If You Plan To Do "Selective & Delayed Vaccinations", a Note of Caution...

[orange_mommy]

I have chosen not to vaccinate my son, so I hope it is okay that I post in here.  The reason I do is because this applies to those of you who are choosing "selective and delayed vaccination."  Two of my friends (separate people at separate times and separate clinics) who planned to delay vaccinations and refrain from certain ones, took their children in to get their immunizations, and instead of giving their children only the shots the parents had asked for, the health workers took it upon themselves to "catch the children up" on ALL the immunizations they had never gotten to that point!  A few years ago a friend of mine took her almost-3-year-old in and they gave her all 3 years worth of "missed" shots.  She developed a life-threatening allergy to cats within a few weeks that she had never had before.  Last week, my cousin took her 1-year-old in for his 6-month-shots, and the health nurse gave him both his 6-month and 1-year shots all at the same time... and the 1-year shots were what my cousin had planned not to let him have.  A week later he is still not doing well, very sick and not at all himself.

I just wanted to get the word out that this is happening (I am in Canada, so I am not sure whether health workers are taking more liberties here or if it happens often in the USA as well) because it disturbs me that some health workers think that as long as they can get their hands on our children... they can do as they please! :(  When you take your children in for the vaccinations that you as their parents have researched and chosen, please carefully watch the wording used by the health workers before your child is given the shots, and let it be known (even if you have to say it over and over a hundred different ways) what you want given to your child, and what you don't want given!

[carriebft]

at my doctor, we have to sign a form for each vaccine, sign again that we have received the written information and then initial when they show us the vaccine label and match it to the sheet telling which vaccines are being given that day. a little cumbersome, but a useful system.

[orange_mommy]

WOW, I love the idea of that kind of system!  Are you in the States?  No one sues ANYONE up here in Canada, and I think because of that, our government has gotten very bold in their moves!

[carriebft]

yeah I am in PA in the states...I go to a general doc (our whole family sees the same guy). The system use to be get the printed material, sign that you got that, and then initial as they give each shot but they just recently added one more step with the matching.

[raelize]

we do vaccinate and we have a similar system as carriebft said.  we sign in their charts before they are given shots.  we also have a little booklet that has a history of their shots and parent and doctor have to sign.  i think that booklet part is just a courtesy of our doctor, but i know that the file in their charts is standard.  now, if you went to the health clinic and got the shots, you get a form that you take home that has your signature and the health care workers signature next to the shots taht were given.

i can't believe health care workers anywhere would double and triple up on shots. i vaccinate and i wouldn't subject my kid to that.  of course it would cause some kind of reaction.  i am sorry for your friend and sister. 

 

Originally Posted by carriebft 

yeah I am in PA in the states...I go to a general doc (our whole family sees the same guy). The system use to be get the printed material, sign that you got that, and then initial as they give each shot but they just recently added one more step with the matching.

[Evergreen]

Thanks for the heads up!  I don't see how it could happen at my Ped. though.  I tell him which ones I want, the nurse brings them in, opens them. fills out my chart, gives me the inserts and I hold my kids so I can see how many they get. It's never more than 1 or 2 at a time.

[Lisa1970]

I had a doctor try to do this here in Texas back when the only shot I was skipping was the chicken pox. They tried to give it anyway. I was livid. They also tried, on a different occassion, to give my other son a Hep A shot when I left the room to use the restroom. He was 8 or 9 at the time so I thought it was safe to leave him in the room alone. Apparently, not.

[angelpie545]

It's good to know, although sometimes I think nurses/medical assistants (whomever is giving the shots) sometimes get so wrapped up in their routines that they sometimes do make mistakes.  However, I know medical practice and philosophy vary from place to place.  Whatever the case, I absolutely would double/triple check with the person administering vaccines to make sure it's what you requested-nothing less, nothing more.  We do selective/delayed vaccinations because we have a family history of issues.  In our ped's office we have to initial for each vaccine received and they are generally pretty respectful of parents' choices. 

[KaraJMay]

We sign for each shot before and initial his chart afterward. I also hold my son while they give him the shots. I can't imagine how the doctor could sneakily give him more shots.

[Jessnet]

The closest story in IRL that I have heard of this happening to is with a very close friend of mine. (don't you love how this starts out like all the other scary vax stories)

Anyway, I think it was a genuine miscommunication and mistake, which BTW would have been prevented if she had gone in more prepared with the name of the shots and, to be blunt, cared.

