son is 16 mos - 2nd band, or try to stay in existing band past

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I thought about keeping mine in for another 2 weeks but that thought only lasted about 5 minutes since I am not an orthotist. It's really not wise to do something as major as changing skull shape without clinical supervision. I wouldn't know if it needed to be shaved again or if the helmet was possibly making things worse. The clinician said that there was still a slight flat spot (about quarter sized) behind the ear but that the DOC band has met its life expectancy. In other words, it was worn out or else not in the right shape to be effective any longer. So we accepted that and no one can tell there is a flat spot with the naked eye and hair covering it.

I think you have done everything I would have though as far as getting the second opinion at Starband and insisting on the possibility of the second Docband. If I were you and money isn't a problem, as you have mentioned, I would get the second band. It should not hurt him since you will have a CT person doing it, and the only negative from their perspective seems to be the money you may waste on minimal progress. But you will be glad you did get the second band, and not sit up wondering how much better it would have gotten had you done the 2nd band. I am a clinician/researcher in a different field and definitely think patients should follow their intuition and not always just accept what healthcare professionals say. Not all have the same skill, not all are as optimistic as the next, and not all have the same motives when making clinical recommendations. From reading all of the various opinions presented by different CT clinicians across the country on this site, I bet one CT clinician in one city would say to do the 2nd band, whereas, another like yours would be more cautious and say there won't be progress. So if they can confidently say they can do the 2nd band without it harming your child, do it.