New - How much improvement can I expect for Brachy? (In need of encouragement)

[Guest guest]

My son Rayan just started in the band last Monday, and as encouraged by some

members in this group he has adjusted well and even is sporting cool decoration

on his band ---after hours here and there painting it. My current concern is

about how well the Doc Band will actually be able to fix his Brachy.

Rayan has some asymmetry but more symmetrical flattening in the back and pushing

up of the back of his head making a sloping forehead and extra height in the

back and a shorter profile. This really messes with his profile, and speaking

as someone who myself has more of a peaked/sloped profile, I know the trouble

this causes with hairstyles and wearing hats, etc.

When we went to get the band fitted, the specialist told me that since they

can't " push in " bone, all they could hope for was to hold in place the widest

points and let it even itself out. BUT the band doesn't really hold in the

height of the head, at least, it doesn't seem to.

So, my question is, for those of you who had kids with brachy, where did you see

improvement with the doc band? Did the head actually gain length in the back,

seem less sloped from the forehead and lose some of the height in the back?

Does it proportionately seem less wide? Rayan is at 91% CRI with some

asymmetry. How much real improvement in profile can I expect (he is currently

7.75 months old)?

Thanks! And if you could direct me to some before and after brachy pics too

that would be great.

[Guest guest]

My daughter started in mid-February at 6 months with brachycephaly measured at

91% -- hardly extreme, but most definitely noticeable (particularly because she

didn't, and still doesn't, have much hair). It's been two months in a Hanger

helmet, and the improvement has been highly significant. She's down to 87%, but

more importantly than the number is the difference in noticeable head shape.

The back of her head has rounded out nicely -- probably 2/3 of the way towards

" normal " .

And, yes, if you are careful and have a trained orthodist (key), you can add

just a little bit of height to the front of her skull. It doesn't take much

rounding on top front of the head for it to look much more normal -- perhaps a

1/8 inch? I was careful not to schedule the appointments (where they remove

additional foam) too close together, so that the " holding points " in the back

have their best chance to work fully while the rest of the skull grows. One

time I scheduled as requested, but then had a " scheduling conflict " , and

re-scheduled for 5 days later, which seemed perfect. But it's a fine line

because you don't want the skull to be pushed up through the top in an abnormal

way. Every 3 weeks worked for us because my daughter is growing slowly (we're a

petite family). The width on the sides is more difficult to change unless/until

the front sides grow out, which is not usually desirable except in very careful

proportion to the rest of the head. But that extra width is just much less

obvious now, for whatever reason.

We'll be continuing for another month, because there is still room in the

helmet. But even if we get very little additional change (perhaps to 85%), the

helmet was highly worthwhile. I doubt that any irregularity will be noticeable

to anyone who isn't looking for it.

As I indicated above, a good orthodist -- one who is used to working on

children's heads -- is key. You'll certainly get that at a CT center or

Starband (DOC band), but only Hanger was near us. Fortunately, there is a large

children's hospital right near us, in Cincinnati, so the Hanger facility sees

plenty of plagio and brachy cases.

Best of luck!

>

> My son Rayan just started in the band last Monday, and as encouraged by some

members in this group he has adjusted well and even is sporting cool decoration

on his band ---after hours here and there painting it. My current concern is

about how well the Doc Band will actually be able to fix his Brachy.

>

> Rayan has some asymmetry but more symmetrical flattening in the back and

pushing up of the back of his head making a sloping forehead and extra height in

the back and a shorter profile. This really messes with his profile, and

speaking as someone who myself has more of a peaked/sloped profile, I know the

trouble this causes with hairstyles and wearing hats, etc.

>

> When we went to get the band fitted, the specialist told me that since they

can't " push in " bone, all they could hope for was to hold in place the widest

points and let it even itself out. BUT the band doesn't really hold in the

height of the head, at least, it doesn't seem to.