She wanted to delay the Hep B shot (why, I don't know she is very pro-vax, I think her mom suggested she wait until he was a year to start that particular series due to some kind of family reaction).

She told the doctor this, he agreed and after the WBV part, and he sent in the nurse. The nurse asked, "Do you want the combo again?" and she said, "Yes".  The nurse then gave her DC the combo with the Hep B (Pediarix) instead of the combo with the HIB (Pentacel). She said she didn't even notice until she got home and saw the Hep B slot filled out on the card. She was annoyed, but not outraged, since she was going to get it anyway and like I said, she was Pro-Vax in general.

She said she only told me the story to amuse herself since she knew I would be more upset about it than she was. 

[EnchantedMamma]

Thanks for the reminder!

I ALWAYS ask which shot they have in hand when they bring them in before they start vaccinating my son.

[PlayaMama]

i can't imagine a scenario where that would happen. my kids have been vaxed in three different states (we move a lot) and at none of the clinics have they ever tried to give them more than what i asked for. i mean, if you ask for one vax and they bring out two needles, you know that there is a mistake and you ask what the heck is going on. i'm not sure how they could administer them to your lo without you noticing unless it was something like mentioned above where the wrong combo was given.

[Graceie]

We live in a pretty delay vax friendly area and I had a  very anti delay VAX nurse give my DS a combo shot when I had said no I left in tears and will no be going back it feels like a violation . we now go to a very supportive doc who talks to us and let me know exactly what hes getting before she gives it

[Eeyore35]

I'm canadian, and I didn't start vaxing til age 3, (if I had to do it over, I'd just do it on schedule, though). Anyhow, the nurse was very nice, we decided together what shots my daughter would get to get caught up, and i always knew what shots they were doing each visit. She didn't push anything at all.

My daughter had no severe reactions. Didn't develop any allergies. No problems at all, really. I know some kids do have severe reactions, but that isn't the norm.

[laohaire]

Wow, I'm surprised at all the "couldn't happen here" responses.

DD has seen different doctors. One didn't say a darn thing about vaccines, didn't give us the handout, nothing. Just administered the shots. (At the time we were complying). At another office, the nurse came in with shots in hand and we had to send her away. She didn't give us a hard time or anything, but she was planning to proceed without any signatures or verbal consent or anything.

[carriebft]

Federal law in the USA requires that VIS (vaccination information statements) be given out before each dose of most vaccines. The sheet must match the vaccination being given.

Offices that do not at least do this part, before the dose is administered, are violating federal law. So if you are experiencing this, I would talk to someone!

[carriebft]

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-instructions.pdf

This link will tell you about the law and the exact protocol that must be followed when giving out a vaccine dose. There are also supplementary state laws in some places the require further documentation. I would call out any doctor not following these federally mandated steps!

[treeoflife3]

Kiddo had a doctor who tried to force vaccines.  I explained that we wanted to delay and were only getting two that day.  She kind of freaked out and ended up ordering an extra one for us without telling me.  I had told the nurse prior to talking to this new doctor so she popped in and double checked to see if I really did change my mind.

Needless to say, we did NOT go back however I really appreciated the nurse who didn't just shrug her shoulders and do whatever.

[angelachristin]

Honestly, it kind of doesn't even make sense.  If you take an unvaxed 3-year-old in to begin vaxes, they aren't going to give "3 years worth of vaxes" in one visit, because that just isn't how they catch them up and it would be very dangerous to give, for example, 4 DTP shots in the same day, let alone along with 4 hep B doses, 2 MMR doses, 3 polio doses, etc.  I can't imagine even the most pro-vax health care provider out there giving 3 years worth of doses to a child and catching them up all in one day.  It would be criminal.  There are a number of weeks to months they have to wait between each dose.  All you have to do is just look at the CDC chart and it will tell you what would be given for an unvaxed child at any age to catch them up and the minimum intervals required between each dose.   http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/downloads/child/2010/10_catchup-schedule-pr.pdf

I don't vax anymore, but on the 2 occasions that DS was vaxed before I stopped, they didn't give us any consents either.  Just walked in and did them.  I think most parents who are thoughtful enough to delay and selective would be pretty proactive at the visits, making sure it was agreed upon what vaxes would be given that day.

[carriebft]

I agree that, as written, it really makes no sense. It would be pointless to give 2 doses of a single vaccine in a visit. I assumed the OP meant that they tried, for example, to give the 6 months shots (DTaP, PCV, etc) and the 12 month (MMR, Pox) at the same visit.