Worried Doc Gave MMR Against Our Wishes...

[haren.13]

So help me calm down here ladies ~ this couldn't have happened, right???

We went to our old ped for her 12 month WBV (who is no longer our ped due to the following) ~ we had been following a delayed vax schedule similar to the Dr. Sears schedule, but with polio earlier due to our location near Amish country. We had told him at our 9 month WBV that we would not be doing the MMR until she was older and he seemed to think that was ok. When we were there for the 12 month WBV, he told us she would be getting 2 shots (Pcv and MMR) and we corrected that she was not getting the MMR. At this point he took the opportunity to make us feel like terrible, uneducated parents who were endangering the life of our child by not giving her the MMR. After 20 minutes or so of us sitting there dumbfounded while he gave us reasons to go against our choice and making analogies to not giving the shot, we stuck to our guns that she would NOT be getting the shot. He wasn't happy but seemed fine with it. He went and got the one shot (Pcv), gave it to her ~ the doc does the shots ~ and that was the end of the visit.

After this we promptly found a new, vax friendly ped, who we love. We went today for her 15 month WBV and at this point her records had been transferred from her old ped. In the records, it says that she received the MMR on 10/6/08 ~ her 12 month WBV. It also says that she received the Pcv on that same day.

Before I saw that, I would have bet money that she only received one shot. But now I'm totally second-guessing myself. AND, now I'm worried that if she did only get one, that it was the MMR! I'm planning on calling the old ped tomorrow to find out what really happened.

This has to be a clerical error, right? RIGHT??? I mean, he can't have given her the shot totally against our wishes, right??? Help calm me down here...

[CrunchyChristianMama]

Yikes! Definitely call the doc and ask to speak to him directly. If you can't get the answers you need I would suggest possibly getting some legal counsel...can you tell I'm married to a lawyer?

[alegna]

If you only remember one injection it was probably only one.

-Angela

[aniT]

Often records are filled out as if they are the "norm." I recieved a bill from the Peds office for a 2nd hospital visit after DD was born. Problem was, I demanded to go home after 12 hours and neither DD nor I were there the day they billed for. I called them, they took my copay off and they weren't inclined to inform the insurance company about the error. So I did it for them.

I would call your insurance company and tell them they were billed for a procedure that did not happen. Let them deal with the doctors office.

And like Angela said, if you only remember one shot, she probably only got one.

[SunshineJ]

Chances are they filled it out before they brought everything into the exam room and just forgot to correct it. Call and verify, but if you only remember one shot then I'm betting that's all it is.

K.

[bobandjess99]

ya, probably a clerical error..it sounds like after all that, you were probably on high alert and certianly would have noticed a second shot being given..so I'm sure it didn't happen.
This happens all the time here with the midwives that deliver at the local hospital..patients are always getting billed for IV's and epidurals they didn't have, because everyone else in the hospital (who sees OB's) gets them!!!!

[grandmaofthree]

Originally Posted by haren.13

So help me calm down here ladies ~ this couldn't have happened, right???

We went to our old ped for her 12 month WBV (who is no longer our ped due to the following) ~ we had been following a delayed vax schedule similar to the Dr. Sears schedule, but with polio earlier due to our location near Amish country. We had told him at our 9 month WBV that we would not be doing the MMR until she was older and he seemed to think that was ok. When we were there for the 12 month WBV, he told us she would be getting 2 shots (Pcv and MMR) and we corrected that she was not getting the MMR. At this point he took the opportunity to make us feel like terrible, uneducated parents who were endangering the life of our child by not giving her the MMR. After 20 minutes or so of us sitting there dumbfounded while he gave us reasons to go against our choice and making analogies to not giving the shot, we stuck to our guns that she would NOT be getting the shot. He wasn't happy but seemed fine with it. He went and got the one shot (Pcv), gave it to her ~ the doc does the shots ~ and that was the end of the visit.

After this we promptly found a new, vax friendly ped, who we love. We went today for her 15 month WBV and at this point her records had been transferred from her old ped. In the records, it says that she received the MMR on 10/6/08 ~ her 12 month WBV. It also says that she received the Pcv on that same day.

