feeling super paranoid... would/could ER give DS a tetanus or dtap shot?

[Jposey]

I've started reading the "do you lie to the er" thread... and now I'm thinking thats what i should have done... this is the second time I've wondered if perhaps my child could/would be vaccinated against my consent or that i would somehow be tricked into giving consent...

DS(3) went to bed last night perfectly helathy and normal 100% and woke up with a nasty infection in his foot... I noticed a barely noticeable cut on his heel... no scab or anything... no pus... it doesnt look like it would have even bled... and i definitely dont remember him hurting it on anything... and like I said, last night in the bath I noticed nothing, he was aboslutely fine... but this morning his entire heel was swollen and red and it was spreading up his ankle and the sides of his foot....

I went ahead and took him to the er... even though i hate the thought of antibiotics too, his foot is obviously infected and it was pretty scary how fast it seemed to be progressing...

so ive never lied about vaccinations to professionals in the past... usually i get a little lecture for a minute but they chalk me up as "stubborn" and drop it....

Several different nurses asked me about shots this time and i told them all we dont vaccinate and i stated specifically that we have a religious exemption (hoping that would stop the interrogation... which it didnt... ill make another post about that later) When the doctor finally came in he told me he wanted to hook my son up to iv antibiotics since those would kick in the fastest and that theyd go ahead and give him a tetanus shot...

AGAIN- i said we do not vaccinate... then i get the "your child will die if you dont give this to him" lecture.... the thing is... my son DOESNT have tetanus... obviously... and even if he did, what good would the vaccine do now? i didnt say that... i just kept saying i'd like to refuse the shot...

Well the doctor was very frustrated with me, because i obviously tuned him out... my 1.5 yo was with us and needed a nap so he was crying and the 3yo was crying because his foot hurt, and i honestly didnt want to hear anything the doctor had to say, because i didnt want to risk telling him to eff off... (NOT A GOOD DAY!)

well he leaves and he and the nurses disappear for like 30 minutes and 2 nurses come back each with a shot in hand.... they tell me its antibiotics and he needs two doses so theyll put one in each leg... im thinking health care professionals cant lie to you right? so i went ahead and let them give them the shots, then the one nurse comes back with a huge stack of paperwork, the baby was still crying, jj was upset because "the doctors hurt his legs"

i tried to ask as many questions as i could about the paperwork and read over it as best i could... the form that my stomach always turns at is the "consent to treat"

so im wondering if they thought it was necessary could they give DS a tetanus shot or a dtap against my wishes? or even though i verbally refused the shot, could they still give it to him and have me sign some kind of backhanded consent form.... or would i have to specifically sign something to accept the shot?

when they wrote me a prescription for antibiotics i asked them what antibiotic they injected him with and they named off something that i dont remember....

have i mentioned that i HATE ERs?????? it doesnt make it better that they asked a MILLION questions about their primary care providers... we dont do well baby checkups either (as theyre really just scheduled for vaccinations!!!) my children do see physicians, when needed, but it isnt very often... they are both healthy and happy and thriving...

but now im worried about cps showing up at my door too....

HAVE I MENTIONED THAT I HATE ERS? oh yes... i have... just reiterating...

am i the only one that gets paranoid like this?

[Jposey]

forgot to mention that DS could barely walk out of the hospital... and nurse ended up carrying him 2 blocks to our car so i could carry our 1yo... he walked in just on his tip-toes with the one foot... he keeps crying about his legs hurting and has been asleep ever since... are shots of antibiotcs supposed to hurt like that? i know tetanus ones do!

again.. im feeling super paranoid

[runes]

They had you sign the forms AFTER they had already administered the injections? That's highly unusual, and they should have gone over exactly what was in those shots before they gave them to him and had you sign the forms before intervention.



Call the hospital and request his medical records right away. Don't mention anything about shots, just ask for a copy of his notes from last night.



