what would you do if your child had a vaccine reaction?

[caedmyn]

I'm curious as to what others would do if they thought their child had a reaction...(please note I'm not trying to start a debate, I'm just curious if this is a "normal" reaction by a parent). Although I won't vaccinate my 7 week old, I can understand why others choose to...but it seems like there would be a point at which you would have to take a second look at vaccines...

I post on a December 2005 birth board on a different bulletin board, and a few days ago someone posted that her 2 month old had a reaction to her shots--102 degree fever (after Tylenol), vomiting, severe congestion, and swelling at injection site. Several people posted recommendations that she research adverse reactions, etc. Today she posted that her child was better and she hoped the 4 month shots went better...she gave absolutely no indication that she was going to do any research at all or consider the possibility that the shots might not be good for her child.

When I read stories of people whose children have had reactions and suffered permanent damage, and they tell how the child reacted to one set of shots and yet they continued to give them, I never understood it...but apparently it still happens!

Maybe it's just because I'm a research freak, but if I hear that something might not be good for me/my child or something causes negative side effects, I'm going to look into it and not trust that the status quo is accurate. I can remember at about age 10 learning that a family in my church didn't vaccinate (I was fully vaccinated)...I thought it was weird but decided to research it before I had kids...which I did 15 years later.

Anyway, I'm wondering if it is just me or if others (especially those who do vax) find it unbelievable that someone would blow off a reaction like this.

[birthjunkie27]

I find it completely absurd that someone who's child had that severe of a reaction wouldn't research it. Gee, hope it goes better next time. What a moron! I vaxed my first 2 babes, and never had any reactions with them. I started researching vax when my second babe was about 6 mos old. Before that I didn't even know I had an option. I just thought it was something everyone was "supposed" to do (even though I had a homebirth with him....so I definately wasn't mainstream). Why didn't I question it before that? I guess I was just as brainwashed as the rest of America. Not even sure what got me started on researching them. But....I did decide to finish his vax's, and every time we went in for more I felt sick to my stomach (so WHY did I do it? I don't know).

But, if either one of them had ANY type of reaction to the vax, that would have been enough for me to put a halt to all vax's.

This time around, I plan on doing heavy research and delaying vax. Then either doing selective vax or no vax.

Parents really need to take responsiblity for their children's health and not just blindly follow whatever their Dr says.

[Taedareth]

I think this is the result of overconfidence in the current medical recommendations. People are conditioned to believe that the government's recommendations about healthcare are infallible. I have to point out, though, that in times past there have been different "food pyramid" models than we have today - has the human digestive system changed or is this evidence that the government doesn't have the whole story on human health? Not to mention the fact that asbestos used to be a government-approved building material...... (I assume it was anyway; it's not legal to build with asbestos anymore....)

But going back to the subject of vaxing, the status quo is an extremely powerful influence. It's like mob mentality. You can't NOT vax, right? Your kid would die of, like, polio or something!!

[Panthira]

My 2 yr old son DID have a reaction when he got a shot. My other 2 kids never reacted from their shots, and I was VERY pro-vax... I couldn't understand parents who put their child at risk by not vaccinating them - until my baby got sick. He never got sick until that shot and then suddenly he had a high fever and was listless... It was scary. I understand how vaccinations work and to get the immunity you have to get the virus or whatever, but it did make me start to research and question vaccinations. After talking to my mom, I found out I may have had a reaction to a shot and got extremely ill as a child. I also think that's possibly why I suffer from severe allergies. I don't want that for my children.
I didn't allow any more vaccinations for my 2 yr old after he reacted, had to change peds because he didn't agree with my choice for my child, and my new baby hasn't been vaxed at all yet. I will selectively vax using a delayed schedule, but I still have more research to do. I'm glad you brought this up.

[iris0110]

My DS1 had mild reactions to his shots when he was an infant. Things like pain, irritability, mild fever and swelling at the injection sight. I didn't know then what I know now, but I wish I had. The Dr kept telling me that this was fine, these were normal reactions and not to worry about it. I wasn't on mothering at the time, and had never head of real severe vaccine reactions so I believed them. Same as the person you mention in your post. Well then he hit 18 months and got the MMR shots. Suddenly my precocious talker couldn't talk any more. He would have fits where he grabbed the sides of his head and fell down screaming. It was horrible. Around that time some one at LLL turned me on to the dangers of vaxing, and mentioned that this may be a reaction. She also pointed me to MDC. I got DS treated by a naturopath, but he will never be the same little boy he would have been if I had never vaxed him, or even if I had stopped vaxing after his first reaction, because even though the Drs told me that it wasn't a reaction, it was. Now ds is diagnosed with PDD NOS. He is 4.5 and still wears diapers. I can't take him out around other kids because he can't handle socializing. He is incredibly intelligent, but he can't really express himself. He still has an extreme speach delay.

