Re: Any DOC band complaints???

[Guest guest]

Hi .I understand your hesitation. Not knowing the situation of your son's head shape, I can only say that CT is very up front about whether or not a band is warranted. Some children grow out of their plagiocephaly, but it depends on many factors, including what caused it in the first place, and when repositioning was started, etc. I have a cousin who, when I told her about seeking out information about banding my son, told me that her son had tort, and had to do exercises, and that his flat spots "popped" out when he was about 4 or 5. There is a group of parents of older children with plagiocephaly, and though I haven't been there, I think some of those children are older than 5. Sometimes it resolves itself. Sometimes it doesn't. I am a "old" member, and I just came back recently. My son is 6. He was in a DOC band for scaphocelphalic (long and narrow) head shape for about 4 and 1/2 months (he gradu

ated when he was 11 and 1/2 months old). He had no slope whatsoever, and his head jutted straight back. While there was a little correction with us giving him oppportunities to help him put pressure on his head, there was no way for us to get a slope and to fill out his indented temples on our own. The neuro we saw did have a couple of children in DOC bands for assymetric head shape, but didn't know that cranial technologies had a special band just for that (and that it had been used for infants after they had surgery for sagittal craniosynostosis.) He agreed to write a letter of medical necessity for the band.As for 'after effects' of the DOC band, I can safely say that there aren't any that I've found so far. My son was just diagnosed with hypotonia (low muscle tone) in his upper extremities -- which is probably the cause of him not moving a lot in utero and getting in the breech position that he did, which gave him the head shape he w

as born with. Hypotonia is neurological, pre-programmed before anything like birth or banding came along. Whatever your decision, you need to do what feels right to you. For us, CT was what we were looking for, and did an excellent job of helping our son. And, at the time (in 2000), no other company had a device for the head shape my son had, so we didn't have much choice. For many other parents, no band, or a different company, work well for them. Luckily there are more success stories overall than not -- and when it's "not" -- it's usually because of an inexperienced orthotist. It's a hard decision to make in a small amount of time, and I understand your skeptism. Good for you for doing research on it, and getting a lot of information to help you make your decision. aka "Kali"mom to Quinn, born 11/19/99, DOC grad for scaphocephalic head shape10/00scroll down thi

s brief bio for a few pix http://www.cappskids.org/CAPPSPlagioKidQuinn.htm >------- Original Message ------->From : rlbpurdue[mailto:rlbpurdue@...]>Sent : 2/19/2006 6:04:59 PM>To : Plagiocephaly >Cc : >Subject : RE: Any DOC band complaints???>>We are the process of being evaluated for the 3rd time at CT. My son is 12 weeks now -- they say he's a """"candidate for banding"""" -- we have a 2nd opinion with a neurosurgeon, but not for several weeks. Meanwhile, I'm trying to do some research on DOC band -- any bad experiences out there? or any research/studies of problems that a child might have down the road from actually wearing the band? I can't seem to find any and BBB has no complaints on DOC band. Al

l the discussions just seem to be about insurance denial. We're just not convinced this is absolutely what he needs.Garrett's mom, For more plagio info

[Guest guest]

Hi .I understand your hesitation. Not knowing the situation of your son's head shape, I can only say that CT is very up front about whether or not a band is warranted. Some children grow out of their plagiocephaly, but it depends on many factors, including what caused it in the first place, and when repositioning was started, etc. I have a cousin who, when I told her about seeking out information about banding my son, told me that her son had tort, and had to do exercises, and that his flat spots "popped" out when he was about 4 or 5. There is a group of parents of older children with plagiocephaly, and though I haven't been there, I think some of those children are older than 5. Sometimes it resolves itself. Sometimes it doesn't. I am a "old" member, and I just came back recently. My son is 6. He was in a DOC band for scaphocelphalic (long and narrow) head shape for about 4 and 1/2 months (he gradu

ated when he was 11 and 1/2 months old). He had no slope whatsoever, and his head jutted straight back. While there was a little correction with us giving him oppportunities to help him put pressure on his head, there was no way for us to get a slope and to fill out his indented temples on our own. The neuro we saw did have a couple of children in DOC bands for assymetric head shape, but didn't know that cranial technologies had a special band just for that (and that it had been used for infants after they had surgery for sagittal craniosynostosis.) He agreed to write a letter of medical necessity for the band.As for 'after effects' of the DOC band, I can safely say that there aren't any that I've found so far. My son was just diagnosed with hypotonia (low muscle tone) in his upper extremities -- which is probably the cause of him not moving a lot in utero and getting in the breech position that he did, which gave him the head shape he w

as born with. Hypotonia is neurological, pre-programmed before anything like birth or banding came along. Whatever your decision, you need to do what feels right to you. For us, CT was what we were looking for, and did an excellent job of helping our son. And, at the time (in 2000), no other company had a device for the head shape my son had, so we didn't have much choice. For many other parents, no band, or a different company, work well for them. Luckily there are more success stories overall than not -- and when it's "not" -- it's usually because of an inexperienced orthotist. It's a hard decision to make in a small amount of time, and I understand your skeptism. Good for you for doing research on it, and getting a lot of information to help you make your decision. aka "Kali"mom to Quinn, born 11/19/99, DOC grad for scaphocephalic head shape10/00scroll down thi

s brief bio for a few pix http://www.cappskids.org/CAPPSPlagioKidQuinn.htm >------- Original Message ------->From : rlbpurdue[mailto:rlbpurdue@...]>Sent : 2/19/2006 6:04:59 PM>To : Plagiocephaly >Cc : >Subject : RE: Any DOC band complaints???>>We are the process of being evaluated for the 3rd time at CT. My son is 12 weeks now -- they say he's a """"candidate for banding"""" -- we have a 2nd opinion with a neurosurgeon, but not for several weeks. Meanwhile, I'm trying to do some research on DOC band -- any bad experiences out there? or any research/studies of problems that a child might have down the road from actually wearing the band? I can't seem to find any and BBB has no complaints on DOC band. Al

l the discussions just seem to be about insurance denial. We're just not convinced this is absolutely what he needs.Garrett's mom, For more plagio info

[Guest guest]

Thanks . I appreciate your insight. Garrett's plagio is

definitely from utero. As I started the repositioning process 6

weeks ago and took pictures, I also looked back at all of his

pictures. He was always on his right side. We were so caught up

with his small ear tag on his left ear and the large hematoma on his

right side that we didn't notice the flatness, nor was it documented

by the Dr, but it was definitely there.

