Re: What are the pros/cons of stopping DOC Band treatment after 4.5 weeks

[Guest guest]

I really haven't heard of all these dents. My daughter's head was a bit lumpy

while it was growing. She had brachy and therefore needed a lot of growth in

back to flatten out. I'm glad they are doing a re-eval next week. Please tell us

what they find. If you're not satisfied make sure the head office weighs in.

I also admit that it is hard for me to picture the problems you're describing.

Sometimes there foam cut out on one side of the docband which can leave a

vertical line for a while. Is that the case? Do you know what is causing a

horizontal dent? Just to reassure you, most docband parents are very happy. But

of course you need to find out about your concerns. Please let us know what you

find out.

-christine

sydney, 4.5 yrs, starband grad

>

> I hate the way my daughter's head looks now. She has a horizontal dent across

the back of her head, a vertical dent down the center of the back of the skull,

a flat spot forming on the crown and her overall head shape from above has

changed from a crooked but smooth oval to a very angular egg shape with her

forehead seeming very narrow and her ears incredibly far apart. The band

constantly settles onto her eyebrows and I feel as if her forehead is starting

to angle inwards toward her eye sockets.

>

> The clinician yesterday said everything looked normal and brushed off my

concerns and questions. How can any of this be normal? I looked at the

before/after photos on their website and none of those babies have these marks.

If I stop the DOC Band treatment will her head finish rounding out on it's own?

The clinic can't schedule us for a re-evaluation until Monday but I don't want

my daughter's head to be like this and I know every minute counts with the

growth.

>

[Guest guest]

I can see the vertical line in the helmet from foam being cut out but it does

not match the vertical line on her head. Or rather, physically they line up, but

the high side of the ridge on her head is on the side with no foam removed and

the low side of the ridge on the side with foam removed. This seems to be the

reverse of what I would expect to see after she has grown for 4.5 weeks.

The flat spot I see/feel is at the top of the vertical ridge centered on her

crown and is about a half dollar coin in diameter. Nowhere does the helmet put

pressure on this spot, except maybe the very base of the flat spot.

The horizontal indention is about two fingers width up from the base of the

helmet line and it goes all the way across the back of her head (but not ear to

ear). Think of a valley between two low hills but even that is a bit

exaggerated. I don't know what effect the helmet is having on this because only

half of the helmet has foam cut out of it and yet the indention goes across both

sides of the helmet.

I am hoping our pediatrician will see us sometime today and perhaps he can

explain what they mean by growing " normally. " I can see the plagio smoothing out

but now it looks a lot like brachy to me. To all my questions about these ridges

and indentions and overall shape, Cranial Tech's answer was " She's just growing "

and " It's normal. " Just their repetitiveness of those answers make me think they

screwed something up and my daughter's head is paying for it. Paranoid I know,

but I'm trusted them based on the reviews online and the before/after photos

they showed me.

> >

> > I hate the way my daughter's head looks now. She has a horizontal dent

across the back of her head, a vertical dent down the center of the back of the

skull, a flat spot forming on the crown and her overall head shape from above

has changed from a crooked but smooth oval to a very angular egg shape with her

forehead seeming very narrow and her ears incredibly far apart. The band

constantly settles onto her eyebrows and I feel as if her forehead is starting

to angle inwards toward her eye sockets.

> >

> > The clinician yesterday said everything looked normal and brushed off my

concerns and questions. How can any of this be normal? I looked at the

before/after photos on their website and none of those babies have these marks.

If I stop the DOC Band treatment will her head finish rounding out on it's own?

The clinic can't schedule us for a re-evaluation until Monday but I don't want

my daughter's head to be like this and I know every minute counts with the

growth.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

I know how worrisome these types of issues can be. My son developed several

bulges while wearing his DOC Bands. The largest of which was located in the

space between the velcro. He also had one on the crown of his head where the

posterior top of the band made contact with his head. I would ask at every

visit and our clinician would assure me that it was just fluid build up and

would resolve within a few weeks after he graduated. She also said that any

part of the band that makes contact with the head could potentially develop this

type of ridging. I'm not sure if this is what is happening in your case,

because it's hard to image without being able to see it. If you would like more

accurate feedback, maybe you could post some photos of the areas you are

concerned about.

