Second guessing our choice not to get a second band.

[Guest guest]

I'm thinking we should have gone with a second band.

Would like opinions on if you would or not (photos in MACY LYNNE album in photo

section).

Background...

Moderate-Severe Plagio (I believe that she was a 15, maybe) due to torticollis

Cranial Tech DOC BAND for 3 months (4 months to 6 months)

At end of treatment she measured a 5 (I believe, it may have been a 6)

The clinicians in the CT office were divided on their opinions if we should get

a second band. The office manager was leaning towards a yes, the clinician was

leaning towards a no. We discussed for an hour & decided not to.

She is now 9 months old.

Pros of getting a band- NOT second guessing ourselves anymore. Doing ALL that

we can for her.

Cons of getting a band- The closest CT is two hours away & it's costly in gas.

The cost of the band (we would have to cover $600). We live in the desert &

it's going to get hot here soon & I don't want her banded in the heat. Snuggles

without the band are much sweeter than snuggles with the band. I'm worried

about a period of adjustment as now she is 9 months.

My main questions:

1) Do you think it's just cosmetic? And, if so, do you think it's noticeable to

those without the trained eye that we have? And, do you see any assymetry in

her face or just her head?

2) Would you go for a second band?

Thank you in advance for your reply & support!

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I believe it is better to be safe than sorry. I would go back to CT

for another consultation. Given your daughter's young age, it is

possible there has been change since graduation. There was one story

where a mom was second guessing a 2nd band and it turned out the baby

had regressed. In this case, you may want to reband.

As far as the pictures go, your daughter did not look bad at all to

me. It was not obvious she needed another band. You may want to

confirm with CT that they will do a 2nd band. They turned us down with

5mm assymetry and honestly I think my son's head looked worse. At the

time, I was really upset, but we have been okay in our old Starband.

Also, are you sure you only need to pay $600. If the insurance is

paying, I would be surprised if they would pay for a second band,

especially with numbers under 6mm.

Definitely though, I think it is worth another eval at CT while there

is still time in case you do decide upon a 2nd band.

Best,

Kathy

Me wrote:

I'm thinking we should have gone with a second band.

Would like opinions on if you would or not (photos in MACY LYNNE album

in photo section).

Background...

Moderate-Severe Plagio (I believe that she was a 15, maybe) due to

torticollis

Cranial Tech DOC BAND for 3 months (4 months to 6 months)

At end of treatment she measured a 5 (I believe, it may have been a 6)

The clinicians in the CT office were divided on their opinions if we

should get a second band. The office manager was leaning towards a yes,

the clinician was leaning towards a no. We discussed for an hour &

decided not to.

She is now 9 months old.

Pros of getting a band- NOT second guessing ourselves anymore. Doing

ALL that we can for her.

Cons of getting a band- The closest CT is two hours away & it's

costly in gas. The cost of the band (we would have to cover $600). We

live in the desert & it's going to get hot here soon & I don't

want her banded in the heat. Snuggles without the band are much sweeter

than snuggles with the band. I'm worried about a period of adjustment

as now she is 9 months.

My main questions:

1) Do you think it's just cosmetic? And, if so, do you think it's

noticeable to those without the trained eye that we have? And, do you

see any assymetry in her face or just her head?

2) Would you go for a second band?

Thank you in advance for your reply & support!

[Guest guest]

It seems the first helmet was more effective in reducing asymmetry in

the back than on the forehead, correct? That's a similar scenario to

my twin B. I can tell you that in time, her forehead prominence

became a knot, became a bump, and I don't regret deciding not to

treat. I expect it will be unnoticeable, even by me, when she

reaches school age.

I think you succeeded in getting it past the point where you'd have

to worry about the cyclic etiology of head shape producing a bias in

how she lays on it producing a worse shape still, and that's my main

criterion of success. It should be admitted, however, that I

actually don't see the severity you mentioned in the entry photos,

either. That would have been the more questionable call for me.

I'd be more inclined to worry the other way, that the first helmet

contributed to the flat shape of the top of her head somehow. That's

where I see a cosmetic problem, which to me seems to have worsened

under the DOC Band. I'd expect the greater weight and coverage of

the STARband to be more effective in that regard (but less likely to

affect the forehead prominence). One plus to having a more

substantial helmet would be that you're entering the age when kids

start falling on coffee tables. I wasted an evening in the ER on

such an incident.

