Charley has her DOC band!

Getting Charley's DOC band has been quite the process. I am totally frazzled and overwhelmed with the process. She had her fitting for the band last Friday. They took pictures like the ones posted in her evaluation post but the therapists had to hold her to get the perfect view. They made a mold of her head and made the band for her and we picked it up this past Friday.

 

The fitting was Friday morning and was about an hour and fifteen minutes long.  I had Jackson with me and he did fairly well.  Luckily there was some construction going on outside our window so he was able to watch Bobcats moving bricks around.  The first time they put the band on her it came down way too low and covered half of her eyes.  It took lots of adjustments from the therapist but we were on our way with instructions to let her wear if for 3 hours and then take it off for a skin check. 

 



This is what the DOC band looks like before it was wrapped.



Right after we left Cranial Technologies we went to Vinyl Touch Graphics.  I was so impressed by these men.  They dedicate 4 hours every Friday to wrapping bands for families for FREE!  They wrap semis, busses, vans, windows, etc. and they use the same process on these little helmets.  It sure makes it look better and not so medical!

 

She did fairly well on Friday and even slept in it part of Friday night.  After a little more time in it on Saturday morning, I noticed that she was getting a little bump/blister above her ear.  She is still not wearing the band full time (23 hours per day) because she is still getting a bright red spot from pressure.  They are very careful about the integrity of her skin.  We have an appointment tomorrow for another adjustment and then hopefully she can be in it full time.  It has been quite the process!

 

 

 

This is how we both feel about this whole process.  I am terrified that she's going to outgrow this band and need another one.  They told me only 5-10% of babies need 2 bands.  Then I read the paperwork they sent home and it said up to 20% need a second one.  Our insurance is not covering one cent of it so just the first band is costing us $2,000!  OUCH!  Please, God, don't let her have a growth spurt and outgrow it. 

Hopefully by Thursday we'll be well on our way to a round head!