And I am so not blogger literate so had trouble getting all the pictures seperated so the 3 yr old pictures are a seperate post, I will try to put them in order later if I can figure out ho wto change the order of my posts.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
2 years post band
2 years old, 1 year post Docband
A lot of people have asked us about post band. I know I posted a 1½ yr update but I wanted to show pictures (without his bicycle helmet) of what he looks like today. He wore the band, only 1 Docband from http://www.cranialtech.com/ from 9 months until 12 months and 1 day. He started off in the severe range for assymetry in his head as well as his skull base and ears. He also had some, albeit barely, noticable eye assymetry. When he finished he still measured in the "mild plagiocephaly" catagory but was (barely) in the "normal" range. So a 2nd band was not recommended but we really thought he might have needed one. Very significant improvement was seen though and the difference was very noticable, however the fact that his head was left a bit lumpy didnt help the decision. In the end we did not do a 2nd helmet. About 6 mo later the lumpiness had been gone for months but we still weren't sure about a 2nd band so obviously some of that minor was still visible. But 1 year post band he looked great. I know exactly what to look for so can still look and find it but the average person would never see it now (whereas I am positive they would have before).
I have talked to a lot of people who get false information that kids heads just round out on their own. From personal experience I have seen minor cases of brachicephaly (just a flat spot in the back, no "asssymetry or "crookedness" and no facial changes) resolve on their own once the kids are upright. But without other aggressive alternatives treatments and/or aggressive repositioning I have not heard of any cases of this happening with moderate or more plagiocephly. So this makes it very disheartening to know that some doctors are saying it will. I have also talked to many teens, parents of older children and even adults who still have plagiocephaly because of lack or treament before the age of 2 that are very unhappy about the head shape. And, before we banded Joey we started watching, and once I started looking I was surprised by the # of people I saw in public or even famous basketball players, news anchors, or other TV personalities that even head plagiocephaly now. That is what convinced me that babies (or at least not all) babies outgrow plagiocephaly and I wasn't about to risk it with my child's head. If I am willing to put my teen through 2 years and a similiar cost to get braces just for crooked teeth I would certainly be willing to do the same (and it isn't even painful like braces) for something even more noticable like their entire head.
Looking back on our experience as well as these pictures also made me think of 2 things and wonder if the assymetry, especially in the skull base which can effect the eyes, ears, jaw, neck, etc could have contributed to these. First, thinking back, somewhere in the time he wore the helmet his GERD resolved and I wonder about that. Secondly, looking at the pictures I can now tell there was significant improvement in his overbite. He still has a slight overbite, but looking at the pictures, it was a lot more than slight back then.
Anyway here are the pictures you've been waiting for, 1 and 2 yrs post band. So this is when he was 2 and 3.
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