Back again, tetanus thoughts

[TonyaW]

So, I am back again. I decided last week that I was getting my son a DT vaccine next week. I was really anxious after his cat bite which really was a tetanus prone injury, a puncture wound that didn't bleed and couldn't adequately be cleaned. However, it was not a bad injury that would be treated with TIG. This was a middle of the road injury, tetanus prone but not something you would treat with TIG. So I was freaking out about it and decided that I would find some peace of mind if he got the vaccine. All the statistics I read really seem to add up that children are protected from tetanus as a result of the vaccine. I realize it is a rare disease. However, it really seemed to me based on what I read that it is because of the vaccine.

So, it is 18 days after the cat bite. Pretty much past the worry period for tetanus with a few days remaining.

Anyway, now I am really worrying about the vaccine. We have a history of seizures as children on my side. My husbands side has what seems to be conditions which I could only describe as something on the spectrum of Autism. I don't want my little boy to be damaged!!!!!!!!!

What would you all do if you had an injury that couldn't be treated with TIG and was tetanus prone like an animal bite? A cat bite is one where the teeth are sharp and pointy, leave a puncture wound but it is a clean bite without a crush wound like a dog or tearing. What if I don't get the vaccine and something like this happens again? I was so worried. I found myself worried about every little injury. He gets splinters and scrapes and ant bites and so forth all the time. According to my reading on the CDC's website, some people have gotten tetanus from bug bites.

I really prefer to avoid all vaccines. I even read in Dr Sears pro vaccine book that tetanus is virtually unheard of in children under five. But then again the CDC lists some cases of non neonatal tetanus in children under five.

[ttcintexas]

This is one I have struggled with as well. I am by no means resolved in feeling perfectly confident with not vaccinating or vaccinating--that said, my DD (5.5) and DS (soon to be 3) are not vaccinated and I am currently at my 10 year mark since my last Tetanus shot.

I completely understand your worry and fear about the cat bite. What I don't understand is why if it was a worry for Tetanus why it wasn't appropriate for TIG. If the doctors were worried about it, wouldn't they have pushed the TIG?

We have had a couple of instances here that have sent me into full blown obsessive worry for the 21 days until it was obvious there was not Tetanus. My kids have had things in there feet that I have either not noticed at first (and then it seemed like it was too late to try and dig it out) or recently something we just couldn't seem to get out (looked like a splinter but upon trying to dig it out we couldn't find anything). Probably the scariest for me was in March when I stepped on a nail at the park. I know that I had my last Tetanus in 2000. This both comforted me and scared me. While I am now anti-vax, I felt comforted knowing that I might have some coverage from my earlier vaccine and I was also worried I would no longer have immunity (I felt rather hypocritical about feeling this way). I didn't think that the nail went in very deep--it was not stuck in my foot, and it bled, but I was still worried because of the whole "stepping on a nail" image that goes along with Tetanus. What I did to take care of it was clean it really well, took homeopathic ledum and hypericum, soaked in salt or epsom salts for a few nights, in the beginning I occasionally pulled at the opening to make sure the inside was healing before the outside, and took something like 6,000 to 9,000 mg of vitamin C per day for much of the 21 day waiting period. I read in Raising A Vaccine Free Child about vitamin C and Tetanus. I must say that this injury healed better than any I can remember. There was never a sign of any sort of infection.

Anyway, not sure any of this is helpful but wanted to share with you that you are not the only one worried about Tetanus here. I would worry about vaccine as well. Especially with the history of seizures and Autistic spectrum issues. Good luck to you as you come to the decision you are comfortable with.

[TonyaW]

I am glad I am not the only one who worries. I am completely against vaccines and all they stand for and yet all the statistics indicate to me that the tetanus vaccine decreased its overall incidence and mortality. Not one other disease worries me in the US except this one.

Anyway, I did all the things you mentioned and included chlorella which apparently helps to oxygenate the tissues.

I am currently passesd my 10 year mark with the tetanus booster. I haven't decided if I will get a booster yet. I may see if I can get at titer at least.

Also, it was a tetanus prone injury due to the puncture and saliva. Though I didn't go to the ER, so maybe they would have considered the TIG, but should I really get TIG every time we have an injury. My son's pediatrician never once mentioned TIG and said that the wound was clean and looked fine.

[mamaof5boys]

I am so right there with you! I think about meningitis, but honestly, tetanus is the one that really freaks me out. I have five boys, they are constantly running around without shoes, stepping in everything!! Today my little guy walked past a neighbor's rose bush and the small thorns caught on his leg- my first thought- tetanus!!

I am pretty good about cleaning wounds, and if needed applying essential oils to the area. My concern is when the boys are at school, or in someone's care other than myself, that the wound won't get cleaned/treated properly.

Fortunately, our doctor is very non-vax, which makes me feel better about our decision. I may change my mind at some point, but for now no vax for us.

[ema-adama]

This is a vaccine that I do not find easy to decline. Mostly because this is something that you are very likely to be exposed to, and the disease is scary.

For now I have not had it administered to my child. I know that wound management is a critical component of preventative medicine when it comes to preventing tetanus. I know that the vaccine is not 100% effective, and that people who have anitbodies within the protective range still get tetanus. I also know that the vaccine does not always result in measurable antibody levels.

I also am uncomfortable with doing a full series. If it were a once off, I would be more likely to choose that option.

Having said that, while tetanus does cross my mind whenever my active toddler gets a scrape, I practice sound wound management. *For me* 3 shots with thimerasol (we would do the DT, not the DTaP) gives me enough reason to pause, and reconsider my reasoning.

I fully understand other parents weighing up the risks differently. If you are in emotional turmoil over the disease and no amount of reassuring about other methods of prevention can reassure you, it is probably best to get the vaccine, even if you 'as a rule' do not like vaccines. Vaccines are after all a form of preventative medicine that we have access to. I do not think they are 'evil'.

IMO being a parent means you are making the best choices you can, choices that you are comfortable with, with all their consequences. There is no rule book to tell you what to do. Make the choice that works best for your family and then try to stop worrying.