Monday 29 July 2013

The Helmet has arrived!

So on Friday Nanny, Fin and Myself took a drive up to the sevenoaks clinic to have Fins helmet fitted!!

I was feeling quite stressed about everything in the days leading up to appointment. Especially wondering if we were making the right decision. Question were going around my mind like: what if he hates it and spends the next 4 months or so in complete distress? what if its really uncomfortable? what if hes allergic? what if it doesn't work? does he really need it? My mind was a minefield of negativity - looking back though I think its just the unknown. This treatment is in Finnys best interest and I know we are doing the right thing. I think if his Plagiocephaly wasn't quite so Severe and there had been greater improvement with the Cranial Osteopathy then maybe, just maybe he wouldn't have needed the helmet. However he has had all this treatment and he still has an asymmetry of 18mm. Maybe it would have improved slightly - but do i think it would have improved enough for Fin not to worry about it when he was older? No, I definitely think the improvement would have been minimal considering his age also. So for us I am happy our choice was the right one.

So back to the clinic - Again Steve and Corrin were there to greet us and again they were really lovely. The appointment was surprisingly quick! They had his helmet waiting - very cute!! Popped it on Finnys head, he didn't really seem that bothered - although he did find the Velcro and manage to undo it - luckily they come with a clip that's stops little hands doing this the rest of the time. So the helmet fitted - it just needed to be trimmed slightly and smoothed down which took only a few minutes. I had a go at putting it on and taking it off. We had the weaning process explained (to build up to the 23hrs a day). Helmet care explained. Our questions were answered fully and we even got a mould of the expected outcome of Finnys head shape!! I have to admit - it looks amazing, I guess I'm a little sceptical that his head will be that round - but these guys are the experts, so I really am hoping. Most people have hair, teeth and curls to show there children when they are all grown up - we have a head!! They build up the model with plaster cast on the flatter areas and mould the helmet to this - so they have said we can break off the plaster cast to show him what his head was like. I'm not sure I really like it how it is right now.

So the last few days we have been weaning Finny into his helmet. He had it on for an hour Friday. Saturday he had it on an hour off and hour on and we left him helmet free to nap and sleep. Sunday we moved to two hours on and hour off and helmet free during naps and sleep. Today he is having 4 hours on 1 hour off and he has just settled for his nap wearing the helmet and being his usual good self he has settled almost straight away. He really does not seem to mind it that much at all - the only downside is all the sweat, but were giving him a little more water and hes just in a vest. Hopefully his body will adapt and the sweat should reduce!!

So what does Finny say....He says yay for the helmet!!


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