Re: Banding for mild plagio

[Guest guest]

Hi Debbie,

I think your gut feeling is actually a good guide regarding the helmet, since

you see your

son everyday. My son has brachy, and I have a nieghbor whose son probably has

brachy

& mild plagio too, and he's around 26 months old. When they heard about the

helmet

treatment that I have with my son, they remarked that probably their son could

have

benefitted from a helmet (he does have some assymentry) but then they were like,

" oh

well! We think he'll be fine. " They didn't seem to regret their situation at

all. Assymetry is

very common anyway, you might see it more as you look around at people. The

more I

Iooked around, I saw that lots of people have kinda flat heads. In my case, I

woudn't have

gone without treating it. It was imporatant to me. Docband said Zachary's

brachy was

moderate & i could go without if I wanted, but they did recommend it, and I

chose to go

with the helmet (even though my pediatrician and the referring neurosurgeon said

he'd be

fine without it.) After 6 weeks in the helmet (give or take, since Zachary's

been battling a

rash as you may have seen in my other posts), I am very happy with how he looks

even

now, and even my friends see the difference. I am very glad I made this

decision, I would

have always wondered if I should have. Also, I always felt insecure that my

head was kinda

flat, so I wanted to do whatever I could for Zachary. (After taking

measurements, my head

isn't flat at all, though, so that was a nice discovery.) It's great for you

that it's only mild

and so that if your insurance doesn't cover it, you'll be OK, too.

There's all my thoughts all over the place, hope that helps!

-Maritza

Pleasant Hill, CA

mom to Zach, 8 months, brachycephaly- Starband started 11/17/06

and Nate, 3.5 years, toddlercrazyphaly

>

> Hi all,

>

> I am new to the group. Our son is 7 months old and just had a consultation

for

plagio/DOC band. The PT who evaluated him said he has 9 mm of asymmetry, which

is

still within the mild range but borderlining on moderate. So, he said it's up

to us whether

to band or not - that they don't actually recommend it for sure unless babies

have at least

moderate plagio. I am wondering if anyone out there had a similar situation -

did you

decide to band or not? Why or why not and what have been the results? Our

decision will

most likely be based on what our insurance will cover, as we cannot afford to

pay for the

entire treatment out of pocket. Any input is greatly appreciated.

>

> Thanks so much,

> Debbie

> Mom to , 5/17/06

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks so much for your thoughts, Maritza. I really appreciate you taking the time to reply to my post! We are still waiting to hear from our insurance company, so meanwhile I continue to weigh the pros and cons. DebbieMaritza Kim <marzkim@...> wrote: Hi Debbie, I think your gut feeling is actually a good guide regarding the helmet, since you see your son everyday. My son has brachy, and I have a nieghbor whose son probably has brachy & mild plagio too,

and he's around 26 months old. When they heard about the helmet treatment that I have with my son, they remarked that probably their son could have benefitted from a helmet (he does have some assymentry) but then they were like, "oh well! We think he'll be fine." They didn't seem to regret their situation at all. Assymetry is very common anyway, you might see it more as you look around at people. The more I Iooked around, I saw that lots of people have kinda flat heads. In my case, I woudn't have gone without treating it. It was imporatant to me. Docband said Zachary's brachy was moderate & i could go without if I wanted, but they did recommend it, and I chose to go with the helmet (even though my pediatrician and the referring neurosurgeon said he'd be fine without it.) After 6 weeks in the helmet (give or take, since Zachary's been battling a rash as you may have seen in my other posts), I am very happy with how he looks even

now, and even my friends see the difference. I am very glad I made this decision, I would have always wondered if I should have. Also, I always felt insecure that my head was kinda flat, so I wanted to do whatever I could for Zachary. (After taking measurements, my head isn't flat at all, though, so that was a nice discovery.) It's great for you that it's only mild and so that if your insurance doesn't cover it, you'll be OK, too.There's all my thoughts all over the place, hope that helps!-MaritzaPleasant Hill, CAmom to Zach, 8 months, brachycephaly- Starband started 11/17/06and Nate, 3.5 years, toddlercrazyphaly >> Hi all,> > I am new to the group. Our son is 7 months old and just had a consultation for plagio/DOC band. The PT who evaluated him

said he has 9 mm of asymmetry, which is still within the mild range but borderlining on moderate. So, he said it's up to us whether to band or not - that they don't actually recommend it for sure unless babies have at least moderate plagio. I am wondering if anyone out there had a similar situation - did you decide to band or not? Why or why not and what have been the results? Our decision will most likely be based on what our insurance will cover, as we cannot afford to pay for the entire treatment out of pocket. Any input is greatly appreciated.> > Thanks so much, > Debbie> Mom to , 5/17/06>

[Guest guest]

Hello Debbie. The best thing that I can tell you is to look at your

Son's head and decide whether or not you would be happy with his

current head shape if it never changed/improved. If the answer is

no, then your best bet would be to band him, since there is no

guarantee that it will improve on its own.

I understand your position with the Insurance Dilemma, however even

if your Insurance denies it, many people are successful in appealing

the denial.

It can be a tough decision if your child is borderline. Do some

soul searching and go with your gut. If you feel he needs the band,

then go for it.

Good luck with your decision.

Jen

(29 mo), tort resolved, Hanger Band Grad

(almost 5 years)

>

> Hi all,

>

> I am new to the group. Our son is 7 months old and just had a

consultation for plagio/DOC band. The PT who evaluated him said he

has 9 mm of asymmetry, which is still within the mild range but

borderlining on moderate. So, he said it's up to us whether to band

or not - that they don't actually recommend it for sure unless

babies have at least moderate plagio. I am wondering if anyone out

there had a similar situation - did you decide to band or not? Why

or why not and what have been the results? Our decision will most

likely be based on what our insurance will cover, as we cannot

afford to pay for the entire treatment out of pocket. Any input is

greatly appreciated.

>

> Thanks so much,

> Debbie

> Mom to , 5/17/06

>