Guest guest Posted January 24, 2005 Report Share Posted January 24, 2005 Hi there Sorry- there must have been some confusion. You don't clean the helmet every hour, just once a day. Most helmets are cleaned once a day with 90% alcohol to kill any germs by getting a cloth (old washcloth or whatever) and getting it damp, not wet, and scrubbing away inside. This is done at the start of the hour off (the helmet is on for 23 hours a day and off for one hour a day). The helmet is then left to dry for the remainder of the hour so that it is completely evaporated and can't cause irritation. Now it may be that your Hanger helmet is cleaned slightly differently (as someone else has already said they use water on it) and it is best to follow the exact advice given by the orthotist, but the trick is whatever you use, use very little product, scrub away yourself and only clean it say once a day, even if the helmet gets a bit stinky. Over-enthusiastic cleaning can result in irritation especially in sensitive skin (even though it might seem a perfectly reasonable thing to want to do especially if it stinks a bit early on). As for the continuing rash, I would leave the band off until the rash at least dies away a bit. Otherwise as soon as the band goes back on, it will just worsen again (trust me, I've done this). Wait til it is not so angry or nearly gone, then try it for a short period of time (say 15 min or more) then have a peek, if that's ok, go for an hour, if that's ok, just go back to the usual wearing schedule (23 hours or whatever). But if it is a heat rash and has got angry, it will take quite a few hours, maybe a day to die down (and if she itches it or it is still really hot, then it will still look angry, so watch for this too) As for keeping your daughter cool, it's just a must with the helmet. The helmet is insulating, so it won't harm her to dress her more lightly indoors. The helmet is another piece of clothing which is plastic and insulating- imagine how hot she is with it on- she is literally sweating through heat. So early on, especially with your daughter who sounds like she has had a nasty heat rash, you must keep her cool just as you would if she had a fever. Otherwise she will be uncomfortable, itching and unable to wear the helmet due to rashes. BTW- I always think germs thrive in a warm environment, so I'm sure it won't hurt to turn the central heating down a tiny bit! When you go out, of course you have to wrap her up warm. But just be aware she might overheat with too many scarves/mittens/footmuffs etc and also when you go into a shop and she is dressed heavily, she will again overheat so take the coat off when you get there. She will adjust really fast to the new increased temperature with the helmet, so don't worry, this is just for a couple of weeks til it normalises. Do ask again if you have any queries Hannah (mum to Lucia, London, UK) Cranio graad > > > I would like to thank everyone for their support. I am > disappointed > > to > > > report a roadblock. My daughter was in the helmet all night for > > 10 hours. She > > > slept through the night nicely, she did fall asleep later and > woke > > up earlier > > > than usually. But just by 1 hour total. Then I took it off > this > > morning for > > > an hour and then back on for 4 hours after that. Then I took > it > > off because > > > I noticed sweat dripping down her face and the helmet kept > falling > > to her > > > eyebrows. I cleaned her head and the helmet and then I noticed > > that she has > > > developed a rash around the perimeter of the helmet. It is red > > and pimply. The > > > bottom back of her head right above her neck is also red and > rashy > > looking. > > > So I haven't put it on since. So she has been out of it for > > almost 6 hours > > > and she is still red and rashy. So I am deciding if I should > put > > it on > > > tonight for bed or if I should just leave it off and call the > > technician tomorrow. > > > What do you guys think. A friend of mine suggested that I put > a > > thin layer > > > of cloth over her head and then put on the helmet. Will that > > affect > > > results? I don't want to reapply a helmet if her rash is still > > red. I will also > > > ask about the gold bound powder. I am so confused and upset > that > > I am about to > > > go to another neurologist for a second opinion. Again thanks > for > > all the > > > help. The helmet issue was hard enough for me to deal with but > now > > the rashes > > > and sweating are making it even worse. Help!!!! > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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