We went today for the results of Easton's CT. The good news is that Easton's brain is functioning properly and had perfect growth and the sutures on his brain are still open.
For a little lesson on the skull- you have sutures that run along the front, sides and back of the skull. They are held together by fibrous connective tissues. Those sutures don't typically close until about 18 months of age. Sometimes they close prematurely and can cause problems. One problem being that there is not enough room for the brain to grow or 2 if the head does have flattness, it cannot be corrected once those sutures are closed. With that being said, Easton passed both of those test.
On to the 'other' news. I won't call it bad...even though it's not what I wanted...but it needs to be done.
Dr. K (Craniofacial Plastic Surgeon) was very happy with Easton's scan. Normal brain function and open sutures are a HUGE positive when working with a flat head. There was no reason for me to believe he didn't have normal brain function- I really didn't even know that was a concern, however, to KNOW that everything is perfect in his noggin makes me very happy. On to the cosmetic part of having a flat head. He said that Easton was about a 5 on a scale of 1-10. He said if we were happy with the shape of his head, we could just leave it alone. He did say that there may be difficulties when he gets older with althletic helmets and shaved heads, etc but it was completely up to us. The question he wanted us to ask ourselves is 'would we be ok with Easton's head if it did NOT change shape?' Lance's answer was 'no'.
The window of time to do helmet therapy is idealy starting around 5 months because the child goes through so many growth spurts during this time and the change is faster. They will not start helmet therapy after 12 months of age. We are right at the line. He did say that we would see some improvement, probably not a 'perfectly' round head, but improvement.
We met with an orthotist (BJ) after our appointment with Dr. K. I was not looking forward to this visit based on our last visit with a different orthotist. However, the minute he walked in the door he was warm and inviting and comforting. He was first and foremost concerned with Easton and Easton's well being as well as making sure we knew that this was OUR decision and he was not going to push us one way or the other. He wanted to know the results of the scan; when I told him the brain function was perfect and the sutures were open he said "well, praise the Lord, that's the most important thing." He had me at PTL! I knew this was our man. I truly believe that God led Lance to this place for a reason. Lance had done PLENTY of research on helmets and where he wanted to take Easton, so I have no doubt that God used is research to send us there.
After some discussion, we decided to go through with the helmet. They did a scan of Easton's head by way of a digital device that looks like a radar gun. He made several passes over Easton's head creating a digital image on his computer to send off to the design center to custom make Easton's helmet. After a few tries we got a good scan and were on our way.
They put this little mesh hat on to flatten down his hair so they get the exact shape of his head.
This process used to be making a cast of the head. Yes, plaster. With a Baby.
Let's just say this digital scanner is BRILLIANT!
This is BJ.
We'll be seeing lots of him in the coming weeks.
Easton likes him, can't you tell!
In BJ's left hand is the scanner.
That would scan Easton's bean [head] and put a digital image on his laptop.
We chose a baby blue helmet and we'll pick it up next week. He will begin his treatment with a week transition period where he wears the helmet 1 hr on 1 hr off for a day then gradually build up to during naps and then night time. After that week he will wear the helmet 23 1\2 hours a day for 4-6 months. He said we should see some results after the first full week of treatment. I'm encouraged that we will see results that fast. He also feels that even just the slightest improvement is going to make a big difference! The results typically slow down towards the end of treatment so it will be interesting to watch how he progresses. He's very hands on wanting to see us every few weeks to take measurements and make any adjustments necessary. We will also see Dr. K monthly to do the same.
I'll have to say I felt defeated when we left the doctors office. This is not something I wanted for Easton. This is not what I would chose for my son. However, if his head were to never change and someone made fun of him one day for the shape of his head, my heart would break. I want to know that we did all we could for him to correct this problem. Cosmetic as it may be, I still think it's necessary for a boy to have a nicely shaped head. His daddy definitely feels that way. So, did I want to do this? NO. Do I want to have to deal with this? NO. But, my child is healthy and happy and smart and this is what needs to be done. It's really no different than braces or glasses if you think about it. Just a little less common than those 2. I do feel blessed that we are able to provide this treatment for Easton, that God led us to the 2 doctors that we saw today, that his CT was perfect and that God gave Lance the nagging desire to do something about Easton's head. We truly are blessed!
So, we begin our head rounding journey. I'll keep you updated with our progress!