> > >

> > > I hate the way my daughter's head looks now. She has a horizontal dent

across the back of her head, a vertical dent down the center of the back of the

skull, a flat spot forming on the crown and her overall head shape from above

has changed from a crooked but smooth oval to a very angular egg shape with her

forehead seeming very narrow and her ears incredibly far apart. The band

constantly settles onto her eyebrows and I feel as if her forehead is starting

to angle inwards toward her eye sockets.

> > >

> > > The clinician yesterday said everything looked normal and brushed off my

concerns and questions. How can any of this be normal? I looked at the

before/after photos on their website and none of those babies have these marks.

If I stop the DOC Band treatment will her head finish rounding out on it's own?

The clinic can't schedule us for a re-evaluation until Monday but I don't want

my daughter's head to be like this and I know every minute counts with the

growth.

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Did the bulge go away? My son developed one in the space between the velcro. The

clinician has also been telling me that it's just a fluid build up but when I

look at it and touch it, it feels " bony. " He's almost done with his first band.

We have just gotten the imaging done for the second one which he's getting in

two weeks (he started the Doc band treatment at 10 months and is now 13). The

piece by the velcro is shaved almost all the way to the plastic and causing an

indent in my son's skull in addition to the bulge (especially after a night of

sleep). The band seems to be getting tight on him. I decided to take the band

off today but I'm not sure if I should keep it off or put it back on and not

worry about the bulge and the indent as they will go away (?).

> > > >

> > > > I hate the way my daughter's head looks now. She has a horizontal dent

across the back of her head, a vertical dent down the center of the back of the

skull, a flat spot forming on the crown and her overall head shape from above

has changed from a crooked but smooth oval to a very angular egg shape with her

forehead seeming very narrow and her ears incredibly far apart. The band

constantly settles onto her eyebrows and I feel as if her forehead is starting

to angle inwards toward her eye sockets.

> > > >

> > > > The clinician yesterday said everything looked normal and brushed off my

concerns and questions. How can any of this be normal? I looked at the

before/after photos on their website and none of those babies have these marks.

If I stop the DOC Band treatment will her head finish rounding out on it's own?

The clinic can't schedule us for a re-evaluation until Monday but I don't want

my daughter's head to be like this and I know every minute counts with the

growth.

> > > >

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Yes, the bulge/ridge between the velcro went away completely after about 2 weeks

of him graduating. It also felt very hard and " bony. " As long as your son is

not getting any red spots, it should be fine to keep the band on. I wouldn't

worry about permanent damage from the areas of the head that the band is

covering, as well as between the velcro. Your son has been wearing the band for

three months, giving plenty of time for indentation/fluid build up to

accumulate.

> > > > >

> > > > > I hate the way my daughter's head looks now. She has a horizontal dent

across the back of her head, a vertical dent down the center of the back of the

skull, a flat spot forming on the crown and her overall head shape from above

has changed from a crooked but smooth oval to a very angular egg shape with her

forehead seeming very narrow and her ears incredibly far apart. The band

constantly settles onto her eyebrows and I feel as if her forehead is starting

to angle inwards toward her eye sockets.

> > > > >

> > > > > The clinician yesterday said everything looked normal and brushed off

my concerns and questions. How can any of this be normal? I looked at the

before/after photos on their website and none of those babies have these marks.

If I stop the DOC Band treatment will her head finish rounding out on it's own?

The clinic can't schedule us for a re-evaluation until Monday but I don't want

my daughter's head to be like this and I know every minute counts with the

growth.

