Re: what should I expect during casting?

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 05/31/2000 9:02:27 PM Mountain Daylight Time,

JenMetrose@... writes:

Hi and welcome to the group! My name is Tanda and my daughter Kaia has been

in her DOC band for 3 weeks now and she is 8 1/2 months old.

<< 1. Can anyone explain what the casting process is like?

When they casted Kaia they had her be in just her diaper and they used these

cloths that they dipped in water and then they were able to fit them to her

head. She cried the entire time which was about 10 minutes...as soon as they

took the cast off she stopped.

2. Why did some of you chose the band over the helmet?

We chose the band because first there is no place to get a helmet where I

live...second we had heard so many positive things about the band that we

felt more comfortable going with it.

3. For those of you w/ the helmet, how long did it take for your baby to

adjust?

Kaia took to the band right away...she has been wearing it 23/7 since we got

it

4. How are the vents in the helmet?

5. How quickly do you notice improvement?

We noticed a difference after a week...although it was slight there was still

a difference.

6. How did your friends react? family? strangers?

My family thinks that Kaia is handicapped now ..lol...my dad swears I should

get a parking sticker...as far as strangers it has gone both ways...I've had

people come up and give Kaia all kinds of attention and I have had people go

out of their way to avoid us.....

>>

I do want to say how very pleased I am with Cranial Tech they are a great

bunch of people and will help you in any way that they can.

Hope this helps

Tanda

[Guest guest]

Hi !

Glad you found us!

Check the files section at the community site for pictures showing the

casting process. I think a lot of them are for the band, but the

2 processes are similar. They will help you out a lot, as the casting

can be a little traumatic if you don't know what to expect.

Choosing either band or helmet for some is easy. Quite a few

of us only had one choice ( I am in Canada and this was the only option

offered to us ). For some, it is financial. The band usually

goes for about $2500 - $3000, where as the helmets can range from about

$500 - $3000. For others it is location. There are many determining

factors in each situation.

As far as friends and family go, some are all for it, some hate it,

and some are completely in denial. I sent out a little pamphlet to

my family members and friends explaining the situation. That way,

they were not misinformed by someone else's interpretation of OUR situation.

For strangers, I made a hand-out. There is a folder in the files

section with different hand-outs in it. Most strangers are very polite

and curious, but some have run into "rudies".

Hope this helps out a little.

Kendra

JenMetrose@... wrote:

Hi!

I'm new to the group. I have a 5 1/2 month old daughter, Casey.

We're

getting casted for a helmet 6/8 and will pick it up 6/16.

Questions for anyone willing to answer!

1. Can anyone explain what the casting process is like?

2. Why did some of you chose the band over the helmet?

3. For those of you w/ the helmet, how long did it take for

your baby to

adjust?

4. How are the vents in the helmet?

5. How quickly do you notice improvement?

6. How did your friends react? family? strangers?

Real quickly, our story is....at our 2 month check up, doctor noticed

a

slight flat spot and told us to turn her more during sleeping.

We tried,

tried, tried EVERYTHING but the baby always found a way to get

on her back

and look to the right. Not matter where she was (car seat, bouncer,

swing,

feedings in my arms, etc.) Anyways, at 4 months we saw a

specialist, they

gave us a prescription for the helmet but told us we could try

positioning

for another month or two...no luck.

At any rate, we're going with the helmet. Our insurance doesn't

cover it, so

we're pretty bummed. I've read so much about the DOC band

and it looks

great, but getting to the clinic for the band is a little more

challenging.

Question - We live in Fountain Valley, California in Orange County.

We will

be getting the helmet from Beverly Hills Prosthetics. The

DOC band is

available at the Crain Clinic in San Diego (but the clinic is only

open on

Fridays). That would be tough for us to get to on Friday's

only...so we've

opted to go with the helmet. At any rate, the band is 3000K

(Beverly Hills

Prosthetics is charging 2900 for the helmet). My question

is, does anyone

know of any outfit in Orange County that can provide the DOC band

or even a

helmet? No matter what, this is out of pocket for us.

Our only variable is

location to get treatment. Please advise if anyone knows

anything in Orange

County.

This is a great site. I'm so happy to have joined this.

Going through

helmet therapy is going to be much easier with all of you out there

going

through the same thing.

Take Care,

[Guest guest]

Hi !

Welcome to the group!

My son is 13 months old and has been in his DOC band for 3 months.

I don't know of any DOC clinics in Orange County, but we live in Silver

Lake (near downtown L.A.) and are going to the Burbank Cranial Therapies

office. San Diego is *not* the only DOC band clinic in California. Cranial

Therapies' bands are manufactured in Phoenix by Cranial Technologies. The

price at the Burbank clinic, unfortunately, would be the same as the San

Diego office, but the commute wouldn't be worse (and there wouldn't be

Beverly Hills traffic). If you're interested in band info their number

is (888) 500-5588.

