At Isaac's 4 month appointment Dr. W referred Isaac for an evaluation of his head. He had a very normal looking head at birth - not even too cone headed, but the combination of the NICU, swing sleeping, and torticollis left him with a very odd shaped head. The nice thing is that it looks great in pictures and doesn't look very odd unless you really look up at the back of his head when he has wet combed down hair. Then you will notice that the left side is flat and the right is elongated and there is a small crater in the back of his head. In addition his head is getting progressively wider and more conical.
Despite lots of tummy time and neck exercises, Isaac's head did not make enough improvement on its own, so the pediatrician referred us to an agency that specializes orthotic bands (helmets) to correct this.
The appointment went well, despite my sleeping through my alarm and literally through myself out the door to get us there on time. Isaac had a photo study and measurements taken. (They took the photos in about a minute - the photographer was impressive!) Then we met with an occupational therapist who specializes in Torticollis and she gave us some more tips for improving Isaac's torticollis. She also noted that his torticollis was atypical in that he both favors turning his head left & tilts left. She said this is more common with congenital torticollis (started in the womb), which makes sense with my history of bedrest and low amniotic fluid.
The photo study doesn't truly capture his weirdness, but you can see that his head is taller in the back and you can sort of see the dent. The measurements indicated that his forehead is higher on one side and his ears do not line up horizontally or vertically, meaning that his jaw is starting to go out of alignment. In addition it is starting to affect the shape of one of his eyes. I thought he might have a lazy eye, but the doctor noted that the light hits his eyes in the same place, but the shape of each is different. He was diagnosed with plagiocephally on the left side (where one side of the head is flat and one side is longer) and bilateral brachycephaly.
Isaac was given a prescription for a Dynamic Orthotic Cranioplasty Band (aka DOC Band) and I found out yesterday that our insurance should cover 100% of the band and the appointments to have it adjusted! Right now we are waiting to find out what the plan is for the malrotation and then he will have a crazy 360 degree photo taken that will be used to make a proper helmet and he will start treatment.
I love this issue right now because it is low risk and has a very high rate of success. Plus, we will get to decorate his helmet, which should be relatively fun.
PS - Isla has known the helmet is a possibility for a while now, ever since we came home with literature from an appointment in December. She has been adamant that she does not want him to get one. At our latest appointment they gave us a calendar with kids wearing the DOC bands. Isla looked through all of them and now she is OK with "Bro" having a helmet. After seeing the Hello Kitty helmet, she wants one for herself.
3 comments:
Oh gosh, when it rains, it pours! I like your attitude, though (you're right, out of all the issues to have, this sounds like a pretty non-invasive and simple one to fix! And I think those helmets are adorable!) But still, I bet you'll be looking forward to 2013 with the way this year has already started out :)
You are a Super Mom Ali!
What a pain! But he looks like a baby model in that photo study. What a cutie.
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