Reihan’s Story
Six-month-old Erskine boy, Reihan is suffering from a condition called flat head syndrome, also known as Plagiocephaly. His parents Susan and Andrew from Renfrewshire, have been disappointed with the lack of awareness of the syndrome and the treatment available to correct it.
Mum-of-two, Susan, is keen to increase profile of the condition, which she battled to get funding for.
When Reihan was just two-weeks-old, Mum Susan noticed that he always laid his head on one side when she put him down to sleep. Susan recalls: “I mentioned it to the Health Visitor. She advised me to try repositioning techniques when I placed him in his cot. We tried this for several weeks, but it proved difficult and his tendency was always to lie with his head to the right hand side.”
“We also had concerns about the forming of Reihan’s fontanel, which we shared with our GP. We went to see him on several occasions and he referred us to the RAH (Royal Alexander Hospital). It was here that Reihan had his head X-rayed to check that all the bones were forming correctly. The results of the scan were fine which was a relief, however, we were still concerned with the shape of Reihan’s head. It was so flat at the back and down one side.
Online, Susan read other parents’ stories and learnt that there were clinics across the country, including one in Glasgow providing treatment. “Without hesitation we made an appointment to take Reihan to see the lead clinician at the Technology in Motion from clinic in Glasgow and thank goodness we did. We haven’t looked back since. The clinic provides a treatment called TiMBand. It’s a helmet that’s fitted to the baby’s head and remoulds the head to the shape it should be. He has to wear it for 23 hours a day and has really taken to it.
“I was a bit worried at first as he has never been very good at wearing anything on his head, but he has accepted it very well and it is not causing him any bother. The treatment isn’t currently funded by the NHS which we think is shocking as one in 30 babies suffer with the condition. We did manage to get part funding from HeadStart 4 Babies and we had to use our holiday savings to make up the rest. A small price to pay for Reihan’s head shape to be normal! We were adamant that we needed to get it sorted, it can cause all sorts of bother later in life.”
Sandie Waddell is a leading expert in the treatment of Plagiocephaly at the clinic and is managing Reihan’s PlagioCare programme. She added: “In two months he has achieved the goals that we set out to achieve. Reihan is responding extremely well to the treatment and we are all delighted.”
“His asymmetry has altered by 10mm so far and we have at least one month left in treatment. There is a visual improvement in the facial asymmetry and the asymmetry at the back of his head.”
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