Today we had our appointment with the orthotist (the person who will be fitting the helmet and working with us) to see if Annabelle needed a helmet. I found out that she doesn’t really have plagiocephaly, instead she has brachycephaly What’s the difference you may ask. Well from what I have gathered:
plagiocephaly causes asymmetry since the flatness occurs more on one side of the head. This then pushes that side of the head forward causing the asymmetry.
brachycephaly causes uniform flatness across the back of the head
These aren’t really medical definitions (obviously), but the simplest way I, not being a doctor, can explain the differences.
At any rate, I thought that she would be scanned today, however, due to insurance (in order for them to cover anything you have to send in other information first, and even then they still may not cover the helmet) they took some basic measurements and took pictures to send to the insurance company. One measurement they took is called the cephalic index, which is ratio of the width of the head to the length of the head. They then take this number multiply it by 100 to get a percentage. The average percent is 78, and anything withing +/- 2 standard deviation is considered alright (or not severe enough to warrant a helmet). Annabelle’s was 101, which is considered a bit severe. Hopefully this will help speed up the process of getting approval from the insurance company.
The orthotist said it is possible for the insurance company to also ask for a script from a neurosurgeon, or to send in x-rays. The optimal time for starting a helmet is between 4-6 months so I really hope that is not the case. After the insurance **hopefully** tells us they will cover her helmet we go back in so that they can take a scan of her head. They will then use this scan to make the helmet. They use to have to use plaster and take molds of the baby’s head. I sure am glad that isn’t the case anymore!
Now, we just play the waiting game. I’ll give the insurance company a few days after all the information gets sent in before I start making calls. Here’s to hoping it doesn’t take too long.