We have adjusted to. I'm used to cleaning it everyday and giving him daily baths because his head smells like dirty, sweaty feet. Ew.
Although he has been spared many bruises due to the helmet- it has causes me a few bruises and busted lips. But I don't mind.
So for 5 months he has worn it about 23 hours a day (give or take 30mins)
We have enjoyed decorating it with different themes. He's had puppies, trains, cars, animals, dinosaurs, mickey mouse, and guitars to name a few. Most of the time it has his name on the front with stickers but it still throws me off when complete strangers say "Hi Luke! Nice helmet"- for a split second I'm like "how did they know?...oh yeah...the stickers"
I've had a lot of people come up to me and say "My little Tommy wore one of those!" or "my niece wears one" etc. I've had some people ask why he wears it and I don't mind telling them. I can tell some people want to ask but don't because maybe they are unsure of my reaction. But when I sense that someone is curious but unsure I usually end up sharing "Oh he was just flat on one side because he likes to suck those fingers and always turned to the left so the helmet is helping to round out his head"
Kids are the funniest with all kinds of statements and questions.
"Is he a football player?"
"Is he an astronaut?!"
"Why does he have that?"
"Is that so he doesn't get hurt if he falls?"
"Do you drop him a lot or something?"
Haha (actually I did drop him once tripping on a rug and the helmet did help him!)
I love their curiosity!
One woman who stopped me in at the grocery store once was so concerned she was on the verge of tears. She said "oh my- poor dear- please tell me what I can pray for him about" and I tried to reassure her that he's ok but I will always welcome prayers.
They can never give an exact time frame for the helmet because it depends on growth spurts and of course that is not predictable. If the child grows quickly the quicker you would see the results since the helmet is sort of a mold that you want their head to fill. Originally they guessed maybe 3-4 months for Luke.
About a month ago the Certified Orthotist (CO) said we were getting close to the end especially since Luke was approaching one and the older they get the less pliable their noggin' is. I thought "yay- you'll have it off by your birthday!!!"
I could tell a different in his head. However his ears are still not lined up but better than they were. And although his head rounded out more around the lower part of the back of his skull the higher part closer to the crown of his head still seemed pretty flat. But I figured maybe that's the best we were going to get.
This morning when I got Luke out of his crib I said "Today is the day! No more helmet!"
After taking Nathan to daycare Luke and I sat in the waiting room before his final scan.
He was clapping- he does it really slow and soft- so cute!
The scan went well and Luke sat fairly still (if he moves too much they have to rescan) and after the CO went over the ratios and percentages he discussed them with me.
A few of the measurements were now in the satisfactory category but the reading that is the most important is comparing the length of two imaginary diagonal lines. One runs from the front left forehead to the back right of the head (line A). And the other the front right to the back left (line B).
(This isn't the scan- I made this in 'paint' to show what they measure)
For a helmet to be considered there needs to be at least a 6mm difference. When Luke was first measured the lines were 13.3mm different. Today they were 8mm. Much improvement but still not the 6 or below we would have liked to see.
Carlos, the CO, gave me the option of either stopping treatment or continuing. He said he would have liked to see a 6 or even a 7 instead of an 8 but that we were talking millimeters here. If I chose to continue they would make Luke a new helmet at no cost using this latest scan since he has almost outgrown the current helmet.
I know the older the child gets the helmets are less effective because their skull is firmer so at this point I was leaning towards stopping treatment like we originally planned. I had in my mind that maybe this is the best results we are going to get.
But then Carlos turned his laptop towards me and I saw the outline of Luke's head and immediately my decision was made. I saw how his left cheek still puffs out more than the right. The right side of his head is rounded yet the left side still looks flat. Overall it looked like an oval that someone had slightly squished on one side. It was definitely not uniform.
I thought of what Marcus would say and I knew he would say "if we've gone this far we might as well keep going and do it right" so I told Carlos I want a new helmet made and to continue treatment.
He went on to explain to me that as his growth slows a little bit he will probably have to have the helmet on at least 5 more months to make a difference.
It got me thinking about Luke's growth. I said that he actually is probably about to get another growth spurt because he hasn't really had one since he first got the helmet. He grew SO fast from birth til about 7 months but in the past 5 months he has maybe only gained a pound and his clothing size hasn't changed.
Carlos said he can compare the circumference measurements and it turns out that his head has increased in size only 1 centimeter in the past 5 months. That's not a lot of growth. He agreed that he might have another growth spurt soon making the helmet even more effective.
We have gone 5 months already...what's another 5 months in the grand scheme of things? Not a big deal. We might as well see it through.
Benefits of continuing treatment...
-Better results in the end with head shape
-Give the ears more of a chance to line up (the left ear is still closer to his face by maybe 1/2 an inch or more)
-He's learning to walk and falls a lot so added protection (what parent doesn't like that?!)
Disadvantages...
-Washing helmet and his head every day (not a big deal but one more thing to do daily)
-Being "picked on" by other toddlers wanting to get a better look (was an issue in the beginning at daycare but it has got better recently)
-Hair not growing on the sides of his head so he's getting a mohawk...hahahaha. It's true! This is SO not a big deal...I'm sorta of kidding putting it on the disadvantages list but I was looking forward to seeing a poofy head of red hair instead of the comb-over he's currently sporting :o)
-More bruises and busted lips for mommy and whoever dares to get in his way heh.
I figure at least it will keep him warm in the winter months?
So here's to a round head no matter how long it takes to get there!
Next week he'll be sporting a new dark blue helmet!
Hey- maybe it will match my bruises :)
(combover)
No comments:
Post a Comment