Questions about a 3rd band

January 5, 2010

My son Ellis (9mo yesterday) has been in a DOCband since early September. He's

nearing the end of his 2nd band with likely another 4-6 weeks left. He had

severe plagio with a CVA of 17mm to start and some facial asymmetry (cheek and

ear). At our visit last week the CVA was down to 6mm. Our therapist mentioned

that she didn't think a 3rd band would be necessary as he'll likely get some

continued improvement in his last weeks in the band and his facial asymmetry is

mostly corrected. She asked me how I was feeling about how Ellis' head looks. I

hadn't even thought a 3rd band was an option so was a bit surprised. Now I'm

trying to weigh whether I think a 3rd band would be something i want to advocate

for...

Generally i am thrilled about the improvement that we've seen. Ellis' head looks

so much better than it did, his ears are pretty much aligned and the asymmetry

in his cheek is not noticeable to someone who doesn't know about it. There is

definitely still some room for improvement though, the back R side of his head

is still a bit flat and the L forehead is filling out but still slightly angled.

And this is why i'm slightly torn. I'm leaning towards not banding again, but

wanted to make sure I considered all sides before making a decision. When I

weigh another 3-4 months in a new band vs. the way Ellis' head is now, I don't

know if it will be worth it. What have your experiences been with a 3rd band at

this age? Will the amount of improvement be worth the additional time? Cost is

not realy an issue to me, we've been lucky that our insurance has covered the

bands thus far and paying out of pocket for a 3rd would be manageable. I'd

really appreciate your thoughts and experiences as i weigh this decision.

Best regards and Happy New Year.

Ophelia ( 3.3 with a perfectly round head and Ellis 9mo DOCband since

9/2009)

NYC

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