His pariental bone that was under the hematoma is also

more " pronounced " on his right side - so that makes the plagio more

noticable to me. The assemetry is what we are worried about -- and

the measurements have improved, but his ears and nose and even his

checkbones look out of alignment to me, but just slightly. At any

rate. . . we most likely will go with the band once we see the

neurosurgeon, but for some reason we're just not confortable with CT

and the staff here in Charlotte -- I guess we're just a little

emotional about it and want a definite " yes " he needs it and here are

the percentages on whether or not it will correct itself and here are

the problems down the road if not -- b/c when I look at all the

before and after pictures -- Garrett's really looks minor to me.

Sorry for the babbling -- gotta go get my boy up.

>

> Hi .

> I understand your hesitation. Not knowing the situation of your

son's head shape,

> I can only say that CT is very up front about whether or not a band

is warranted.

> Some children grow out of their plagiocephaly, but it depends on

many factors, including

> what caused it in the first place, and when repositioning was

started, etc. I have

> a cousin who, when I told her about banding my son, told me that

her son had tort,

> and had to do exercises, and that his flat spots " popped " out when

he was about

> 4 or 5. There is a group of parents of older children with

plagiocephaly,

> and though I haven't been there, I think some of those children are

older than 5.

> Sometimes it resolves itself. Sometimes it doesn't.

>

> I am a " old " member, I just came back recently. My son is 6. He

was in a DOC band

> for scaphocelphalic head shape for about 4 and 1/2 months. He had

no slope whatsoever,

> and his head jutted straight back. While there was a little

correction with us

> giving him oppportunities to help him put pressure on his head,

there was no way

> for us to get a slope and to fill out his indented temples on our

own. The neuro

> we saw did have a couple of children in DOC bands for assymetric

head shape, but

> didn't know that cranial technologies had a special band just for

that (and that

> it had been used for infants after they had surgery for sagittal

craniosynostosis.)

>

> Whatever your decision, you need to do what feels right to you.

For us, CT was

> a

>

>

>

> >------- Original Message -------

> > From : rlbpurdue[mailto:rlbpurdue@...]

> > Sent : 2/19/2006 6:04:59 PM

> > To : Plagiocephaly

> > Cc :

> >Subject : RE: Any DOC band complaints???

> >

> >We are the process of being evaluated for the 3rd time at CT. My

son

> is 12 weeks now -- they say he's a " " candidate for banding " " -- we

have a

> 2nd opinion with a neurosurgeon, but not for several weeks.

> Meanwhile, I'm trying to do some research on DOC band -- any bad

> experiences out there? or any research/studies of problems that a

child

> might have down the road from actually wearing the band?

>

> I can't seem to find any and BBB has no complaints on DOC band. All

> the discussions just seem to be about insurance denial. We're just

not

> convinced this is absolutely what he needs.

>

> Garrett's mom,

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> For more plagio info

[Guest guest]

Thanks . I appreciate your insight. Garrett's plagio is

definitely from utero. As I started the repositioning process 6

weeks ago and took pictures, I also looked back at all of his

pictures. He was always on his right side. We were so caught up

with his small ear tag on his left ear and the large hematoma on his

right side that we didn't notice the flatness, nor was it documented

by the Dr, but it was definitely there.

His pariental bone that was under the hematoma is also

more " pronounced " on his right side - so that makes the plagio more

noticable to me. The assemetry is what we are worried about -- and

the measurements have improved, but his ears and nose and even his

checkbones look out of alignment to me, but just slightly. At any

rate. . . we most likely will go with the band once we see the

neurosurgeon, but for some reason we're just not confortable with CT

and the staff here in Charlotte -- I guess we're just a little

emotional about it and want a definite " yes " he needs it and here are

the percentages on whether or not it will correct itself and here are

the problems down the road if not -- b/c when I look at all the

before and after pictures -- Garrett's really looks minor to me.

Sorry for the babbling -- gotta go get my boy up.

>

> Hi .

> I understand your hesitation. Not knowing the situation of your

son's head shape,

> I can only say that CT is very up front about whether or not a band

is warranted.

> Some children grow out of their plagiocephaly, but it depends on

many factors, including

> what caused it in the first place, and when repositioning was

started, etc. I have

> a cousin who, when I told her about banding my son, told me that

her son had tort,

> and had to do exercises, and that his flat spots " popped " out when

he was about

> 4 or 5. There is a group of parents of older children with

plagiocephaly,

> and though I haven't been there, I think some of those children are

older than 5.

> Sometimes it resolves itself. Sometimes it doesn't.

>

> I am a " old " member, I just came back recently. My son is 6. He

was in a DOC band

> for scaphocelphalic head shape for about 4 and 1/2 months. He had

no slope whatsoever,

> and his head jutted straight back. While there was a little

correction with us

> giving him oppportunities to help him put pressure on his head,

there was no way

> for us to get a slope and to fill out his indented temples on our

own. The neuro

> we saw did have a couple of children in DOC bands for assymetric

head shape, but

> didn't know that cranial technologies had a special band just for

that (and that

> it had been used for infants after they had surgery for sagittal

craniosynostosis.)

>

> Whatever your decision, you need to do what feels right to you.

For us, CT was

> a

>

>

>

> >------- Original Message -------

> > From : rlbpurdue[mailto:rlbpurdue@...]

> > Sent : 2/19/2006 6:04:59 PM

> > To : Plagiocephaly

> > Cc :

> >Subject : RE: Any DOC band complaints???

> >

> >We are the process of being evaluated for the 3rd time at CT. My

son

> is 12 weeks now -- they say he's a " " candidate for banding " " -- we

have a

> 2nd opinion with a neurosurgeon, but not for several weeks.

> Meanwhile, I'm trying to do some research on DOC band -- any bad

> experiences out there? or any research/studies of problems that a

child

> might have down the road from actually wearing the band?

>

> I can't seem to find any and BBB has no complaints on DOC band. All

> the discussions just seem to be about insurance denial. We're just

not

> convinced this is absolutely what he needs.

>

> Garrett's mom,

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> For more plagio info

[Guest guest]

hi rebecca,

We go to the Charlotte CT. We went with na too and now

Kiersten. We had 2 evaluations with Kiersten and only one before

banding with na.

With na she was inutero and they said she was a candidate at 12

weeks. It took another month for insurance approvals and repo in

the interim did nothing for us With Kiersten she was evaluated

at almost 5 months. She was a candidate but they cautioned us that

her neck was so tight it might hamper improvements. So we went home

to get intensive PT for a couple months. After 2 months we went

back. There was mild improvement but she was still a candidate. We

went ahead with banding since she was almost 7 months old and the

chances of enough correction were slim.

CT does not pressure parents into banding. They will tell you if

they believe it will work. I really trust the folks in Charlotte.

We see Skaggs. We used to see Michele Hurni - she has

since left to work on her family. We have also seen . There is

a 3rd newer ortho too. She's good but still working on her patient

skills The 3rd did Kiersten's cast. She has a good eye, she

could see the previous muscle tightness in the before pics.

