Re: Worried about lack of asymmetry improvement

[Guest guest]

and Kathy,

What does the ortho say? Was there overall growth in the head? Does the band seem to fit well? Did hold still during the scan?

Also, you mentioned at one point that he was actually more visually moderate than mild at the start even though his real measurement was mild. Maybe the other changes that you are seeing are related to that. Are there changes in other other scan measurements?

did go through something similar in her last 4 months in the helmet. She only grew about 4.5 mm during that time and all of her change was in other kinds of change rather than in fixing her brachy (which was what we were looking for). If all of that 4.5 mm had gone to the back of her head, it would be much rounder. Instead, some of it went to rounding out part of the front and smoothing out the curve in the back.

, mom to , almost 25 months

STARband grad at 20.5 months (May 2009)

Chiro and CST

land

Worried about lack of asymmetry improvement

All,

This is , Kathy's husband. We just got our latest scan for our son (~16mo, Starband) today, and we're worried. Over the past 3 months, his asymmetry measure has basically stayed the same within measurement error. It's been about 6mm the whole time across several scans, and doesn't seem to be decreasing. We saw a drop the first month, but two weeks of that was not in a helmet (we had started doing aggressive repositioning during that time).

The scans also seem to show a lot of the growth happening in his forehead, where we don't want it, rather than in the back right of his head. We did see a 3% decrease in the brachiocephaly measure, but we're really mostly concerned with the plagio. It's really hard to tell if this helmet is helping at all with that. His head visually looks a bit better, but that's very subjective. The ortho is highly recommended and we like him, but we're worried that we should at least be seeing some indication of directional improvement in the asymmetry by now. Any advice?

Thanks,

Dad to , ~16 months

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Thanks for replying.

My understanding is the ortho is not worried, since he thinks

improvement is slow at this age.  However, no drop in asymmetry in over

3 months is scaring me.  There was over 3 mm increase in head

circumference this months and the brachy index dropped 2%, but mostly

from growth in the forehead.   I hope 's forehead is not protruding

too much!  

took to the scan since I've become too anxious, so I'm not

sure how that went.

Would a Doc band redirect the growth better?  Or am I just expecting

too much?  If the Doc band would help more, we would switch.  But we

don't want to switch needlessly.  The money and time would be well

worth it though if 's back right grew out, since otherwise I'll

always feel regret.

Thanks so much for all your help.

Kathy, mom to , 16 months, 3.5 months in Starband for plagio

wrote:

 

and Kathy,

 

What does the ortho say? Was there overall growth in the head?

Does the band seem to fit well? Did hold still during the scan?

 

Also, you mentioned at one point that he was actually more

visually moderate than mild at the start even though his real

measurement was mild. Maybe the other changes that you are seeing are

related to that. Are there changes in other other scan measurements?

 

did go through something similar in her last 4 months in

the helmet. She only grew about 4.5 mm during that time and all of her

change was in other kinds of change rather than in fixing her brachy

(which was what we were looking for). If all of that 4.5 mm had gone to

the back of her head, it would be much rounder. Instead, some of it

went to rounding out part of the front and smoothing out the curve in

the back.

, mom to , almost 25 months

STARband grad at 20.5 months (May 2009)

Chiro and CST

land

       

 

Worried about lack of asymmetry improvement

 

All,

This is , Kathy's husband.  We just got our latest scan for

our son (~16mo, Starband) today, and we're worried.  Over the past 3

months, his asymmetry measure has basically stayed the same within

measurement error. It's been about 6mm the whole time across several

scans, and doesn't seem to be decreasing.  We saw a drop the first

month, but two weeks of that was not in a helmet (we had started doing

aggressive repositioning during that time).

The scans also seem to show a lot of the growth happening in his

forehead, where we don't want it, rather than in the back right of his

head.  We did see a 3% decrease in the brachiocephaly measure, but

we're really mostly concerned with the plagio.  It's really hard to

tell if this helmet is helping at all with that.  His head visually

looks a bit better, but that's very subjective.  The ortho is highly

recommended and we like him, but we're worried that we should at least

be seeing some indication of directional improvement in the asymmetry

by now.  Any advice?

