and severe cases. One thing I always want to

ask the peds is, if the skull starts to harden and skull plates

begin to fuse after 4 months of age or so, how are we to believe

that this makes it EASIER for the head to round out on its own? It

makes no sense to me at all.

So, assuming you are working with an experienced ortho, I really

don't think it's possible to regret banding. It's only possible to

regret NOT banding. And for me, I'll always have the regret of not

banding sooner.

Sorry for my mini-rant!

Jake-2 (DOCBand Grad 9/19/08)

Jordan-4.5

>

> Your baby's numbers are very similar to my 's. However 's

> plagio problem is very obvious. Every time I went to the ped's

office

> they'd pat him on the right side of this head and say " he sleeps a

lot

> on this side right? " ~_~

>

> When we finally asked our ped about the band option he told us to

think

> about it before the first appointment. He was helpful and

supportive

> but at the same time he told us that most likely they will tell us

it's

> necessary to do the band, the insurance wont' cover it and the

final

> result won't be as perfect as we'd hoped.

>

> I was pretty scared at that time so I asked him if 's head

shape

> will get better without the band. He said " oh yeah, of course!

it's not

> going to be perfect but he's going to get better all by himself. "

I

> then asked him if he's gonna be laughed at by other kids later for

his

> funny head shape and he laughed and told me that's not gonna

happen.

>

> Still my husband and I talked about it before the consultation and

> decided to do it rather than regret later. Now 's in his band

for 2

> weeks I still think my ped's advice is honest and realistic. I

think

> you should follow your mom's instinct and do whatever you feel

best for

> your baby.

>

[Guest guest]

Not at all! Actually I feel a lot better once he gets the band.

Just like 's case we found out his plagio problem when he was 2

months old. We tried re-positioning and it worked to quite an extent!

He also loves tummy time but still during the sleep his head would

inevitably rest on the slope side (*it's really really hard to fight

with gravity*!!)

Now that he's in the band we don't have to worry about his sleep

anymore. I still make him do a lot of tummy time and exercise; I

still study his head shape with fingers crossed; but I don't feel

hopeless during bedtime anymore as I know he's in a good band. Think

about it, he sleeps almost half of the day!

For us it's hard the first 3 days when he started the band and then

it just became part of him.

Hope this helps!

> >

> > Your baby's numbers are very similar to my 's. However 's

> > plagio problem is very obvious. Every time I went to the ped's

> office

> > they'd pat him on the right side of this head and say " he sleeps

a

> lot

> > on this side right? " ~_~

> >

> > When we finally asked our ped about the band option he told us to

> think

> > about it before the first appointment. He was helpful and

> supportive

> > but at the same time he told us that most likely they will tell

us

> it's

> > necessary to do the band, the insurance wont' cover it and the

> final

> > result won't be as perfect as we'd hoped.

> >

> > I was pretty scared at that time so I asked him if 's head

> shape

> > will get better without the band. He said " oh yeah, of course!

> it's not

> > going to be perfect but he's going to get better all by himself. "

> I

> > then asked him if he's gonna be laughed at by other kids later

for

> his

> > funny head shape and he laughed and told me that's not gonna

> happen.

> >

> > Still my husband and I talked about it before the consultation

and

> > decided to do it rather than regret later. Now 's in his band

> for 2

> > weeks I still think my ped's advice is honest and realistic. I

> think

> > you should follow your mom's instinct and do whatever you feel

> best for

> > your baby.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Since you are looking for opinions... my son was 10 months when we

finally got him his Hanger helmet. I wish we would have done it

sooner, he is totally fine with the whole thing. We put it off because

of how traumatic we " thought " it would be. Not at all the case, it is

SO true that kids are resilient! He actually smiles at his helmet when

we take it off, he pets it! The only difficult adjustment was for my

husband and I, I know now we just felt ashamed, like we did something

wrong. The choice is yours, but, don't hold off because you are scared

it is hard on your little one. As a great parent, which you are just

for noticing and looking for a resolution, you are just doing what is

best.

Good luck!

Kerry

mom to Brody 10mos/ day 10 Hanger