Did they take measurements? I'm a numbers and visual person. I

told myself if the girls were below 6 mm and I was the only one who

could see it then they were OK. If you are worried about his

headshape then I would go for it. You will always question what

if. He is at a great age for correction. If you wanted to do

aggressive repo for another 1-2 months and see how you fare then go

for it. CT will not scare you into a band. They are awesome at

what they do. They have the only FDA research on band

effectiveness. There has not been a lot of research on un-corrected

plagio. It's only from case histories and adult asymmetries and

such that cranialfacial and ear, neurologists, nose and throat and

opthomalogists have come to some conclusions. It's not life

threatening. However, it can impact quality of life and with severe

cases some functional ability.

Feel free to contactc me off line. monicash (get rid of

the spaces). You can read more about my girls on our family page.

na, 2 1/2 DOC Grad Feb 04, Tort Resolved

Kiersten, 8 months, DOC 1/10/06, Tort

www.thefilyaws.com

> >

> > Hi .

> > I understand your hesitation. Not knowing the situation of your

> son's head shape,

> > I can only say that CT is very up front about whether or not a

band

> is warranted.

> > Some children grow out of their plagiocephaly, but it depends on

> many factors, including

> > what caused it in the first place, and when repositioning was

> started, etc. I have

> > a cousin who, when I told her about banding my son, told me that

> her son had tort,

> > and had to do exercises, and that his flat spots " popped " out

when

> he was about

> > 4 or 5. There is a group of parents of older children with

> plagiocephaly,

> > and though I haven't been there, I think some of those children

are

> older than 5.

> > Sometimes it resolves itself. Sometimes it doesn't.

> >

> > I am a " old " member, I just came back recently. My son is 6.

He

> was in a DOC band

> > for scaphocelphalic head shape for about 4 and 1/2 months. He

had

> no slope whatsoever,

> > and his head jutted straight back. While there was a little

> correction with us

> > giving him oppportunities to help him put pressure on his head,

> there was no way

> > for us to get a slope and to fill out his indented temples on

our

> own. The neuro

> > we saw did have a couple of children in DOC bands for assymetric

> head shape, but

> > didn't know that cranial technologies had a special band just

for

> that (and that

> > it had been used for infants after they had surgery for sagittal

> craniosynostosis.)

> >

> > Whatever your decision, you need to do what feels right to you.

> For us, CT was

> > a

> >

> >

> >

> > >------- Original Message -------

> > > From : rlbpurdue[mailto:rlbpurdue@]

> > > Sent : 2/19/2006 6:04:59 PM

> > > To : Plagiocephaly

> > > Cc :

> > >Subject : RE: Any DOC band complaints???

> > >

> > >We are the process of being evaluated for the 3rd time at CT.

My

> son

> > is 12 weeks now -- they say he's a " " candidate for banding " " --

we

> have a

> > 2nd opinion with a neurosurgeon, but not for several weeks.

> > Meanwhile, I'm trying to do some research on DOC band -- any bad

> > experiences out there? or any research/studies of problems that

a

> child

> > might have down the road from actually wearing the band?

> >

> > I can't seem to find any and BBB has no complaints on DOC band.

All

> > the discussions just seem to be about insurance denial. We're

just

> not

> > convinced this is absolutely what he needs.

> >

> > Garrett's mom,

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > For more plagio info

[Guest guest]

hi rebecca,

We go to the Charlotte CT. We went with na too and now

Kiersten. We had 2 evaluations with Kiersten and only one before

banding with na.

With na she was inutero and they said she was a candidate at 12

weeks. It took another month for insurance approvals and repo in

the interim did nothing for us With Kiersten she was evaluated

at almost 5 months. She was a candidate but they cautioned us that

her neck was so tight it might hamper improvements. So we went home

to get intensive PT for a couple months. After 2 months we went

back. There was mild improvement but she was still a candidate. We

went ahead with banding since she was almost 7 months old and the

chances of enough correction were slim.

CT does not pressure parents into banding. They will tell you if

they believe it will work. I really trust the folks in Charlotte.

We see Skaggs. We used to see Michele Hurni - she has

since left to work on her family. We have also seen . There is

a 3rd newer ortho too. She's good but still working on her patient

skills The 3rd did Kiersten's cast. She has a good eye, she

could see the previous muscle tightness in the before pics.

Did they take measurements? I'm a numbers and visual person. I

told myself if the girls were below 6 mm and I was the only one who

could see it then they were OK. If you are worried about his

headshape then I would go for it. You will always question what

if. He is at a great age for correction. If you wanted to do

aggressive repo for another 1-2 months and see how you fare then go

for it. CT will not scare you into a band. They are awesome at

what they do. They have the only FDA research on band

effectiveness. There has not been a lot of research on un-corrected

plagio. It's only from case histories and adult asymmetries and

such that cranialfacial and ear, neurologists, nose and throat and

opthomalogists have come to some conclusions. It's not life

threatening. However, it can impact quality of life and with severe

cases some functional ability.

Feel free to contactc me off line. monicash (get rid of

the spaces). You can read more about my girls on our family page.

na, 2 1/2 DOC Grad Feb 04, Tort Resolved

Kiersten, 8 months, DOC 1/10/06, Tort

www.thefilyaws.com

> >

> > Hi .

> > I understand your hesitation. Not knowing the situation of your

> son's head shape,

> > I can only say that CT is very up front about whether or not a

band

> is warranted.

> > Some children grow out of their plagiocephaly, but it depends on

> many factors, including

> > what caused it in the first place, and when repositioning was

> started, etc. I have

> > a cousin who, when I told her about banding my son, told me that

> her son had tort,

> > and had to do exercises, and that his flat spots " popped " out

when

> he was about

> > 4 or 5. There is a group of parents of older children with

> plagiocephaly,

> > and though I haven't been there, I think some of those children

are

> older than 5.

> > Sometimes it resolves itself. Sometimes it doesn't.

> >

> > I am a " old " member, I just came back recently. My son is 6.

He

> was in a DOC band

> > for scaphocelphalic head shape for about 4 and 1/2 months. He

had

> no slope whatsoever,

> > and his head jutted straight back. While there was a little

> correction with us

> > giving him oppportunities to help him put pressure on his head,

> there was no way

> > for us to get a slope and to fill out his indented temples on

our

> own. The neuro

> > we saw did have a couple of children in DOC bands for assymetric

> head shape, but

> > didn't know that cranial technologies had a special band just

for

> that (and that

> > it had been used for infants after they had surgery for sagittal

> craniosynostosis.)

> >

> > Whatever your decision, you need to do what feels right to you.

