Guest guest Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 As noted, Clinton, Connecticut is the nearest Cranial Technologies facility, a four hour drive. At least the directions are uncomplicated -- due south -- but I gotta tell you, I don't see it standing up to any local option, except the unthinkable /purchase/ of another helmet from the people who failed us previously. (We're still negotiating, I guess, because although today's appointment constituted more of the same, there was a phone message referencing a new helmet on my answering machine when I arrived home. Stay tuned...) We travel as far as Portsmouth, NH for family, and after 2.5 hours, no matter how well-fed our twins are, they tend to break down. Some people fear that putting their child in a helmet will be torture, but to me that carseat restraint is far and away a more serious concern. If we pursued treatment, winter driving on a schedule could also be hazardous, but it is something I've done professionally (LOL - as a $9/hr express courier), so I do feel we'd be ahead of the curve there. What strategies can you all offer? We're pushing 19 months old, and here's what I've come up with: - Four o'clock appointment is a must - Depart ten-thirty a.m. -- 1/2 hour to nap time -- in the " good " sedan (with ABS and cruise control) - Offer milk, then pacifier at eleven if still awake - (Awake at 12 or 12:30 p.m.) Dora backpack, coloring books, paperback books tethered to headrest support so I can swing things back and forth and they'll seem " new " - Bananas, milk and animal crackers (lunch on wheels), 1 - 1:30. - Park at Mc's with habitrails for daddy's lunch and baby's exercise/diaper filling, 1:45 - 2:30 - Arrive Cranial Tech 3:45 - Re-fit car seat array with Glo-worm and other toys that have lights - Give baby a little massage when she's not being attended to by orthotists - Depart Cranial Tech 5:00 - Half an hour of rush-hour singing, to avoid cursing - 6:00 Where can you get a respectable dinner and also use habitrails? - 7:00 Portable LCD DVD loaded with SpongeBob (would be a new investment) - 8:00 p.m. Asleep for night (Professional Driving Tip: Yellow tint glasses and lutein supplements diminish eye strain from headlights.) -- Thad Launderville Montpelier, VT Clara age 18.5 months, 2.5 months in STARband On Oct 27, 2009, at 10:53 AM, Holly wrote: > After much research we chose to travel every week to the Cranial > Technologies in Charlotte, NC from Atlanta, GA. It was an adventure > to say the least--a four-hour drive each way. But after two > DOCbands and many, many weeks our little boy graduated with a nice, > round head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 28, 2009 Report Share Posted October 28, 2009 In my opinion, the hassle of the commute would be worth the final results you would get in a DOCBand. But you'd have to act quickly, if nothing else to get a second opinion from them. Also, a DVD player is an absolute must, no question. Ours broke down on the way to CT-Charlotte one day and I stopped at Walmart to get another one for the trip back. Jake-3 (DOCBand Grad 9/08) > > > After much research we chose to travel every week to the Cranial > > Technologies in Charlotte, NC from Atlanta, GA. It was an adventure > > to say the least--a four-hour drive each way. But after two > > DOCbands and many, many weeks our little boy graduated with a nice, > > round head. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 28, 2009 Report Share Posted October 28, 2009 Thad, Although there are several of us that got good correction with our STARbands, I believe that our orthos (or at least mine) were top quality. Since your local options are limited, I agree with that you ought to at least schedule the consultation. That way you could get their opinion as well as a preview of how bad or hard that trip would be. From what I've heard, I'm guessing that once the initial fitting would be complete and the band is fitting well, you would only need to go every 3 weeks for adjustments because of Clara's age. Plus, it would be for a maximum of 16 weeks, which probably means somewhere around 5 adjustment trips and a couple more for the scan, fitting, etc. Of course, you always run the risk that you'll need to go more frequently early on if they don't get the fit correct the first time or if you see those red spots. I think if I were in your position, I would do it even though it would mean missing some serious time from work. Of course, this is all jumping ahead of things. At the very least, you'll get a nice set of head shots, another set of measurements, and the knowledge of how well Clara now travels. I think that the DVD player would definately help. We have one that we put in the car if we're traveling longer than 45 minutes to anywhere. I have a 2 year old and a 3 1/2 year old and it just helps the kids be less cranky. Another hint is to bring lots of snacks and drinks as well as easy car toys. Also, I think I would recommend that you start