Wednesday, October 15, 2008

What to do??




HELP!!!! :) I need some input from any and all sides of the fence on this. Little Eden is scheduled for her vaccines tomorrow and although I vaccinated the boys on schedule and wasnt too worried about it I seem to be really stressing about it with Eden. I dont know if it is because she is small or what? It just seems like such a large amount of stuff to put in such a little body. I know there are pros and cons and there are people on both sides of the fence. I am not one to not vaccinate at all but I was looking into the delayed alternative schedule. My friend Andrea was just here with the same delima and though we sent the morning discussing it and trying to come to a conclusion as to what to do we ended up where we started.......lost. LOL! Where and how do you even get the delayed schedule done? Do Dr's listen to you if you want to get it done any way but their way. Can you ask the health Dept to only give some and not all at once? How do you go about talking to a Dr about this without pissing them off??? Somebody Help!!! :) I know some of you have lots to say about this...........so go ahead! :) Cmon Jenny!

Oh and, of course, i had to put a picture of Eden and the boys for you all to see :)

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Remember that you can always go back and catch them up but you can't undo a vaccine that has already been given. When I was in your position I opted to hold off until I had time to research it more. There's lots of info out there. I have a book you can borrow and Porter Co. LLL just got The Vaccine Book (talks a lot about specifics) if you want somewhere to start. CHOICES has lots of info available too. Whatever you decide, make it an informed decision that you can feel confident about. Take as much time as you need to get there.

Elizabeth F. said...

IF you are unsure, I'd either wait and make another appt when she gets at least a few months older...or I'd go and be prepared to stand my ground. It's your child and your choice. Don't be bullied into giving shots if you aren't comfortable with doing so.

Sarafu said...

I do have the Vaccine book which has helped and is where I got the delayed schedule from. Thank God for the Sears family! My problem is I dont like conflict and the health dept always acts like your an idiot and then they piss me off and then I lose my words. Hahaha! They convinced me to get Ashers chickenpox vaccine cause they already mixed it and I was going to waste 400 dollars and I was being ungrateful. After about 10 minutes of aguing I gave in.

Mrs. Sara said...

Eek, I didn't know they'd try to bully you into getting a shot! Yuck!

I think when arguing with people like that, simple is best. You don't owe them an explanation, and they can't force you. So just say, "I'm her mother, and I've decided that she is not getting this shot right now. I will not discuss this further." And if they keep arguing, just walk out!

Personally, I'm a big fan of the delayed schedule, and we're going to selectively vaccinate, too, based on ethical issues. But that's just me. Reschedule her appointment for a time you feel more prepared to make the right decisions, and then read as much as you can to figure out where you stand on it!

Sarafu said...

Hey Sara, you wanna come to my appt with me and tell them that for me! Lol! :)

Mrs. Sara said...

Ooh, I totally will! We can play good cop/bad cop. At some point, I'll just motion to you, you can take the baby and step out into the hall, and I'll pull out my crowbar. "Now, we can do this the easy way... or we can do it the hard way... what's it gonna be?"

:D

Sarafu said...

And Yes, they bully and patranize you!! Some peditricians wont see you if you dont vaccinate on the AAPs reccomendations. I just left my ped. because he got a bad attitude with me over getting jack a chickenpox vaccine even though they have it on record that he had the chickenpox. Those Drs really love their vaccines!

Sarafu said...

Ok Sara....so I'll see you tomorrow then at 10...lol, bring your crowbar :)

Mrs. Sara said...

I learned a lot about asserting myself when I married Dan. I have always folded under pressure, not wanting to cause a stir... but Dan is helping me to get over that! :) I even told my coworker to shove it (in a nice way) the other day when she was trying to get me to do work that wasn't my job. That's an amazing feat for me, trust me. It's hard, but try to stay strong and assert yourself. YOU'RE the mother, and YOU'RE making the decisions! You can do it!

Mrs. Sara said...

Oh, who's your pediatrician? The ladies on the CHOICES site were talking about delayed-vaccine-friendly doctors the other day... I'll go on there and see who they said was flexible about vaccines.

Mrs. Sara said...

I see on the CHOICES site that a few women recommended Dr. Ludwig in Valpo and Dr. Gold in Crown Point if you're going to not vaccinate or do the delayed schedule.

Sarafu said...

TY!!! Thats good to know! I was with Dr Lin....and now I am seeing Gatz in the same practice. He is super nice but I am sure he would probablly give me a hard time about the vaccine thing too.

Liz said...

