"I just wanted to write as I am sure many people do, in order to thank you for the EarBuddies kit that has made such a big difference to our daughter Cerys. From the moment she was born I noticed that her ear on one side stuck out but unfortunately with all the new and daunting things to think about anyway upon becoming a parent for the first time we gave it no more than a glancing thought until Cerys was around 6 weeks old, when we noticed that rather than just sticking out, the 'fold' in the ear was completely missing on that side. We were both surprised at how we could have failed to notice something so unusual and also how no medical professional had spotted it either. It prompted us to undertake a little research on the subject whereupon I of course stumbled upon your website and was able to diagnose the condition as 'bat ear' as it is commonly known. After some apprehension we decided to order the kit and give it a go as we had nothing to lose but the financial outlay.
When the kit arrived we did consult with our GP because at the end of the day we were still a little wary of the idea of purchasing a kit off the internet in order to treat a medical condition that only we had spotted and self diagnosed without any kind of medical referral. The GP knew of the condition but not of the splinting treatment and whilst curious I think he was also a little bemused at the idea, as were the health visitors who would subsequently ask why her ear was taped up and to which my wife was required to almost defend her position constantly and the decision made to go ahead with the treatment without traditional direct medical referral. In total the splint was on for around 11 weeks and throughout that time we experienced many problems, mainly just due to the skin surfaces becoming reddened and inflamed as the instructions reassured us may happen, but nevertheless meant that on a few occasions we were forced to remove the splint and tape for 24/48 hour periods before reapplying in order to let the inflammation subside. By the end of the treatment I certainly became very proficient in applying the splint and tape which we found easiest to apply an hour or two after our daughter had gone to sleep. My wife would take her from the cot and sit with her in the darkened nursery whilst I carefully curled the splint into the ear and applied the tape one step at a time.
Looking back we are both so pleased that we took the time and the effort for Cerys' sake and the change that it has made to the appearance of her ear has been remarked upon not just by friends and family but also some of those same health professionals who had been openly sceptical in the beginning! In addition there is also a sense of pride and achievement for myself and my wife in taking on something that initially seemed so daunting to the parents of a 2 month old baby. Her ear was certainly not a life threatening condition and so at the time it would have been all too easy to simply ignore. Instead, we forced ourselves to look to the future and imagine how we would feel if Cerys approached us in years to come and ask why we did not at least try something so simple if it stood a chance of avoiding operative treatment and/or the potential bullying and self image issues that she may have had to face in later life.
We learnt the techniques in applying the splint and I feel that we made good decisions about when to keep the splint in place and when to remove it to allow inflammation to subside. We generally persevered whilst those around us watched on more than a little bemused but ultimately it has made it possible for us as parents to treat a medical condition ourselves which is fantastic! Cerys is around 8 months old now although was about 6 months when I started writing this E-mail it has taken me so long! I would like to take the opportunity to thank you once again for developing this product that I am sure must have changed things for scores of babies and parents, just as it has us. I certainly hope that this does encourage people to persevere even when the treatment does not quite go to plan! Very best wishes"