>

> So, my question is, for those of you who had kids with brachy, where did you

see improvement with the doc band? Did the head actually gain length in the

back, seem less sloped from the forehead and lose some of the height in the

back? Does it proportionately seem less wide? Rayan is at 91% CRI with some

asymmetry. How much real improvement in profile can I expect (he is currently

7.75 months old)?

>

> Thanks! And if you could direct me to some before and after brachy pics too

that would be great.

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the info. What did your Dr. do with the helmet in encourage growth

in the front? Do you have any pictures of your kid's improvement so far? I

would love to see them. We have our 1 week appointment tomorrow and I would

like to sound as knowledgeable as possible when asking questions!--Ruth

[Guest guest]

Hi Ruth!

My son has been in a DOC Band to treat his brachycephaly since he was 4.25

months old--he'll be 8 months tomorrow. He's currently in his second band (since

March 1st). His starting cephalic index was 100% and after 6 weeks in his first

band it was at 92.2%. I do not have current measurements.

I posted photos in the " A " folder. My son is G. I have more " brachy " pics

in my Picasa album, which I'll link below:

http://picasaweb.google.com/Romantyk/Brachycephaly?authkey=Gv1sRgCLiv1KPJhYiyCw & \

feat=directlink

My son also had very mild plagio (initial CVA of 6mm down to 4mm on 2/4/10) and

barely any (not noticeable) facial asymmetry. It was all brachy--in fact, I

think his head was concave in one spot. It was that flat.

Honestly, his head looks pretty good now. The front part filled in (where he

had that " point " ) and the sides rounded out. While I don't think he'll end up

close to the " mean " cephalic index of 79%, I'm hopeful that he'll be in the

mid-80s. I think you should see some good improvement.

Good luck,

Robyn

>

> My son Rayan just started in the band last Monday, and as encouraged by some

members in this group he has adjusted well and even is sporting cool decoration

on his band ---after hours here and there painting it. My current concern is

about how well the Doc Band will actually be able to fix his Brachy.

>

> Rayan has some asymmetry but more symmetrical flattening in the back and

pushing up of the back of his head making a sloping forehead and extra height in

the back and a shorter profile. This really messes with his profile, and

speaking as someone who myself has more of a peaked/sloped profile, I know the

trouble this causes with hairstyles and wearing hats, etc.

>

> When we went to get the band fitted, the specialist told me that since they

can't " push in " bone, all they could hope for was to hold in place the widest

points and let it even itself out. BUT the band doesn't really hold in the

height of the head, at least, it doesn't seem to.

>

> So, my question is, for those of you who had kids with brachy, where did you

see improvement with the doc band? Did the head actually gain length in the

back, seem less sloped from the forehead and lose some of the height in the

back? Does it proportionately seem less wide? Rayan is at 91% CRI with some

asymmetry. How much real improvement in profile can I expect (he is currently

7.75 months old)?

>

> Thanks! And if you could direct me to some before and after brachy pics too

that would be great.

>

[Guest guest]

Robyn-

He looks really great! How much longer will he be in the second band? I hope you

get the final results you're hoping for!

Jake-3.5 (DOCBand Grad 9/08)

Raleigh, NC

> >

> > My son Rayan just started in the band last Monday, and as encouraged by some

members in this group he has adjusted well and even is sporting cool decoration

on his band ---after hours here and there painting it. My current concern is

about how well the Doc Band will actually be able to fix his Brachy.

> >

> > Rayan has some asymmetry but more symmetrical flattening in the back and

pushing up of the back of his head making a sloping forehead and extra height in

the back and a shorter profile. This really messes with his profile, and

speaking as someone who myself has more of a peaked/sloped profile, I know the

trouble this causes with hairstyles and wearing hats, etc.

> >

> > When we went to get the band fitted, the specialist told me that since they

can't " push in " bone, all they could hope for was to hold in place the widest

points and let it even itself out. BUT the band doesn't really hold in the

height of the head, at least, it doesn't seem to.

