November '09 - H1N1/swine flu discussion - Page 3

[Pam_and_Abigail]

Hi! I'm trying to read as much about H1N1 as I can, and try to make an informed decision about whether or not to vaccinate anyone in our family. We're Canadian, and right now, we're having a shortage of the vvax anyway, but I am considering getting it. We haven't gotten a vax here since my 7 year old was 6 months, my second two children (ages 4 and 1.5) have never had a vaccination.
Here's where I am stumped. Although most cases are mild, there seems to be a rare freakish event of healthy young people dying from this. The question I can't seem to answer is whether the vaccine is more (or less) dangerous than the disease. Has anyone died from this vaccine? What other adverse reactions have come up?
We don't vaccinate, as a rule, but I don't think this is a time for simply sticking to "the way I've always done it" without educating myself first. I read some of the links from October's thread (I only got about halfway through the thread), but I keep waffling on it. How many deaths are there, really?
Also, I did recently buy a bottle of vitamin D and some tea with elderberry in it, but what are the homeopathic remedies that are used here?

[Jenelle]

Someone on another board has spoken highly of the homeopathic "Gelsemium" with the flu. I don't know anything about it, but bought some. Anyone with more info about this -- welcome!

Another thing I have read is the importance of probiotics. Something like 70% of our immune system is in our gut, so this just makes sense to me.

We've been taking our multivitamins, and our large order of Vitamin D3 is on its way. Have also read to make sure you take your D with calcium.

[Kat_shoshin]

Hi Pam and Abigail,

We are in the NS too. It looks like we are vaxing him. I am upset about it, but he is in daycare and like I said, would end up in hospital if he got the flu.

I am upset that we can't seem to get the Un-Adjuvanted vax nor the single dose stuff. So this will be his first childhood dose of thimerosal - yay...

I feel like we are poisoning him. But we always said we would vax for an actual threat of this kind.

[Dandelionkid]

Originally Posted by Pam_and_Abigail

Hi! I'm trying to read as much about H1N1 as I can, and try to make an informed decision about whether or not to vaccinate anyone in our family. We're Canadian, and right now, we're having a shortage of the vvax anyway, but I am considering getting it. We haven't gotten a vax here since my 7 year old was 6 months, my second two children (ages 4 and 1.5) have never had a vaccination.
Here's where I am stumped. Although most cases are mild, there seems to be a rare freakish event of healthy young people dying from this. The question I can't seem to answer is whether the vaccine is more (or less) dangerous than the disease. Has anyone died from this vaccine? What other adverse reactions have come up?
We don't vaccinate, as a rule, but I don't think this is a time for simply sticking to "the way I've always done it" without educating myself first. I read some of the links from October's thread (I only got about halfway through the thread), but I keep waffling on it. How many deaths are there, really?
Also, I did recently buy a bottle of vitamin D and some tea with elderberry in it, but what are the homeopathic remedies that are used here?

This link for the product insert in Canada is pretty interesting:
"Rare (may occur with up to 1 in 1000 doses):

Allergic reactions leading to a dangerous decrease of blood pressure, which, if untreated, may lead to shock. Doctors are aware of this possibility and have emergency treatment available for use in such cases
Fits
Severe stabbing or throbbing pain along one or more nerves
Low blood platelet count which can result in bleeding or bruising
Very Rare (may occur with up to 1 in 10,000 doses):

Vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels which can cause skin rashes, joint pain and kidney problems)
Neurological disorders such as encephalomyelitis (inflammation of the central nervous system), neuritis (inflammation of nerves) and a type of paralysis known a Guillain-Barré Syndrome"

Hospital rate in the US was 1.1-4.5/ 100,000 of H1n1 (http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1FLU/surveillanceqa.htm) so it seems to me that there is greater chance of dangerous side-effect than severe illness of H1N1.

Am I reading this right??

[Dandelionkid]

Originally Posted by Kat_shoshin

Hi Pam and Abigail,

We are in the NS too. It looks like we are vaxing him. I am upset about it, but he is in daycare and like I said, would end up in hospital if he got the flu.

I am upset that we can't seem to get the Un-Adjuvanted vax nor the single dose stuff. So this will be his first childhood dose of thimerosal - yay...

I feel like we are poisoning him. But we always said we would vax for an actual threat of this kind.

Well- the adjuvanted has 10x less mercury than the non-adjuvanted so at least you have that!

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/...rticle1348473/

"Q: Is it true that the non-adjuvanted vaccine given to pregnant women contains 10 times more mercury (thimerosal)?

A: Yes, the unadjuvanted vaccine does contain 50 micrograms of thimerosal while the adjuvanted vaccine has five micrograms"

[mamakah]

Originally Posted by Pam_and_Abigail

Hi! I'm trying to read as much about H1N1 as I can, and try to make an informed decision about whether or not to vaccinate anyone in our family. We're Canadian, and right now, we're having a shortage of the vvax anyway, but I am considering getting it. We haven't gotten a vax here since my 7 year old was 6 months, my second two children (ages 4 and 1.5) have never had a vaccination.
Here's where I am stumped. Although most cases are mild, there seems to be a rare freakish event of healthy young people dying from this. The question I can't seem to answer is whether the vaccine is more (or less) dangerous than the disease. Has anyone died from this vaccine? What other adverse reactions have come up?
We don't vaccinate, as a rule, but I don't think this is a time for simply sticking to "the way I've always done it" without educating myself first. I read some of the links from October's thread (I only got about halfway through the thread), but I keep waffling on it. How many deaths are there, really?
Also, I did recently buy a bottle of vitamin D and some tea with elderberry in it, but what are the homeopathic remedies that are used here?

my nd recommends winterberry daily.
your aware of the squalene in the canadian h1n1 vax?