> > > > >

> > > >

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Thank you for your response. I really appreciate it. I'm glad to hear that the

bulge went away. My son is not showing any redness. I put the band back on

(don't want to " loose " the two weeks left in this band).

Thanks again.

> > > > > >

> > > > > > I hate the way my daughter's head looks now. She has a horizontal

dent across the back of her head, a vertical dent down the center of the back of

the skull, a flat spot forming on the crown and her overall head shape from

above has changed from a crooked but smooth oval to a very angular egg shape

with her forehead seeming very narrow and her ears incredibly far apart. The

band constantly settles onto her eyebrows and I feel as if her forehead is

starting to angle inwards toward her eye sockets.

> > > > > >

> > > > > > The clinician yesterday said everything looked normal and brushed

off my concerns and questions. How can any of this be normal? I looked at the

before/after photos on their website and none of those babies have these marks.

If I stop the DOC Band treatment will her head finish rounding out on it's own?

The clinic can't schedule us for a re-evaluation until Monday but I don't want

my daughter's head to be like this and I know every minute counts with the

growth.

> > > > > >

> > > > >

> > > >

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Cranial tech didn't give me copies of the photos they took today and I don't

have a scanner to put them up with anyway but from the pediatrician I got some

answers and Cranial tech continued to say that she is just growing.... so I

wasted a 6 hour round trip for nothing. I'm just as unhappy now as I was before

the photo re-evauluation.

The horizontal indention is a ridge from the occipital bone. Pediatrician

doesn't know why it appears so deep. Cranial tech said it's normal. It is in the

original photos so it has been there all along but I think it looks more

prominent now than it did previously.

The vertical ridges create a valley along where the two parietal plates came

together. Pediatrician said it seems as though the plates bowed when they came

together but he thinks they will smooth out as my daughter continues to grow but

it may be up to 4-5 years before they are not noticeable. Cranial tech would

only say that they are not caused by the helmet. But if the helmet pushes on the

sides of her head, couldn't this have been caused by the helmet? (I left a

message for our clinician because I was too upset early and didn't think of

this)

Her forehead looks fine to cranial tech but there's a ridge down the middle of

her forehead forming and the pediatrician said it could be cause for concern if

that soft spot is closing up early. Pediatrician doesn't want to do anything

about this yet. I can see in her photos that my daughters forehead does slope

inward now but Cranial tech said she was just mis-positioned in her first photo

and it's an illusion.

I want my daughter out of the helmet but her torticollis is by no means

controlled yet. She's been in the helmet for 5 weeks and Cranial Tech has just

mentioned stretching her from the original 8-10 weeks to 10-11 weeks. I also

noticed while holding her for the photos today that she kept her shoulders

tilted about 30 degrees horizontally, kind of like the scoliosis photos I

remember seeing as a kid, unless I tickled her straight. I'm afraid that by

taking her out of the helmet she would regress back to the more obvious

plagiocephaly and I would have to beg another helmet from the insurance company

to fix it. Repositioning is out of the question now because my daughter flips

all over the crib at night and is usually in a different position every 30

minutes.

I have a week to decide whether or not to keep her in the helmet. I have no idea

what to do. The pediatrician's on the fence about it. I want her out because I

am not happy with the service we are getting from Cranial Tech but there is no

one else who can handle this kind of treatment.

> > >

> > > I hate the way my daughter's head looks now. She has a horizontal dent

across the back of her head, a vertical dent down the center of the back of the

skull, a flat spot forming on the crown and her overall head shape from above

has changed from a crooked but smooth oval to a very angular egg shape with her

forehead seeming very narrow and her ears incredibly far apart. The band

constantly settles onto her eyebrows and I feel as if her forehead is starting

to angle inwards toward her eye sockets.

> > >

> > > The clinician yesterday said everything looked normal and brushed off my

concerns and questions. How can any of this be normal? I looked at the

before/after photos on their website and none of those babies have these marks.

If I stop the DOC Band treatment will her head finish rounding out on it's own?