Thanks,

Dad to , ~16 months

[Guest guest]

(This is .)  He was pretty still during the scan, though the ortho said there was one " bump " where he moved, but it was not in the areas that he measured.  He did say that the circumference growth was more robust/reliable than the other measures, and that his hair was probably introducing some of the noise we saw in the scan.

-On Tue, Sep 22, 2009 at 5:08 AM, Kathy Jensen <kathylorajensen@...> wrote:

Hi ,

Thanks for replying.

My understanding is the ortho is not worried, since he thinks

improvement is slow at this age.  However, no drop in asymmetry in over

3 months is scaring me.  There was over 3 mm increase in head

circumference this months and the brachy index dropped 2%, but mostly

from growth in the forehead.   I hope 's forehead is not protruding

too much!  

took to the scan since I've become too anxious, so I'm not

sure how that went.

Would a Doc band redirect the growth better?  Or am I just expecting

too much?  If the Doc band would help more, we would switch.  But we

don't want to switch needlessly.  The money and time would be well

worth it though if 's back right grew out, since otherwise I'll

always feel regret.

Thanks so much for all your help.

Kathy, mom to , 16 months, 3.5 months in Starband for plagio

wrote:

 

and Kathy,

 

What does the ortho say? Was there overall growth in the head?

Does the band seem to fit well? Did hold still during the scan?

 

Also, you mentioned at one point that he was actually more

visually moderate than mild at the start even though his real

measurement was mild. Maybe the other changes that you are seeing are

related to that. Are there changes in other other scan measurements?

 

did go through something similar in her last 4 months in

the helmet. She only grew about 4.5 mm during that time and all of her

change was in other kinds of change rather than in fixing her brachy

(which was what we were looking for). If all of that 4.5 mm had gone to

the back of her head, it would be much rounder. Instead, some of it

went to rounding out part of the front and smoothing out the curve in

the back.

, mom to , almost 25 months

STARband grad at 20.5 months (May 2009)

Chiro and CST

land

       

 

Worried about lack of asymmetry improvement

 

All,

This is , Kathy's husband.  We just got our latest scan for

our son (~16mo, Starband) today, and we're worried.  Over the past 3

months, his asymmetry measure has basically stayed the same within

measurement error. It's been about 6mm the whole time across several

scans, and doesn't seem to be decreasing.  We saw a drop the first

month, but two weeks of that was not in a helmet (we had started doing

aggressive repositioning during that time).

The scans also seem to show a lot of the growth happening in his

forehead, where we don't want it, rather than in the back right of his

head.  We did see a 3% decrease in the brachiocephaly measure, but

we're really mostly concerned with the plagio.  It's really hard to

tell if this helmet is helping at all with that.  His head visually

looks a bit better, but that's very subjective.  The ortho is highly

recommended and we like him, but we're worried that we should at least

be seeing some indication of directional improvement in the asymmetry

by now.  Any advice?

Thanks,

Dad to , ~16 months

[Guest guest]

's anxiety jibes with my own, and I've decided to stay the

course; but, I had fewer options. We're seeking a decline in

asymmetry in the opposite direction, and at seven weeks are still

waiting. Check out our stereograms in the Photos > Our Babies C

(near the end) > Clara L.

Clara's STARband looks like hell, too. It slips out of alignment at

the closure. It rotates to hit one ear. It now has a removable pad

in it over the occipital prominence, because I've never seen a pink

spot and asked for a more aggressive fit. I don't have the choice to

go for a DOC Band; my anxiety is focused on whether to pursue a new

orthotist. I decided not to, rationalizing:

1) We are seeing results, generally speaking, just not the ones most

important to me, and it is still early in the treatment. It seems

that at least the asymmetry has been stopped from progressing.

2) If the helmet continues to fill with new growth along current

lines, the void over the flat spot will be gradually decreased, and

the helmet will have less room to rotate, bringing more force to bear

on the asymmetry.

So, there remains a handful of hope to weigh against my dissatisfaction.

