coming to the US & want to see doc for plagio evaluation

October 26, 2010

Hello! I'm new to the group and very impressed with the knowledge of the

members. Sorry for the long message, but I'm hoping you can help steer me in the

right direction. I'm American but live in Denmark where we have government

healthcare. Bands for plagio are not an option here. Around my son's 3 month

b-day, I noticed a slight flat spot on the back left of his head and a

corresponding slight bulge on the right. I'm far more concerned about it than

our general practitioner and pediatrician. No one will measure his head. They

all say it's nothing, don't worry about it, it'll fix itself. Finally after

telling them I wouldn't sit idly by and wait and see, the pediatrician said " put

him on his right side for naps and at night have him sleep on his back with his

head to the right and he'll be fine. " That's the only option they gave us. The

results this gives are what we get, and that's that. I don't mind trying repo,

and after a month, his head looks a tiny bit better. He is 4.5 months old now,

and my concern is that ultimately repo might not provide satisfactory

correction.

We're going to visit my family in Mississippi over Thanksgiving/Christmas, and I

want my son to see a doctor in the US for a thorough exam and evaluation of his

head. I'd like to know where his head measurements fall as far as

mild/moderate/severe so I can decide if I'd like to seek further treatment in

the US.

My questions to the group are: what kind of doctor do I need to see and how the

heck do I go about finding a good one? If it's a specialist, might he/she

require a referral from a pediatrician or general practitioner? Will it be a

problem that I don't have insurance in the US & pay out of pocket? Can anyone

recommend a doctor or clinic in the Mississippi/Alabama/Louisiana/Northern

Florida areas? We're more than happy to travel a good distance, but

unfortunately the closest CT location is in Dallas which is about 550 miles

away.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer. I felt a bit lost until I found

this group ;-)

Jeanne

October 26, 2010

Hi Jeanne,

The one piece of advice I have is don't tell the doctor you live in denmark. I

live in India and when visiting the US I have a hard time finding a doctor to

see my daughter. They don't want to take patients who are transitory. I think

you'll do better if you pretent you're new to the area and will be continuing

there. Both doctors visits and banding will be expensive without insurance. I

would try to find a doctor before going, to ensure you have an appointment at a

busy time of year. I would recommend trying to find a ped who is familiar with

banding and hopefully they can write the rx for the band. I think that will be

cheaper than paying a specialist. Also if you have any doctor friends in your

circle you might want to investigate that route.

As for repo, I think there are tips in the files section of this group. Keep

your baby off his head as much as possible. Use a baby carrier instead of a

swing or bouncer. Keep him out of the carseat when not in the car. check out the

bumbo chair (helps them sit before they can do so on their own). You want to

keep the pressure off his head, particularly the flat part. When he is resting

on his head you want the pressure to be on the prominent area. You can also use

things like rolled up blanket or sock filled with rice in carseat or crib to

help his head tip to the desired side (put it behind one shoulder, sew or pin it

to pjs if needed so it won't move around). Some people do get sufficient

correction with repositioning to avoid banding.

Here is a link to locations that have star scanners

http://orthomerica.com/technology/scan_locations.htm

there are none in mississippi, but maybe you can see what is closest. These

othos provide starbands. There may be other orthos who provide bands too, but

this is a place to start. Also you can get a docband in spain, but not sure if

that would be easier or harder for you. Once you get a band/helmet you'll need

follow up visits every week or two for at least 2 months.

best of luck.

-christine

sydney, 4.5 yrs, starband grad

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> Hello! I'm new to the group and very impressed with the knowledge of the