The clinic can't schedule us for a re-evaluation until Monday but I don't want

my daughter's head to be like this and I know every minute counts with the

growth.

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

I think what I would do is ask that CT show her photos to the headquarters for a

2nd opinion, and if they think things are normal, continue with the band. There

are some good people there and they see a lot of heads and if there is any

problem they should catch it. My daughter had brachy, and it is common for

babies to have brachy combined with plagio. If this is the case they usually

focus on the plagio first.

One of the spots you described - the half dollar sized flat spot toward the

top/center of her head sounds like what my daughter has. She wore a starband

from 5 to 10 mo old, but that spot never fully corrected. I think the bottom of

the head fills in more easily. It is also true that some babies have more

prominent suture lines where the plates meet. Assuming you continue, I would

still recommend taking your own photos to check on things over time. I hope you

will see some changes soon that convince you things are going in the right

direction.

-christine

sydney, 4.5 yrs, starband grad

> > > >

> > > > I hate the way my daughter's head looks now. She has a horizontal dent

across the back of her head, a vertical dent down the center of the back of the

skull, a flat spot forming on the crown and her overall head shape from above

has changed from a crooked but smooth oval to a very angular egg shape with her

forehead seeming very narrow and her ears incredibly far apart. The band

constantly settles onto her eyebrows and I feel as if her forehead is starting

to angle inwards toward her eye sockets.

> > > >

> > > > The clinician yesterday said everything looked normal and brushed off my

concerns and questions. How can any of this be normal? I looked at the

before/after photos on their website and none of those babies have these marks.

If I stop the DOC Band treatment will her head finish rounding out on it's own?

The clinic can't schedule us for a re-evaluation until Monday but I don't want

my daughter's head to be like this and I know every minute counts with the

growth.

> > > >

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

,

I'm sorry you are having a tough time right now. Reading your post made me

think of two things for in the 'what it's worth' category. 1. Has anyone

mentioned the half dollar sized flat spot as a fontanel? My son has a similar

sounding flat spot and the answer that we always receive is that it is a

fontanel and may never fill out, and 2. your daughter's posture position sounds

a little like my son who has been diagnosed with low tone. We work on this (and

tort) with a physical therapist. One of our at home exercises is to make sure

that we 'tickle' his back to remind him to sit up straight. Not sure if any of

this information helps, but you are definitely being thought of right now out

here as you may your way through your decision.

> > > >

> > > > I hate the way my daughter's head looks now. She has a horizontal dent

across the back of her head, a vertical dent down the center of the back of the

skull, a flat spot forming on the crown and her overall head shape from above

has changed from a crooked but smooth oval to a very angular egg shape with her

forehead seeming very narrow and her ears incredibly far apart. The band

constantly settles onto her eyebrows and I feel as if her forehead is starting

to angle inwards toward her eye sockets.

> > > >

> > > > The clinician yesterday said everything looked normal and brushed off my

concerns and questions. How can any of this be normal? I looked at the

before/after photos on their website and none of those babies have these marks.

If I stop the DOC Band treatment will her head finish rounding out on it's own?

The clinic can't schedule us for a re-evaluation until Monday but I don't want

my daughter's head to be like this and I know every minute counts with the

growth.

> > > >

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Yes, we were told that a flat spot was the soft spot and would never fill out.

CT told me this when I went for a consult; however when I mentioned it to her

physical therapist, she pointed to where the soft spot was and it was in a

different place. So, now I don't really know what to think. I think that both of

them were physical therapists. I guess my physical therapist was also a cranial

therapist so maybe I trust her more.

Regardless, I have heard that the area up top often does not round out.

> > > > >

> > > > > I hate the way my daughter's head looks now. She has a horizontal dent

across the back of her head, a vertical dent down the center of the back of the

skull, a flat spot forming on the crown and her overall head shape from above

has changed from a crooked but smooth oval to a very angular egg shape with her

forehead seeming very narrow and her ears incredibly far apart. The band

constantly settles onto her eyebrows and I feel as if her forehead is starting

to angle inwards toward her eye sockets.

