When does the helmet come off, and stay off?

[Guest guest]

When does the helmet come off, and stay off?

I'm a new member and I've been looking for information to help me,

but I'm not finding what I'm looking for. Can someone point me in

the right direction?

My daughter has been wearing a helmet for 2 1/2 months now. She is

now 9 months old. When she was 4 months old, she had open-heart

surgery. She spent so much time in the hospital that a flat-spot

started, and just kept getting worse. I have had great doctors and

I have no complaints. The helmet has improved the shape of her

head, the embossing on the front is basically gone, but I'm starting

to worry. There is a little ridge starting around her ears. Her

scull is trying to grow out through the ear gaps in the helmet.

Her cosmetic appearance is important. I don't want her to have

vision problems or jaw problems in the future. However, I don't

want her to have brain damage or develop something like epilepsy. I

have to think that there has to be some effect on her brain because

it can't grow as it wants to. At what point are parents out there

deciding that the helmet has done all it can do and to keep the

helmet off? I don't think her head is going to become exactly

symmetrical. Are there documented side-effect risks out there? So

far, I haven't gotten a straight answer. Can someone point me in

the right direction?

Thanks

[Guest guest]

The ridge around your daughter's ears is not the skull growing out. It is

very common for there to be fluid build up in that area. Many parents

report this happening and they say that it goes away a couple of weeks after

they graduate from the band.

The head is growing in the band so there is no risk of brain damage. The

band holds the prominent areas of the head while redirecting growth in the

flat areas. Most parents have their child wear the band until they outgrow

the band. For some people it is a short as 6 weeks, for others it is as

long as 6 months. Generally, treatment is discontinued when any remaining

asymmetry is so mild that it would not require treatment with a cranial

remolding orthosis and you are happy with your infant's overall head shape.

Molly

Novato, California

Nicolas, 3, tort & plagio, STARband (CIRS Oakland) 4/24/06-9/12/06,

Graduate!

, 5.5

, 9

When does the helmet come off, and stay off?

When does the helmet come off, and stay off?

I'm a new member and I've been looking for information to help me,

but I'm not finding what I'm looking for. Can someone point me in

the right direction?

My daughter has been wearing a helmet for 2 1/2 months now. She is

now 9 months old. When she was 4 months old, she had open-heart

surgery. She spent so much time in the hospital that a flat-spot

started, and just kept getting worse. I have had great doctors and

I have no complaints. The helmet has improved the shape of her

head, the embossing on the front is basically gone, but I'm starting

to worry. There is a little ridge starting around her ears. Her

scull is trying to grow out through the ear gaps in the helmet.

Her cosmetic appearance is important. I don't want her to have

vision problems or jaw problems in the future. However, I don't

want her to have brain damage or develop something like epilepsy. I

have to think that there has to be some effect on her brain because

it can't grow as it wants to. At what point are parents out there

deciding that the helmet has done all it can do and to keep the

helmet off? I don't think her head is going to become exactly

symmetrical. Are there documented side-effect risks out there? So

far, I haven't gotten a straight answer. Can someone point me in

the right direction?

Thanks

------------------------------------

For more plagio info

[Guest guest]

we were also told that those little ridges were the result of fluid and would go away once our son was out of his band. our orthotist told us it was similar to when you take your socks off and have a ring around your ankle.

with proper monitoring, they should be able to tell you when the helmet has become too small.hollymum to 7-month-old alex, in doc band since 1/5/09On Sat, Jan 31, 2009 at 10:38 PM, Foley, Molly <mafoley@...> wrote:

The ridge around your daughter's ears is not the skull growing out. It is

very common for there to be fluid build up in that area. Many parents

report this happening and they say that it goes away a couple of weeks after

they graduate from the band.

The head is growing in the band so there is no risk of brain damage. The

band holds the prominent areas of the head while redirecting growth in the

flat areas. Most parents have their child wear the band until they outgrow

the band. For some people it is a short as 6 weeks, for others it is as

long as 6 months. Generally, treatment is discontinued when any remaining

asymmetry is so mild that it would not require treatment with a cranial

remolding orthosis and you are happy with your infant's overall head shape.

