Re: PLEASE HELP! Possible cheek bone asymmetry after four+ months of helmet use?

[Guest guest]

I noticed just a little bit of that towards the end of 's helmet (when it was getting a little tighter in those areas), but not as much as in that picture. Her cheeks are now totally fine. I'm not sure whether you are dealing with the same thing or not. Talk to the doctor about whether this is a bone issue from her plagio or whether it is temporary from swelling from pressure of the band. The facial assymetry that I see in the pictures looks like it could be from the head shape, but I don't have any before the band pictures to compare it to.

Maybe the band needs to be adjusted near the cheek. I'm not sure. If I were you, I'd talk to the ortho and take her in to the doctor, assuming that you saw some sort of specialist before the band.

PLEASE HELP! Possible cheek bone asymmetry after four+ months of helmet use?

My daughter Alyssa is in her second helmet. She wore a Hanger helmet for about 4 months and is now in a STAR band. The Cranial Vault Asymmentry has gone from 15mm to about 6mm and is looking much better but I have noticed her face becoming more asymmetrical. The top of her head is higher on her left which makes it look worse, and then her left cheek-bone and cheek is less full then the right making it look indented.She sleeps on her face and seems to favor her left cheek (so she can suck her right thumb). I had never noticed this before - she tosses and turns when she first goes to bed and when I check on her but I have noticed if I go in later she seems to have settled onto her right cheek. Has anyone else had this? Do you think it could be a deformation of the bones or could it be a muscular thing? I am so freaked out - it would be terrible to go from one deformation to another....Any advice? How can I stop her sleep on that cheek? She is almost a year old and SO mobile these days!!I posted a pic of Alyssa in 'Our Plagio Babies A' called "Alyssa Asymmetrical cheek" taken before Christmas. Thanks for taking the time to look at this!! :-)

[Guest guest]

I would definitely talk with your doctor about this.  We had asymmetry issues, but it was because of growth restriction inutero.  Not only was she born with plagio and severe tort, but the whole right side of her skull was smaller than her left, most noticeable in her jaw.  Banding did correct her plagio but there was some asymmetry left.  Her doctors continue to assure me that it will even out as she's continues to grow.  I'm still concerned about her jaw and teeth, but thus far her doctors have been correct.  It's a slow process to be sure but her asymmetry is continuing to correct with time, which is typical with plagio. 

Here's some pics so you can see the progression.This was after after about a month in her first helmet.  Elaine has the white bow and is about 6 months old. Christmas '08

This was after her first helmet, before her second (she's on the right).  Unfortunatly due to surgery to help correct her tort she was out of a band for about 3 weeks.  Her overall measurements are about halved, but the asymmetry looks terrible to me.

Santa '08This is after being in the new helmet a few weeks (on the right).  All of a sudden I'm starting to see excellent improvement in her face.Jan '09

She's on the left here at a year old.  At this point her plagio is down to normal, but we still see asymmetry in the face.  We keep her in her helmet another few weeks then ease her out of it.  She graduated mid June of '09.

May '09   July '09Here she is more recently.  I can still see the asymmetry in her jaw, but I'm not sure it's something that anyone else would pick up on.  Her ears and eyes look even now.

December '09Elaine (twin A), plagio & tort, grad 06/09On Tue, Jan 26, 2010 at 7:47 AM, <melanie.watson@...> wrote:

 

I noticed just a little bit of that towards the end of 's helmet (when it was getting a little tighter in those areas), but not as much as in that picture. Her cheeks are now totally fine. I'm not sure whether you are dealing with the same thing or not. Talk to the doctor about whether this is a bone issue from her plagio or whether it is temporary from swelling from pressure of the band. The facial assymetry that I see in the pictures looks like it could be from the head shape, but I don't have any before the band pictures to compare it to.

Maybe the band needs to be adjusted near the cheek. I'm not sure. If I were you, I'd talk to the ortho and take her in to the doctor, assuming that you saw some sort of specialist before the band.

       

  PLEASE HELP! Possible cheek bone asymmetry after four+ months of helmet use?

 

My daughter Alyssa is in her second helmet. She wore a Hanger helmet for about 4 months and is now in a STAR band. The Cranial Vault Asymmentry has gone from 15mm to about 6mm and is looking much better but I have noticed her face becoming more asymmetrical. The top of her head is higher on her left which makes it look worse, and then her left cheek-bone and cheek is less full then the right making it look indented.

She sleeps on her face and seems to favor her left cheek (so she can suck her right thumb). I had never noticed this before - she tosses and turns when she first goes to bed and when I check on her but I have noticed if I go in later she seems to have settled onto her right cheek.

