My oldest, Jake, was vaxed. 3 doses (3mo, 5mo, 8mo) and he didn't get the whole shebang- we skipped some. He was born a high needs kid- I had a really rough pregnancy (bedrest for 4months- contractions 6-8 an hour the whole time. Mag, Trebutaline, steroids, 2 hospital stays, one very long ambulance ride to a level 3 nursery hospital- and then he was induced at 39weeks) and he was a screamer, very super clingy. I doubted vaxes from the get go. I put them off because he was so...sickly- he had a cold for the first 3 months of his life. First shots he ran a fever for 7 days, he developed eczma, he broke out in hives and he SCREAMED. OH MY GOD- The SCREAMING. I can still hear it- OVER and OVER and OVER in my head when I think about vaxes. Then at the 5mo shots again- fever for over 7 days, screaming, his eczma doubled, screaming. Then he became "velcro boy" as in i COULDN'T put him down. His body wouldn't allow for it. The last set was the scarriest in my whole life. He IMMEDIATELY broke out in a red/hive like rash from head to toe. He spiked a 104 fever (mind you we run low like 96 or 97) and screamed again for the first few hours. THEN- NOTHING. No screaming, talking, laughing, and his body went FLAT and HARD like a piece of plywood. Really. He turned his head to the left and his beautiful sparkly eyes, the expressive eyes that told you everything you needed to know about him- they were dead. There was no life in him- the lights were extinguished. This lasted for a few days- however he was never to be the same.
My Jakey boy is not autistic- however I and DH honestly feel that he ALMOST was. He has serious sensory issues. When he learned to walk he would walk in a circle FOR HOURS. Like around your coffee table- but with no table. He would just walk. Play in his head and walk. I was so scared. His clingy-ness hasn't changed. I can usually pee with out him, but you never know.
Had I been educated before? NO FRICKEN WAY. I found mothering by chance- looking for cloth diapers (we were broke and he had serious eczma and rashes) and the first issue was about vacciene's and the side effects. I DIDN'T KNOW YOU could be EXEMPT. I thought YOU HAD to have them. All the medical community made me feel like it was MANDATORY and that CPS would be called if I refused. Now I know better. Unfortunately his reactions were never filed with the vacciene injury board- all the MD's said that his reactions were "expected" and blew me off.
I have 4 kids, and Jake was the only one that had any shots- all the other kids all have been pretty healthy- little allergies and eczma and colds and asthma- but no major issues KWIM?
I'm so glad to know what I do now with dd2 and any future children.
: I now tell everyone I come into contact that they need to study about the vax's to make an informed decision and I refer them to The Vaccine Guide Risks and benefits for children and adults by Randall Neustaedter OMD. What a great resource!