> >

> > So, my question is, for those of you who had kids with brachy, where did you

see improvement with the doc band? Did the head actually gain length in the

back, seem less sloped from the forehead and lose some of the height in the

back? Does it proportionately seem less wide? Rayan is at 91% CRI with some

asymmetry. How much real improvement in profile can I expect (he is currently

7.75 months old)?

> >

> > Thanks! And if you could direct me to some before and after brachy pics too

that would be great.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks, !

I'm not sure how much longer... he goes for his adjustment tomorrow and I guess

I'll find out if he'll have another in 2 weeks' time. My clinician, ,

didn't think he'd be in the band 12 weeks--though it's 6 weeks now. I'm guessing

he'll be done by late April/early May.

Robyn

, 8 months

New Jersey

> > >

> > > My son Rayan just started in the band last Monday, and as encouraged by

some members in this group he has adjusted well and even is sporting cool

decoration on his band ---after hours here and there painting it. My current

concern is about how well the Doc Band will actually be able to fix his Brachy.

> > >

> > > Rayan has some asymmetry but more symmetrical flattening in the back and

pushing up of the back of his head making a sloping forehead and extra height in

the back and a shorter profile. This really messes with his profile, and

speaking as someone who myself has more of a peaked/sloped profile, I know the

trouble this causes with hairstyles and wearing hats, etc.

> > >

> > > When we went to get the band fitted, the specialist told me that since

they can't " push in " bone, all they could hope for was to hold in place the

widest points and let it even itself out. BUT the band doesn't really hold in

the height of the head, at least, it doesn't seem to.

> > >

> > > So, my question is, for those of you who had kids with brachy, where did

you see improvement with the doc band? Did the head actually gain length in the

back, seem less sloped from the forehead and lose some of the height in the

back? Does it proportionately seem less wide? Rayan is at 91% CRI with some

asymmetry. How much real improvement in profile can I expect (he is currently

7.75 months old)?

> > >

> > > Thanks! And if you could direct me to some before and after brachy pics

too that would be great.

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

My daughter had brachy and wore a star band. She got good improvement, and you

can see her pics under Our Plagio Babies S/Sydney M in the photos section of the

group. she started at about 96% and graduated at 85%. 91% is not that bad, and I

think you'll see good improvement. Keep us posted.

-christine

sydney, 4 yrs, starband grad

> > >

> > > My son Rayan just started in the band last Monday, and as encouraged by

some members in this group he has adjusted well and even is sporting cool

decoration on his band ---after hours here and there painting it. My current

concern is about how well the Doc Band will actually be able to fix his Brachy.

> > >

> > > Rayan has some asymmetry but more symmetrical flattening in the back and

pushing up of the back of his head making a sloping forehead and extra height in

the back and a shorter profile. This really messes with his profile, and

speaking as someone who myself has more of a peaked/sloped profile, I know the

trouble this causes with hairstyles and wearing hats, etc.

> > >

> > > When we went to get the band fitted, the specialist told me that since

they can't " push in " bone, all they could hope for was to hold in place the

widest points and let it even itself out. BUT the band doesn't really hold in

the height of the head, at least, it doesn't seem to.

> > >

> > > So, my question is, for those of you who had kids with brachy, where did

you see improvement with the doc band? Did the head actually gain length in the

back, seem less sloped from the forehead and lose some of the height in the

back? Does it proportionately seem less wide? Rayan is at 91% CRI with some

asymmetry. How much real improvement in profile can I expect (he is currently

7.75 months old)?

> > >

> > > Thanks! And if you could direct me to some before and after brachy pics

too that would be great.

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

is looking really great! Rayan looked similar to him in his before shots

when I started repositioning at 3 months, which is why his CI wasn't higher. I

went in for a checkup yesterday and he had already grown in just one week! When

I was there I looked through an extensive folder of before and after photos. It

was evident that the earlier you started, the more normal the outcome, but the

changes in others Rayan's age were encouraging. Thanks for sharing!

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the encouragement. You can see some pics of Rayan in the Q-Rs.

