Mothering › Forums › Health › Vaccinations › Hubby is pushing for tetanus
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Hubby is pushing for tetanus  

post #1 of 21
8/31/08 at 11:46pm
Thread Starter 
DD is 2 yo and we haven't done any shots since her first round at 2 months. DH has been pretty good about it even though he isn't 100% sure he agrees. We have moved out to the country and he is worried about tetanus...plus the fact that he just wants her to have "some" and this will alleviate his fears about her not having "any", kwim?

Should I argue with him about it or just agree to it? I do need to find it as a single vax w/o thimerosal, and I'm not sure whether insurance will cover it, etc, etc. Thoughts?
post #2 of 21
9/1/08 at 12:01am
Stand alone tetanus is not approved for use under 7yrs old.

-Angela
post #3 of 21
9/1/08 at 12:10am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by alegna View Post
Stand alone tetanus is not approved for use under 7yrs old.

-Angela
Cool! So, what can I tell him to make him feel better about the risk of getting it? He is all concerned about the "rusty nails" and rusty swingsets etc. I told him rust = oxygen, and tetanus is anaerobic. But I don't think he believes I am right and all the world is wrong.
post #4 of 21
9/1/08 at 12:11am
does he know about the immunoglobin (tig)? if your child gets a deep wound that doesn't bleed, which would be extraordinarily rare, you could get tig. knowing that it's available might make your dh feel better.
post #5 of 21
9/1/08 at 12:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by leila1213 View Post
Cool! So, what can I tell him to make him feel better about the risk of getting it? He is all concerned about the "rusty nails" and rusty swingsets etc. I told him rust = oxygen, and tetanus is anaerobic. But I don't think he believes I am right and all the world is wrong.

i think the theory is that rust makes a bumpy surface where tetanus would be more likely to live, so a wound from a rusty object could be more likely to have tetanus in it. but if the wound bleeds, the oxygen in the blood kills the tetanus.
post #6 of 21
9/1/08 at 12:13am
Rust and metal have nothing to do with tetanus.

Honestly, if it was MY dh and he was freaking out I'd make him do some of the research.

Tetanus is INCREDIBLY rare and has ALWAYS been. Imagine 200 years ago- everyone had farm animals and regularly got scrapes and cuts and such- tetanus rates were STILL very very low.

-Angela
post #7 of 21
9/1/08 at 12:16am
sorry for all the replies. my mom instilled a fear of tetanus in me from an early age, so skipping this one was hard for me. i read how many GIs came down w/ tetanus during WWII. the # was so small even though they were in the perfect conditions for developing tetanus - poor nutrition, poor wound care, dirt, etc. maybe your could look that up. it's what made me feel a lot better.

i also realized that tetanus is treatable (in addition to TIG).
post #8 of 21
9/1/08 at 12:18am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by lirpasirhc View Post
does he know about the immunoglobin (tig)? if your child gets a deep wound that doesn't bleed, which would be extraordinarily rare, you could get tig. knowing that it's available might make your dh feel better.
Yes, I explained this to him. I guess where I got stuck was in how would we identify the wounds that we would need the tig for, which you answered.

Can anyone be more specific? How deep are we talking? Would this be a wound you would obviously go to the hospital for anyway? Somewhere in the back of my mind I'm thinking that I heard that it could happen with pretty minor wounds... is that just totally untrue?
post #9 of 21
9/1/08 at 12:21am
Thread Starter 
I do need to read up on the treatment for it. I guess we're under the assumption that "by the time you realize it, it's too late" kind of thing. Maybe if I could get some kind of little guidebook we could refer to in case of an injury, that would be good.
post #10 of 21
9/1/08 at 12:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by leila1213 View Post
Yes, I explained this to him. I guess where I got stuck was in how would we identify the wounds that we would need the tig for, which you answered.

Can anyone be more specific? How deep are we talking? Would this be a wound you would obviously go to the hospital for anyway? Somewhere in the back of my mind I'm thinking that I heard that it could happen with pretty minor wounds... is that just totally untrue?
i think it's basically a myth. i looked up some stats from before the vax was available, and found that tetanus was incredibly rare. the main victims are ppl w/ blood circulation problems - elderly, diabetics. even w/o the vax, it was virtually unheard of in children. basically, if the wound bleeds, there is no risk. personally, i have yet to have a wound that did not bleed. i'm sorry that i don't have links to the info i paraphrased, but you can probably find it on the CDC site or InsideVaccines.
post #11 of 21
9/1/08 at 3:14pm
From everything I have read, the most important thing, even more important than the vaccine, is "proper wound management". If you think about how rare tetanus was even before the vaccine, and think about what they had access to. Think about the pioneer people, for example. I am sure they got plenty of cuts and scrapes, they didn't have running water to clean wounds, etc, and it probably wasn't very easy to keep wounds clean after the fact either.

I think the most important things are cleaning it thoroughly initially and then keeping it clean. And not applying thick ointments to deep wounds, because you don't want the top layer to heal over and trap bacteria or dirt inside. You want it to heal from the bottom up.

The more you educate yourself, the better you can reassure your husband. I would just read more about it if it is the one that worries him the most.

If your husband is not totally ont he same page with you about vax, but not really willing to take the time to do his own research, you may ask him to watch Dr Jay Gordon's DVD on vaccines. I thought it was very good, played to the middle-of-the-road audience, etc. Yet, after watching it, I felt more confident not vaxing at all, for anything.
post #12 of 21
9/1/08 at 6:57pm
Thread Starter 
Thank you all. I have eplained everything &sent him some info, and I think he's fine w/ it...well, until he hears another "expert" say that tetanus is one you "don't want to mess with". LOL
post #13 of 21
9/1/08 at 7:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by leila1213 View Post
Thank you all. I have eplained everything &sent him some info, and I think he's fine w/ it...well, until he hears another "expert" say that tetanus is one you "don't want to mess with". LOL
Well, you can give him this book:

How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor: Dr. Robert S. Md Mendelsohn
post #14 of 21
9/1/08 at 8:09pm
At the risk of being bashed- my ds has only had the tetanus vax (well actually td) I read Aviva Romm's book and many other things and decided to do it. I am still kind of ambivalent.
post #15 of 21
9/1/08 at 8:34pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Emmeline II View Post
Well, you can give him this book:

How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor: Dr. Robert S. Md Mendelsohn
I have this book and have read it as well as giving it to others. I should dig it up and make him read it. (Or more likely read it aloud to him.)
post #16 of 21
9/2/08 at 11:48am
Here is a recent post about tending to a puncture wound:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=938045
post #17 of 21
9/2/08 at 1:59pm
This is a great article on tenanus... it from a ped and how he abondoned the recommendation for the vax.
http://www.*********/v/mendelsohn.html
post #18 of 21
9/2/08 at 2:22pm
There is a homeopathic medicine called Ledum that is presbribed in the prevention of tetanus.
I keep a tube at home at all times...
post #19 of 21
9/3/08 at 12:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by NewMom0208 View Post
There is a homeopathic medicine called Ledum that is presbribed in the prevention of tetanus.
I keep a tube at home at all times...
I have been wanting to know more about how to use this. What strength do you use (like 30 C?) And do you just give it once?
post #20 of 21
9/4/08 at 11:23am
I'll check at home on the strengh
I haven't use it the first time
Nothing has shown up on his daily bath check up ; no scrapes or punctures I should worry about.

The instruction is to use it 3times per day.
I think I would do it for 3 days and then stop and continue watching for any signals... But let me research further on that...Good Question!
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Vaccinations
This thread is locked  
Mothering › Forums › Health › Vaccinations › Hubby is pushing for tetanus