> For us, CT was

> > a

> >

> >

> >

> > >------- Original Message -------

> > > From : rlbpurdue[mailto:rlbpurdue@]

> > > Sent : 2/19/2006 6:04:59 PM

> > > To : Plagiocephaly

> > > Cc :

> > >Subject : RE: Any DOC band complaints???

> > >

> > >We are the process of being evaluated for the 3rd time at CT.

My

> son

> > is 12 weeks now -- they say he's a " " candidate for banding " " --

we

> have a

> > 2nd opinion with a neurosurgeon, but not for several weeks.

> > Meanwhile, I'm trying to do some research on DOC band -- any bad

> > experiences out there? or any research/studies of problems that

a

> child

> > might have down the road from actually wearing the band?

> >

> > I can't seem to find any and BBB has no complaints on DOC band.

All

> > the discussions just seem to be about insurance denial. We're

just

> not

> > convinced this is absolutely what he needs.

> >

> > Garrett's mom,

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > For more plagio info

[Guest guest]

I am not sure I have any great answers for you, but we are using

Charlotte CT and have been pleased with them (twice now--didn't band

first son). I will say that we were underwhelmed to say the least

with the neurosurgeons in Charlotte. I had been warned about their

bedside manner and was still surprised at our experience.

One of our concerns with the band was that it would cause motor

delays from the extra weight on the head.

As far as problems from wearing the band, the neuro told us that in

his experience he found if there was a difference developmentally

between banded and not banded babies, he saw banded babies as

slightly advanced. He attributed that difference mostly to the fact

that if you are banding your baby you are really worried about them

and more likely than not have PT. Essentially, banded babies in his

practice were getting worried over and pushed a little, while the

regular babies were not. It was an interesting perspective. (Of

course, he wasn't citing any studies, just his experience.)

Otherwise, he saw no short term or long term downsides to the band.

You may hear all this in person in a few weeks, but I thought I'd

give you a head start on what we heard.

Stacey

> >

> > Hi .

> > I understand your hesitation. Not knowing the situation of your

> son's head shape,

> > I can only say that CT is very up front about whether or not a

band

> is warranted.

> > Some children grow out of their plagiocephaly, but it depends on

> many factors, including

> > what caused it in the first place, and when repositioning was

> started, etc. I have

> > a cousin who, when I told her about banding my son, told me that

> her son had tort,

> > and had to do exercises, and that his flat spots " popped " out

when

> he was about

> > 4 or 5. There is a group of parents of older children with

> plagiocephaly,

> > and though I haven't been there, I think some of those children

are

> older than 5.

> > Sometimes it resolves itself. Sometimes it doesn't.

> >

> > I am a " old " member, I just came back recently. My son is 6.

He

> was in a DOC band

> > for scaphocelphalic head shape for about 4 and 1/2 months. He

had

> no slope whatsoever,

> > and his head jutted straight back. While there was a little

> correction with us

> > giving him oppportunities to help him put pressure on his head,

> there was no way

> > for us to get a slope and to fill out his indented temples on

our

> own. The neuro

> > we saw did have a couple of children in DOC bands for assymetric

> head shape, but

> > didn't know that cranial technologies had a special band just

for

> that (and that

> > it had been used for infants after they had surgery for sagittal

> craniosynostosis.)

> >

> > Whatever your decision, you need to do what feels right to you.

> For us, CT was

> > a

> >

> >

> >

> > >------- Original Message -------

> > > From : rlbpurdue[mailto:rlbpurdue@]

> > > Sent : 2/19/2006 6:04:59 PM

> > > To : Plagiocephaly

> > > Cc :

> > >Subject : RE: Any DOC band complaints???

> > >

> > >We are the process of being evaluated for the 3rd time at CT.

My

> son

> > is 12 weeks now -- they say he's a " " candidate for banding " " --

we

> have a

> > 2nd opinion with a neurosurgeon, but not for several weeks.

> > Meanwhile, I'm trying to do some research on DOC band -- any bad

> > experiences out there? or any research/studies of problems that

a

> child

> > might have down the road from actually wearing the band?

> >

> > I can't seem to find any and BBB has no complaints on DOC band.

All

> > the discussions just seem to be about insurance denial. We're

just

> not

> > convinced this is absolutely what he needs.

> >

> > Garrett's mom,

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > For more plagio info

[Guest guest]

I am not sure I have any great answers for you, but we are using

Charlotte CT and have been pleased with them (twice now--didn't band

first son). I will say that we were underwhelmed to say the least

with the neurosurgeons in Charlotte. I had been warned about their

bedside manner and was still surprised at our experience.

One of our concerns with the band was that it would cause motor

delays from the extra weight on the head.

As far as problems from wearing the band, the neuro told us that in

his experience he found if there was a difference developmentally

between banded and not banded babies, he saw banded babies as

slightly advanced. He attributed that difference mostly to the fact

that if you are banding your baby you are really worried about them

and more likely than not have PT. Essentially, banded babies in his

practice were getting worried over and pushed a little, while the

regular babies were not. It was an interesting perspective. (Of

course, he wasn't citing any studies, just his experience.)

Otherwise, he saw no short term or long term downsides to the band.

You may hear all this in person in a few weeks, but I thought I'd

give you a head start on what we heard.

Stacey

> >

> > Hi .

> > I understand your hesitation. Not knowing the situation of your

> son's head shape,

> > I can only say that CT is very up front about whether or not a

band

> is warranted.

> > Some children grow out of their plagiocephaly, but it depends on

> many factors, including

> > what caused it in the first place, and when repositioning was

> started, etc. I have

> > a cousin who, when I told her about banding my son, told me that

> her son had tort,

> > and had to do exercises, and that his flat spots " popped " out

when

> he was about

> > 4 or 5. There is a group of parents of older children with

> plagiocephaly,

> > and though I haven't been there, I think some of those children

are

> older than 5.

> > Sometimes it resolves itself. Sometimes it doesn't.

> >

> > I am a " old " member, I just came back recently. My son is 6.

He

> was in a DOC band

> > for scaphocelphalic head shape for about 4 and 1/2 months. He

had

> no slope whatsoever,

> > and his head jutted straight back. While there was a little

> correction with us

> > giving him oppportunities to help him put pressure on his head,

> there was no way

> > for us to get a slope and to fill out his indented temples on

our

> own. The neuro

> > we saw did have a couple of children in DOC bands for assymetric

> head shape, but

> > didn't know that cranial technologies had a special band just

for

> that (and that

> > it had been used for infants after they had surgery for sagittal

> craniosynostosis.)

> >

> > Whatever your decision, you need to do what feels right to you.

