3 injections at once!

[AmandaAngels]

My 8 yr old and 12 yr old have never been vaxed, BUT now I want them vaxed. I rang the Drs who gave me the schedule but told me the first visit will be 3 injections (DPaT, Hib, MMR) the next month they have 2, then later have 1 (booster)

What I want to know is how traumatic is them to have 3 shots in one go? Is this very traumatic for them? Does it hurt? I feel so mean for choosing to put them through this pain and am a little unsure now, it will make them cry but I want them protected. Whooping cough is very prevalent round here, it was going round the school but ds missed it.

How bad is it?

[chickabiddy]

Kids react to needles differently.  At 8 and 12, they should be able to understand why you're choosing to have them vaxed.  I won't lie, there will likely be some pain, but if you are calm and rational, it probably won't be traumatic for them.

[emmy526]

I would think it might be stressful on their immune systems for a couple weeks....you know, easier to catch colds and viruses, since their immune systems are being taxed with all those diseases being injected at once.  I would do only one shot per month til they were caught up if i was you, to minimize pain and discomfort, and to be aware of any negative reactions.  With many vaccines given at once, should a reaction occur, you will not know which vaccine it was that caused it. 

[kathymuggle]

OP

Edited by kathymuggle - 2/19/13 at 5:05pm

[prosciencemum]

There have been some discussion threads on this board on this topic. There are lots of suggestions for distraction, and some buzzy toy thing which is supposed to make the injection hurt less. I have also previously posted a link to a study which demonstrated no significant additional stress for multiple shots (over a single one). Most of this focused on younger children, but I remember a discussion about older children too.

I agree you should talk it through with them. I would suggest a treat for afterwards. Even as an adult I don't much like shots. Who does.

Our immune systems deal with a lot everyday, so I wouldn't be concerned 3 at once is too many in that respect.

The comment kathymuggle made is curios and I would talk about that with your doctor. Could you have misremembered the acronym of the vaccine s/he recommended?

Best if luck, and post back to let us know how it went. There's a thread for celebrating getting through unproblematic vaccinations you could join in with.

[emmy526]

Originally Posted by kathymuggle 

Odd.  The CDC does not recommend Hib past a certain age, even in unvaccinated kids:

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/hib/vac-faqs-hcp.htm

"I've just evaluated a 7-year old who does not have a record of receiving Hib vaccine. Would a dose be indicated now?

ACIP does not recommend routine Hib vaccination of healthy children 59 months of age or older, even if they have no prior history of Hib vaccination.

 

Does anyone 5 years of age or older need to receive Hib vaccine?

There are few data on the efficacy of Hib vaccine in persons 5 years of age or older. ACIP recommends consideration of Hib vaccination for unvaccinated persons 5 years of age and older with anatomic or functional asplenia, sickle-cell anemia, or HIV infection "

i had thought that too, about Hib...wasn't sure tho, so  i didn't post anything til i could be sure...glad you cleared it up!

[AmandaAngels]

I am in the UK, I thought those were the vaccines they give but she reeled a load of with schedules, it was a lot to take in over the phone. I think I will ring back. I would rather have 3 together as it is all done very quickly.

[MichelleZB]

My 14-month-old had three shots at his last appointment since that's in our schedule. It was fine.

But your older children can talk! Perhaps you can ask them if they feel that can handle three shots at once, or if they'd rather have them spread out. You could maybe discuss the advantages of doing them all at once (don't have to go back, over quickly, etc.) and see how they feel. They could probably talk to their friends who have had shots, too, and be re-assured.

[kathymuggle]

Edited by kathymuggle - 2/19/13 at 5:04pm

[prosciencemum]

Originally Posted by kathymuggle 

Or not.  I have met a few kids who dread shots (and they do not know we are non-vax, so I was not leading them on in any way).  I would not suggest they bring it up with their friends unless you know their friends had an okay experience.  Who knows what will come out of the mouth of an 8-12 year old!

In the UK, I doubt many 8-12 year olds remember their last vaccine. I'll check if my 6 year old remembers her last one. I can barely remember it if I'm honest. Healthy kids in the UK don't get annual flu vaccines, so the last ones they got (if on schedule) would have been an MMR and DTap/IPV booster before school entry (sometime around 3 1/2 yrs old usually). 

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vaccinations/Pages/vaccination-schedule-age-checklist.aspx

 Could it have been MenC your doctor suggested they catch up on. That's not on the CDC standard list if I recall, but is a standard one in the UK. There is a Hib/MenC booster in a single shot mentioned at the above link, although I think you can get it separate too. 

Men C is recommended for unvaccinated individuals under the age of 25 in the UK: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vaccinations/Pages/men-c-vaccine-when-needed.aspx

[Rrrrrachel]

I think most people dread shots. They're not exactly a bag of hugs and kisses.

We've done three vaccines several times. It's not my favorite but it's not so bad. Request two nurses so they can do all three at once. They do that with babies, at least, not sure about older kids but I'd think they would. Go for a treat after. You'll be surprised how fast they get over it.

[IdentityCrisisMama]

This thread came to my attention when responding to some flags made in the INV forum because MV folks posting over there. I'll post the same thing here that I did there - the UA: 

Quote:

Mindful Vaccination -  This is a support-only forum for those who are vaccinating selectively, on a delayed schedule or fully vaccinating on schedule. Members who aren't vaccinating should not post here to debate or argue accuracy or opinion of things posted.

Members wishing to debate or discuss issues with a variety of view points are welcome to post a spin-off in Discussion and Debate. 

[IdentityCrisisMama]

OP, I agree that it's a good idea to include your older kids in the decisions. Mine was old enough by the time we got some vaccines that it made sense to ask her her preference. I can remember asking her if she would like me to try to find her chicken pox to contract or if she wanted the vaccination. I was surprised that she chose the vaccine. 

[IdentityCrisisMama]

Oh, and I'm thinking the Hib was actually IPV? 

[prosciencemum]

Curious for an update from the OP. How did it go? Are you still deciding. 

PS. I asked my six year old yesterday (finally remembered) and she has no memory of getting any shots. It came up because I was discussing over dinner with my Mum (a retired high school biology teacher) that there is a Mumps outbreak in the university I work in - blamed in part on low rates of MMR vaccine in the mid 1990s due to the Wakefield debacle. Those kids are not in university, some still under, or not vaccinated agains Mumps - which presumably contributes to the outbreak.