Lily's Sweet Head

Last month at Lily's six month doctor's appointment, the doctor asked me if I would like to take her to a specialist to see about having her evaluated for a helmet. I had always seen a slight spot on her head that was a little flatter but didn't think much of it. I asked the doctor if it was that bad and she said that Lily's ears were also a little misaligned. I was really upset about it at first, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to have the evaluation. She made the referral and we were scheduled for the consulatation today. What a day! We drove down to Charlotte to a place called Cranial Technologies We took lots of pictures of her head from many different angles. Then we met with the doctor who examined her head and talked about what the treatment would look like and if she was a good candidate. I honestly thought that she would tell me that her flat spot would be a mild case and it would fix itself or only need a helmet for a few weeks. That was not what she told me. She told me that she didn't believe that the flat spot on her head was a result of sleeping on her back. She believes that Lily's head is misshapen from her development in utero. She also said that one of the ears is further forward on her head than the other and part of her forehead sticks out further. She doesn't have a symmetrical face. One side is fuller than the other. She also told me that it wasn't a mild issue but wasn't severe either, she would call it moderate. She also thought that the DOC band would work well in realigning her head. If it were to go untreated, there would be a good chance that her subtle features now would become much more noticeable. The helmet would be worn 23 hours a day until she outgrows the band (probably about 2-4 months). We will have to go back to the doctor every 1-2 weeks to have the band adjusted. Here is the bad news. Our insurance doesn't cover this treatment because it is considered "cosmetic" and to have this treatment done costs $2,000! It is actually $3,600 but because my insurance doesn't cover it, they give a discount. So now, we pray. I left there feeling a bit discouraged and guilty. From there I drove to the Portrait Study to pick up the pictures that we had taken a couple of weeks ago. When I got there, I was feeling very tired and defeated after the very long appointment I had just come from. We began looking through the photos and the lady asked me if I would please sign a release. They liked Lily's pictures so much that they would like to use her pictures for the studio! It put a big smile on my face and quickly took away all the horrible things I was thinking about Lily's sweet little head. The portrait people didn't notice it too much that they weren't willing to use her pictures for their studio! So now, we wait to hear from my doctor and to see if my insurance company offers anything at all. From there we will have digital images taken of her head in 2 weeks to have the helmet custom made. 2 week after that she will begin wearing the helmet. So within the month she will have it on her head. We will keep you updated on the progress of everything and be on the lookout for new photos of our sweet Lily with her new helmet. To learn a little more about this whole process, here is a short video explaining and showing exactly what is going on with her. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers for our sweet baby.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/26720269#26720269