I noticed and was aware of her "tilty head" and inability to rotate to the right from the very beginning. I immediately took steps to get her physical therapy through the county's early intervention program. The process is very bureaucratic and was taking way too long for me so I decided to take her to a chiropractor. I was happy with the treatment he was giving and believed it was helping.
In March, we were cleared for physical therapy and a therapist began visiting our home for 45 minutes once a week. Even though it was very expensive, I continued to take her to the chiropractor in addition to the PT. I still see a tilt in her head but have noticed dramatic improvements and thought we were well on our way to a straight neck and full rotation with no lasting issues.
A few weeks ago, our PT suggested we increase her therapy to twice a week and that she see an orthopaedist. "But I thought she was getting better", was my reply. She is, but apparently she could use some extra help and we needed to rule out any problems with her vertebrae. Since her original approval was only for 6 months, her increase in therapy was promptly denied. She has to be completely re-evaluated before any more services are approved.
I reluctantly made an appointment with the orthopaedist, thinking it was just a formality and we'd leave with nothing more then a directive to continue the course. So today, amidst a torrential downpour, we went in. X-rays were taken and it was determined that her anatomy was normal. I thought that would be it but then the doctor told me that prior to her turning 8 months, I need to think about a helmet. I was quite literally crushed and heartbroken. The avoidance of a helmet is the ENTIRE reason why I have made such an effort to get her services. The nail in the coffin was when the doctor told us to come back in two months. If there isn't dramatic improvement then she might have to get a TOT Collar.
Let me ask you, would you want to put this:
or this:
I know people decorate the helmets with stickers and glitter and stuff but that doesn't help. I'm at the point where pretty much nothing any one can say would make this better. And I actually get quite irritated when people make flippant remarks about it.
This is my baby
She's sweet, good natured, loves to snuggle, has a very charming and engaging smile and has BIG BLUE EYES with the most UNBELIEVABLY LONG EYELASHES. I literally have never had even the slightest encounter with anyone without them mentioning one or both. I know that if we get her a helmet, that is all people will see. And instead of hearing "Look at those eyes!" I'll get, "What's wrong with her head?" And don't even get me started on the collar. All I think of when I see it is the collars they put on dogs after they get fixed.
The next step is an evaluation with the helmet people. Their office is an hour away and I'm not at all looking forward to it. If it turns out she does need one, I'll be a mess. But I'm hoping I'll be able to come to terms with it, one way or another.