Molly

Novato, California

Nicolas, 3, tort & plagio, STARband (CIRS Oakland) 4/24/06-9/12/06,

Graduate!

, 5.5

, 9

When does the helmet come off, and stay off?

When does the helmet come off, and stay off?

I'm a new member and I've been looking for information to help me,

but I'm not finding what I'm looking for. Can someone point me in

the right direction?

My daughter has been wearing a helmet for 2 1/2 months now. She is

now 9 months old. When she was 4 months old, she had open-heart

surgery. She spent so much time in the hospital that a flat-spot

started, and just kept getting worse. I have had great doctors and

I have no complaints. The helmet has improved the shape of her

head, the embossing on the front is basically gone, but I'm starting

to worry. There is a little ridge starting around her ears. Her

scull is trying to grow out through the ear gaps in the helmet.

Her cosmetic appearance is important. I don't want her to have

vision problems or jaw problems in the future. However, I don't

want her to have brain damage or develop something like epilepsy. I

have to think that there has to be some effect on her brain because

it can't grow as it wants to. At what point are parents out there

deciding that the helmet has done all it can do and to keep the

helmet off? I don't think her head is going to become exactly

symmetrical. Are there documented side-effect risks out there? So

far, I haven't gotten a straight answer. Can someone point me in

the right direction?

Thanks

------------------------------------

For more plagio info

[Guest guest]

Hi there,

My daughter was in a helmet from Eastern Cranial Affiliates for 3.5 months from the time she was 5.5 to 9 months old. It was the wrong helmet for her and her orthotist lied to us time and time again. I am responding to your post because during that time, my daughter's head also started to grown on the side where there was a gap between her ears and the helmet. I then started having my doubts and took her back to Starcranial for a second scan. It confirmed my fears and two weeks later she was in a DOC band instead. She has made good progress since. Her plagio which was at 8mm is now below 2mm. Her brachy also improved by 5% (from 98 to 93%).

What type of band is your daughter wearing? I hope that Joe Terpenning is not your orthotist.

I know that with the helmet from ECA there was a big gap between her ears and the helmet itself, not with the DOC band, which has been such a perfect fit from the start. My daughter, Maysa, is getting a second band on Monday and I am so excited for her because I know that she will only get better wearing it.

Your daughter is still young and there is still a great chance that her asymmetry will resolve itself if she is wearing the proper helmet. However, if YOU notice that her head is growing sideways, then by all means, do something about it and don't wait 3.5 months like I did trusting her orthotist.

Leila

Maysa, 1 year old, 13 weeks in DOC band (2nd band on Monday)

http://mymaysa.wordpress.com/--- On Sat, 1/31/09, cardinals4127 <cardinals4127@...> wrote:

From: cardinals4127 <cardinals4127@...>Subject: When does the helmet come off, and stay off?Plagiocephaly Date: Saturday, January 31, 2009, 6:53 PM

When does the helmet come off, and stay off?I'm a new member and I've been looking for information to help me, but I'm not finding what I'm looking for. Can someone point me in the right direction?My daughter has been wearing a helmet for 2 1/2 months now. She is now 9 months old. When she was 4 months old, she had open-heart surgery. She spent so much time in the hospital that a flat-spot started, and just kept getting worse. I have had great doctors and I have no complaints. The helmet has improved the shape of her head, the embossing on the front is basically gone, but I'm starting to worry. There is a little ridge starting around her ears. Her scull is trying to grow out through the ear gaps in the helmet. Her cosmetic appearance is important. I don't want her to have vision problems or jaw problems in the future. However, I don't want her to have brain damage or develop

something like epilepsy. I have to think that there has to be some effect on her brain because it can't grow as it wants to. At what point are parents out there deciding that the helmet has done all it can do and to keep the helmet off? I don't think her head is going to become exactly symmetrical. Are there documented side-effect risks out there? So far, I haven't gotten a straight answer. Can someone point me in the right direction?Thanks