Re: Daughter, Holly 10 months (a UK experience)

[Guest guest]

Hello

I do think you have made the right decision. My daughter was 1.2,

so much less than yours. Please let us know when you guys get the

helmet. Oh and the fitting for the helmet won't be bad at all.

Holly will be off to a rounder noggin soon. )

Sandy Willow's Mom

Torticollis resolved

Cranio Germany Grad 02/04

> > I'm new to this board and would like to share my experiences.

From

> > two weeks old we had noticed that Holly always had a tendency to

> look

> > to one particular side. Our Health visitors and GP all ignored

our

> > opinions and said that it was nothing to worry about. We noticed

> her

> > head shape was not completely 'normal', but all the advice we

> > received was that it would correct itself when she was sitting

> up.

> > She was diagnosed with mild plagiocephaly and slightly

hypertonic.

> At

> > 9 months we saw a consultant paedatrician who said she was

> developing

> > normally and should make good progress.

> >

> > It was only when my wife searched on the internet that we

> discovered

> > there was a potential link between the hypertonia and the head

> shape

> > that made us determined to get some answers. What finally

brought

> it

> > home was the experience of a colleague at work whose son saw Dr

> > Blecher in London.

> >

> > We saw him this Sunday at his clinic in London, who said that

she

> was

> > classed as being moderately plagiocephalic, although from the

> front,

> > her facial features were perfect, her right ear was about an

inch

> > forward of her left. Had she been severe, he would have

> recommended

> > her the helmet, if mild, to do nothing. Because of her age, the

> > helmet would not provide guaranteed improvement - had we seen

him

> six

> > months ago, then the chances of improvement would have been so

> much

> > greater. As a result, the decision was entirely ours to make.

> >

> > He also explained some neck exercises that could have helped the

> neck

> > muscles and help stop the looking to one side, and maybe that

> could

> > have helped with her head shape. All too late now.

> >

> > The decision & #8211; to do nothing, and hope for the best that

it would

> get

> > better on its own, or to put her through six minutes of hell

with

> the

> > casting, and then the longer term effects of wearing the helmet.

> All

> > for just vanity? It was the hardest decision we have ever had to

> > make. Had we been six months earlier, we would have had the

luxury

> of

> > time to make our decision. To make it within an hour seemed so

> > impossible. All sorts of emotions crossed us. Was it cruel?

Would

> it

> > really make any difference? Were we bad parents? Why hadn't

anyone

> > listened?

> >

> > We eventually came to the decision that we had to go for the

> helmet.

> > At 10 months old, we knew the chances of making a major

difference

> > were not as good, but at least we would have done everything

> possible

> > for her. It would have been so easy to have walked out and gone

> home

> > to let nature takes its course, but the constant niggling

thought

> > of `what if?' in six months time would have been impossible.

> >

> > The casting process was hell, my wife couldn't watch, I felt so

> > inadequate and like the worst father ever, watching as the

casting

> > material was put on her & #8211; Holly screaming and fighting

against us.

> > Those few minutes seemed to last forever, and always at the back

> of

> > my mind `had we made the right decision'. When the cast finally

> came

> > off, she sobbed, the rest of her bed-time milk soothing her. She

> even

> > giggled at the nurse once she had calmed down. Driving home she

> was a

> > happy sausage once again.

> >

> > In two weeks time we go back for fitting (on Father's Day of all

> > days). I still wonder whether we have made the right decision. I

> do

> > not know what the future holds for us, but at least we have some

> hope.

>

>

>

> For more plagio info