To vaccinate or not to vaccinate, that is the question on many parents minds.
I find this sad and scary that we are now having to worry about things like Whooping Cough once again.
As you know, I’m not anti-vaccine but I’m aware of the reality of vaccine injury. While I don’t believe that it’s very common, it does happen and it’s tragic. Think what you want but it is real and my heart goes out to call those affected. 
Having said that, because of the mass hysteria surrounding vaccines, we now have to contend with things like Whooping Cough and Measles once again.
Vaccines are most effective when the majority of the population is vaccinated.
Even if vaccines were scientifically proven to cause #Autism in some children, it’s certainly not the only cause of #Autism as many unvaccinated kids are diagnosed as well.
I believe that everyone has a right to their own opinion about vaccines. However, please do your research and talk to your trusted pediatrician. Any doctor worth anything should be willing to openly and honestly discuss all of your concerns without making you feel like you’re crazy for being worried.
I think that it’s a good thing to be concerned, that’s a sign of being a good parent. However, that’s why you should talk to your medical doctor and not listen to people in Hollywood or those running conspiracy websites.
You are the only person who can decide what’s best for your child. All I ask is that you consider the source of the information before you decide to put faith in it.
Vaccines are not a decision to be taken lightly. My wife and I never just vaccinated our kids all willy nilly. We researched and had very frank discussions with our kids pediatrician, whom we trust. In the end, we vaccinated all of our kids. Sometimes, the vaccines were delayed or broken up but our doctor was happy to work with us.
As with many things in life, there are risks with vaccines. However, the vast majority of people greatly benefit from their protection.
This was posted via WordPress for Android, courtesy of Samsungs Galaxy S III. Please forgive any typos. I do know how to spell but auto-correct hate me.
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Having had whooping cough myself, because I didn't know I needed a booster, I can say that even if the vaccine is only 50% effective, it's worth it! I know so many parents, many of my friends, don't believe in having their kids vaccinated, but all my kids received every one of their vaccines, and Zeke is the only one with autism. And Zeke was born with it–I know for sure! If you have had bad experiences with immunizations, probably it's best not to get them, but I have seen kids go deaf from things that could have been prevented by proper immunization, I have known people who were crippled by polio, and as I said, I have experienced whooping cough myself. Think long and hard about the immunizations, but don't just assume they are bad!
@DeborahWigginSnyder I have heard recordings of kids with whooping cough. It's absolutely horrible.
@DeborahWigginSnyder My grandmother did not believe in vaccines (this was back in the 1940s) and only gave my mom such vaccines as were necessary to enroll her in school. Whooping cough was not one of them. As a result she got whooping cough at age seven and nearly died.
@MeaghanGood @DeborahWigginSnyder wow. I don't know of any cases in Ohio, but I know California has seen an epidemic now.
Something to think about for "booster shots" is to check your child's existing antibody levels. It's a simple blood test that checks their existing immunity to certain diseases, like measles and chicken pox. If they are already immune, theres not always a need for the booster.
This was done by our doctor and we have been able to avoid unnecessary boosters.
Food for thought…
Vaccines are tricky and I believe there are way too many on the schedule right now. When I was growing up we got 1/3 or less of the shots that are now on the recommended list and I am 33 yrs old. I didn't hardly know any kids with autism, just a few ADHD and dyslexic kids. I am not a fear mongerer either, or belong to any special interest groups, but I have never found a pediatrician who knew more than me on the subject. I have studied up on it due to having two child with autoimmune brain disese and one with autism. I also have autoimmune disease so I have to be careful.
There are genetic mutations like MFTHR deletion hardly anyone is aware about that mean an individual's body is unable to detox or protect itself properly from toxins or viruses, etc. These children are much more likely to have side effects or injuries from vaccines. Many pediatricians don't even know about it. http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/gene/MTHFR
I honestly think all children should be tested for this and overall immune system functioning before vaccinating. If either parent has an autoimmune disease, they should definately get tested for antibodies to that first. Those are definately cases where a reduced or altered or no vaccination schedule could be called for. Also, if your child already has an autoimmune disease, you might want to think twice about vaccinations and research, as it further stimulates an immune system that is already faulty and attacking their body.
Of course there are risks to not vaccinating, like dying from serious and deadly illnesses. It's a really tough choice. I wish pharma was not involved in all of this and parents got more info and time to make an informed decision. Most pediatrician offices I have seen look like a billboard advertisement for the latest and greatest vaccines. There are way too many pediatricians who are overly friendly with pharma, unfortunately. I prefer the ones who have their patients best interests in mind.
@rmagliozzi Well put. Do the doctors know what to look for when testing for sensitivity?
@lostandtired Gosh, that's a good question. I'm guessing only a few do. I know the MFTHR mutations are very, very commonly found with autism and often with those more on the moderate to severe end of the spectrum from what I have noticed. Few even know to test for them. My guess would be an immunologist or geneticist would be the ones to have that knowledge. I think doing an overall immune system profile (checking immunoglobulin levels and such) would be a good place to start. Somebody needs to get up an official protocol of tests and get it rolled out to all the pediatricians. I know a few years back they put in the test for lead levels in the vaccine schedules out here in AZ, at least. Why not have it as an option to all parents, particularly those with a family history of having anyone on the spectrum?
@rmagliozzi Thats a really good point. There needs to be the option for at least testing for the most common potential issues. @autismfather do they do anything like this up in your parts?
I wonder if different countries apply different protocols.
