As you’ll read more about in an upcoming post, after a lot of research we chose to give our youngest some of the “mandatory” vaccines, but not all.
I was tempted to take the “easy” way out…
At his 4 year old check-up recently, he was due for 3 shots: MMR, DTaP, and IPV. I have to admit, since he hasn’t been sick in months, not even a little cold, and he seems to have a nice strong immune system, I was very tempted to just pay the $30 co-pay once, only have to put him through the pain and trauma once, and only have to work my schedule around to get him in there once. Thankfully I had just spoken to my friend, Lyn, the day before, who helped me remember all the reasons why I’m so leery of vaccines, and encouraged me to just do one shot at a time as I had in the past. Keep in mind, when it’s the MMR or the DTaP, the one shot is actually 3 different antigens together already anyway – three different foreign toxins from three different major diseases, meant to stimulate an immune response, just enough to build up antibodies against it. So if I had let them give him all 3 shots, that would have been parts of SEVEN different diseases all at once.
Kids get all of those shots together all the time. Problems are rare, and it’s safe to trust the shot schedule…right? Wait until I tell you what happened…
First, I need to make sure you understand that I positively love the receptionists, nurses and our doctor at our medical office. After having multiple miscarriages, four healthy babies, and going through all the “routine” well-baby checks, I’ve gotten to know them all fairly well. They are super sweet good people who are only doing what the CDC and local health department require and train them to do. And even though I know that our doctor does believe vaccines are all well and good, and he buys into the saturated fat myth and other mainstream medical ideas, still I firmly believe that he only has our best interests at heart. Not only that, he knows that I disagree with a lot of those mainstream ideas, he talks openly with me about them, and totally respects and honors the decisions we make. If you can’t say all the same things as above about your doctor or their office, go somewhere else.
So we’re at the doctor’s office and our 4 year old is being a little trooper as he gets checked over, and then it’s time for his shot. We have his stick of gum all ready to go, and as the nurse is drawing up the MMR vaccine (for Measles, Mumps & Rubella – the one I decided to have him get that day), I asked, “Just to double check, there’s no mercury preservative in that anymore, right?” She wasn’t sure, so she went to pull out the huge two-sided insert for the Merck vaccine. We looked and looked and couldn’t find the answer to our question. Another nurse came to help and I asked, “I can’t believe this hasn’t come up before, doesn’t anyone else ever ask these questions?!” (Besides me with different nurses last year when he got his 3 year old shots.) They both said, “No, nobody ever has.” I was shocked and said, “Wow, that amazes me, that people have such blind trust.” She said, “Yeah, and we trust the health department.” I said, “I know you have to, that’s part of your job, but I don’t.”
So she went to grab the CDC book (where she ended up finding out that no, there was no longer any mercury in the vaccine), and while she was gone I spotted something on this insert that made me angry.
Keep in mind, if I hadn’t told them that I only wanted him to get his MMR that day, he’d have gotten all three shots…
The insert says, “Routine administration of DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis) and/or OPV (oral poliovirus vaccine) concurrently with measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines is not recommended because there are limited data relating to the simultaneous administration of these antigens.” !!!!!!!
I said to the nurse, “But you would’ve given him all three shots today if I hadn’t have said anything!” She said (feeling obviously uncomfortable), “We just go by the schedule we get from the health department.”
Then when I got home I looked closer at that “What you need to know” sheet that they give you whenever your child gets shots, and this is what it said there: “MMR vaccine may be given at the same time as other vaccines.” !!!!!
The CDC is so screwed up, they don’t know what they’re doing! And to think I DID so blindly trust them for YEARS, I’m shocked now to think of it.
Also on the “What you need to know” sheet were a few more tidbits I thought I’d share…
- They now have the “MMRV” shot, which combines MMR with Varicella. No thanks. We need less combining, not more! (Besides, Varicella is one we chose not vaccinate our youngest for, we’ve exposed him a few times and he still hasn’t gotten it, but we’d like him to get chicken pox the natural way and let his body build up immunities the way we used to.)
- Somehow it’s also not very comforting when they tell me that “A Federal program has been created to help people who may have been harmed by a vaccine. For details about the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, call 1-800-338-2382 or visit their website at www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation.”
