Guest guest Posted June 4, 2008 Report Share Posted June 4, 2008 - YOu can be dramatic - you and have been thru ALOT! I just have to say that I am so happy you guys figured it out BEFORE it was too late and damage had been done. I'm glad you are able to go somewhere else and get a new band. On a side note... have you contacted anyone higher up at Orthoamerica about this? I wonder if they know what kind of treatment this ortho is giving, or lack there of. If not, I encourage you to write a specific, detailed, non emotional letter to the President of Orthoamerica so they know JUST what is happening there. Also, if you haven't already, post the location so others are warned in the future. Jen and Luli - 29 months Left tort - Right Plagio - Hanger Band Grad - CA http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/j/jens5th/ 's Useless Helmet Okay, okay! Sorry about that! I had to say it. I promised myself (and ) that when I posted about this I'd try to keep the drama to a minimum. But, I'm feeling rather dramatic about this so it's hard! was fitted with a STARband 8wks ago. We were very compliant and followed all the rules. But, the more I read about plagio and STARbands, the more suspicious I became about his treatment. 's plagio is moderate. He has 1cm (10mm) difference in his cross measurements, forehead bossing and ear misalignment. The first clue that something wasn't right was that the helmet took forever to come in after casting. It should have been fitted no more than 14days after casting, but it was fitted 21days after casting. It was too small and it took forever for the orthos to try to fix it. The first night he slept in it, it rubbed a huge sore on his head. We had to leave it off for 2.5days for that to heal and one ortho shaved the foam all the way down to the shell to make room for the prominent side of his head (which had grown since casting). That was problem #2. Once the foam is shaved down to the liner, evidently you've outgrown the helmet. We kept going to the appts. and the cross measurements never changed. Problem #3 was what eventually put me over the edge. I asked the ortho how the helmet could act as an active device when it was so loose. He told me, mistakenly, that it was a passive device, only there to provide a concave surface for the baby's head to lay on! ding ding ding! (okay, i know...drama again) That's pretty basic for these kinds of helmets. If he thought it was passive, I knew he had probably fitted it like a passive device. That, and he wasn't concerned that in seven weeks we had no measurable progress. So, thanks to those of you who helped educate me about all this helmet/plagio stuff and to those of you who pused me to get a second opinion! We took him to UNC hospital yesterday. The ortho pronounced the old helmet doa (dead on arrivial). We had a new cast made of his head and will be starting all over again with a new helmet in two weeks! He will be almost ten mo old when he gets it. I'm trying to be optimistic about this, but it makes me sick to think of what he's been through for nothing. He's sweated in it, it's rubbed sores on his head, it used to drive him nuts, and it was all for nothing! So, now when I think back and remember all the posts that say that getting an experienced ortho is everything, I get it! I am so thankful for what I've learned from this group. Without it, we would have continued treatment with a helmet that would never have done any good. Thank you guys so much! *9mo*tort resolved*lft plagio*STARband 8wks (soon to be discarded) Conner *2yrs NC USA Stay informed, get connected and more with AOL on your phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 5, 2008 Report Share Posted June 5, 2008 I feel so upset for you and . This is all of our nightmares and you had to live through it. I am praying that the new ortho and the band will be a great improvement from the previous ortho and band. Stick around on the boards to help other NC mothers stear clear of the original facility that you went to. You should call a supervisor or something to get a refund and have that ortho retrained or fired. This is just not right. Good luck and we will be here for you. Tammy From: Langston <heatherlangston83@...>Subject: 's Useless HelmetPlagiocephaly Date: Thursday, June 5, 2008, 1:59 AM Okay, okay! Sorry about that! I had to say it. I promised myself (and ) that when I posted about this I'd try to keep the drama to a minimum. But, I'm feeling rather dramatic about this so it's hard! was fitted with a STARband 8wks ago. We were very compliant and followed all the rules. But, the more I read about plagio and STARbands, the more suspicious I became about his treatment. 's plagio is moderate. He has 1cm (10mm) difference in his cross measurements, forehead bossing and ear misalignment. The first clue that something wasn't right was that the helmet took forever to come in after casting. It should have been fitted no more than 14days after casting, but it was fitted 21days after casting. It was too small and it took forever for the orthos to try to fix it. The first night he slept in it, it rubbed a huge sore on his head. We had to leave it off for 2.5days for that to heal and one ortho shaved the foam all the way down to the shell to make room for the prominent side of his head (which had grown since casting). That was problem #2. Once the foam is shaved down to the liner, evidently you've outgrown the helmet. We kept going to the appts. and the cross measurements never changed. Problem #3 was what eventually put me over the edge. I asked the ortho how the helmet could act as an active device when it was so loose. He told me, mistakenly, that it was a passive device, only there to provide a concave surface for the baby's head to lay on! ding ding ding! (okay, i know...drama again) That's pretty basic for these kinds of helmets. If he thought it was passive, I knew he had probably fitted it like a passive device. That, and he wasn't concerned that in seven weeks we had no measurable progress. So, thanks to those of you who helped educate me about all this helmet/plagio stuff and to those of you who pused me to get a second opinion! We took him to UNC hospital yesterday. The ortho pronounced the old helmet doa (dead on arrivial). We had a new cast made of his head and will be starting all over again with a new helmet in two weeks! He will be almost ten mo old when he gets it. I'm trying to be optimistic about this, but it makes me sick to think of what he's been through for nothing. He's sweated in it, it's rubbed sores on his head, it used to drive him nuts, and it was all for nothing! So, now when I think back and remember all the posts that say that getting an experienced ortho is everything, I get it! I am so thankful for what I've learned from this group. Without it, we would have continued treatment with a helmet that would never have done any good. Thank you guys so much! *9mo*tort resolved*lft plagio*STARband 8wks (soon to be discarded)Conner *2yrsNC USA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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