But no, I wouldn't spend the money, myself. It seems equally likely

to cause problems as help.

--

Thad Launderville

Montpelier, VT

Clara age 23 months, in STARband 6 1/2 months

On Mar 13, 2010, at 8:54 PM, Me wrote:

> I'm thinking we should have gone with a second band.

>

> Would like opinions on if you would or not (photos in MACY LYNNE

> album in photo section).

[snip]

> My main questions:

>

> 1) Do you think it's just cosmetic? And, if so, do you think it's

> noticeable to those without the trained eye that we have? And, do

> you see any assymetry in her face or just her head?

>

> 2) Would you go for a second band?

[Guest guest]

Hi,

Interesting. Our helmet was also much more effective in the back

asymmetry. For us, I am thinking that is because our front asymmetry

was so minor to start with, only about 1mm off. So, you could not

expect the helmet to be that precise as to correct to perfection. Our

helmet had a pretty much neutral effect on the forehead with no real

change in asymmetry despite plenty of growth up front. It may be that

the helmet stopped the forehead from progressing to worse.

Best,

Kath

Thad Launderville wrote:

It seems the first helmet was more effective in reducing asymmetry

in

the back than on the forehead, correct? That's a similar scenario to

my twin B. I can tell you that in time, her forehead prominence

became a knot, became a bump, and I don't regret deciding not to

treat. I expect it will be unnoticeable, even by me, when she

reaches school age.

I think you succeeded in getting it past the point where you'd have

to worry about the cyclic etiology of head shape producing a bias in

how she lays on it producing a worse shape still, and that's my main

criterion of success. It should be admitted, however, that I

actually don't see the severity you mentioned in the entry photos,

either. That would have been the more questionable call for me.

I'd be more inclined to worry the other way, that the first helmet

contributed to the flat shape of the top of her head somehow. That's

where I see a cosmetic problem, which to me seems to have worsened

under the DOC Band. I'd expect the greater weight and coverage of

the STARband to be more effective in that regard (but less likely to

affect the forehead prominence). One plus to having a more

substantial helmet would be that you're entering the age when kids

start falling on coffee tables. I wasted an evening in the ER on

such an incident.

But no, I wouldn't spend the money, myself. It seems equally likely

to cause problems as help.

--

Thad Launderville

Montpelier, VT

Clara age 23 months, in STARband 6 1/2 months

On Mar 13, 2010, at 8:54 PM, Me wrote:

> I'm thinking we should have gone with a second band.

>

> Would like opinions on if you would or not (photos in MACY LYNNE

> album in photo section).

[snip]

> My main questions:

>

> 1) Do you think it's just cosmetic? And, if so, do you think it's

> noticeable to those without the trained eye that we have? And, do

> you see any assymetry in her face or just her head?

>

> 2) Would you go for a second band?

[Guest guest]

I have to agree that the first photos don't look as severe as you say when I think of the other heads I've seen with these measurements. Since CT only does hand measurements, it's possible that there was quite a bit of error there. It looks a little bit more like a moderate case to me than a severe case.

The head seems much more even in the back at exit and this part of the head looks just fine to me. There is no noticeable difference in the sides.

It does seem odd to me that the only thing I really see is a flatness on the top of the head that seems the most visible in the March pictures. It's kind of like an inverted triangle. 's inverted triangle is with the flatness in the back and the narrow part in the front. Perhaps Thad is correct that it was caused by the band - I wouldn't really know. But, I do know that this tends not to be an area of focus for treatment. Plus, as he says, Doc bands may not cover enough of the top of the head to fix this. I can say that heads tend to grow upward as babies age and become toddlers. Faces get longer. Maybe this will self-correct? I don't know.

I can say that used to have a little bit of extra head height at the back of her head, but as she has gotten older, the front of the head seems to have gotten taller. She doesn't have that brachy high back head look anymore. I don't know whether this was natural improvement, improvement from our alternative treatments, or a visual illusion. Nevertheless, I don't see it anymore.

I do wonder if you should contact CT and ask them about this. If their band caused this problem, then they ought to know. They should at least be able to answer some questions for you about why it got worse in their band.

In all, I probably would not do another band, but the decision needs to be one that you feel good about. If you are unsure, then go back for another consultation.

What exactly bothers you about his head right now?