looking into some alternative treatments for Clara. I wouldn't do them instead of the band, but if you do them at the same time, you may be able to increase the benefit from the band that you are getting. My cranial doc told me that there is research that supports the use of CST to correct plagio and brachy. We recently restarted that as well as chiro and I'm seeing minor changes in 's head shape even without a helmet. I hope to have measurements to support what I'm seeing soon. Looking back, I regret that we backed off the CST when she got the helmet. I also regret that I never looked into Chiro at the same time as well. I now believe that both of these would have increased the benefit from the helmet while she was in it. I should clarify that the chiro is something I learned about on the older plagio group - my cranial doctor didn't know anything about it when I contacted her and asked. Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is that I regret that I put all of my faith in the helmet to fix things. I'm not sure that the helmets can really fix everything. They definately improve moderate to severe cases, but there appear to be several of us with helmet graduates who still see areas that were not fixed. I wonder if that's because the helmet works by forcing external pressures on the skull and certain things just can't be pushed into place. The alternative treatments work from the inside out (meaning by working to free up the sutures to naturally correct the shape) and it seems to me that both would be needed for optimal results. That's just my opinion. People can take it or just ignore me. I think I'm learning that being a parent means having constant regrets. I regret that I didn't prevent the brachy. I regret that I didn't reposition correctly. I regret that I didn't ask the doctor about it more. I regret that I didn't push for a band earlier. I regret that I didn't get a second band at CT. Now, I regret that I didn't pursue the alternative treatements at the same time. Oh well, after each regret, I'm doing all I can to compensate for my mistakes. I guess that are a lot worse mistakes in parenting that could be made. I'm sure that you regret trusting your ortho. I doubt that you'd regret going for the CT consult. I definately think it would be worth one day of driving and you may decide that it's worth the other days of driving to go ahead with the DOC band. I don't think you have much to lose by doing this. , mom to , 26 months STARband grad May 2009 at 20.5 months Chiro and CST land Re: Trek to Cranial Tech In my opinion, the hassle of the commute would be worth the final results you would get in a DOCBand. But you'd have to act quickly, if nothing else to get a second opinion from them. Also, a DVD player is an absolute must, no question. Ours broke down on the way to CT-Charlotte one day and I stopped at Walmart to get another one for the trip back.Jake-3 (DOCBand Grad 9/08)> > > After much research we chose to travel every week to the Cranial > > Technologies in Charlotte, NC from Atlanta, GA. It was an adventure > > to say the least--a four-hour drive each way. But after two > > DOCbands and many, many weeks our little boy graduated with a nice, > > round head.> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 28, 2009 Report Share Posted October 28, 2009 Thad, completely agree with everybody else's replies. At least go for an eval. I wish I could have. Hopefully our starband will keep working for my boy. , parenting and regrets. When I read it I felt like you read my mind. , Tampa, FL, 21 mos, starband for 3 mos Plagiocephaly From: melanie.watson@...Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:02:13 +0000Subject: Re: Re: Trek to Cranial Tech Thad, Although there are several of us that got good correction with our STARbands, I believe that our orthos (or at least mine) were top quality. Since your local options are limited, I agree with that you ought to at least schedule the consultation. That way you could get their opinion as well as a preview of how bad or hard that trip would be. From what I've heard, I'm guessing that once the initial fitting would be complete and the band is fitting well, you would only need to go every 3 weeks for adjustments because of Clara's age. Plus, it would be for a maximum of 16 weeks, which probably means somewhere around 5 adjustment trips and a couple more for the scan, fitting, etc. Of course, you always run the risk that you'll need to go more frequently early on if they don't get the fit correct the first time or if you see those red spots. I think if I were in your position, I would do it even though it would mean missing some serious time from work. Of course, this is all jumping ahead of things. At the very least, you'll get a nice set of head shots, another set of measurements, and the knowledge of how well Clara now travels. I think that the DVD player would definately help. We have one that we put in the car if we're traveling longer than 