First, I want to say that all 3 of my kids are vaccinated. That being said, I kind of wish I waited a bit on my youngest. He was adopted from Romania and had been vaccinated there. He came home on a Thursday night, and on Friday morning we were at the pediatrician’s office for a complete physical. The doctor wanted to re-vaccinate since according to him, many of the vaccines used in the orphanages are expired and aren’t always effective. So I agreed. I was careless however and didn’t keep my own records of vaccinations figuring I could just get a copy from the doctor’s office. We enrolled him in special education classes 6 months later and found that the doctor’s office didn’t record his vaccinations at that first visit, so he had to be vaccinated yet again. As a result, my son had 3 extra doses of a vaccine ( I can’t remember which one at the moment). Yes, my son also has autism and other developmental delays. Would he have had them anyway? Possibly. But seriously, 3 times the required vaccination causes me to kick myself daily for not waiting longer to get to know our new son before vaccinating.
My kids’ (private) school requires all vaccinations (not sure about HPV). Our pediatrician won’t accept patients without up-to-date vaccinations.
I’m sitting here wondering if H and I should run down to the county immunization clinic and get the MMR. We are of the age group where there aren’t any reliable records to be found. You’d think somewhere along the line it would have been brought up in conversation with a doc…but then again…maybe not. I don’t remember if I received a booster (or possibly the original shot) before I got pregnant.
We are schedule to go on an extended vacation in a few weeks. Hate to risk getting measles…also hate to risk getting the vaccine reaction right as we are ready to leave. S had a very bad reaction (fever, obvious muscle pains) to his first MMR shot. At that time it was possible to break the vaccine into components and give only the parts which were not suspected of causing the reaction. S’ second boost shot did not include the offending component…again…don’t remember the specifics.
Ugh.
I did get a Pertussis booster with my last tetanus shot. The doc said that was the protocol. I never had chicken pox as a child and so got my chicken pox vaccine with my DD when she turned 1. I needed a second injection.
I need to do some more reading about the people in certain age groups who may need a booster. Well, that and call my internist who is an infectious disease specialist.
I am astounded at all the anti-vaxxers out there. I always thought it was just one kooky mom in a town, I did not know there were whole communities! AND one of my kids spent time in a Waldorf school - which did require vaccinations. I never heard any anti-vac sentiment. Many of the parents were well versed in homeopathy things but they all seemed to use western medicine for big things.
Just an aside about the flu shot. I just returned from the hospital where they admitted my 83 year old mom. She came down with respiratory symptoms on Wednesday last week and my sister took her to urgent care. There they asked her if she had gotten a flu shot, which she had. They never did a swab test for flu or a chest x-ray and sent her home with an inhaler. She also has COPD and Restrictive pulmonary disease. Today we rushed her to the hospital with her oxygen level in the 70s. There they tested her for the flu and it was positive. She was admitted and will, hopefully, be okay.
If the doctor who saw her on Thursday had tested her for flu, she could have been started on an antiviral. If you think you have the flu, whether you got the shot or not, insist on a test and some early intervention!
Wow, what a stupid hospital. I hope you complain about it- that is NEVER acceptable especially in an elderly woman. The flu vaccine is not nearly 100% effective and should always be tested for if you have symptoms. .
When I had pneumonia ~7th grade, my doctor kept telling me that it was just a cold. My dad, having had pneumonia before, ignored her and took me straight to an ER to get x-rays. I had severe double pneumonia and was admitted to the hospital.
(Oh and that was the last time I ever went to that doc.)
What vaccines should we (as adults) go back and get? I heard at a seminar at work on “Health 101 Refresher” that perhaps all of us should get the acellular Pertussis along with our next Tetanus (and of course annual Influenza), but should we also get the Shingles vaccine if we had the disease Chicken Pox as kids?>>>>>>>
The current recommendtion is that parents, grandparents and anyone who will be with a newborn infant are advised to get their pertussis booster which is bundled with the tetanus and diphtheria vaccines that require a booster every 10 years.
Since the patient has COPD, the prudent thing would have been for her to start an antiviral if they suspect flu and they can take a culture too. That is what my docs have always done (usually don’t bother with testing for flu). The Tamiflu has worked wonders for me and am glad they get me started ont it right away, so it can do the most good. It’s like magic for me!
Hope your mom is soon better–scary when O2 levels drop, especially down to 70! There is a LOT of nasty flu going around and much of it does NOT match the vaccine they gave us earlier.
I will definitely be complaining to the doctor that saw her. What an idiot. The first thing they did at the ER was a swab for flu virus. They were shocked that the first doctor hadn’t. Hopefully she is on the mend. I have never seen her so sick.
Like Himom, I paid Costco out of pocket for shingles vaccine. So did my sister. When little, my son got c-pox, then my father got shingles. It was hard to watch him suffer. Son’s best friend got c-pox same time, and passed it on to his 3 younger siblings. My g/f had a very rough week or two, but my dad was sick for months. The vaccine is so worth it.
Yes, even if I need a booster shingles vaccine, I will take that too rather than risk getting a bad case of shingles. It causes SUCH pain! $200 or less ir quite reasonable to avoid that pain, to me at least.
The shingles shot is recommended at age 60 because even though some people get shingles before then, the risk of a really severe case with long-lasting pain is higher as you get older. Currently there’s no recommendation for a booster, so the younger you are when you get it, the greater the risk of waning protection in older age. They do know that the vaccine works better for people who get it in their 60’s than for people who get it in their 80’s.
Also - the rash from shingles starts with tiny clear blisters on a red base. The skin in the affected area often becomes sensitive in the days before the outbreak of the rash. You should see a doctor as soon as possible after the rash appears - antivirals help if given within 72 hours - the earlier, the better.
Three of my friends who have been fortunate enough to have had grand babies this year have been informed by the baby’s parents that they will need a pertussis booster before holding said grandchild. This was the word of the newborn’s pediatricians. (Whooping cough was on an upsurge in our area last year)
I know someone who had pertussis last winter despite having had a vaccine. He was out of work for 3 weeks. You can get it with your 10 year tetanus booster.
One of the new grandparents was also asked to get certified in infant CPR before babysitting. Good idea.
ETA about CPR
I checked into getting a shingles vaccination last year when I got my flu shot at Walgreens. In Illinois, at least, you need a prescription to get the vaccination. I still need to do that.
I believe I had a DTP booster in the last 5 years, but my doctor has never mentioned the MMR (and I’m in the age group where it seems like iffy). Are they recommending a booster to anyone? (Because I haven’t heard anything about it). I know that 18 years ago when I was pregnant they checked and said I still had “some” immunity, but that it wasn’t that high (but they did not recommend a booster at that time).
When I had my oldest child at age 23, my doc tested my immunity and I needed to get a MMR booster in the hospital after giving birth. This was 24 years ago…guess I better talk to doc about booster shots again.
Question for the mandatory vax camp: where do u draw the line? Should seasonal flu vaccinations be mandatory?
Speaking only for myself, I’d draw the line at the inoculations already required for school attendance.
Since the flu isn’t close to being eradicated on our continent, but other diseases are (or were), it’s easy to see a distinction.
While I see the difference between the flu and other vaccines which are extremely effective, I think the seasonal flu vaccinations should be mandatory for all under the age of 20 and for anyone 20 or older who chooses not to get (notice: chooses so of course this excludes those who can’t get it), they should sign a waiver saying that all costs related to the flu will be paid out of pocket (like someone mentioned earlier in the thread).
If adults want to be dumb, fine. But they shouldn’t put their kids at risk. Further, they should have incentive (since apparently not getting the flu isn’t incentive enough) to get the vaccine.