Help!

[Gendenwitha]

I'm ready to get my kids some vaccines. I've got 8yo and 9yo and baby, mainly I mean the oldest.

I unfortunately lost my records but oldest had Hep B vaccine, as a baby, had a reaction, we stopped there.

ONE of the two had a tetnaus/diptheria vax when they had an infected puncture wound. I remember the wound, think I remember which child, not sure I know where it was given. I think at my local doc in the box.

I want both kids to get Tetnaus/Diptheria (or just Tetnaus, I'm just not willing to fight to find T by itself when if they travel they may need D later on and it's one I'm least concerned about.) I thought there was a DT, (the DPT without the P) that was given to younger kids, but all I see listed is Td which is for older kids & adults. Which does he need? What about the son that hasn't had any vaccines?

Hep B, I want for the oldest who had one shot as a baby. We just do the remaining 2 now right?

Finally, the baby. I HATE the idea of giving him ANY vaccines, BUT... with the other two dh and I worked opposite shifts so babies were always home with one of us. With this baby I'm a college student and he's coming to school with me. I'm a little worried about Pertessus. Although he's an exculsively bf healthy 15lb+ 3 month old. Are there homeopathic alternatives? Anything other than antedotal evidence to help me decide?

[aisraeltax]

you will get more responses to your question re: alternatives in the mail forum.

[Plummeting]

DT is only indicated for children up to age 7, so both of your older children would need Td, not DT. The one who had none would need a series of 3 to be considered fully vaccinated. The one who had the emergency vax would only need 2 more - you don't have to start over. (FTR, you can't vaccinate for tetanus after an injury, if you've never vaccinated before and expect protection from that one vaccine. One vaccine does not protect from tetanus. If it did, then we could all give our children just one before they were injured. Doctors push the vaccine because it's considered routine treatment, but it will NOT prevent tetanus in a previously unvaccinated person. To do that, you need TIGG, not the vaccine.)

What kind of reaction did your son have to Hep B vaccine? I have to seriously question the wisdom of giving him a vaccine you know he has reacted to in the past. You have no reason whatsoever to believe that he won't react now. Older children, teenagers and adults also react to vaccines, not just infants. If you search VAERS, you will find tons of adverse incidents reported for them. Plus, by his age, your son would most likely clear any Hep B infection on his own within 12 weeks. 95% of older children and adults clear the infection without treatment. Honestly, I would highly suggest you reconsider this vaccine, given the unlikelihood of your son even becoming infected, much less chronically infected, and the fact that you know he has reacted to it in the past.

As far as pertussis and your infant, pertussis is dangerous in infants up to 6 months. (Fatality rate is 0.5% in the newborn to 6 month period.) Past that point, it's considered a nuisance. Pertussis vaccine doses must all be spaced at least 1 month apart, so if you started right now, he'd be 6 months by the time you finished, and past the danger point. Other than that, I have tons of anecdotal evidence, but you said that isn't what you were looking for.

[Gendenwitha]

Originally Posted by Plummeting

What kind of reaction did your son have to Hep B vaccine?

Not that a severe one, but a high enough temp that as a new mom I went to the ER for. The REASON he had the reaction is because he was sick. The nurse took his temp--I didn't hear her say he had a fever to begin with or I wouldn't have gotten it. (Also possible temp would have spiked without vax.) Dh heard her say it but he hadn't looked at any of the research yet and assumed I heard her too, and since I didn't say anything, he didn't.

To top it off I got a lecture from the ER doc about, "No one has probably ever told you this, but you should never give a sick child a vaccine..." We never went back to that ped again!

[Plummeting]

Oh, okay. That makes sense.