Minnesota Babies
katejane66
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Craniocap (cost and satisfaction)
katejane66
member
Hi All.
Just had our first visit at Gillette and need to determine if we want our son to be fitted for a craniocap. Our insurance will not cover it, so we are trying to figure out the cost and if it is worth it (waiting for pt rep at clinic to call back). He does have a flat head...but not the worst case.
Thanks for any info or advice!
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Re: Craniocap (cost and satisfaction)
Photo taken at 16 months old
Sorry I don't have any advice but we are in the same situation. My daughter had some torticolis and we did the PT but she still does have a mild case of her ears being mis-aligned ( i forgot the word now). We have a consultation on Monday to see if she is even appropriate for one.
I am waiting to hear back from our insurance as well but I have only heard good things about the results. My concern is it worth putting Breah through wearing one for what seems to be a mild problem?
Good Luck and I would be interested in what you decide and why!
Jill
We decided to wait and see. Had our first appointment with a new pedi and she was honest about her opintion (which was so refreshing!). She said to wait until 6 months and see if it is any worse (she thinks it will get better as he more able to sit and stand).
She did mention that she looks at the ears and if they are mis-aligned she is more apt to recommend it. How old is your LO? Have you asked your pedi?
From what I have heard the kids get used to it pretty quickly. And winter would be a much better time to do it than summer, right?
Good luck! Big picture it is not the worst thing to have to deal with, but i know I agonized about it all week and it was no fun :-(!
My LO is 10 months old now but she was born 3 months early so they consider her adjusted age 7 months. My pedi referred me to my PT who then refered me to the orthotic people associated with Children's Hospital who we are seeing tomorrow.
I do agree with your pedi though, Breah's head got much better after she learned to sit up and started playing more!
I am not so against the idea but my husband feels like it really is not even noticible. He's coming with tomorrow so he can hear first hand and then we can go from there.
Just thought I would share what I found out yesterday...
We saw the people at Orthotic Care Services who were very nice and informative. They agree Breah has a mild case but are a little concerned she might be a little old. According to them they like to fit the caps between 4 and 7 months since thats when kids heads grow the most and they can make the most change.
They still think Breah could use a craniocap and she would get a good amount of change but wouldn't reccomend either way if they think she should or shouldn't get one. Basically said yes she's eligible but it is mild and it is up to my husband and I to decide if we want to or not.
My insurance pays 80% and the craniocap including all follow up is about 2900$. She would likely be in it for 3-4 months with follow up visits every 3 weeks or so.
My husband thinks she is fine and doesn't need it but if I think she does he's fine with it. He doesn't really worry about much ever and doesn't have a strong opinion on most things. After she is 1 year old there is nothing we can do and she is stuck with her head the way it is. My only worry is that she'll get older and really notice it. My husband thinks she'll just have hair to cover it up. My concern is looks (its not a big deal but it is a reality that I would have to deal with everyones questions when we are out and about), I have to do all the follow up visits, it still would be about 600$ out of pocket ( if it was a severe case this wouldn't be an issue but because its mild i'm not sure) and I just dont' know anyone else in the world would even notice it unless i point it out so I dont know if there is even a point of doing it?
Sorry for such a long post but I am having a hard time deciding on this one.
I feel for you...don't you just want someone to decide? I wonder if it is a little less noticeable on a female because of hair-styles AND the fact that they are less likley to go bald as an adult than a male is?
I wish I could help you. I asked a few close friends and they said they felt it was better to error on the safe side...do you have friends that will give you an honest opinion? Ultimately though it was the pedi's opinion that I trusted the most and which helped me to decide to skip it.
Good luck! let us know what you decide.
Our daughter wore a cranio cap for 3 months recently. She also had surgery for sagittal craniosynostosis. After the surgery they noticed her torticollis. She was starting to get a flat spot and the back was getting square. We were happy with the cranio cap and saw a difference. We also did PT. It ended up that she might have benign torticollis (switches sides, but she get stuck w/ a head tilt for about a week before it straightens out)
-In the picture:
before surgery
after surgery and before cranio cap,
mid way through cranio cap.
[IMG]https://i59.tinypic.com/2mo9izt.jpg[/IMG]
Let's see if this works