THEY CHANGE THEIR MINDS ON WHAT IS SAFE AND WE’RE SUPPOSED TO TRUST THEM?
The fact that one day they’ll insist on which vaccines our kids “must” have before they start school, and the next day one of those very vaccines are pulled from the market for safety concerns…
This happened with our 2nd baby. He got a Rotavirus shot and when I went in for his next check-up they said, “Oh, we don’t give that anymore, it’s been pulled off the market due to safety concerns after some kids had severe reactions to it.” Comforting, huh?
As if all that weren’t enough…
Probably the most horrifying point about vaccines, even more than what I’ve mentioned so far, and one that you may or may not have known about is this: many are made using aborted fetal cell lines. (I hadn’t realized that the MMR, the one our son just got, was one of them until I was working on this post!) Here’s the site telling which vaccines are considered ethical and which are not. (Click on the “prove it” link there to find out more.)
In this crazy world, we do not have the “luxury” to blindly trust anyone.
The take-away from all this is that just as in everything, you can’t blindly trust anyone. It’s not easy, it takes a lot of work (and I mess up often), but we must try our best to stay on top of the game at all times. Know what is going in (and on) your bodies and your kids’ bodies, whether it’s food, vaccines, skin care products, medicines…everything.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Do you trust vaccine companies?
IMPORTANT: Please read this Vaccine Decisions post with some important information and also find more links there related to the vaccine issue.
photo: Andres Rueda
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Debbie 08.28.09 at 9:28 am
My four year old just got her first shot 2 weeks ago, and it was kind of by accident. She got hit in the head with a plastic milk crate (long story), and her head was bleeding a lot! I kind of freaked (you think with the 6th one I would be more calm) and took her to the new doctor’s office down the street. My daughter hasn’t been to the doctor’s since she was a baby, and she has been quite healthy, but I decided to go wi th the dpt shot because I am paranoid about tetanus. My kids are outside a lot playing in the dirt. The head wound was very superficial, but the doctor prescribed an antibiotic! which I didn’t fill. I just got my statement from the insurance company and that visit cost me $550! Wow, no wonder I stay away from doctors.
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Paula 08.28.09 at 6:03 pm
No child of ours will ever get a vaccine!!! Period!
GOd did nto make our bodies to need vaccines. He gave us mothers who are meant to breastfeed, and immune systems that work best if they are allowed to be exposed to diseases at a young age, so that as adults, we can live free of fear of getting things like the measles.
You do know, that all vaccines have a “shelf life” in the body.
They are longer effective after 4 years.
I never got the chance to develop natural immunity.
I fully blame modern “science”.
Paula
PS, I learned today, that 50-70% of the tests done to see if a person has Swine flu, are false negatives.
Comforting!!
No one should be relying on data that is flawed, to make a buck, and I refuse to get in the act.
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Motherhen68 08.28.09 at 9:03 pm
The 20 month difference between my two boys was an eye opening time for me. Where as with my first, I followed everything down the letter that the doctor’s told me, with my second I was anti-doctor everything! My 2nd son was born accidentally at home (unplanned, unassisted birth!!) and from the beginning I refused medical intervention beginning when the ped. dr on call wanted to give my son all sorts of antibx because he was born in the “unsterilized” environment!
Anyway, my 2nd son only received the Polio and Dtp as a baby. He’s 9 now and at the insistence of my husband, I had him vaxed against MMR. I’ve been hoping they’d catch chicken pox naturally, but even though they’ve been exposed to several children w/the pox, nothing’s come of it. I wonder if all those kids being vaxed and still catching the pox anyway has something to do with our kids being unable to catch the pox naturally?
I heard on the news the other night, they are no longer testing for swine flu unless you are admitted to the hospital. So why are so many people still freaking over the Swine flu? could it be the $$ train? Keep the people afraid and the money will roll in?
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STOP THE VAX 08.29.09 at 8:56 pm
Vaccines are POISON. The only one[s] who benefit from vaccines are PHARMACEUTICALS. Lots of Vitamin D will protect you from the flu and many other diseases. DON’T be fooled by paid off media hype. STOP the sickening assault on humanity.
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Kim 08.30.09 at 10:50 pm
I am absolutely horrified that they use recycled parts from aborted babies in the vaccines.