All 3 of my girls have been vaccinated. My youngest is the one who is on the spectrum. I don't blame the vaccines either. I think they are needed, but I also think medical science needs to look at what they are putting into them. I had a meltdown at my daughter's last checkup. The nurse brought in my daughter's MMR shot as 1 shot instead of 3, as we had previously discussed and arranged with the doctor. We were even going to do them as 3 different appointments. I stood my ground and told the nurse of the arrangements. The nurse looked me straight in the eye and said "my kid had them as 1 shot and she is fine." She also said we could not do it as 3 since she had already drawn the 1 shot and my insurance would not cover 2 vaccines. I was not given any alternative option. Mentally, I broke down and felt forced into yet another action that could be detrimental to my daughter's well-being. How can any one person make you feel so low when you already feel low enough because you're child has a disability, is beyond me; but this lady somehow did it. I did report this interaction to the office manager and to this day, I have not seen that nurse again.
Sadly, depending on the doctor's practices, some do not give you the choice to separate shots anymore. They use scare tactics saying that insurance/medicaid won't pay for separate office visits, when it's just not true. I don't blame vaccines for the disability, but I don't know how much of it isn't a contributing factor either, and that is the scary part as a parent.
@whiterose I think that's the thing. You have to have open communication with your medical professionals. It's hard not to be intimidated by someone in a position of authority like a medical professional. I've been there.
We'll said.
@whiterose I also wonder how many other people have been in a similar position as you? I think that the medical professionals should be working with their patients to educated them and address their concerns.
@whiterose this is how I felt when my son was given a flu shot a week after he got 4 vaccines. I had come in because he was acting odd and gasping and holding his reath in his sleep (he was 8 months old). the Dr (not my regular one) convinced me to give him the flu shot even though he was sick. I kept saying arent you not suppose to vaccinate when the kids are sick and i kept sayign no until she bascially convinced me i was being stupid……2 days later my son was in the hospital after spiking a 104 fever, having low Oxygen and suddenly becoming what I call Floppy baby.
He had a reaction to the flu shot according to the ER doctors….and unfourtunatly as cliche as it sounds, thats when he stopped hitting milestones, it was all gone after that. We Did leave that practice, I understand why people vaccinate but its hard to put 100% trust into doctors when you realize they are human too and can make mistakes.
After tons of testing they found a gene mutation on my sons DNA that makes it more difficult for him to metabolize toxins and ingredients in vaccines so medically, thoughh he is practically fully vaxed he is exempt. Now i have 2 younger children and when i ask the dr how will i know if the same thign will happen…..he look at me and says we don't until some thing happens. Sadly, I am not going to test them on my two others just to see if they are genetically sensitive too…..again why it become difficult to just Trust the doctor.
@DKS3 @whiterose I'm so sorry to hear this. How do you ever trust a doctor after that?
Our doctor won't allow our kids to have a vaccine if they have the sniffles. He's very conservative and we are very lucky. Emmett hasn't had his MMR yet because our doctor wants him to get through these fever cycles before we even think about introducing anything else to his system.
@lostandtired @DKS3 @whiterose thats the smart way! Maybe DR are on the defensive when it comes to vaccinating, not sure. I dont blame the original practice as a whole. The dr who saw us was fresh out of med school……im sure after years of experiance she may change her tune when it comes to vaccinating a child having breathing issues :/
@DKS3 @whiterose DKS3 – my doctor will not vaccinate if the child has a fever of over 100.4 and will give me the option to hold off if there is ANY fever at all. Not sure if your child had a fever, but I know that given those symptoms I'd not be questioned if I asked to hold off.
My question is WHY can't the 2 younger children be tested for a genetic mutation to help you make the decision to vaccinate or not? Clearly there is a problem that the other 2 may, or may not have. I'd see about getting the genetic testing done on them and fight for it if needed,
@DKS3 @whiterose That's a good question. However, let's be realistic for a minute. How could any parent ever be comfortable with vaccines after something like this happens?
So many people have an irrational fear of vaccines. This however, in my opinion, is a very rational fear. It's not based on paranoia but instead personal experience.
I honestly don't know what I would do if I was in her shoes…….
Your question though is a good one. Can't they test the other siblings for the genetic mutation? The cost may be prohibitive though to the insurance company….
@lostandtired @whiterose Ok im back lol/////my son actually has the MTHFR gene mutation being spoken about above. The issue is the dr doesnt really believe it is a problem even though other drs do. The whole blood test panel thing is very scary….Rob you woudl understand. Having to take 20 something vials of blood out of a 3 year old was not the best day of my life…actually DAYS of my life because it as just so much blood i was not comfortable doing it all in one day.
There is a lot of conflicting ideas when it comes to this deletion. I want to believe it is a reason for all this being that MANY people in the family have auto immune issues, ADHD, autism etc…..Im one of those people that doesnt believe that Vaccines Cause Autism per say but that these kids have something wrong with them and that maybe vaccines over run thier bodies with things they can not handle
@DKS3 @whiterose that makes sense. It's similar to my wife and Fibromyalgia. Some doctors still don't believe.
All you can do is follow your gut.
@lostandtired – both my kids are vaccinated- HOWEVER I don't do more then 1 or 2 at a time. Gosh forbid they have a reaction, how do you determine WHAT they are reacting to if you just gave them up to 12 (as a Dr recently told me could "safely" be done- at Jr's 4yr check up)?!?!
@Dearest_Nikky well said Nikky
🙂
Yeah, I saw one person recently on Facebook ask "what risk is my unvaccinated kid to your vaccinated kid?"
The honest answer is, a big risk.
This video shows a great and practical example of just how important herd immunity is, even to those of us that are vaccinated:  ;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-cKzzPkz2o
Even if you skip the opinions and such that he injects, just watch it for the demonstrations he makes using the grids. It's very enlightening.
@autismfather well put Stuart….