[Guest guest]

I've never seen pics before of the imaging for a doc band. I didn't realize that they put the stocking over the whole face. For the STARscanner, our ortho put the stocking over the head only with cut outs for the ears and the face, but the babies have to lie down on a table like device. My daughter didn't like the table like device, but at least we were able to hold her down. I'm not sure that I could have gotten her to sit up and hold still well enough for a good DSI scan. Is the scan only a matter of a few seconds like the starscan (2 seconds) and do the babies have to hold still for it to work? Re: New - How much improvement can I expect for Brachy? (In need of encouragement)

Thanks for the encouragement. You can see some pics of Rayan in the Q-Rs.

[Guest guest]

What an incredable difference even in the first progress pictures. In the before pictures, he looks just like CT's pictures of severe brachy heads. In the second set, it looks more like the set of moderate brachy heads.

It's very interesting how two heads that are 92.2 percent can look so different. Take a look at my daughter's photostudy that was completed within two months of her STARband graduation, where she was also measured at exactly 92.2 percent.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11835424@N06/3724963103/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11835424@N06/3725771462/in/photostream/

Your son's head doesn't have any flatness (anymore) that is evident in the pictures, but my daughter does. However, the flatness doesn't really show in the photostudy because I think she is on her back and gravity has helped (I think). The starscan shows it better.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11835424@N06/4368958359/

This real life picture also shows it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11835424@N06/4369621828/

My daughter's head is more triangular than your son's, but it also looks narrower to me in the front and overhead views. It looks more similar from the back, I think.

I guess this just illustrates that the numbers don't tell the whole story.

Granted, I don't know for sure that she was really 92.2 percent. CT's hand measurements put her at around 86 percent, but I don't trust them, partly because they were done quickly and was screaming the whole time and partly because they were hand measurements. A month later, her PT measured her at 91.3 percent (of course they were hand measurements too). However, it just doesn't make sense that she could have improved 6 percentage points in two months when it took 6 months in a band to improve by 3 percentage points (she was 15 months when she started). I could believe that she had improved one percentage point. I think I am going to take her back to get another computer scan to find out for sure, but I keep chickening out on calling them to find out if they would be willing to do it. And now, my work schedule has gotten crazy because the end of the school year is approaching.

Anyway, I think that the baby is looking so much better and I'm sure that the head will be great when you are done. I know that I would have kept going if that had been an option for us.

, mom to , 2.5 years

STARband grad at 20.5 months (May 11, 2009)

Re: New - How much improvement can I expect for Brachy? (In need of encouragement)

Hi Ruth!My son has been in a DOC Band to treat his brachycephaly since he was 4.25 months old--he'll be 8 months tomorrow. He's currently in his second band (since March 1st). His starting cephalic index was 100% and after 6 weeks in his first band it was at 92.2%. I do not have current measurements.I posted photos in the "A" folder. My son is G. I have more "brachy" pics in my Picasa album, which I'll link below:http://picasaweb.google.com/Romantyk/Brachycephaly?authkey=Gv1sRgCLiv1KPJhYiyCw & feat=directlinkMy son also had very mild plagio (initial CVA of 6mm down to 4mm on 2/4/10) and barely any (not noticeable) facial asymmetry. It was all brachy--in fact, I think his head was concave in one spot. It was that flat.Honestly, his head looks pretty good now. The front part filled in (where he had that "point") and the sides rounded out. While I don't think he'll end up close to the "mean" cephalic index of 79%, I'm hopeful that he'll be in the mid-80s. I think you should see some good improvement.Good luck,Robyn>> My son Rayan just started in the band last Monday, and as encouraged by some members in this group he has adjusted well and even is sporting cool decoration on his band ---after hours here and there painting it. My current concern is about how well the Doc Band will actually be able to fix his Brachy. > > Rayan has some asymmetry but more symmetrical flattening in the back and pushing up of the back of his head making a sloping forehead and extra height in the back and a shorter profile. This really messes with his profile, and speaking as someone who myself has more of a peaked/sloped profile, I know the trouble this causes with hairstyles and wearing hats, etc.> > When we went to get the band fitted, the specialist told me that since they can't "push in" bone, all they could hope for was to hold in place the widest points and let it even itself out. BUT the band doesn't really hold in the height of the head, at least, it doesn't seem to.> > So, my question is, for those of you who had kids with brachy, where did you see improvement with the doc band? Did the head actually gain length in the back, seem less sloped from the forehead and lose some of the height in the back? Does it proportionately seem less wide? Rayan is at 91% CRI with some asymmetry. How much real improvement in profile can I expect (he is currently 7.75 months old)?> > Thanks! And if you could direct me to some before and after brachy pics too that would be great.>