2. Why did some of you chose the band over the helmet?

We could have gone to Cedars Sinai for a helmet, but the more we

read about the DOC band, the more we began to see it as "state of the art"

(such as these sorts of things can be). The pediatric neurosurgeon we saw

(J. Gordon McComb at Children's Hospital of LA) was familiar with the band,

and told us we could expect perhaps 25% improvement. He left it entirely

up to us and gave reasons for and against. It took all of 5 minutes to

decide for the DOC band. We've seen 25% improvement at least, if not more,

and we have months to go. We have no, nada, zip, rien, regrets.

6. How did your friends react? family? strangers?

Our friends and family have been supportive, sympathetic and very matter-of-fact

about it all. We've never treated with anything less than acceptance,

and he doesn't know that there's anything wrong with him (I don't think).

It's just a part of life and we're so used to seeing him in his band that

he looks strange without it! Strangers can sometimes act oddly however.

It's really wonderful when someone knows what the band is. Invariably they

tell a story of a child they know who looks so much better because of the

band. That always makes my day. :-)

BTW, there's some pretty good help in the files section of this site

regarding insurance appeals. We have Blue Cross and they paid 80% without

one hassle.

There are lots of diligent parents here with great info and support

to share! This is a great group who does know what you're going through!!

You're not alone. :-)

Best of luck to you and your little one,

Shari

's mom (4/16/99)

Hi!

I'm new to the group. I have a 5 1/2 month old daughter, Casey.

We're

getting casted for a helmet 6/8 and will pick it up 6/16.

Questions for anyone willing to answer!

1. Can anyone explain what the casting process is like?

2. Why did some of you chose the band over the helmet?

3. For those of you w/ the helmet, how long did it take for

your baby to

adjust?

4. How are the vents in the helmet?

5. How quickly do you notice improvement?

6. How did your friends react? family? strangers?

Real quickly, our story is....at our 2 month check up, doctor noticed

a

slight flat spot and told us to turn her more during sleeping.

We tried,

tried, tried EVERYTHING but the baby always found a way to get

on her back

and look to the right. Not matter where she was (car seat, bouncer,

swing,

feedings in my arms, etc.) Anyways, at 4 months we saw a

specialist, they

gave us a prescription for the helmet but told us we could try

positioning

for another month or two...no luck.

At any rate, we're going with the helmet. Our insurance doesn't

cover it, so

we're pretty bummed. I've read so much about the DOC band

and it looks

great, but getting to the clinic for the band is a little more

challenging.

Question - We live in Fountain Valley, California in Orange County.

We will

be getting the helmet from Beverly Hills Prosthetics. The

DOC band is

available at the Crain Clinic in San Diego (but the clinic is only

open on

Fridays). That would be tough for us to get to on Friday's

only...so we've

opted to go with the helmet. At any rate, the band is 3000K

(Beverly Hills

Prosthetics is charging 2900 for the helmet). My question

is, does anyone

know of any outfit in Orange County that can provide the DOC band

or even a

helmet? No matter what, this is out of pocket for us.

Our only variable is

location to get treatment. Please advise if anyone knows

anything in Orange

County.

This is a great site. I'm so happy to have joined this.

Going through

helmet therapy is going to be much easier with all of you out there

going

through the same thing.

Take Care,

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 5/31/00 10:02:39 PM Central Daylight Time,

JenMetrose@... writes:

<< Questions for anyone willing to answer!

1. Can anyone explain what the casting process is like?

We got casted for the DOC Band. They put a mesh stocking over his head and

then it is like plaster and strips of cloth. They cut the helmet in half and

peel off the front and back of face. The usually cry the whole time too. No

fun and messy for all. After they get a nice warm bath. That helps to calm

down too.

2. Why did some of you chose the band over the helmet?

The local helmet maker wouldn't make a helmet when I went in to see him. He

said so get the DOC Band, a better product. My insurance would cover him

100% and he said if I needed any help to let him know. Was so nice! Haven't

heard what our insurance is paying yet.

4. How are the vents in the helmet?

I would asked to see the helmet. The Band is open on top. Like that style

with the summer heat coming on.

5. How quickly do you notice improvement?

We get ours tomorrow. Sounds like only weeks before you see improvements!

6. How did your friends react? Family? Strangers?

We have had only support from friends and family. I'll be eager to see

myself how strangers react.

Tammy & 12/8/99

[Guest guest]

, both of my sons (7 mos old) are in helmets, so I thought I might be

able to provide you with some helpful information in response to your questions.

1. Can anyone explain what the casting process is like?

For the helmets we have, the casting process appeared to be much easier than

that with the DOC band. One of my sons did not cry at all, while the other cried

a little only because he was tired and hungry. They had the boys sit on our

laps, covered their heads with a sock (but not over their eyes which is probably

why it's less traumatic), then put vaseline on the sock, then started putting

wet plaster strips around their head. One of my sons thought it was kind of

neat, he kept trying to grab at the strips as they were going on his head.