Thad Launderville

Montpelier, VT

Clara age 17.5 mos., STARband since 8/10

On Sep 22, 2009, at 1:46 AM, wrote:

> [...]we're worried that we should at least be seeing some

> indication of directional improvement in the asymmetry by now.

[Guest guest]

Hi Kathy and ,

I'm not sure what to recommend. My understanding is that the DOC band and STARband work the same way and it's largely the ortho that you need to worry about. That being said, we've only done the STARband so I can't really say one way or another. I know that CT people swear by them, but in my area, our local people that I've had contact with (2 PTs and a cranial doc) swear by our local STARband place (Starcranial in Columbia) over the local CT (in VA).

You've also got an additional factor besides the helmet because of the cranial work being done by your chiro. Perhaps 's head has its own agenda about the order of improvement. I don't know - it's just a thought that I'm throwing out there. I really wanted 's growth to go towards getting longer, but her head decided to smooth out the roundness instead. 's head has decided to work on the brachy first. I wouldn't stop the cranial work because you may end up in the right place at the end, but it's something to consider.

Also, 3mm of growth really isn't much for 3 months so to get 2 percentage points of improvement in brachy with that is really good. only got 2. 6 percentage points of improvement with her first 1 cm of growth. 's growth is also below the average amount if you look at the growth charts for head circumferance. That tells me that he's due a growth spurt. He's got to catch up soon. 's head grew about 1 cm in the first 9 weeks that she wore it (from 14.75 to 17 months).

Kathy, I can understand your trouble sleeping. I remember how bad I felt at 's lack of improvement during her last four months when she only grew 4 mm. This is such a huge decision because time is of the essense. I guess I might say that it wouldn't hurt to go to your closest CT. Find out what they have to say. At the very least, you'll get a wonderful set of pictures (I love looking at the ones of ) that give you great angles of the head and capture the critical views for looking at brachy and plagio. On the other hand, if your ortho is as highly recommended as you say, I'm not sure that the DOCband itself would be able to do more. You'd have yourself a long drive, another huge out of pocket expense and 16 more weeks for improvement in the band. I'm sure that you'd do it all if you knew for sure that this would bring more improvement.

I honestly believe that if could have stayed in her STARband until she was 2, I've have her under the 90 percent that was my goal and I wouldn't be sitting here worrying about her head. I think it's because the STARband orthos are not so open minded about older babies that most go to CT.

I'm not sure whether my thinking out loud has helped at all. Good luck with your decision and let us know what you've decided to do.

, mom to , almost 25 months

STARband grad at 20.5 months

Chiro and CST

land

Worried about lack of asymmetry improvement

All,

This is , Kathy's husband. We just got our latest scan for our son (~16mo, Starband) today, and we're worried. Over the past 3 months, his asymmetry measure has basically stayed the same within measurement error. It's been about 6mm the whole time across several scans, and doesn't seem to be decreasing. We saw a drop the first month, but two weeks of that was not in a helmet (we had started doing aggressive repositioning during that time).

The scans also seem to show a lot of the growth happening in his forehead, where we don't want it, rather than in the back right of his head. We did see a 3% decrease in the brachiocephaly measure, but we're really mostly concerned with the plagio. It's really hard to tell if this helmet is helping at all with that. His head visually looks a bit better, but that's very subjective. The ortho is highly recommended and we like him, but we're worried that we should at least be seeing some indication of directional improvement in the asymmetry by now. Any advice?

Thanks,

Dad to , ~16 months

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Thanks for responding!   Unfortunately, you might have a point that the

DOC band may not work better. 

I really hope you are right and is due for a growth spurt.  My

theory is that 's head is normalizing toward its genetic size.  His

head started out tons bigger than his older brother's.  Other than the

head, is almost exactly the same size his brother was at 16 months.

There is one indicator of asymmetry that improved.  As the brachy

improved, the max diagonal at level 3 shifted closer to zero degrees. 

In order for this line to move, the head needs to fill out in the very

back on both sides.  Maybe, this is part of the visual improvement we

see even though the asymmetry measurement is stuck.  The lack of

improvement in the asymmetry measurement is why I got so depressed with

this scan.  Also, I figure with our luck, the max diagonal shift is

measurement error too.

