PKU test & pertussis combo

[adarasmom]

This isn't a vaccination of course, however this would be the best place to stick it that I can see - feel free to move if not.

I have agreed to let my nb have the PKU done, after all it's just a heel stick and otherwise harmless, right? Sure.

However - I've had to redo the test twice now due to "unsatisfactory results". They called me again today from the peds office and said that it's the same thing, AGAIN, and that we have to do it AGAIN this week sometime. I'm assuming she didn't fill up the circles on the paper enough or something, lord knows.

Frankly I'm tired of this. Is there any real reason to keep tormenting my daughter? I've got no family history of genetic disease, we're plain old white folk, so no racial sorts of things are very likely at all (sickle cell, etc). What say you, MDC, should I just tell them to shove it?

On another note, this ped has so far told me that vax is totally my choice, but that she recommends that we do pertussis as she has actually seen whooping cough recently in her practice. However she can only get the combo vax and not the singles, something about them not being available for such a young one in singles. My older daughter is violently allergic to prevnar/pneumo vax and has life threatening ear infections, so I do NOT want to use a combo with that in it. What do you recommend for my other choices? I think Hib is the other, and I forget if there were others.

[2boyzmama]

I'd get more information on what they mean by "unsatisfactory" results on the newborn screen...do they really mean that they just didn't get enough blood, or did one of the tests screen positive? Get more info before deciding. Also find out if they were able to perform "any" of the screenings, and then have them re-do only the ones that weren't already accomplished. For example, if they run 20 screens on the blood, but only got enough to do 10 of them, then they only need to do 10 more...

About pertussis...you can't get a pertussis only vaccine. For children there is DTaP (diptheria, tetanus, and acelluar pertusis). You can get DTaP in combination with other vaccines, is that what they're talking about? If you only want DTaP, then start calling around to other ped's offices until you find one that carries only that one. Try your health department too.

If you are choosing to vaccinate against pertussis because you've researched it yourself and decided that it's something you want to do, then seek it out. But if you're only going by what your ped said, then I recommend that you research it yourself before making a decision. The series typically starts at 2 months old, so you have some time. Don't feel rushed, methodically read up about diptheria, tetanus, and pertussis, then read about the vaccine, and make a decision you're comfortable with.

[sewingmommy]

My Bil and his wife have no genetic disease in their families are "plain old white folk ''' and....their daughter has PKU ....honestly family history has nothing to do with this ...if both parents have the pku gene you have a chance of getting it ....this is a serious disease if left untreated

[Jaesun's Dad]

Pertussis is currently considered an epidemic in California.