[just_lily]

Originally Posted by tamilynn

OK - I finally got word that our school will be offering the SHOT not the nasel spray, so my high school kids will go to school that day but I am hesitant to sign the refusal form. The local health department is stating that EVERY child must turn in a form giving permission or sign the refusal that states:
"I understand the risks, benefits, and consequences of not receiving the H1N1 vaccination. I accept Full responsibility for any consequences of not being vaccinated and that I undersatnd this statement"

My problem with this is that if I chose to vaccinate him I sign a form that states I understand the risks and BENEFITS of vaccinating. I want to add the statement that I understand the BENEFITS of NOT vaccinating.

What are your thoughts..... would you sign the form?
Thanks!

I would cross out that whole thing and just write in "I do NOT consent for my child to receive the H1N1 vaccine," and leave it at that. The rest of it is all propaganda and manipulative. I wouldn't even play their game by trying to alter it, and would just reject it in its entirety.

Do you have to sign that you understand the risks of the vaccine if you do consent??

[Hopesmommy]

Originally Posted by umsami

Re: the testing I also remember hearing recently that the good test costs hundreds of dollars...and was rarely used. The less reliable quick test had a high false positive.

The cdc says that rapid flu test have a high false neg, not positive.

[mama1803]

100% immunity???

I heard on the radio yesterday that children ages 6 months to 3 years show a 100% immunity rate after receiving the second H1N1 vaccine.

Really???? Anyone else hear this?

[lurable]

I'm is NS too but we won't be getting the vax. I found it funny that the health minister was really pushing the vax hard...and then we had a shortage and this was printed...

He was quick to stress that severe illness from H1N1 isn't common and that those not in priority groups can protect themselves by washing their hands often with soap and water, coughing into their sleeve, and avoiding sharing drinking glasses and water bottles with others.

..quite different from his earlier messages!

Anyway, neither of my kids are in daycare or have underlying medical issues that we know of so that helps to make my decision easier. Also, now that they have made the link between the deaths and bacterial infection it doesn't seem as scary as not knowing why these healthy kids were dying.

[KT'smama]

Just subbing...learning a lot from everyone!

[Pam_and_Abigail]

lurable - do you have a link to the article that excerpt was from?
Also, I didn't hear that the deaths were linked to bacterial infections. Is that true of the 13 year old hockey player?
The total deaths in Canada are still under 100. I'm leaning toward not getting it, but I'm still not sure.

[ekblad9]

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/ar...-Pandemic.aspx

A friend of mine showed this to me. Maybe you all have seen it before. It's long but a good read.

[mommabear]

Another Dr. Mercola link here: http://products.mercola.com/swine-flu/20091103.htm

[carfreemama]

Another Nova Scotian here. We are leaning towards getting the vax. Dd is in primary and dh and I both work at the local hospital. Otherwise, we wouldn't.

Can someone pretty please answer this for me? I keep hearing how "robust" children are more prone to the most severe form of this disease, where they die "suddenly." Dd fits this category and it's what keeps me scared! A more robust child I have yet to meet, since birth. Despite being in preschool 3 days/week last year, she got almost NOTHING. I mean, high fever for 3 HOURS and then fine, maybe twice in the year. She did get strep last spring and was on abx. One bad virus at 2, with fever over 104 for 8 days and a sunburn, scarlet rash including her eyeballs. I wonder about scarlet fever for that, since she is unvaxed. But vigorous, full of energy. I always thought that was good, but now it has me running scared. I'm afraid she's one of those kids whose immune systems will "overreact" and she will be slammed. We are on vitamin D etc.

[lurable]

Here is the link for the NS Health Ministers comments
and the article on the causes of death for all Canadian swine flu cases was in the National Post- I will keep trying to find it. It said that 90% of cases had underlying medical problems and the remaining 10% looked like they were caused by a bacterial infection- like the staph bacteria.

[lovetheheights]

just a quote from the link above- referring to the children who have died from complications after getting the H1N1 (we have only given our daughter teh DTaP and were considering adding the Prevnar to help with possibly swine flu comlpications until I read this):

Parents should also know that the vast majority of pneumonias found in these infected children were not due to Strep pneumoniae, but rather Staph aureus. Again, the pneumococcal vaccine would have offered these children no protection.

Question: Is there a place where people report the side effects they have been experiencing from the vaccine for swine flu?

[carfreemama]

So now that we know a lot of these people died of staph aureus, is there any way to treat it? Do doctors know to look for it now? Is it one of those things that can be fixed if it's caught "in time," or is death inevitable in this situation?

[lurable]

Originally Posted by carfreemama

So now that we know a lot of these people died of staph aureus, is there any way to treat it? Do doctors know to look for it now? Is it one of those things that can be fixed if it's caught "in time," or is death inevitable in this situation?

I was wondering the same...

[MaterPrimaePuellae]

Originally Posted by Hopesmommy

The cdc says that rapid flu test have a high false neg, not positive.

Yes. All the same, I suspect it cuts both ways. My MIL is almost certain she had H1N1. She went to her hcp for a test, he did the nasal swab, and it came back negative. So he says, "Well, you probably do have swine flu, this test is only 15% accuarate." So, the test is inaccurate-- but why even do the test if you're going to assume all negatives are really positives?? So frustrating.