I understand the mom's reaction though. It is an up hill battle to find this information, and the government and almost every dr I have ever met will deny any research that says vax's could be dangerous. I jut got ds1 a vax exemption form from the state so he can attend therapy at the public school (our insurance doesn't cover therapy for developmental delays ). With the exemption form came a sheet of paper called the risks and benefits of vaccinations. It extolled the wonders of vaccines and demonized simple childhood illnesses. Then it glossed over almost all reactions. If you read that paper and actually believed it, then you wouldn't think twice about vaccinating your child. I personally will never vax again, but I do understand why so many people do.

[Minoh]

I am so nervous because my DS has his 2month appt this week. I have been researching the vaccines scheduled to be given then and am certainly not ready to have the Dr administer any vaccines at this point. We decided not to give the HepB at birth (I guess we were the first to forego this vaccine at our hospital). I wonder what our Dr will have to say about the risks and benefits of the vaccines and how she'll advise us to proceed about this.

Anyone choosing to selectively vaccinate? If so, which vaccines will you choose to give and will you wait until your child is older?

I would be so upset if my child had any kind of reaction and would certainly be wary about any future vaccines!!

[allnaturalmama]

Originally Posted by iris0110

Well then he hit 18 months and got the MMR shots. Suddenly my precocious talker couldn't talk any more. He would have fits where he grabbed the sides of his head and fell down screaming. It was horrible... he will never be the same little boy he would have been

Oh, Shannon, I am so, so sorry! Just so sorry.

[Spark]

Shannon, I'm so so so sorry to hear your son's story. Thank you for sharing it. Wishing you peace and health.

#1 thing I'd do if my kid had a reaction - report it to the CDC. Reactions are WAY underreported. (I think it's the CDC you're supposed to report it to, right?)

[atozmama]

I was on a list about 3 or 4 years ago and a moher there had a child with a severe reaction, not just fever and swelling at injection site, this required a trip to the ER and even the drs admitted it was a reaction to vaccination. She also had an older child who had reactions and a severe peanut allergy. She sill continued vacccinations. I toatally didn't understand that one at all. It has got to be a cultural thing, drs are always reight and its just what you got to do.

Shannon I am sorry about your son's reaction. I too have a child with PDD NOS and he wasn't potty rtrained until 6 and still isn't bowel trained. I am so frustrated with **** all over (It was not a good evening) I did have my son vaccinated until about 18 months and each round got a larger and larger reaction to the shot on his leg. I think it was the DTaP. We did not have a dramatic change after the MMR though. I feel alot of his problems are genetic through dad's side and a result of things done at his birth, like 28 hours of pit and 2 epidurals and a spinal.

[DesireeH]

When I read stories of people whose children have had reactions and suffered permanent damage, and they tell how the child reacted to one set of shots and yet they continued to give them, I never understood it...but apparently it still happens!

I dont get it either. If my children did have vaccine reactions (they couldnt have though, neither of them are vaccinated and never will be.) then I would report it to VAERS and IMMEDIATELY discontinue any and all vaccines. Reactions can get worse as you go too........ Unfortunately I think too many people have blind trust in the words coming from a doctor's mouth and dont feel the need to research on their own because their "doc went to medical school and they didnt."

[aisraeltax]

i kind of wish one of my kids woudl have had a mild reaction to a vax, so i would have researched it earlier. both the older ones were "on schedule" (and one has Noonan's Syndrome and underwent 7 surgeries during his 2nd year...it wasn't like he needed more complications).
until i came to MDC, i was also brainwashed. i don't know what vax's we will do for Ethan, if any...of when. what i do know if that we won't be doing anything until he's 2 and his brain is able to protect him.
vax's is one of those subjects that get people really worried...the book "Evidence of Harm" is great...im almost finished reading it...woudl be finished if i hadn't gotten sick again. ;(

perhaps you can share some research w/ that mom. just a thought....