The DOC Band

After about a month of therapy, Baylor's therapist approached me about his head shape and neck stiffening. She gave us a referral to Cranial Technologies and after running it by our pediatrician, we decided to at least go for a consultation. Looking at him everyday, I was blind to the distortion that the therapist saw. But after going for our consultation and getting some symmetry images done, I was so thankful for her keen eyes!

Baylor's asymmetry scores fell in the "severe" range on two of the three markers and "moderate to severe" on the third. Because of this, our insurance covered 90% of the cost! 

You can see the flattening on the back left of the skull. This flattening would ultimately cause the whole left side of his face to protrude farther than the right. You can't see it in this picture, but his EARS were not in line with each other at all!

Here's a front view of the (stocking cap courtesy of Cranial Technologies) tilt in his neck (torticollis).

So we took the plunge and went forward with the DOC band. Baylor got his "helmet" (band) on January 2nd and the several days that followed were a frustrating mess. This is his first picture in his band at home a few hours after the fitting.

We were supposed to watch for red marks which could indicate skin irritation or just that the band was too tight. Other types of red simply meant Baylor was too hot. This is winter and I feel like I have to dress him warmly but they have stressed to us to keep him lightly dressed. No socks, no fleece, no flannel!

Here's a few pictures of the red marks from the first few hours and days. Each time I would see one, I would take a picture of it and then call and then have to drive to Charlotte for an adjustment since the Lexington location was only open a few days a week. We were initially fitted on a Wednesday (in Charlotte) and went back to Charlotte on Thursday and Friday for adjustments! Sheesh! And did I mention I had just started back at work full time and then had to take 3 half days to drive to Charlotte and back!

But now we're back to Monday and it seems to be fitting fine and I'm working on dressing him in less clothes! We have to wash Baylor and the helmet daily...He will wear the band for 23 hours a day for the next two months (approximately). We're being told that since we're starting at a young age, he won't have to wear it as long! We go for weekly adjustments in Lexington which they have so graciously aligned with his therapy appointments (also in Lexington) so I can just take Tuesday mornings off work for now! We've toyed with decorating the band, but for now - I'm liking it plain! (Well, as much as I can actually like anything like this.)

So...here we go on this adventure!