> > > > >

> > > > > The clinician yesterday said everything looked normal and brushed off

my concerns and questions. How can any of this be normal? I looked at the

before/after photos on their website and none of those babies have these marks.

If I stop the DOC Band treatment will her head finish rounding out on it's own?

The clinic can't schedule us for a re-evaluation until Monday but I don't want

my daughter's head to be like this and I know every minute counts with the

growth.

> > > > >

> > > >

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Thank You All for your responses. We just got home from driving back to Fort

Worth to visit with a Cranio-facial Specialist. He is requesting x-rays to rule

out craniosyntosis (spelling?) and by touch he can't determine if her

sutures/soft spots have closed up early.

He was very reassuring in that the helmet did not cause or aggravate the ridges

and indentions on my daughter's head. And that according to the Cranial

Technology numbers faxed over she has made tremendous progress in just the 5

weeks she has had her helmet. Her standard deviation number took her from +4.7

(which was WAY out on the bell curve)originally to +2.3 when majority of the

bell curve is within +/- 1. He thinks we will need a second helmet simply

because there is not much foam left in this one already. So we will continue

with the helmet at least through the end of this one and we'll see what

insurance has to say about a second helmet.

As for the physical muscle issues: Her head is still slightly tilted but the

doctor didn't feel any distinct resistance in either way she turned her head but

said to continue the exercises given to us as often as we can manage it. We do

infant yoga every other night (just seems like play time to her), massage on the

nights in between (around bedtime so she's not fighting me about which way she's

laying), physical therapy session once a week at daycare, and I do try to do

some exercises with her every night and to make sure every night is different so

that to her it is just an extension of play time and all the exercises rotate so

as to get all the muscle groups evenly.

I do know the tickling trick and it works really well to get her to sit straight

when she leans to the side (not so much her back for some reason). I

deliberately tip her upper body one way while holding her opposite hip on the

ground then tickle her to make her straighten up. She hardly notices because she

has a toy in her hand.

>

> I hate the way my daughter's head looks now. She has a horizontal dent across

the back of her head, a vertical dent down the center of the back of the skull,

a flat spot forming on the crown and her overall head shape from above has

changed from a crooked but smooth oval to a very angular egg shape with her

forehead seeming very narrow and her ears incredibly far apart. The band

constantly settles onto her eyebrows and I feel as if her forehead is starting

to angle inwards toward her eye sockets.

>

> The clinician yesterday said everything looked normal and brushed off my

concerns and questions. How can any of this be normal? I looked at the

before/after photos on their website and none of those babies have these marks.

If I stop the DOC Band treatment will her head finish rounding out on it's own?

The clinic can't schedule us for a re-evaluation until Monday but I don't want

my daughter's head to be like this and I know every minute counts with the

growth.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I'm glad your doc is being careful to check for cranial, but hopefully it will

be ruled out. Otherwise things seem to be going well - good to hear. Let us know

what the x-rays tell you.

-christine

sydney, 4.5 yrs, straband grad

> >

> > I hate the way my daughter's head looks now. She has a horizontal dent

across the back of her head, a vertical dent down the center of the back of the

skull, a flat spot forming on the crown and her overall head shape from above

has changed from a crooked but smooth oval to a very angular egg shape with her

forehead seeming very narrow and her ears incredibly far apart. The band

constantly settles onto her eyebrows and I feel as if her forehead is starting

to angle inwards toward her eye sockets.

> >

> > The clinician yesterday said everything looked normal and brushed off my

concerns and questions. How can any of this be normal? I looked at the

before/after photos on their website and none of those babies have these marks.

If I stop the DOC Band treatment will her head finish rounding out on it's own?

The clinic can't schedule us for a re-evaluation until Monday but I don't want

my daughter's head to be like this and I know every minute counts with the

growth.

> >

>