Meanwhile, document-document-document. Write down exactly what you did here, specifically with a timeframe as much as you can. Also keep a very close eye on your ds and document anything that is out of the ordinary, including the way that he needed to be carried out of the ER. Take photos of the injection sites, as well as his foot. Take his temp every few hours and jot it down.

I'm so sorry that you're going through this, and I hope that your son feels better really soon.

(Also, I hope that all of the medical providers that were over on the other tetanus thread come over and read this...NOW can you understand why parents are worried? Does anyone think that this mother and child were treated appropriately?)

[Full Heart]

Don't you just hate how these things happen on the weekends when you can't get to the dr?

Yes, antibiotics can hurt for a long time when injected. My son had an infection recently and received 2 shots also. One in each butt cheek. He wasn't happy and it hurt for a long time. We know it was just antibiotics though as this infection was not from an injury so there would have been no need for any vaxes not to mention the site of the injection.

You were correct that a tetanus shot probably wouldn't help in this situation (esp if he has had no other doses, you have to follow up and get more doses after the first and if it was tetanus the package insert states that it can not be used to treat a tetanus infection) but they should have offered TIG. Legally they can't give you vaccines without your consent (you have to sign waivers and they are specific) but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened. Back in 1995 there was a hospital here that was found to be giving Hep B vaccines to babies at birth against the wishes (and signed forms) of their mothers. So it has happened.

What did the liquid in the shots look like? Is the infection going down any? Hopefully he will be feeling better soon. Oh you can try castor oil packs on it, castor oil helps draw out infection.

[Gitti]

This may be a bit OT but I don't have much time -

If cps EVER comes to your door, don't let them in without a warrent. They can't come in because you don't vaccinate so they will ask to come in just to visit. But they are really there to LOOK for things against you. You can be the neatest housekeeper, the best mother, nothing matters. They will overlook everything positive and look for something they can charge you with.

DO NOT LET THEM IN.

Here is a site -

http://www.familyrights.us/educate/rights/

[Zephyrine]

its certainly possible.

I was pushed into a tetanus shot as an adult in an ER last November. I was also lectured about not being up to date on my vaccinations (prior to this I hadn't been vaxed since the age of 8).
They didn't really give me a choice, they came in with the shot and jabbed me telling me I HAD to have it since I'd needed stitches. Since my head was hit by a door, I doubt I could have gotten tetanus anyways.
I agree with looking at the medical records.
I hope you don't mind me butting in here.

[GTyler]

Yes the hospital can trick parents,when they are not paying attention they get shots/vaccines without parents consent it happened to my brother and his baby. Just born one day old,hep vaccine! No permission was given by the parents! Do Not let your babies/kids out of your sight!!!!!!! not for one minute.......................

The Hospital famous for doing these tricks in the USA is Kaiser hospital,look up patient complaint via google.....boy you get an eyefull............................they have been writen up for doing experimental vaccines on latino/black babies-they all ended up dead-parent were not told it was an new untried vaccine....................................

[lil_miss_understood]

BTDT.
I refused the CP vax at a dr's appt. Lab lady came in with the "other" vaxes I had agreed to. As she was jabbing them into ds2's leg, she was telling me, "This is this, this is that." I was counting them, and just as I said "No CP vax, right?" she jabbed him one more time and said "This is CP."
I have no recourse because a consent to treatment needs to signed before every visit. I now black out the "any treatment the doctor thinks is necessary" BS. If they want my consent for a particular treatment, they're darn well going to ask BEFORE. Not happening again.

[mysticmomma]

curious about what the records will reveal. Please keep us updated.

[Plummeting]

Antibiotic injections are usually very painful, so that would be par for the course. Poor baby!

[phrogger]

I don't have any advice on the vaccine part, but I will say, my son got a nasty infection on his arm from a bite (spider we think) and he got an antibiotic shot in his bottom and I had to literally carry him out to the car he was in that much pain. The big thing is my son is 12 and is 3 inches taller then me and was doubled over in pain. It was just antibiotics because my son is up to date on his vaccines, but still, he was in a ton of pain.

[mysticmomma]

update?