Ben's Helmet

Yesterday we picked up Ben's helmet. He was not thrilled about the fitting, but once we were home, he didn't seem to mind wearing it as much as I expected. Because a body's heat is regulated through the head, he sweat a ton and it will take a while for his body to get used to wearing the helmet all of the time. We started with one hour off, one hour on during the day. Tomorrow we will try two hours on, one hour off, and build until he is wearing the helmet 20-23 hours per day by next week.

After much debate, we chose to put bug stickers on his helmet. We will probably change it often, but this seemed like a simple enough theme. It's still hard for me to see him in the helmet because he looks so different, but I have to remember it's only for a short while.

The helmet is called a Star Band and has a strap across the back that holds it together. The top screw is adjustable and holds the front and back together, along with the velcro in the back. Unless he starts pulling it off, we will be able to get by without having a chin strap.

We were also very excited to find out that Children's Miracle Network covered $750 of the $2,800 cost of the helmet. Our insurance will not cover the expense because they claim it is experimental. Blue Cross also warned that if we attempt an appeal, it will be denied because they consistently deny helmet claims and have no intention of changing their minds on the issue. So that's helpful. Anyway, we are happy to be on the last leg of our cranio journey and will hopefully have all of this behind us soon.