> For us, CT was

> > a

> >

> >

> >

> > >------- Original Message -------

> > > From : rlbpurdue[mailto:rlbpurdue@]

> > > Sent : 2/19/2006 6:04:59 PM

> > > To : Plagiocephaly

> > > Cc :

> > >Subject : RE: Any DOC band complaints???

> > >

> > >We are the process of being evaluated for the 3rd time at CT.

My

> son

> > is 12 weeks now -- they say he's a " " candidate for banding " " --

we

> have a

> > 2nd opinion with a neurosurgeon, but not for several weeks.

> > Meanwhile, I'm trying to do some research on DOC band -- any bad

> > experiences out there? or any research/studies of problems that

a

> child

> > might have down the road from actually wearing the band?

> >

> > I can't seem to find any and BBB has no complaints on DOC band.

All

> > the discussions just seem to be about insurance denial. We're

just

> not

> > convinced this is absolutely what he needs.

> >

> > Garrett's mom,

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > For more plagio info

[Guest guest]

I agree with Stacey--I have twins and one of them is in a DOC band (her 2nd) from Cranial Tech in Charlotte. My banded baby sat up, crawled, and pulled up before her twin. In fact, her twin still isn't doing these things....I attribute Lainey's advancement to the fact that she has 2 hours of PT each week and is always worried over Her sister just lies around doing her own thing I have NO complaints about Cranial Tech--they've been wonderful every step of the way and have been very honest. If they don't think your child needs a band, they'll tell you that. We had the other twin, Lexi, measured to determine if she needed a band and they said no. She still has flatness, but not enough to warrant a band. I appreciated their honesty that they didn't band Lexi even though I would have happily done it if they said I should. oscaredwink <oscaredwink@...> wrote: I am not sure I have any great answers for you, but we are using Charlotte CT and have been pleased with them (twice now--didn't band first son). I will say that we were underwhelmed to say the least with the neurosurgeons in Charlotte. I had been warned about their bedside manner and was still surprised at our experience. One of our concerns with the band was that it would cause motor delays from the extra weight on the head. As far as problems from wearing the band, the neuro told us that in his experience he found if there was a difference developmentally between banded and not banded babies, he saw banded babies as slightly advanced. He attributed that difference mostly to the fact that if you are banding your baby you are really worried about them and more likely than not have PT. Essentially, banded babies in

his practice were getting worried over and pushed a little, while the regular babies were not. It was an interesting perspective. (Of course, he wasn't citing any studies, just his experience.) Otherwise, he saw no short term or long term downsides to the band.You may hear all this in person in a few weeks, but I thought I'd give you a head start on what we heard.Stacey> >> > Hi .> > I understand your hesitation. Not knowing the situation of your > son's head shape,> > I can only say that CT is very up front about whether or not a band > is warranted. > > Some children grow out of their plagiocephaly, but it depends on > many factors, including> > what caused it in the first place, and when repositioning was > started, etc. I have> > a cousin who, when I told her about banding my son, told me that > her son had tort,> > and had to do exercises, and that his flat spots "popped" out when > he was about> > 4 or 5. There is a group of parents of older children with > plagiocephaly,> > and though I

haven't been there, I think some of those children are > older than 5. > > Sometimes it resolves itself. Sometimes it doesn't. > > > > I am a "old" member, I just came back recently. My son is 6. He > was in a DOC band> > for scaphocelphalic head shape for about 4 and 1/2 months. He had > no slope whatsoever,> > and his head jutted straight back. While there was a little > correction with us> > giving him oppportunities to help him put pressure on his head, > there was no way> > for us to get a slope and to fill out his indented temples on our > own. The neuro> > we saw did have a couple of children in DOC bands for assymetric > head shape, but> > didn't know that cranial technologies had a special band just for > that (and that> > it had been used for infants after

they had surgery for sagittal > craniosynostosis.)> > > > Whatever your decision, you need to do what feels right to you. > For us, CT was> > a> > > > > > > > >------- Original Message -------> > > From : rlbpurdue[mailto:rlbpurdue@]> > > Sent : 2/19/2006 6:04:59 PM> > > To : Plagiocephaly > > > Cc : > > >Subject : RE: Any DOC band complaints???> > >> > >We are the process of being evaluated for the 3rd time at CT. My > son > > is 12 weeks now -- they say he's a ""candidate for banding"" -- we > have a > > 2nd opinion with a neurosurgeon, but not for several weeks. > > Meanwhile, I'm trying to do some research on DOC band -- any bad > > experiences out there? or any research/studies of problems that a >

child > > might have down the road from actually wearing the band? > > > > I can't seem to find any and BBB has no complaints on DOC band. All > > the discussions just seem to be about insurance denial. We're just > not > > convinced this is absolutely what he needs.> > > > Garrett's mom, > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > For more plagio info

[Guest guest]

I agree with Stacey--I have twins and one of them is in a DOC band (her 2nd) from Cranial Tech in Charlotte. My banded baby sat up, crawled, and pulled up before her twin. In fact, her twin still isn't doing these things....I attribute Lainey's advancement to the fact that she has 2 hours of PT each week and is always worried over Her sister just lies around doing her own thing I have NO complaints about Cranial Tech--they've been wonderful every step of the way and have been very honest. If they don't think your child needs a band, they'll tell you that. We had the other twin, Lexi, measured to determine if she needed a band and they said no. She still has flatness, but not enough to warrant a band. I appreciated their honesty that they didn't band Lexi even though I would have happily done it if they said I should. oscaredwink <oscaredwink@...> wrote: I am not sure I have any great answers for you, but we are using Charlotte CT and have been pleased with them (twice now--didn't band first son). I will say that we were underwhelmed to say the least with the neurosurgeons in Charlotte. I had been warned about their bedside manner and was still surprised at our experience. One of our concerns with the band was that it would cause motor delays from the extra weight on the head. As far as problems from wearing the band, the neuro told us that in his experience he found if there was a difference developmentally between banded and not banded babies, he saw banded babies as slightly advanced. He attributed that difference mostly to the fact that if you are banding your baby you are really worried about them and more likely than not have PT. Essentially, banded babies in

his practice were getting worried over and pushed a little, while the regular babies were not. It was an interesting perspective. (Of course, he wasn't citing any studies, just his experience.) Otherwise, he saw no short term or long term downsides to the band.You may hear all this in person in a few weeks, but I thought I'd give you a head start on what we heard.Stacey> >> > Hi .> > I understand your hesitation. Not knowing the situation of your > son's head shape,> > I can only say that CT is very up front about whether or not a band > is warranted. > > Some children grow out of their plagiocephaly, but it depends on > many factors, including> > what caused it in the first place, and when repositioning was > started, etc. I have> > a cousin who, when I told her about banding my son, told me that > her son had tort,> > and had to do exercises, and that his flat spots "popped" out when > he was about> > 4 or 5. There is a group of parents of older children with > plagiocephaly,> > and though I