45 minutes to anywhere. I have a 2 year old and a 3 1/2 year old and it just helps the kids be less cranky. Another hint is to bring lots of snacks and drinks as well as easy car toys. Also, I think I would recommend that you start looking into some alternative treatments for Clara. I wouldn't do them instead of the band, but if you do them at the same time, you may be able to increase the benefit from the band that you are getting. My cranial doc told me that there is research that supports the use of CST to correct plagio and brachy. We recently restarted that as well as chiro and I'm seeing minor changes in 's head shape even without a helmet. I hope to have measurements to support what I'm seeing soon. Looking back, I regret that we backed off the CST when she got the helmet. I also regret that I never looked into Chiro at the same time as well. I now believe that both of these would have increased the benefit from the helmet while she was in it. I should clarify that the chiro is something I learned about on the older plagio group - my cranial doctor didn't know anything about it when I contacted her and asked. Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is that I regret that I put all of my faith in the helmet to fix things. I'm not sure that the helmets can really fix everything. They definately improve moderate to severe cases, but there appear to be several of us with helmet graduates who still see areas that were not fixed. I wonder if that's because the helmet works by forcing external pressures on the skull and certain things just can't be pushed into place. The alternative treatments work from the inside out (meaning by working to free up the sutures to naturally correct the shape) and it seems to me that both would be needed for optimal results. That's just my opinion. People can take it or just ignore me. I think I'm learning that being a parent means having constant regrets. I regret that I didn't prevent the brachy. I regret that I didn't reposition correctly. I regret that I didn't ask the doctor about it more. I regret that I didn't push for a band earlier. I regret that I didn't get a second band at CT. Now, I regret that I didn't pursue the alternative treatements at the same time. Oh well, after each regret, I'm doing all I can to compensate for my mistakes. I guess that are a lot worse mistakes in parenting that could be made. I'm sure that you regret trusting your ortho. I doubt that you'd regret going for the CT consult. I definately think it would be worth one day of driving and you may decide that it's worth the other days of driving to go ahead with the DOC band. I don't think you have much to lose by doing this. , mom to , 26 monthsSTARband grad May 2009 at 20.5 monthsChiro and CSTland Re: Trek to Cranial Tech In my opinion, the hassle of the commute would be worth the final results you would get in a DOCBand. But you'd have to act quickly, if nothing else to get a second opinion from them. Also, a DVD player is an absolute must, no question. Ours broke down on the way to CT-Charlotte one day and I stopped at Walmart to get another one for the trip back.Jake-3 (DOCBand Grad 9/08)> > > After much research we chose to travel every week to the Cranial > > Technologies in Charlotte, NC from Atlanta, GA. It was an adventure > > to say the least--a four-hour drive each way. But after two > > DOCbands and many, many weeks our little boy graduated with a nice, > > round head.> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 28, 2009 Report Share Posted October 28, 2009 Thad, After visiting our local Hanger facility, my husband and I made a decision to go with the best. I took my daughter to Dallas, Texas this week to be evaluated by Cranial Technologies. This is almost a six hour drive for us each way. All I can say is that I feel 100% better after our evaluation. I made the appointment early in the morning in case I wanted to go ahead with the band. I didn't want to delay treatment so we made the commitment. We were in and out with everything done in two hours. I would suggest you let them know you might want to proceed with imaging when you get the evaluation just in case. You might as well get it done all at the same time to save yourself a trip. It's definitely going to be hard, but we are calling all family and friends to partake. You might be shocked at how willing people are to help. I hope this helps. It is definitely worth it and you won't regret one minute because it is important to receive good, experienced treatment. I also agree with all of the other posters. Everyone has such good points and advice. Good luck!! From: Lulei <cllulei@...