Considering vax after reaction

[pepper212]

I would love to hear from other moms who may have been in a similar situation. I have two boys - 6 years and youngest is 7 months. My oldest son had all shots up to 4 months (dtap,hib,prevnar,ipv). After the 4 month round, he screamed for 6 hours, ran a fever of 104-105, then slept for a long time and was difficult to wake. This terrified me. His doctor told me no big deal, just continue with the schedule. We didn't. Shortly after this he also developed an eczema like rash all over his body which eventually went away after a year or so.

I have been contemplating giving him the dtap for the tetanus protection, but his earlier reaction still scares me. I have no way of knowing which vax caused the reaction when he was a baby.  I'm also feeling conflicted over whether or not my 7 month old  should receive any vaccinations (ever!) or on a delayed schedule due to his brother's experience. I should also mention that I reacted myself to mmr and tetanus booster postpartum with painful swollen joints and a recurring rash .

Am I worrying for nothing like our doctor said? Does anyone have any experience with vaxing after a similar reaction and at a later age?

Thanks. 

[Cavy]

Isn't the single tetanus jab licensed from 7 yrs old?  I vaguely remember reading that (but am in a different country). You might want to check for that option.  7yo DS stepped on a rusty nail recently.  I was grateful he was fully vaxxd.

I'll declare bias by saying that I feel that some immune system reaction is normal and to be expected, and most of the VPDs are very scary to me.  But I can understand your worries.  I'm sure you'll get a lot of support here if you choose to delay or not vacc in future.

[Taximom5]

Disclaimer:  this is an anecdotal opinion, not a double-blinded, scientific study.

I have never heard of a parent who said that their child had a severe reaction like your child's, and then was fine with subsequent vaccinations. It may very well have happened, but I've never heard of it.

I have seen literally hundreds of posts from parents whose child had a reaction like your child's (and like my child's, by the way), whose reaction to subsequent vaccines was FAR more severe.

I cannot guarantee that my child will never have another seizure.  But the only seizure he ever had was an hour post-vaccine.

I CAN guarantee that he will never have another vaccine-induced seizure.  Not on my watch.

[Jugs]

My own anecdote, of course: my oldest child had a similar reaction at 6 months. We did not vax again until last spring, at age 6. He got a DTaP and an IPV and had no reaction whatsoever.

[Taximom5]

Originally Posted by Jugs 

My own anecdote, of course: my oldest child had a similar reaction at 6 months. We did not vax again until last spring, at age 6. He got a DTaP and an IPV and had no reaction whatsoever.

I would think that waiting 6 years between vaccines WOULD minimize reactions!

[Jugs]

Depends on the type of reaction. Injection site reactions tend to be more common with the 4 and 5th doses of DTaP, while systemic reactions tend to more common with the first 3 doses, although that could be because an older child is better able to cope with a systemic reaction than an infant.

[Taximom5]

Originally Posted by Jugs 

Depends on the type of reaction. Injection site reactions tend to be more common with the 4 and 5th doses of DTaP, while systemic reactions tend to more common with the first 3 doses, although that could be because an older child is better able to cope with a systemic reaction than an infant.

It also depends on the reason for the reaction.  I have a documented history of thimerosal allergy (from eyedrops and contact lens solutions, back in the 1980s).  Most--but not all--subsequent vaccinations gave me ENORMOUS red, hot, swellings (the size of grapefruits) at the injection sites.  

It wasn't until years later that we realized that the only vaccinations I reacted to were the ones preserved with thimerosal. At the time (1980s and early 1990s), the doctorsI saw didn't have the faintest idea that thimerosal was even in vaccines. I did tell them (as instructed) that I had a history of allergic reaction to thimerosal, which they duly noted in my charts. 

Unfortunately,for one of those visits, I was given several vaccines at once, and I also had quite a few complicated reactions in addition to the site reactions.