haven't been there, I think some of those children are > older than 5. > > Sometimes it resolves itself. Sometimes it doesn't. > > > > I am a "old" member, I just came back recently. My son is 6. He > was in a DOC band> > for scaphocelphalic head shape for about 4 and 1/2 months. He had > no slope whatsoever,> > and his head jutted straight back. While there was a little > correction with us> > giving him oppportunities to help him put pressure on his head, > there was no way> > for us to get a slope and to fill out his indented temples on our > own. The neuro> > we saw did have a couple of children in DOC bands for assymetric > head shape, but> > didn't know that cranial technologies had a special band just for > that (and that> > it had been used for infants after

they had surgery for sagittal > craniosynostosis.)> > > > Whatever your decision, you need to do what feels right to you. > For us, CT was> > a> > > > > > > > >------- Original Message -------> > > From : rlbpurdue[mailto:rlbpurdue@]> > > Sent : 2/19/2006 6:04:59 PM> > > To : Plagiocephaly > > > Cc : > > >Subject : RE: Any DOC band complaints???> > >> > >We are the process of being evaluated for the 3rd time at CT. My > son > > is 12 weeks now -- they say he's a ""candidate for banding"" -- we > have a > > 2nd opinion with a neurosurgeon, but not for several weeks. > > Meanwhile, I'm trying to do some research on DOC band -- any bad > > experiences out there? or any research/studies of problems that a >

child > > might have down the road from actually wearing the band? > > > > I can't seem to find any and BBB has no complaints on DOC band. All > > the discussions just seem to be about insurance denial. We're just > not > > convinced this is absolutely what he needs.> > > > Garrett's mom, > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > For more plagio info

[Guest guest]

- My son Braden is 4 months old and received his STARband on Friday. I know this is a different helmet but thought this might help you. (You can see a picture of him in the B album.) Because of his tort, we have been working to streghten his neck muscles by being very active at home and doing neck stretches. We have been doing this for about 2 months and started physical therapy last Wednesday. Because of this, Braden can hold his head up. I was concerned we would digress once he got the helmet but nothing has changed, except the fact that I can't kiss him where I used to. He can hold his head up just as well with the helmet as he did before. His activities have not changed and he sleeps like he always has. This really is a personal decision you have to make. I felt my sons brachy/plagio was mild but both the pediatrician and Orthoist said it needed banding. I don't like the helmet but I

love what it will do for my son and he doesn't mind it at all. Good luck to you! Heidi Mom to Braden (STARbanded 02/17/06) Vespa <meg_vespa@...> wrote: I agree with Stacey--I have twins and one of them is in a DOC band (her 2nd) from Cranial Tech in Charlotte. My banded baby sat up, crawled, and pulled up before her twin. In fact, her twin still isn't doing these things....I attribute Lainey's advancement to the fact that she has 2 hours of PT each week and is always worried over Her sister just lies around doing her own thing I have NO complaints about Cranial Tech--they've been wonderful every step of the way and have been very honest. If they don't think your child needs a band, they'll tell you that. We had the other twin, Lexi,

measured to determine if she needed a band and they said no. She still has flatness, but not enough to warrant a band. I appreciated their honesty that they didn't band Lexi even though I would have happily done it if they said I should. oscaredwink <oscaredwink@...> wrote: I am not sure I have any great answers for you, but we are using Charlotte CT and have been pleased with them (twice now--didn't band first son). I will say that we were underwhelmed to say the least with the neurosurgeons in Charlotte. I had been warned about their bedside manner and was still surprised at our experience. One of our concerns with the band was that it would cause motor delays from the extra weight on the head. As far as problems from wearing the band, the neuro told us that

in his experience he found if there was a difference developmentally between banded and not banded babies, he saw banded babies as slightly advanced. He attributed that difference mostly to the fact that if you are banding your baby you are really worried about them and more likely than not have PT. Essentially, banded babies in his practice were getting worried over and pushed a little, while the regular babies were not. It was an interesting perspective. (Of course, he wasn't citing any studies, just his experience.) Otherwise, he saw no short term or long term downsides to the band.You may hear all this in person in a few weeks, but I thought I'd give you a head start on what we heard.Stacey> >> > Hi .> > I understand your hesitation. Not knowing the situation of your > son's head shape,> > I can only say that CT is very up front about whether or not a band > is warranted. > > Some children grow out of their plagiocephaly, but it depends on > many factors, including> > what caused it in the first place, and when repositioning was > started,

etc. I have> > a cousin who, when I told her about banding my son, told me that > her son had tort,> > and had to do exercises, and that his flat spots "popped" out when > he was about> > 4 or 5. There is a group of parents of older children with > plagiocephaly,> > and though I haven't been there, I think some of those children are > older than 5. > > Sometimes it resolves itself. Sometimes it doesn't. > > > > I am a "old" member, I just came back recently. My son is 6. He > was in a DOC band> > for scaphocelphalic head shape for about 4 and 1/2 months. He had > no slope whatsoever,> > and his head jutted straight back. While there was a little > correction with us> > giving him oppportunities to help him put pressure on his head, > there was no way> > for

us to get a slope and to fill out his indented temples on our > own. The neuro> > we saw did have a couple of children in DOC bands for assymetric > head shape, but> > didn't know that cranial technologies had a special band just for > that (and that> > it had been used for infants after they had surgery for sagittal > craniosynostosis.)> > > > Whatever your decision, you need to do what feels right to you. > For us, CT was> > a> > > > > > > > >------- Original Message -------> > > From : rlbpurdue[mailto:rlbpurdue@]> > > Sent : 2/19/2006 6:04:59 PM> > > To : Plagiocephaly > > > Cc : > > >Subject : RE: Any DOC band complaints???> > >> > >We are the process of being evaluated for the 3rd time at CT. My >

son > > is 12 weeks now -- they say he's a ""candidate for banding"" -- we > have a > > 2nd opinion with a neurosurgeon, but not for several weeks. > > Meanwhile, I'm trying to do some research on DOC band -- any bad > > experiences out there? or any research/studies of problems that a > child > > might have down the road from actually wearing the band? > > > > I can't seem to find any and BBB has no complaints on DOC band. All > > the discussions just seem to be about insurance denial. We're just > not > > convinced this is absolutely what he needs.> > > > Garrett's mom, > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > For more plagio info

[Guest guest]

