Recovering from a bad adjustment + exit strategy

[Guest guest]

Despite having no confidence that Clara has achieved optimal results

with her STARband, I'm getting ready to ditch it. She had one great

adjustment, time before last, and for the first time, I SAW A HEAD

SHAPE I COULD BE SATISFIED WITH. Then, of course, the orthotist cut

a ridiculous amount of foam out, and I watched it melt away slowly

for a month. But, we went back twice last week and snugged it up again.

Why twice? I've observed a pattern with our -- shall we say,

dynamic? -- adjustments. Day 1 (the next evening), reactive

hyperemia resolves in about an hour. On this particular occasion,

the spot appeared centered on her forehead as a whole, rather than on

the prominence, indicating that although the inner circumference was

right, the holding point was misplaced. But I hold off on the call.

I'm not too worried about her skin, and the skull shape is already

improving.

Day 2, skin acclimates. Skull shape still improving, but it springs

out of shape a bit during the off hour. I decide to make the

appointment, and we get one on short notice. Probably because I used

the words " angry red spot " -- not that I was dishonest, but that's

all they needed to hear.

Day 3, shape looks almost the same after an hour -- an indication of

what I call " angular conformance. " By Day 4, it's the same as if the

helmet has been worn for weeks, and that's when we go in to have the

fit fine-tuned.

So, despite having failed to capture yet another month of growth, at

least we're back on track as far as the shape holding. I don't think

the circumferential growth is amounting to much anymore, anyway. We

left a little space in the front void, just in case. I also employed

a little trick I came up with for the last helmet, shaving a bit off

the spacer to square up the front end. It caused a little extra

width/sideways shift up front, but not in the back, and the net

result is neutral with respect to the front holding point. Asymmetry

is therefore now largely removed from the helmet, and it still fits

(albeit with the one temple angled wrong) on Clara's head. I take

that as a sign that we're about done.

The question is, will it stick? This last bad adjustment may be a

preview of what happens when the helmet finally comes off. But, the

thinnest part of the foam was on the prominence, which could not

possibly have been correct. There is a possibility that the helmet

was actively degrading the form of her skull. As I put it to the

orthotist, the difference between this adjustment and the last is

precisely the difference between " satisfied, " and " not. " He, of

course, wants to end treatment soon.

I'd love to hear about similar experiences, but any comment is

welcome. I'm thinking that we'll go in for maybe one last visit and

excuse the orthotist around Clara's birthday. That'll give this

adjustment about a month to " set, " if indeed helmets can have a

retainer effect. Not many people seem to think so. We're definitely

not planning on any nighttime wear. I may not even try to milk the

orthotist for another adjustment if she grows, I'm *soooo* done with

this.

--

Thad Launderville

Montpelier, VT

Clara age 23 months, in STARband ~7 months