Re: Second guessing our choice not to get a second band.

It seems the first helmet was more effective in reducing asymmetry in the back than on the forehead, correct? That's a similar scenario to my twin B. I can tell you that in time, her forehead prominence became a knot, became a bump, and I don't regret deciding not to treat. I expect it will be unnoticeable, even by me, when she reaches school age.I think you succeeded in getting it past the point where you'd have to worry about the cyclic etiology of head shape producing a bias in how she lays on it producing a worse shape still, and that's my main criterion of success. It should be admitted, however, that I actually don't see the severity you mentioned in the entry photos, either. That would have been the more questionable call for me.I'd be more inclined to worry the other way, that the first helmet contributed to the flat shape of the top of her head somehow. That's where I see a cosmetic problem, which to me seems to have worsened under the DOC Band. I'd expect the greater weight and coverage of the STARband to be more effective in that regard (but less likely to affect the forehead prominence). One plus to having a more substantial helmet would be that you're entering the age when kids start falling on coffee tables. I wasted an evening in the ER on such an incident.But no, I wouldn't spend the money, myself. It seems equally likely to cause problems as help.-- Thad LaundervilleMontpelier, VTClara age 23 months, in STARband 6 1/2 monthsOn Mar 13, 2010, at 8:54 PM, Me wrote:> I'm thinking we should have gone with a second band.>> Would like opinions on if you would or not (photos in MACY LYNNE > album in photo section).[snip]> My main questions:>> 1) Do you think it's just cosmetic? And, if so, do you think it's > noticeable to those without the trained eye that we have? And, do > you see any assymetry in her face or just her head?>> 2) Would you go for a second band?

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I agree that the head does not look  too severe to begin with.  It

could easily be a measurement error.  When I first took in, I was

given hand measurements of 15mm, but then the scan only showed 7.2mm at

level 3 and 8mm at level 5. 

I could maybe see a little bit of forehead unevenness in the exit

picture.  How does the forehead look in real life?

, that is encouraging about the head height evening out. 

has a tiny bit of extra height in one area.  So, maybe it could still

even out for .

Best,

Kathy, mom to 21.5 months

wrote:

 

I have to agree that the first photos don't look as severe as you

say when I think of the other heads I've seen with these measurements.

Since CT only does hand measurements, it's possible that there was

quite a bit of error there. It looks a little bit more like a moderate

case to me than a severe case.

 

The head seems much more even in the back at exit and this part of

the head looks just fine to me. There is no noticeable difference in

the sides.

It does seem odd to me that the only thing I really see is a

flatness on the top of the head that seems the most visible in the

March pictures. It's kind of like an inverted triangle. 's

inverted triangle is with the flatness in the back and the narrow part

in the front. Perhaps Thad is correct that it was caused by the band -

I wouldn't really know. But, I do know that this tends not to be an

area of focus for treatment. Plus, as he says, Doc bands may not cover

enough of the top of the head to fix this. I can say that heads tend to

grow upward as babies age and become toddlers. Faces get longer. Maybe

this will self-correct? I don't know.

 

I can say that used to have a little bit of extra head

height at the back of her head, but as she has gotten older, the front

of the head seems to have gotten taller. She doesn't have that brachy

high back head look anymore. I don't know whether this was natural

improvement, improvement from our alternative treatments, or a visual

illusion. Nevertheless, I don't see it anymore.

 

I do wonder if you should contact CT and ask them about this. If

their band caused this problem, then they ought to know. They should at

least be able to answer some questions for you about why it got worse

in their band.

 

In all, I probably would not do another band, but the decision

needs to be one that you feel good about. If you are unsure, then go

back for another consultation.

 

What exactly bothers you about his head right now?

 

Re: Second guessing our choice not to get a second

band.

 

It seems the first helmet was more effective in reducing asymmetry

in

the back than on the forehead, correct? That's a similar scenario to

my twin B. I can tell you that in time, her forehead prominence

became a knot, became a bump, and I don't regret deciding not to

treat. I expect it will be unnoticeable, even by me, when she

reaches school age.

I think you succeeded in getting it past the point where you'd have

to worry about the cyclic etiology of head shape producing a bias in

how she lays on it producing a worse shape still, and that's my main

criterion of success. It should be admitted, however, that I

actually don't see the severity you mentioned in the entry photos,

either. That would have been the more questionable call for me.

