Re: Marci- helmets in Oklahoma

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I used a locally made helmet, but the ortho who made 's helmet now makes

a STARband as well. STARbands are very similar to DOCbands and work in the

exact same way. In the hands of an experienced and skilled ortho the STARband

can be an excellent product. I know that way back when I first started in

this group there were a couple of members from Tulsa that used bands. One

used a STARband made by someone in the Tulsa area and one used a DOCband and

traveled to Dallas. Another factor is cost. The STARband usually costs about

half of what the DOCband costs. It might be worth your time to check out the

STARband maker in your area and maybe even interview Bill Barringer in

Oklahoma City (the ortho we used) to see what kind of feel you can get for

their experience and skill in using the STARband. I can only speak for

myself, but I will say that Bill is an outstanding orthotist and has been

working with babies with plagio for some time now. He is part of some

important research being done about plagio and bands since he is associated

with University Hospital. You might give some of the STARband orthos a call

and see if you can set up an interview to speak with them, see some of the

pictures of their patients and hear some more about their experience. Of

course, you really cannot go wrong with the DOCband and it is pretty much a

sure thing. We have had some parents who had trouble with their DOCbands, but

it is very, very rare.

Good luck - I know what a tough decision this must be for you. The thought of

a 10 hour drive every couple of weeks must be quite stressful!!! You might

check out Angel Flight if you go that route to see if they can help you with

the cost of flying.

Let us know what you decide to do!

Marci (Mom to )

Oklahoma