>Subject: RE: Re: Trek to Cranial Techplagiocephaly Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 8:52 PM Thad, completely agree with everybody else's replies. At least go for an eval. I wish I could have. Hopefully our starband will keep working for my boy. , parenting and regrets. When I read it I felt like you read my mind. , Tampa, FL, 21 mos, starband for 3 mos PlagiocephalyFrom: melanie.watson@ comcast.netDate: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:02:13 +0000Subject: Re: Re: Trek to Cranial Tech Thad, Although there are several of us that got good correction with our STARbands, I believe that our orthos (or at least mine) were top quality. Since your local options are limited, I agree with that you ought to at least schedule the consultation. That way you could get their opinion as well as a preview of how bad or hard that trip would be. From what I've heard, I'm guessing that once the initial fitting would be complete and the band is fitting well, you would only need to go every 3 weeks for adjustments because of Clara's age. Plus, it would be for a maximum of 16 weeks, which probably means somewhere around 5 adjustment trips and a couple more for the scan, fitting, etc. Of course, you always run the risk that you'll need to go more frequently early on if they don't get the fit correct the first time or if you see those red spots. I think if I were in your position, I would do it even though it would mean missing some serious time from work. Of course, this is all jumping ahead of things. At the very least, you'll get a nice set of head shots, another set of measurements, and the knowledge of how well Clara now travels. I think that the DVD player would definately help. We have one that we put in the car if we're traveling longer than 45 minutes to anywhere. I have a 2 year old and a 3 1/2 year old and it just helps the kids be less cranky. Another hint is to bring lots of snacks and drinks as well as easy car toys. Also, I think I would recommend that you start looking into some alternative treatments for Clara. I wouldn't do them instead of the band, but if you do them at the same time, you may be able to increase the benefit from the band that you are getting. My cranial doc told me that there is research that supports the use of CST to correct plagio and brachy. We recently restarted that as well as chiro and I'm seeing minor changes in 's head shape even without a helmet. I hope to have measurements to support what I'm seeing soon. Looking back, I regret that we backed off the CST when she got the helmet. I also regret that I never looked into Chiro at the same time as well. I now believe that both of these would have increased the benefit from the helmet while she was in it. I should clarify that the chiro is something I learned about on the older plagio group - my cranial doctor didn't know anything about it when I contacted her and asked. Anyway, I guess what I'm saying is that I regret that I put all of my faith in the helmet to fix things. I'm not sure that the helmets can really fix everything. They definately improve moderate to severe cases, but there appear to be several of us with helmet graduates who still see areas that were not fixed. I wonder if that's because the helmet works by forcing external pressures on the skull and certain things just can't be pushed into place. The alternative treatments work from the inside out (meaning by working to free up the sutures to naturally correct the shape) and it seems to me that both would be needed for optimal results. That's just my opinion. People can take it or just ignore me. I think I'm learning that being a parent means having constant regrets. I regret that I didn't prevent the brachy. I regret that I didn't reposition correctly. I regret that I didn't ask the doctor about it more. I regret that I didn't push for a band earlier. I regret that I didn't get a second band at CT. Now, I regret that I didn't pursue the alternative treatements at the same time. Oh well, after each regret, I'm doing all I can to compensate for my mistakes. I guess that are a lot worse mistakes in parenting that could be made. I'm sure that you regret trusting your ortho. I doubt that you'd regret going for the CT consult. I definately think it would be worth one day of driving and you may decide that it's worth the other days of driving to go ahead with the DOC band. I don't think you have much to lose by doing this. , mom to , 26 monthsSTARband grad May 2009 at 20.5 monthsChiro and CSTland Re: Trek to Cranial Tech In my opinion, the hassle of the commute would be worth the final results you would get in a DOCBand. But you'd have to act quickly, if nothing else to get a second opinion from them. Also, a DVD player is an absolute must, no question. Ours broke down on the way to CT-Charlotte one day and I stopped at Walmart to get another one for the trip back.Jake-3 (DOCBand Grad 9/08)> > > After much research we chose to travel every week to the Cranial > > Technologies in Charlotte, NC from Atlanta, GA. It was an adventure > > to say the least--a four-hour drive each way. But after two > > DOCbands and many, many weeks our little boy graduated with a nice, > > round head.> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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