I'd be more inclined to worry the other way, that the first helmet

contributed to the flat shape of the top of her head somehow. That's

where I see a cosmetic problem, which to me seems to have worsened

under the DOC Band. I'd expect the greater weight and coverage of

the STARband to be more effective in that regard (but less likely to

affect the forehead prominence). One plus to having a more

substantial helmet would be that you're entering the age when kids

start falling on coffee tables. I wasted an evening in the ER on

such an incident.

But no, I wouldn't spend the money, myself. It seems equally likely

to cause problems as help.

--

Thad Launderville

Montpelier, VT

Clara age 23 months, in STARband 6 1/2 months

On Mar 13, 2010, at 8:54 PM, Me wrote:

> I'm thinking we should have gone with a second band.

>

> Would like opinions on if you would or not (photos in MACY LYNNE

> album in photo section).

[snip]

> My main questions:

>

> 1) Do you think it's just cosmetic? And, if so, do you think it's

> noticeable to those without the trained eye that we have? And, do

> you see any assymetry in her face or just her head?

>

> 2) Would you go for a second band?

[Guest guest]

Thank you all for replying to me!

It surprises me that you all don't think she was bad to begin with. We were

told that she was moderate to severe. Huh. Interesting.

Thad...yes, you are right. The first helmet seemed to really correct the flat

spots on the sides of the back of her head (mostly the right side, the left was

the worst but it was improved as well) but not so much the forehead asymmetry.

There was SOME forehead improvement but not a ton. CT said that a second band

probably wouldn't improve her forehead much anyway which is one of the reasons

we opted NOT to go with a second. I do hope that the forehead 'bump' does

straighten out.

Kath...yes, I suppose it did for sure prevent it from getting worse. Did you

put your band on the head mold to see the improvement? Ours did show a bit of

improvement on the left (meaning, the left side grew a bit while the right was

supposed to have stayed the same) so I know we got SOME improvement but no, not

a ton.

Kathy...thank you. Yes, CT confirmed at our exit appointment that they would do

a second band & that our insurance would cover the same amount as the first

time. So, I guess that is a positive here if we decide to go with another. I

do think you are right that there is no harm in going to another appointment at

CT for some measurements.

...yes, the one thing I didn't like about CT was that they did hand

measurements. I so wish they did digital like the others. I do hope that her

head continues to grow taller & naturally round out. The spot that bothers me

the most is that upside down triangle look. I DO feel that it was always kind

of there but I ALSO feel it looks worse now than before...even than back in

December.

I guess I have gone from being unsure about doing another band to feeling sick

that we even did the first.

As a mom (Macy is my second child) I tend to over analyze & second guess my

decisions in general. But, this just seems to weigh so heavily on me. I just

don't feel peace with any decision when it has come to her band. And, my

husband is a great dad but he's very much hands-off when it comes to decisions

such as this. He says he will support me with whatever I decide. This makes it

hard for me because the decision & therefore whatever consequences fall squarely

on me.

Thank you for reading & letting me vent.

>

> I'm thinking we should have gone with a second band.

>

> Would like opinions on if you would or not (photos in MACY LYNNE album in

photo section).

>

> Background...

>

> Moderate-Severe Plagio (I believe that she was a 15, maybe) due to torticollis

>

> Cranial Tech DOC BAND for 3 months (4 months to 6 months)

>

> At end of treatment she measured a 5 (I believe, it may have been a 6)

>

> The clinicians in the CT office were divided on their opinions if we should

get a second band. The office manager was leaning towards a yes, the clinician

was leaning towards a no. We discussed for an hour & decided not to.

>

> She is now 9 months old.

>

> Pros of getting a band- NOT second guessing ourselves anymore. Doing ALL

that we can for her.

>

> Cons of getting a band- The closest CT is two hours away & it's costly in

gas. The cost of the band (we would have to cover $600). We live in the desert

& it's going to get hot here soon & I don't want her banded in the heat.

Snuggles without the band are much sweeter than snuggles with the band. I'm

worried about a period of adjustment as now she is 9 months.

>

>

> My main questions:

>

> 1) Do you think it's just cosmetic? And, if so, do you think it's noticeable

to those without the trained eye that we have? And, do you see any assymetry in

her face or just her head?

>

> 2) Would you go for a second band?

>

> Thank you in advance for your reply & support!

>