- My son Braden is 4 months old and received his STARband on Friday. I know this is a different helmet but thought this might help you. (You can see a picture of him in the B album.) Because of his tort, we have been working to streghten his neck muscles by being very active at home and doing neck stretches. We have been doing this for about 2 months and started physical therapy last Wednesday. Because of this, Braden can hold his head up. I was concerned we would digress once he got the helmet but nothing has changed, except the fact that I can't kiss him where I used to. He can hold his head up just as well with the helmet as he did before. His activities have not changed and he sleeps like he always has. This really is a personal decision you have to make. I felt my sons brachy/plagio was mild but both the pediatrician and Orthoist said it needed banding. I don't like the helmet but I

love what it will do for my son and he doesn't mind it at all. Good luck to you! Heidi Mom to Braden (STARbanded 02/17/06) Vespa <meg_vespa@...> wrote: I agree with Stacey--I have twins and one of them is in a DOC band (her 2nd) from Cranial Tech in Charlotte. My banded baby sat up, crawled, and pulled up before her twin. In fact, her twin still isn't doing these things....I attribute Lainey's advancement to the fact that she has 2 hours of PT each week and is always worried over Her sister just lies around doing her own thing I have NO complaints about Cranial Tech--they've been wonderful every step of the way and have been very honest. If they don't think your child needs a band, they'll tell you that. We had the other twin, Lexi,

measured to determine if she needed a band and they said no. She still has flatness, but not enough to warrant a band. I appreciated their honesty that they didn't band Lexi even though I would have happily done it if they said I should. oscaredwink <oscaredwink@...> wrote: I am not sure I have any great answers for you, but we are using Charlotte CT and have been pleased with them (twice now--didn't band first son). I will say that we were underwhelmed to say the least with the neurosurgeons in Charlotte. I had been warned about their bedside manner and was still surprised at our experience. One of our concerns with the band was that it would cause motor delays from the extra weight on the head. As far as problems from wearing the band, the neuro told us that

in his experience he found if there was a difference developmentally between banded and not banded babies, he saw banded babies as slightly advanced. He attributed that difference mostly to the fact that if you are banding your baby you are really worried about them and more likely than not have PT. Essentially, banded babies in his practice were getting worried over and pushed a little, while the regular babies were not. It was an interesting perspective. (Of course, he wasn't citing any studies, just his experience.) Otherwise, he saw no short term or long term downsides to the band.You may hear all this in person in a few weeks, but I thought I'd give you a head start on what we heard.Stacey> >> > Hi .> > I understand your hesitation. Not knowing the situation of your > son's head shape,> > I can only say that CT is very up front about whether or not a band > is warranted. > > Some children grow out of their plagiocephaly, but it depends on > many factors, including> > what caused it in the first place, and when repositioning was > started,

etc. I have> > a cousin who, when I told her about banding my son, told me that > her son had tort,> > and had to do exercises, and that his flat spots "popped" out when > he was about> > 4 or 5. There is a group of parents of older children with > plagiocephaly,> > and though I haven't been there, I think some of those children are > older than 5. > > Sometimes it resolves itself. Sometimes it doesn't. > > > > I am a "old" member, I just came back recently. My son is 6. He > was in a DOC band> > for scaphocelphalic head shape for about 4 and 1/2 months. He had > no slope whatsoever,> > and his head jutted straight back. While there was a little > correction with us> > giving him oppportunities to help him put pressure on his head, > there was no way> > for

us to get a slope and to fill out his indented temples on our > own. The neuro> > we saw did have a couple of children in DOC bands for assymetric > head shape, but> > didn't know that cranial technologies had a special band just for > that (and that> > it had been used for infants after they had surgery for sagittal > craniosynostosis.)> > > > Whatever your decision, you need to do what feels right to you. > For us, CT was> > a> > > > > > > > >------- Original Message -------> > > From : rlbpurdue[mailto:rlbpurdue@]> > > Sent : 2/19/2006 6:04:59 PM> > > To : Plagiocephaly > > > Cc : > > >Subject : RE: Any DOC band complaints???> > >> > >We are the process of being evaluated for the 3rd time at CT. My >

son > > is 12 weeks now -- they say he's a ""candidate for banding"" -- we > have a > > 2nd opinion with a neurosurgeon, but not for several weeks. > > Meanwhile, I'm trying to do some research on DOC band -- any bad > > experiences out there? or any research/studies of problems that a > child > > might have down the road from actually wearing the band? > > > > I can't seem to find any and BBB has no complaints on DOC band. All > > the discussions just seem to be about insurance denial. We're just > not > > convinced this is absolutely what he needs.> > > > Garrett's mom, > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > For more plagio info

[Guest guest]

Hi - I know what you are going through right now and perhaps I can provide another perspective. We were just at the Cranial Tech facility in Connecticut last week for our son's casting appointment and decided not to do it. is 7 1/2 months old and has plagio from in utero as well. His head was up in my ribs. In the early weeks, his poeditrician mentioned his concern about the uneveness of his head, but recommended we watch it. At 3 1/2 months his asymmetry measurement was 7.2mm and just last week his measurement was down to 3.3, thus our hesitation. We've decided to wait another month and see if he improves. So perhaps this might help, but as everybody else will tell you, it's a personal decision and there really aren't any exact answers when it comes to this, i.e. wil it definitely get better on it's own?? All we keep hearing is that 'he would benefit from a DOC band", well wouldn't a

huge % of the population? what are the perfect measurements? It's all very confusing and emotional. We did not get the 'warm and fuzzies' from CT and feel somewhat suspect that they are all about their marketing and putting babies into bands. We still had questions, that we never even got to ask, b/c they didn't seem open to us questionning. The measurements we brought in were disregarded immediately. They say they only take measurements when required by insurance, so I wonder why does insurance value the measurements? So perhaps wait awhile and let nature takes it's course along with the other less intrusive approaches. We know that we need to decide sooner rather than later as the window if opportunity is not as big as yours. Keep me posted and if you get any additional insight on measurement data, let me know. I was searching for that all

over the web and couldn't find much. Hang in there! Suzannerlbpurdue <rlbpurdue@...> wrote: Thanks . I appreciate your insight. Garrett's plagio is definitely from utero. As I started the repositioning process 6 weeks ago and took pictures, I also looked back at all of his pictures. He was always on his right side. We were so caught up with his small ear tag on his left ear and the large hematoma on his right side that we didn't notice the flatness, nor was it documented by the Dr, but it was definitely there. His pariental bone that was under the hematoma is also more "pronounced" on his right side - so that makes the plagio more noticable to me. The assemetry is what we are worried about --

and the measurements have improved, but his ears and nose and even his checkbones look out of alignment to me, but just slightly. At any rate. . . we most likely will go with the band once we see the neurosurgeon, but for some reason we're just not confortable with CT and the staff here in Charlotte -- I guess we're just a little emotional about it and want a definite "yes" he needs it and here are the percentages on whether or not it will correct itself and here are the problems down the road if not -- b/c when I look at all the before and after pictures -- Garrett's really looks minor to me. Sorry for the babbling -- gotta go get my boy up.>> Hi .> I understand your hesitation. Not knowing the situation of your son's head shape,> I can only say that CT is very up front about whether or not a

