Query for parents who choose/chose/may vax: Family history

[Mynn]

[ to remove potential UA violation]

In looking at your family histories with regards to making your children's healthcare choices, including vaccinations, has anyone run into problems trying to get a history?

For example, family members who refuse to give you any medical history about anyone in your family line, or your child's family line?

Details about what may have affected family members no longer with you, in regards to their life or death, which may seem unusually questionable, like mental illness or abuse (given or rec'd)?

Or refused testing or care for known diseases?

On the one hand, I can't really force some of this out of people, or frog march them to get tested or reveal "embarassing" history, on the other, I want data, I *need* data. It really helps me and my co-parenting-stakeholder (in this case, my partner) make our decisions on what to give, what to withold, and how to treat things as they come up.

As we learn more about the human body, I'm thinking every little bit can help [deleted text]

other things concern me in how family history may affect which vaccinations we choose, []

[tatermom]

DH was adopted, so we've pretty much given up on the whole idea of knowing family histories. They gave his parents really basic info about his family history during the adoption, but obviously there could be other issues that we are unaware of. How is this affecting your decisions about vaxing? (just curious!). DS is mostly vaxed though we have delayed a select few; no reactions to any vaxes, and none for me or DH either, so we know at least that much about our family.

[Mynn]

[boongirl]

This is not related to vaxing at all, but several members of my extended family helped me in having genetic testing done before I started ttc. Hemophilia runs in my family and I just wanted to know if I was a carrier, so that we could treat any fetus as a possibility (if it was) and be prepared medically. We paid for several extended family members to have blood tests and paid for their shipping. No one said no. Thankfully, hemophilia is not in my mother's line even though her brother died from it at age 3, in the 1930s.

[lyttlewon]

I have partial family history. My mother does not speak to her father so there is probably unknown information on that side of the family. The biggest problem is that I don't know who to ask what. Like my cousin has Lupus and I know that because my mom told me. On an ordinary day I wouldn't ask her for her medical history. It would only be if I had to do genetic testing would I ask this sort of thing. I think families don't talk about illness enough.

[Goddess3_2005]

Originally Posted by Mynn

(blood clotting 'disorder' that 'cleared up' (but matches the symptoms and specifics of a class action lawsuit against a drug manufacturer))

I would be interested in hearing more about this, DH has an odd clotting disorder.

[Mynn]

*waves*

Originally Posted by Goddess3_2005

I would be interested in hearing more about this, DH has an odd clotting disorder.

*sneaks in*

Yeah, well, if he's been taking hormonal birth control and having miscarriages, blood clots, and losing children late term to IUGR because of blood clotting and malformed/clotted placentas, have him check out this thread ...

http://mothering.com/discussions/showpost.php?p=5410858&postcount=161

I will return, if/when/I can. Busy times. Crazy times. :