[Guest guest]

wow what a difference the band makes my son has same problem we are just waiting

to see if insurance will cover his head band. Did your son ever lean to one side

oppose to the other or look up a lot cause of the Brachycephaly?

> >

> > My son Rayan just started in the band last Monday, and as encouraged by some

members in this group he has adjusted well and even is sporting cool decoration

on his band ---after hours here and there painting it. My current concern is

about how well the Doc Band will actually be able to fix his Brachy.

> >

> > Rayan has some asymmetry but more symmetrical flattening in the back and

pushing up of the back of his head making a sloping forehead and extra height in

the back and a shorter profile. This really messes with his profile, and

speaking as someone who myself has more of a peaked/sloped profile, I know the

trouble this causes with hairstyles and wearing hats, etc.

> >

> > When we went to get the band fitted, the specialist told me that since they

can't " push in " bone, all they could hope for was to hold in place the widest

points and let it even itself out. BUT the band doesn't really hold in the

height of the head, at least, it doesn't seem to.

> >

> > So, my question is, for those of you who had kids with brachy, where did you

see improvement with the doc band? Did the head actually gain length in the

back, seem less sloped from the forehead and lose some of the height in the

back? Does it proportionately seem less wide? Rayan is at 91% CRI with some

asymmetry. How much real improvement in profile can I expect (he is currently

7.75 months old)?

> >

> > Thanks! And if you could direct me to some before and after brachy pics too

that would be great.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

I think it's more likely that the brachycephaly was caused (or at least it

contributed to) my son's Torticollis. also has right side tort and he's

been in PT for that since he was 2 months old. The tort is almost resolved as

his tilt is now 1-2 degrees and his ROM is to 80 degrees (per my PT, 90 is

normal). He did tend to favor his left side but he slept flat on his back until

he was close to 6 months. Now he rolls all over the place.

He'll be graduating from the DOC Band soon. His next appt. is 4/28 and I'll find

out then if they'll be able to do one more adjustment or not. So he'll be

finished by the 2nd week of May at the latest, just before he's 9 months.

Robyn

> > >

> > > My son Rayan just started in the band last Monday, and as encouraged by

some members in this group he has adjusted well and even is sporting cool

decoration on his band ---after hours here and there painting it. My current

concern is about how well the Doc Band will actually be able to fix his Brachy.

> > >

> > > Rayan has some asymmetry but more symmetrical flattening in the back and

pushing up of the back of his head making a sloping forehead and extra height in

the back and a shorter profile. This really messes with his profile, and

speaking as someone who myself has more of a peaked/sloped profile, I know the

trouble this causes with hairstyles and wearing hats, etc.

> > >

> > > When we went to get the band fitted, the specialist told me that since

they can't " push in " bone, all they could hope for was to hold in place the

widest points and let it even itself out. BUT the band doesn't really hold in

the height of the head, at least, it doesn't seem to.

> > >

> > > So, my question is, for those of you who had kids with brachy, where did

you see improvement with the doc band? Did the head actually gain length in the

back, seem less sloped from the forehead and lose some of the height in the

back? Does it proportionately seem less wide? Rayan is at 91% CRI with some

asymmetry. How much real improvement in profile can I expect (he is currently

7.75 months old)?

> > >

> > > Thanks! And if you could direct me to some before and after brachy pics

too that would be great.

> > >

> >

>