Before I saw that, I would have bet money that she only received one shot. But now I'm totally second-guessing myself. AND, now I'm worried that if she did only get one, that it was the MMR! I'm planning on calling the old ped tomorrow to find out what really happened.

This has to be a clerical error, right? RIGHT??? I mean, he can't have given her the shot totally against our wishes, right??? Help calm me down here...

It sounds like it's probably a clerical error. If you don't trust the guy, why don't you get your daughter's antibody titers checked out and see if you can figure out if she was vaccinated that way?

[nicolebeth]

Since you were in the room the entire time, I'd go with clerical error (based upon assumption!) We had the same thing happen. DS did not receive the CP vaccine (after a fun discussion with his then-ped), and when we changed doctors, it looked like he'd received it. We were honest with the new ped (and also, the notes in the file indicated the former ped's counseling and our refusal of the vaccine).

I would consider checking titres, but since you saw only shot, and were there the whole time, I'm sure that's all there was.

[mama_b]

Originally Posted by aniT

Often records are filled out as if they are the "norm." I recieved a bill from the Peds office for a 2nd hospital visit after DD was born. Problem was, I demanded to go home after 12 hours and neither DD nor I were there the day they billed for. I called them, they took my copay off and they weren't inclined to inform the insurance company about the error. So I did it for them.

I would call your insurance company and tell them they were billed for a procedure that did not happen. Let them deal with the doctors office.

And like Angela said, if you only remember one shot, she probably only got one.

:
I don't do the vitamin K with my kids when they're born. After ds was born I looked at his discharge papers and it said he got the vit K. He never left my side while we were there and I know he didn't get it. But the ped on staff probably didn't even think to question it because all the babies get it.

[Juvysen]

This did happen to my chiropractor, too. I'll have to mention it to him and see if he thinks his daughter really got it or not... I know he was pretty pissed off about it... but he found out when he got the vaccination records so she could start preschool.

[mamakah]

You would have noticed if he was giving 2 shots...especially after the bad parent lecture. I'm sure its just a error on his behalf. It actually works to your advantage too, because now there is documentation saying your child is vaxed for mmr and you won't ever have to get it now! Not that you ever HAD to get it in the first place, but now you won't get hassled by future vax pushers. Trust yourself, I'm sure your LO was only given one shot, and I'm sure it wasn't the MMR. I would still check though.

[DahliaRW]

Not to mention that if he billed your insurance for MMR and you child didn't get it that's fraud.

[Full Heart]

Don't they usually give shots in different locations? Like one in each leg? Wouldn't you have noticed 2 bandaids on 2 different legs?

If it was only one shot it would really make you wonder which one it was. I would be calling up the drs office immediately to find out cause MMR is a live vaccine that can shed so if you are around immunocompromised individuals you would need to know that (like for me that would be very important information!).

[haren.13]

Thanks for all the replies! I just called the doctor's office, and they are checking and will get back to me (her actual chart isn't in the office because the doctor takes them somewhere else when they get transferred to a new office). I'm 99% sure that she only got one shot (like ya'll said ~ I would have noticed after all the hassle beforehand!). I'm also pretty sure he wouldn't have given her the MMR instead of the Pcv. But...since the chart says so...hopefully it was all just a mix up

We do plan on getting the MMR (the separate shots) at some point, but I definitely don't want to give them to her if she already got one!

[haren.13]

Ok, she just called back ~ they did only give the Pcv (yay!) ~ he had marked in the chart that she would be getting the MMR at age 2, so apparently when it got entered into the computer they just said that she'd received it. The written chart does just say she got the one.

Phew

[ASusan]

Very good.

However, I'd like to point out that they are no longer manufacturing MMR separately.

http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/p...erckcombo.html

Merck & Co. Inc. has stopped production and sales of its monovalent vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella. The manufacturer instead plans to focus on its combination vaccine, MMRII.
...
Merck had not decided when, or if, it might make the monovalent vaccines available for sale in the future.

[haren.13]

Oh no! Our ped yesterday said it was on backorder last he heard. Oh, well Guess we'll be delaying the whole thing until later :P