Please console...travel and Hib

[Spectrolite]

Ok, I'm still up to my neck with Hib concerns.

It has been on my mind the most since I started doing my vax research about 2 months ago.

We are planning on taking a trans Atlantic trip (between the US and Europe) next month with our DS (3 years old, all Dtap-Ipv-Hib) vaxes) and DD (who will be exactly 7 months at the time of departure). our DD is EBF, no solids yet, a very healthy girl, mama is trying to eat well.

I am freaking out because the trip will be exactly at the high peak of Hib risk (6-7 months). I know our odds are in favor because she is BFing, I know the risk of developing Hib post-vax is extremely low. But right now that knowledge is not comforting enough when I know we will be around tons of diff. people, and the stress of travel takes a toll on our bodies. If we stayed at home at that time of high risk, i'd be fine.

Should i be on a power diet for this mo. before we leave?? Take arnica homeopathics during the flight? dose up on sodium ascorbate??

Please help

ps--our dds well baby appt tomorrow, and the nurse will bring up vaxing again...she is cool and calm about it, but we'll have our chance to vax again then....

ps2-- pertussis is another concern but its something we can deal with, whereas invasive hib is just so dang serious at onset

[Gitti]

Gee my grandkids have been flying to europe since they were 6 weeks old. No vaccines and no worry at all.

[luminesce]

It is hard to decide about HiB right now... there are more cases than usual being reported in PA too.

(I also can't resist posting a link to this video whenever someone mentions homeopathy (sorry)
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu...deoID=22203933)

[Spectrolite]

Oh, please, please. Please more comfort.

We leave on Friday and my stomach is churning like mad.

Still haven't vaxed, still wavering on the fence, wavering madly.



I am envisioning myself running to the ped tomorrow morning to "just do it", just get the shots and have it done with.

I am pretty sure it's not the best thing to do, if we do decide to vax, to get it done only a few days before a big trip, but i still feel like i just might do it, Probably not, but maybe maybe...


ughh...
this is all so scrambled, but this is my head typing right now

[stacey05]

I feel your pain. Hib is the only vaccine that has me up in arms right now. My dh is getting really tired of me worrying about this and researching this. He doesn't think we should get it for our 20 month old. I think I agree with him, but then I get the "what-if's". We are going to Disneyworld next month and that had me a little worried. But, after posting and asking questions on here alot, I think I am not going to get it. I never had it and my son doesn't have any risk factors. He has been very healthy so far. I know it is not foolproof, but neither is vaxing.

I don't think I would feel comfortable vaxing right before a trip. I think I read that the hib vaccine can lower immunity in the first few weeks...I know it lowers antibodies to hib..there are many articles that discuss this.

Something to think about is that there are alot of things out there that cause men. and we are not worried about them because there is not a vaccine for them so the media has not instilled fear in us about them. Kwim?

I did call our health dept. today (military is out of hib) and they do have acthib in stock. They did say my child would need only 1 because of his age...yours would need more to be fully covered. It is still something I am thinking about, but I think I will definitely wait and revisit this topic when I stop bf'ing. I do think bf'ing helps to protect from hib infection.

Sorry I am not much help. I would dose myself up on vitamin c (I am planning to do that when we go on vacation) so it would be in the bm and also I give it to my little one...I mash up an avocado and mix sodium ascorbate in it and he LOVES it...the sodium ascorbate gives it a tangy taste! It is really good.

Stacey

[ammiga]

Here's what I think:

- We all traveled all over the place without our parents giving a second thought to the Hib vax.

- This vax doesn't really seem to affect the chance of getting meningitis, which (I'm assuming) is your main concern with Hib.

- You would just be increasing the odds of getting Hia, Hic, etc.

- I'm pretty sure I read that bfing is amazing at keeping the side effects of Hib at bay.

- Most people got Hib (pre-vax) without even knowing it.

- What long term effects are you subjecting your LO to if you get the vax?

- And my very personal feelings: I love knowing that dd has zero chemicals floating in her body. There is enough to worry about in this world without directly injecting a bunch of crap into her body. I believe in giving dd the healthiest life possible. I will let her self-wean, I eat a healthy diet, my whole household eats whole foods, we drink lots of water, we stay as stress free as possible, we cut out the chemicals in household and body products from our home, we take daily walks together, we laugh, we play, we love.

I have faith that our bodies, when properly cared for, can handle life. I don't have faith that they can handle modern "medicine".

Good luck with your decision!

[ammiga]

I am also forced to wonder why there are more cases of Hib being reported. Hib has ALWAYS been around. I swear that I've read in several places that 95% of kids were immune to it by 5, and never even knew they had it. Are doctors just testing for it more to scare the bejeezers out of people? Are more people messing with their kids' immune systems with vaccines, so Hib is worse for those poor children? Are the reports being skewed?

I haven't looked into the reports yet, but how many cases are we even talking about in the more recent "outbreaks"? The MN outbreak was 5 kids. That was considered an outbreak because the number of kids with Hib went up from the year before (by 2 kids). But, statistically speaking, that number went down. Minnesota (along with the rest of the country), was in the middle of a baby boom. Percentage wise, the number didn't move. But, of course, the media didn't explain that.

[xmasbaby7]

Originally Posted by ammiga

Here's what I think:

- We all traveled all over the place without our parents giving a second thought to the Hib vax.

- This vax doesn't really seem to affect the chance of getting meningitis, which (I'm assuming) is your main concern with Hib.

- You would just be increasing the odds of getting Hia, Hic, etc.

- I'm pretty sure I read that bfing is amazing at keeping the side effects of Hib at bay.

- Most people got Hib (pre-vax) without even knowing it.

- What long term effects are you subjecting your LO to if you get the vax?

- And my very personal feelings: I love knowing that dd has zero chemicals floating in her body. There is enough to worry about in this world without directly injecting a bunch of crap into her body. I believe in giving dd the healthiest life possible. I will let her self-wean, I eat a healthy diet, my whole household eats whole foods, we drink lots of water, we stay as stress free as possible, we cut out the chemicals in household and body products from our home, we take daily walks together, we laugh, we play, we love.

I have faith that our bodies, when properly cared for, can handle life. I don't have faith that they can handle modern "medicine".

Good luck with your decision!

Exactly.

I suggest more reading and education about bacterial infections so that you can relax and be better prepared to spot them and prevent them with all members of your family.

Read Dr. Mendelson's book on the plane and have a great trip!

[AislinCarys]

Has your LO had the first dose of HIB? You do know that to get "full immunity" they need both doses? And also, I think, that they do not immediately show "immunity" after a shot. I'm not sure how long it takes, but I doubt vaccinating right before a trip will help.

Another thing, is there more HIB in Europe than in the US? I wouldn't worry about catching HIB on the plane, I'd keep my little one from licking things, and anyway, there won't be many children on the flight. (I'd be more concerned about pertussis or chicken pox). Is HIB prevalent in the country you are going to?