I don’t even know how to respond to that. How immoral of them not to disclose that to parents. My doctor is Catholic and staunchly pro-life. Why wouldn’t she tell me that?
Like Motherhen I followed the doctors advice for my first and got her vaccinated on schedule. My second was born two years later and she has only received the DTaP series (there was a pertussis outbreak right when she was born) and the chickenpox (but only because her older sister got it). Neither of them got the second chickenpox, though.
I feel disgusted that I allowed them to not only shoot mercury, chemicals and diseases into my child but aborted fetal cell lines as well.
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KitchenKop 08.30.09 at 11:09 pm
Kim, I know, it can drive us crazy if we let it. And is it possible your doc doesn’t know this??? Surprisingly, I’ve come across some big time pro-lifers as well who did not know…
Kelly
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Lisa Imerman 08.31.09 at 7:15 am
Thanks for posting this. I have vaccinated my children (all the while not sure if I was doing the right thing, and being extremely upset over it at times, but going with what our long-time docs told us). I did do delayed most of the time when they wanted to give more than one, etc. However, with my now 4 month old, I was wiser about things and refused antibiotics, hep shot, vitamin K, etc at birth. They really give you a hard time at the hospital for this and we had to stay an extra day since I was Group B Strep positive and refused the antibiotics for me and for him. Anyhow, at 2 weeks our peds insisted on the hep we missed, so I did it. At that visit they gave me the schedule of vaccines he needed in the future. At 2 months he had a huge list, I asked if they were all required, some are some aren’t. Well I never did any that weren’t required in the past, so was questioning what was what. I was floored when they told me they recommend them all because even if they aren’t required for school now they will be by the time he goes to school (ok, who cares, why does this matter at 2 weeks old..they might later require it or may pull it off the market???) Then I asked about a delayed schedule for 2 month shots as I wasn’t comfortable giving him the 6-8 shots they want (which many are already combined and then they said they combine the others and it is only 4 shots) and they said they don’t recommend any delayed schedule. I switched doctors before his 2 month visit. We have had these docs for nearly 11 years and I cannot believe they are now unwilling to discuss or validate the fact i have concerns. You either do all the shots on their schedule or they don’t want you in their practice. Well, I left before they could kick me out for not doing all the vaccines. Started a new doctor and she listened to me and understood concerns, told me she works with each child individually on a schedule that is good for the parents, child, etc and if we don’t want to vaccinate at all, they are ok with that. She helped me talk out many of my fears and gave me what I think is solid, well thought out advice on which to do and when!! Wow,it is crazy how blindly some doctors follow the protocol and don’t research it themselves. I asked about what was in a vaccine once for my kids and they acted like I was from Mars.
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Lisa Imerman 08.31.09 at 7:21 am
A friend recently asked if I do the flu vaccine. I said I never do it for us or the kids. She said she did it the last 2 years with herself and her kids and they haven’ t been sick at all. She has a child on the autism spectrum and is giving them flu shots. She equates the fact that they didn’t have as much illness the last 2 years with the fact she got the flu shots. I wonder if that is it, or something else. I imagine many feel the same way, they get a flu shot and don’t get sick so they think it worked, but what if it is just delaying even worse illness because you just didn’t get sick those times and when you do finally get something, you get it bad and can’t get over it quickly???
I don’t know but of course when my child missed a birthday party yesterday (for a child of this friend mentioned) because he has a bit of a sore throat, cough and a very low-grade fever (but is acting perfectly healthy, playing, etc.) she comments that her kids never get sick due to flu shots. UGGH.
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KitchenKop 08.31.09 at 8:13 am
Lisa, this is frustrating for sure. The thing is, with the flu shot, who really knows how each situation will play out, but people think they are erring on the side of caution by *getting* it, when actually, based on what we’ve learned and what common sense tells us, WE are erring on the side of caution by *not* getting it.
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Kate 11.30.09 at 12:41 pm
You don’t need to be afraid of tetanus. It can only grow in the absence of oxygen, so anything open to the air cannot have tetanus on it. Even if you contracted it, there is about a 90% survival rate.
Keep researching each individual disease and then you will not be afriad anymore and will not feel the need to do any vaccines. Vaccines do not protect from disease and never have, if you read the history. My children have not received any and never will.
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