The forehead scares me.  I noticed from the emails that people see more

facial asymmetry as the baby fat disappears.  's scans show a very

slight forehead bulge on the right side and it is definitely not

improving between scans.  Maybe, a DOC band can help with this.

Unfortunately, 's chiropractor is out of town, so we are missing a

couple session.  The chiropractor is always encouraging, so her being

away probably contributes to me feeling so down.

Think I'll take for a haircut tomorrow.  There are a few areas on

the scans where the contours have little waves, which said the

ortho contributed to hair.  I feel sad cutting his hair, but maybe it

will grow back thicker.

I'll keep people updated.

Kathy

wrote:

 

Hi Kathy and ,

 

I'm not sure what to recommend. My understanding is that the DOC

band and STARband work the same way and it's largely the ortho that you

need to worry about. That being said, we've only done the STARband so I

can't really say one way or another. I know that CT people swear by

them, but in my area, our local people that I've had contact with (2

PTs and a cranial doc) swear by our local STARband place (Starcranial

in Columbia) over the local CT (in VA).

 

You've also got an additional factor besides the helmet because of

the cranial work being done by your chiro. Perhaps 's head has its

own agenda about the order of improvement. I don't know - it's just a

thought that I'm throwing out there. I really wanted 's growth

to go towards getting longer, but her head decided to smooth out the

roundness instead. 's head has decided to work on the brachy first.

I wouldn't stop the cranial work because you may end up in the right

place at the end, but it's something to consider.

 

Also, 3mm of growth really isn't much for 3 months so to get 2

percentage points of improvement in brachy with that is really good.

only got 2. 6 percentage points of improvement with her first

1 cm of growth. 's growth is also below the average amount if you

look at the growth charts for head circumferance. That tells me that

he's due a growth spurt. He's got to catch up soon. 's head grew

about 1 cm in the first 9 weeks that she wore it (from 14.75 to 17

months).

 

Kathy, I can understand your trouble sleeping. I remember how bad

I felt at 's lack of improvement during her last four months

when she only grew 4 mm. This is such a huge decision because time is

of the essense. I guess I might say that it wouldn't hurt to go to your

closest CT. Find out what they have to say. At the very least, you'll

get a wonderful set of pictures (I love looking at the ones of )

that give you great angles of the head and capture the critical views

for looking at brachy and plagio. On the other hand, if your ortho is

as highly recommended as you say, I'm not sure that the DOCband itself

would be able to do more. You'd have yourself a long drive, another

huge out of pocket expense and 16 more weeks for improvement in the

band. I'm sure that you'd do it all if you knew for sure that this

would bring more improvement.

 

I honestly believe that if could have stayed in her

STARband until she was 2, I've have her under the 90 percent that was

my goal and I wouldn't be sitting here worrying about her head. I think

it's because the STARband orthos are not so open minded about older

babies that most go to CT.

 

I'm not sure whether my thinking out loud has helped at all. Good

luck with your decision and let us know what you've decided to do.

 

, mom to , almost 25 months

STARband grad at 20.5 months

Chiro and CST

land

 

 

       

 

Worried about lack of asymmetry improvement

 

All,

This is , Kathy's husband.  We just got our latest scan

for our son (~16mo, Starband) today, and we're worried.  Over the past

3 months, his asymmetry measure has basically stayed the same within

measurement error. It's been about 6mm the whole time across several

scans, and doesn't seem to be decreasing.  We saw a drop the first

month, but two weeks of that was not in a helmet (we had started doing

aggressive repositioning during that time).

The scans also seem to show a lot of the growth happening in

his forehead, where we don't want it, rather than in the back right of

his head.  We did see a 3% decrease in the brachiocephaly measure, but

we're really mostly concerned with the plagio.  It's really hard to

tell if this helmet is helping at all with that.  His head visually

looks a bit better, but that's very subjective.  The ortho is highly

recommended and we like him, but we're worried that we should at least

be seeing some indication of directional improvement in the asymmetry

by now.  Any advice?

Thanks,

Dad to , ~16 months