band is warranted. > Some children grow out of their plagiocephaly, but it depends on many factors, including> what caused it in the first place, and when repositioning was started, etc. I have> a cousin who, when I told her about banding my son, told me that her son had tort,> and had to do exercises, and that his flat spots "popped" out when he was about> 4 or 5. There is a group of parents of older children with plagiocephaly,> and though I haven't been there, I think some of those children are older than 5. > Sometimes it resolves itself. Sometimes it doesn't. > > I am a "old" member, I just came back recently. My son is 6. He was in a DOC band> for scaphocelphalic head shape for about 4 and 1/2 months. He had no slope whatsoever,> and his head jutted straight back. While there was a little correction with us>

giving him oppportunities to help him put pressure on his head, there was no way> for us to get a slope and to fill out his indented temples on our own. The neuro> we saw did have a couple of children in DOC bands for assymetric head shape, but> didn't know that cranial technologies had a special band just for that (and that> it had been used for infants after they had surgery for sagittal craniosynostosis.)> > Whatever your decision, you need to do what feels right to you. For us, CT was> a> > > > >------- Original Message -------> > From : rlbpurdue[mailto:rlbpurdue@...]> > Sent : 2/19/2006 6:04:59 PM> > To : Plagiocephaly > > Cc : > >Subject : RE: Any DOC band complaints???> >> >We are the process of being evaluated for the 3rd time at CT. My son > is 12 weeks

now -- they say he's a ""candidate for banding"" -- we have a > 2nd opinion with a neurosurgeon, but not for several weeks. > Meanwhile, I'm trying to do some research on DOC band -- any bad > experiences out there? or any research/studies of problems that a child > might have down the road from actually wearing the band? > > I can't seem to find any and BBB has no complaints on DOC band. All > the discussions just seem to be about insurance denial. We're just not > convinced this is absolutely what he needs.> > Garrett's mom, > > > > > > > > > For more plagio info

[Guest guest]

Hi - I know what you are going through right now and perhaps I can provide another perspective. We were just at the Cranial Tech facility in Connecticut last week for our son's casting appointment and decided not to do it. is 7 1/2 months old and has plagio from in utero as well. His head was up in my ribs. In the early weeks, his poeditrician mentioned his concern about the uneveness of his head, but recommended we watch it. At 3 1/2 months his asymmetry measurement was 7.2mm and just last week his measurement was down to 3.3, thus our hesitation. We've decided to wait another month and see if he improves. So perhaps this might help, but as everybody else will tell you, it's a personal decision and there really aren't any exact answers when it comes to this, i.e. wil it definitely get better on it's own?? All we keep hearing is that 'he would benefit from a DOC band", well wouldn't a

huge % of the population? what are the perfect measurements? It's all very confusing and emotional. We did not get the 'warm and fuzzies' from CT and feel somewhat suspect that they are all about their marketing and putting babies into bands. We still had questions, that we never even got to ask, b/c they didn't seem open to us questionning. The measurements we brought in were disregarded immediately. They say they only take measurements when required by insurance, so I wonder why does insurance value the measurements? So perhaps wait awhile and let nature takes it's course along with the other less intrusive approaches. We know that we need to decide sooner rather than later as the window if opportunity is not as big as yours. Keep me posted and if you get any additional insight on measurement data, let me know. I was searching for that all

over the web and couldn't find much. Hang in there! Suzannerlbpurdue <rlbpurdue@...> wrote: Thanks . I appreciate your insight. Garrett's plagio is definitely from utero. As I started the repositioning process 6 weeks ago and took pictures, I also looked back at all of his pictures. He was always on his right side. We were so caught up with his small ear tag on his left ear and the large hematoma on his right side that we didn't notice the flatness, nor was it documented by the Dr, but it was definitely there. His pariental bone that was under the hematoma is also more "pronounced" on his right side - so that makes the plagio more noticable to me. The assemetry is what we are worried about --

and the measurements have improved, but his ears and nose and even his checkbones look out of alignment to me, but just slightly. At any rate. . . we most likely will go with the band once we see the neurosurgeon, but for some reason we're just not confortable with CT and the staff here in Charlotte -- I guess we're just a little emotional about it and want a definite "yes" he needs it and here are the percentages on whether or not it will correct itself and here are the problems down the road if not -- b/c when I look at all the before and after pictures -- Garrett's really looks minor to me. Sorry for the babbling -- gotta go get my boy up.>> Hi .> I understand your hesitation. Not knowing the situation of your son's head shape,> I can only say that CT is very up front about whether or not a

band is warranted. > Some children grow out of their plagiocephaly, but it depends on many factors, including> what caused it in the first place, and when repositioning was started, etc. I have> a cousin who, when I told her about banding my son, told me that her son had tort,> and had to do exercises, and that his flat spots "popped" out when he was about> 4 or 5. There is a group of parents of older children with plagiocephaly,> and though I haven't been there, I think some of those children are older than 5. > Sometimes it resolves itself. Sometimes it doesn't. > > I am a "old" member, I just came back recently. My son is 6. He was in a DOC band> for scaphocelphalic head shape for about 4 and 1/2 months. He had no slope whatsoever,> and his head jutted straight back. While there was a little correction with us>

giving him oppportunities to help him put pressure on his head, there was no way> for us to get a slope and to fill out his indented temples on our own. The neuro> we saw did have a couple of children in DOC bands for assymetric head shape, but> didn't know that cranial technologies had a special band just for that (and that> it had been used for infants after they had surgery for sagittal craniosynostosis.)> > Whatever your decision, you need to do what feels right to you. For us, CT was> a> > > > >------- Original Message -------> > From : rlbpurdue[mailto:rlbpurdue@...]> > Sent : 2/19/2006 6:04:59 PM> > To : Plagiocephaly > > Cc : > >Subject : RE: Any DOC band complaints???> >> >We are the process of being evaluated for the 3rd time at CT. My son > is 12 weeks

now -- they say he's a ""candidate for banding"" -- we have a > 2nd opinion with a neurosurgeon, but not for several weeks. > Meanwhile, I'm trying to do some research on DOC band -- any bad > experiences out there? or any research/studies of problems that a child > might have down the road from actually wearing the band? > > I can't seem to find any and BBB has no complaints on DOC band. All > the discussions just seem to be about insurance denial. We're just not > convinced this is absolutely what he needs.> > Garrett's mom, > > > > > > > > > For more plagio info