Anyway, when they were all wrapped up, we waited about 5 mins for it to dry,

then the casts were lifted off of their heads. That was the only part that

looked uncomfortable, cause they had to tug a bit, but all in all, it wasn't bad

at all. I have to say that it was a bit messy, but they tried to keep up clean

by putting a smock over me and my husband before we started. The babies were

just in their diapers, so we just gave them a quick clean up after it was all

over.

2. Why did some of you chose the band over the helmet?

We live in Northern California, so there isn't a DOC facility nearby. While I

considered traveling down south to do the DOC band, I just couldn't imagine

making weekly trips with both boys, and there was no way my husband could take

that time off each week to help me.

3. For those of you w/ the helmet, how long did it take for your baby to

adjust?

Both of my boys were real quick to adjust. Hunter (the more easy going) was in

it 23 hours by the end of the 3rd day. Mason took about 5-6 days to get used to

sleeping in it (he could easily go to sleep in it at night because he was so

tired, but had trouble putting himself to sleep for naps), but since then, we

have had no troubles.

4. How are the vents in the helmet?

Our helmets are open at the top and also have air holes punched in all over

them. The opening at the top is not as much as the DOC band, put is probably

about 4 inches diameter, which gives them a lot of air.

5. How quickly do you notice improvement?

Hunter got his helmet exactly three weeks ago and we can already see slight

improvement. To be honest, I thought it was just me, but just the other day my

nanny said (without me even asking) that she could already see a change. Mason

has only had his two weeks, and I can't see any change yet.

6. How did your friends react? family? strangers?

The weekend after we got the helmets, I painted them and put stickers on them so

that they look like Sharks' helmets (our local hockey team). Our family think

it's a riot, and that they don't even look like orthotic devices. We get some

funny looks from strangers, but no one has asked us what is wrong with the

babies, I think they just think we are diehard hockey fans! In fact, we saw a

couple of good friends at a graduation who don't know about the plagio, and they

didn't even ask what the helmets were for. When I told them later, they said

they just thought they were play things.

Regarding the cost, our helmets were about $1200 a piece (all follow up

appointments included), a lot less than the price you quoted. We haven't gotten

a response from our insurance yet, but plan to fight hard to get it covered

(with the help of all the great appeals docs on this site).

Also, I thought I would pipe up about your helmet vs. DOC band decision. To be

honest, if we lived where you do, we would have opted for the DOC band. While I

believe that the helmets will work, I think that the DOC band works faster (and

maybe more completely, although I hope not). As they say, only time will tell.

Anyway, good luck with your decision. Let me know if you have any other

questions,

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Savings + service + convenience = beMANY!

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[Guest guest]

In a message dated 5/31/00 8:02:41 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

JenMetrose@... writes:

<< Question - We live in Fountain Valley, California in Orange County. We

will

be getting the helmet from Beverly Hills Prosthetics. The DOC band is

available at the Crain Clinic in San Diego (but the clinic is only open on

Fridays). That would be tough for us to get to on Friday's only...so we've

opted to go with the helmet. At any rate, the band is 3000K (Beverly Hills

Prosthetics is charging 2900 for the helmet). My question is, does anyone

know of any outfit in Orange County that can provide the DOC band or even a

helmet? No matter what, this is out of pocket for us. Our only variable is

location to get treatment. Please advise if anyone knows anything in Orange

County.

>>

-

sorry to reply a day or two late.

We are in Long Beach and go to Cranial Therapies in Burbank (about 1 hr from

me, not too far from you also:)!)

Their charge is $3,343 - close to your helmet.

E-mail me at aakara@... if you want more info...hey if you have to pay

out of pocket at least you have both a local place avail for helmet & doc

band:)

PS they are open Tues - Friday

they are at cranialtherapies.com, they mfg thru Cranial Tech

[Guest guest]

Hi ! Welcom to the group!. To answer some of your questions:

My daughter,16 mos, has the helmet. There wasnt a choice for us with

band or helmet. I wasnt even aware we couldve had a choice until I

found this site!!:-) And that was a short time after is already

received her helmet. The helmet is a lot closer to get than the band

which is 2 states away. All in all, we're happy with the it:-)

is adjusted to the helmet very quickly. She kept putting her hands

up there, but never made a fuss over it. Our helmet is made similar to

the band; the top part is cut out exposing the top of the head (pics are

under Lexy1).

We've seen a lot of improvement...but its taken a lot longer because she

just got started with it at 12 months.

The family thinks its a great " invention " and thinks she looks like a

little football player:-) My grandma isnt to thrilled about it because

she still thinks her head wouldve rounded out. When we go to the store,

we get a lot of stares, questions....thats about it. Its not that bad.

Hope this helps u out some! Again, welcome to the group!!

Dawn T