Has anyone else had this? Do you think it could be a deformation of the bones or could it be a muscular thing? I am so freaked out - it would be terrible to go from one deformation to another....Any advice? How can I stop her sleep on that cheek? She is almost a year old and SO mobile these days!!

I posted a pic of Alyssa in 'Our Plagio Babies A' called " Alyssa Asymmetrical cheek " taken before Christmas. Thanks for taking the time to look at this!! :-)

[Guest guest]

Jan '09 pic, that somehow didn't get linked right.On Tue, Jan 26, 2010 at 1:42 PM, Lina Gabriev <lina.gabriev@...> wrote:

I would definitely talk with your doctor about this.  We had asymmetry issues, but it was because of growth restriction inutero.  Not only was she born with plagio and severe tort, but the whole right side of her skull was smaller than her left, most noticeable in her jaw.  Banding did correct her plagio but there was some asymmetry left.  Her doctors continue to assure me that it will even out as she's continues to grow.  I'm still concerned about her jaw and teeth, but thus far her doctors have been correct.  It's a slow process to be sure but her asymmetry is continuing to correct with time, which is typical with plagio. 

Here's some pics so you can see the progression.This was after after about a month in her first helmet.  Elaine has the white bow and is about 6 months old. Christmas '08

This was after her first helmet, before her second (she's on the right).  Unfortunatly due to surgery to help correct her tort she was out of a band for about 3 weeks.  Her overall measurements are about halved, but the asymmetry looks terrible to me.

Santa '08This is after being in the new helmet a few weeks (on the right).  All of a sudden I'm starting to see excellent improvement in her face.

Jan '09

She's on the left here at a year old.  At this point her plagio is down to normal, but we still see asymmetry in the face.  We keep her in her helmet another few weeks then ease her out of it.  She graduated mid June of '09.

May '09   July '09Here she is more recently.  I can still see the asymmetry in her jaw, but I'm not sure it's something that anyone else would pick up on.  Her ears and eyes look even now.

December '09Elaine (twin A), plagio & tort, grad 06/09On Tue, Jan 26, 2010 at 7:47 AM, <melanie.watson@...> wrote:

 

I noticed just a little bit of that towards the end of 's helmet (when it was getting a little tighter in those areas), but not as much as in that picture. Her cheeks are now totally fine. I'm not sure whether you are dealing with the same thing or not. Talk to the doctor about whether this is a bone issue from her plagio or whether it is temporary from swelling from pressure of the band. The facial assymetry that I see in the pictures looks like it could be from the head shape, but I don't have any before the band pictures to compare it to.

Maybe the band needs to be adjusted near the cheek. I'm not sure. If I were you, I'd talk to the ortho and take her in to the doctor, assuming that you saw some sort of specialist before the band.

       

  PLEASE HELP! Possible cheek bone asymmetry after four+ months of helmet use?

 

My daughter Alyssa is in her second helmet. She wore a Hanger helmet for about 4 months and is now in a STAR band. The Cranial Vault Asymmentry has gone from 15mm to about 6mm and is looking much better but I have noticed her face becoming more asymmetrical. The top of her head is higher on her left which makes it look worse, and then her left cheek-bone and cheek is less full then the right making it look indented.

She sleeps on her face and seems to favor her left cheek (so she can suck her right thumb). I had never noticed this before - she tosses and turns when she first goes to bed and when I check on her but I have noticed if I go in later she seems to have settled onto her right cheek.

Has anyone else had this? Do you think it could be a deformation of the bones or could it be a muscular thing? I am so freaked out - it would be terrible to go from one deformation to another....Any advice? How can I stop her sleep on that cheek? She is almost a year old and SO mobile these days!!

I posted a pic of Alyssa in 'Our Plagio Babies A' called " Alyssa Asymmetrical cheek " taken before Christmas. Thanks for taking the time to look at this!! :-)

[Guest guest]

I, too, want to see the " before " front angle picture. I'd definitely

be thinking lawsuit if a helmet did this. Juries don't like people

who mess with a child's face... there's no subtlety or science

involved with that kind of judgment.

Otherwise, it's just a tough case, and you have my sympathy; I think

this is like what we saw in Clara's first STARband. Her helmet

didn't cause the problem, but I did see it getting worse in the face

because of the shape of the first helmet's front end, and called the

treatment to a temporary halt. Whereas Clara's cranium was, as a

unit, *rotated* left relative to her face, Alyssa's seems *tilted*

straight leftward. This may simply have been the most comfortable

way for her to hang out in your uterus. :[

Our approach has been to use a new STARband with longer " sideburns "

and a back that goes all the way to the neck to try and keep the

helmet slightly more straight than the crown. At this late stage of

the game, I expect and will accept whatever lumps may arise, as long

as they tend toward correction.

