Good News!

We took Caleb to see the orthotic specialist yesterday. He went to Midwest Orthotics in South Bend.


He had to have a Cranial Vault Assymetry scan done on his head. It measures a spot on the front of the head to a spot on the back of the head in a diagonal and does this all around his head. The farther apart the measurements are the more likely it is that he would need a Cranial Remolding Helmet. The biggest difference in measurements was 9 mm. That put him on the high end of having moderate Positional Plagiocephaly (which is a big term for meaning he has a flat spot on his head).


The doctor that we saw said that if Caleb were his child he would not put him in a helmet (and he does have a son a little older than Caleb). He doesn't think the measurements are that bad. He does want to do another scan next month to make sure that the measurements are not getting farther apart. If the scan is the same or better he will not need a helmet. That was a relief to hear. He told us to make sure that he is not laying on the side that is flat, which is his right side. This should be pretty easy since he always sleeps on his tummy now and when he is awake he is crawling around or standing up.


If Caleb's measurements were in the severe category we probably would have gone ahead and went with the helmet. The helmet is mostly for cosmetic purposes, so the head looks more symmetrical, but medical problems can also develop if the helmet is not used to correct the plagiocephaly. Some problems the doctor discussed were sinus issues, TMJ, vision problems, and speech problems.


Please pray that Caleb's head does not get worse over the next month and continues to correct itself. I would hate for him to have to wear a helmet for 23 hours a day for 6 months (that is how long the doctor said he would have to wear it if he did get it. The later you catch plagiocephaly the longer it takes to correct it.) Also, because his measurements were not in the severe category insurance would not pay for anything.


All in all we had some pretty good news. We will be praying quite a bit in the next month before his appointment on October 27th.