So I think that site reactions can either open the door to further reactions, or might even be indicative of more serious--but unseen--reactions in the immune system.

There is no way of controlling exactly what your immune system reacts more strongly to, when an adjuvant has been injected.  And when 3 or more adjuvanted vaccines are used at once, that may set off a completely uncontrollable set of reactions.

[devinsmommy26]

"After the 4 month round, he screamed for 6 hours, ran a fever of 104-105, then slept for a long time and was difficult to wake."

Now I'm definitely not a doctor, but my son had a adverse reaction to his 12 month round of shots, so I have been doing a ton of reading and researching. What this sounds like to me is Encephalitis.

Definition- Rarely, a baby will register a high fever and scream intensely, alternating with lethargy for several hours and possibly days. This reaction is thought to be due to swelling and inflammation of the brain, the medical term for which is "encephalitis." virtually all infants with an encephalitis reaction recover without any problems. Unfortunately, a small percentage of cases progress to encephalopathy, during which the brain actually suffers some permanent damage.

Known severe reactions for DTaP- About 1 in 1000 infants will suffer nonstop crying for three or more hours (which indicates encephalitis)

Here is a link to a Product Insert for the Daptacel brand of DTaP. 

https://www.vaccineshoppe.com/image.cfm?doc_id=11179&image_type=product_pdf

It states right in this Product Insert Directly from the pharmaceutical company

------------------------warnings and precautions -------------------------
• Carefully consider benefits and risks before administering
DAPTACEL to persons with a history of:
- fever ≥40.5°C (105°F), hypotonic-hyporesponsive episode
(HHE) or persistent, inconsolable crying lasting ≥3 hours
within 48 hours after a previous pertussis-containing
vaccine. (5.2)

re

"His doctor told me no big deal, just continue with the schedule. We didn't."  I think your doctor is a freakin Idiot and you should find another. There are a maximum of 5 hospitalizations of Diphtheria a year, (most years there are 0), 5 hospitalizations of Tetanus a year (which is mainly adults 25 and older) and virtually all pertussis deaths happen to babies 3 months and younger. Taking into account the unacceptable rate of 1 in 1000 children's brains swelling from this vac....I think I would rather take my chances with the diseases!! You made a really great decision not to continue.

After my son had his shots at 12 months, MMR, Chickenpox, Hep A, he had a 103-104 fever for days, a rash all over his body, then sever tantrums. He had a change in behavior and a regression in speech that lasted over 2 months. Since then I have been looking for a alternate VAX schedule friendly doctor, and reading and researching vaccines. We are most likely not going to continue with most. I highly recommend you read The Vaccine Book, by Dr. Sears, the 2011 updated version. It has been a life saver for us, helping us to make upcoming vaccine decisions. Good Luck to :)

[devinsmommy26]

Originally Posted by pepper212 

I would love to hear from other moms who may have been in a similar situation. I have two boys - 6 years and youngest is 7 months. My oldest son had all shots up to 4 months (dtap,hib,prevnar,ipv). After the 4 month round, he screamed for 6 hours, ran a fever of 104-105, then slept for a long time and was difficult to wake. This terrified me. His doctor told me no big deal, just continue with the schedule. We didn't. Shortly after this he also developed an eczema like rash all over his body which eventually went away after a year or so.

I have been contemplating giving him the dtap for the tetanus protection, but his earlier reaction still scares me. I have no way of knowing which vax caused the reaction when he was a baby.  I'm also feeling conflicted over whether or not my 7 month old  should receive any vaccinations (ever!) or on a delayed schedule due to his brother's experience. I should also mention that I reacted myself to mmr and tetanus booster postpartum with painful swollen joints and a recurring rash .

Am I worrying for nothing like our doctor said? Does anyone have any experience with vaxing after a similar reaction and at a later age?

Thanks. 

Oh...and there is a separate just Tetanus Vaccine made by Sanofi Pasteur that is approved for kids age seven and older and for adults.