But it's still hard to keep the orthotist on track, and I can only

imagine it would be even harder for you. Does her helmet have a void

space along the entire right side of her head, except for a stripe

down by her ear? I doubt it. The choice for you then becomes,

deciding whether to ditch the helmet. If it is closely conforming to

the existing shape of her head, it might actually interfere with

repositioning, and gravity may be Alyssa's last hope.

You wouldn't have to perch her head on a high point or anything, as I

would have liked to do with Clara. Just turn it to the right, and

hope it settles like a pumpkin. Regarding the thumb, you could

substitute a pacifier. I've noticed when trying to get Clara to

sleep on a certain side, if I go in a couple times during the night

and change it for her, after a few days, she " takes the hint " and

tends toward that side on her own. I haven't tried to make her stay

on one side consistently for an extended period, though.

--

Thad Launderville

Montpelier, VT

Clara age 21 1/2 months, in STARband ~5 1/2 months

On Jan 26, 2010, at 3:35 AM, scrparker wrote:

> My daughter Alyssa is in her second helmet. She wore a Hanger

> helmet for about 4 months and is now in a STAR band.

>

> The Cranial Vault Asymmentry has gone from 15mm to about 6mm and

> is looking much better but I have noticed her face becoming more

> asymmetrical. The top of her head is higher on her left which makes

> it look worse, and then her left cheek-bone and cheek is less full

> then the right making it look indented.

>

> She sleeps on her face and seems to favor her left cheek (so she

> can suck her right thumb). I had never noticed this before - she

> tosses and turns when she first goes to bed and when I check on her

> but I have noticed if I go in later she seems to have settled onto

> her right cheek.

>

> Has anyone else had this? Do you think it could be a deformation of

> the bones or could it be a muscular thing? I am so freaked out - it

> would be terrible to go from one deformation to another....

>

> Any advice? How can I stop her sleep on that cheek? She is almost a

> year old and SO mobile these days!!

>

> I posted a pic of Alyssa in 'Our Plagio Babies A' called " Alyssa

> Asymmetrical cheek " taken before Christmas.

>

> Thanks for taking the time to look at this!! :-)

[Guest guest]

Hi,

Have you gone back and compared to pictures before the Starband?  Are

you sure it is the Starband causing this and not the plagio.  I also

see it in the left eye.  I would study the pictures and talk with

someone.

I also think there was some of this in .  After the helmet was

adjusted and shaved, I think it decreased.  I'm still not totally at

ease about the cheek.  Think this motivates me to watch how is

sleeping more closely.

Let us know how it goes.

Kathy, mom to almost 20 months, in Starband almost 8 months

wrote:

 

I noticed just a little bit of that towards the end of 's

helmet (when it was getting a little tighter in those areas), but not

as much as in that picture. Her cheeks are now totally fine. I'm not

sure whether you are dealing with the same thing or not. Talk to the

doctor about whether this is a bone issue from her plagio or whether it

is temporary from swelling from pressure of the band. The facial

assymetry that I see in the pictures looks like it could be from the

head shape, but I don't have any before the band pictures to compare it

to.

Maybe the band needs to be adjusted near the cheek. I'm not sure.

If I were you, I'd talk to the ortho and take her in to the doctor,

assuming that you saw some sort of specialist before the band.

       

 

PLEASE HELP! Possible cheek bone asymmetry after

four+ months of helmet use?

 

My daughter Alyssa is in her second helmet. She wore a Hanger

helmet for about 4 months and is now in a STAR band.

The Cranial Vault Asymmentry has gone from 15mm to about 6mm and is

looking much better but I have noticed her face becoming more

asymmetrical. The top of her head is higher on her left which makes it

look worse, and then her left cheek-bone and cheek is less full then

the right making it look indented.

She sleeps on her face and seems to favor her left cheek (so she can

suck her right thumb). I had never noticed this before - she tosses and

turns when she first goes to bed and when I check on her but I have

noticed if I go in later she seems to have settled onto her right

cheek.

Has anyone else had this? Do you think it could be a deformation of the

bones or could it be a muscular thing? I am so freaked out - it would

be terrible to go from one deformation to another....

Any advice? How can I stop her sleep on that cheek? She is almost a

year old and SO mobile these days!!

I posted a pic of Alyssa in 'Our Plagio Babies A' called "Alyssa

Asymmetrical cheek" taken before Christmas.

Thanks for taking the time to look at this!! :-)