Ah yes, the vaccine debate! We have had alot of conversations about this already, Sara, so you know how I feel....but I agree with Mrs. Sara....whatever you decide you need to stand firm in the choice that you make for your daughter....that being said I know how hard it is to do sometimes! I really like the idea of the delayed schedule and will not give a few of them that I just don't think are necessary or worth it with this next baby. I am interested in the CHOICES website. What is it? I will probably google it and see if I can find it. I just may have to switch pediatricians. I have been thinking about doing that anyway...

Sarafu said...

OK, the more I read, the more concerned I get. I called the health Dept and they said I could get whatever shots I wanted in whatever schedule but of course some can't be split up because of how they are made. They told Andrea that there was no Aluminum in them and I have the ingrediants here that says that is not true. From what I am reading, the FDA says that IV Fluids and injectable medications should not have more than 25 micrograms in one daily dose for adults and children. Since it doesnt specify vaccines then they have anywhere from 0 to 1500 micrograms. Aluminum toxicity can cause major neurological damage. Now, of course, this all depends if my 9 pound baby is able to filter out the possible 1875 micrograms (if I do the AAP recomended schedule)of aluminum or not. Ughhh....Why cant they make it without that crap and all the other crap! THe oral Rotovirus has traces of Fetal cow blood and Monkey kidney cells....thats just gross more than anything! lol! Ok, sorry....I just had to see what you thought and vent! :)

Anonymous said...

With the infant shots, I was worried, but I got Tyler's shots done on time. However when it came to his 1 year old shots, I had seen where it could have some bad reactions, so I did talk to my pedi. Both her and her nurse were very understanding and neither seemed to get upset that I was worried about it and they said that they would do whatever I wanted for Tyler on those shots. So yes, Dr. will let you delay and if they are a good dr. they should listen to your concerns for your child.
Thanks for sending some new pics she is sooo cute!
Misty

Jenny W said...

sara--good girl looking at the aluminum. my advice is ALWAYS THIS: read the ingredients on each invidual shot. there is a recipe. if you don't like the recipe, don't do it. period. tough noogies for the drs who don't like you for it, God gave that baby girl to YOU not them...

and i will come with a crowbar...
;)

Mrs. Sara said...

Crap, I just finished worrying about thimerosal, and now I have to worry about aluminum? ;)

Just kidding. The only vaccine with aluminum that we're actually giving the kids is the DTaP, so I'll have to look at the research on aluminum toxicity vs. the benefits of the DTaP.

Sarafu said...

That one actually has the largest amount of Alluminum in it and the health dept combines it with HepB and Polio. I really dont think she needs HepB at this point so I'm not cool with that. Course I bet the Drs office doesnt have the same one. :)
I ended up not getting her shots yesterday because after all the people I talked to it was suggested that I wait until she is a little bigger. I am always worried about Menningitas and pertussis so I was really wanting to get her the HIB, Pc and Dtap. Come to find out the pertussis (which is the P in DTaP and also goes by whooping cough) is only 67 percent effective after all the 3 shots have been given and by then its not even dangerous anymore. Asher had it (and was hospitalized) at a month and a half before he was even able to be immunized. He got it from Jack who was immunized against it and he still got it. Plus with her being so small I guess there is a small chance the vaccine can give it to her since the virus is only mostly dead. Anyway, I figure it cant hurt to wait a bit longer and do more research.

Jenny W said...

Mrs. sara "i just got over thimerasol now i have to worry about aluminum?"

yep. isn't that nice?

then there's msg and fermaldahyde, those are fun too (i eat msg but not in the alarming quantities found in shots, and not put directly into my veins, and not when i'm an infant...)

anything else?!

p.s. congrats sarafu on knowing when to ask for encouragement, being able to receive it, and then acting on it for the good of your family. yay for you!

Mrs. Sara said...

"Plus with her being so small I guess there is a small chance the vaccine can give it to her since the virus is only mostly dead."

I'm sorry, Fu, but when you said this, I immediately got two movie quotes in my head." First, Princess Bride... "He's only MOSTLY dead!" and then Monty Python and the Holy Grail... "I'm not dead yet! I feel happy!"

Anonymous said...

great blog some how i found you when i was researching things on our sons birth defect esophageal atresia and other complications. i wish you nothing but the best. I was also wondering if there is anyway if i put your link on my site if you would be able to return the favor and add my ink on your sight, i again wish you the best.

Anonymous said...

Dr. Ludwig who is with the Associated Peds off of Glendale is an awesome doctor. He was my doctor when I was a kid and is now my children's doctor. He is so helpful and is very understanding about what you want and how you feel. I chose to not get my son all of those shots at once and am doing it at a pace I feel comfortable, and he is very supportive. You should set up an appointment with him to just talk to him...I do it a lot! He will also call and talk to you if you call and leave him a message. Just thought I'd let you know!