Over the weekend I kept a close eye on Carter, obsessively checking his temperature. We were lucky that his fever never returned and that he was left with an extremely boogery nose and a wicked cough. He had stopped throwing up from coughing so hard and by this morning, he stopped crying from the pain his coughing spells caused him. As of this morning, he is better and we don't have to get him in for a chest x-ray.
This last week was hard on me (as it was on the kids). I swear to God, I found a handful of gray hairs that were not there before. I was so worried that I'm sure it shaved a few years off of my life. I also cried so much that I should have purchased stock in waterproof mascara.
It's a scary time when your kids get sick, but it's even more worrisome for us because of our decision not to vaccinate. Every runny nose can possibly become meningitis, every cough could worsen and become pertussis and every cold could be pneumoccous. After this last week, I feel like we got a taste of what could happen if my kids contracted a vaccine-preventable disease. I know what it's like to be on both ends of the spectrum now - both with adverse vaccination reactions and dealing with disease.
I would not change anything and our decision remains the same.
I've thought long and hard about this, believe me. The moment our pediatrician recommended specific testing because Carter is not vaccinated, I really began to weigh both sides again. However, as scary as this last week has been - it does not even compare to how I felt during Logan's adverse reactions and here's why...
First, with Carter there was a plan. There was testing being done to figure out what we were dealing with so we could develop the best treatment plan. There was a treatment plan for whatever disease we were facing be it a cold, RSV or pneumonia. There was something we could do. Yes, it was miserable. Yes, we had to do more testing than those who vaccinate. But there were options.
With Logan's adverse reactions there was nothing we could do to stop it. We could give him Motrin, Tylenol, Benadryl and worst case - steroids. There was no treating the problem, only the symptoms. We were at the mercy of whatever was causing an adverse reaction because nobody knows why it happens and what exactly happens. It's a very helpless situation.
I still stand by my decision for our family. After Carter's 6 month check-up and vaccinations were brought up again, I was sent home to think about it. I was this close to taking him in to start a single dose - selective plan and then I got a call from my sister, R about how Cousin G had an adverse reaction (to most likely rotavirus) at his 4 month check-up that sent him to the ER - where they could do nothing but medicate him with over-the-counter medications. That sealed the deal right there for me. Not only has Logan had more than one adverse reaction, now another baby in our family has had one. The odds are a little alarming and I would really be playing Russian Roulette with Carter's health if we had gone through with it.
In our family, the risks are there on both sides. It really is a no-win situation and every conversation I have with our pediatrician at check-ups regarding the possible fatality of a scenario is absolutely real. We are at risk of adverse reactions and we are at risk of contracting diseases. Each choice is a roll of the dice.
Showing posts with label vaccinations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vaccinations. Show all posts
Monday, April 27, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Carter's 6th month check-up
This morning Carter went in for his 6th month check-up. I had been waiting for this appointment for a week considering all of the food allergy issues that were going on. We had a lot to talk about and I was anxious to get everything straightened out.
He was weighed and measured by the nurse. He measured 25 3/4 inches long (20%), weighed 13 pounds, 11 ounces (less than 3%) and his head was 16 1/2 inches (8%). When the Doctor came in, we talked about his growth and she wasn't concerned in the least. She said that he was measuring similar to what Logan did at this age (although his stats in their office start at 9 months). She said that he was beginning to slow down, but that was to be expected at this age. He looks very healthy and has some sort of chub on his arms and legs and he even has wrist lines. She shrugged her shoulders and said that breast fed babies aren't well represented on the growth charts. This was a relief since my initial reaction after the nurse took his measurements was a drop in my stomach, worried that he wasn't eating enough again.
We went over his food reactions and have a slower plan to go with. Rather than using the every three day rule before introducing a new food, we're going every week to two weeks. He's back on rice cereal and then we'll start with yellow and orange vegetables first. I'm adding banana to the list of possible food allergies and when he's a year old, we will discuss going in for allergy testing. But, at this point any testing is going to be inconclusive and a waste of effort and money.
After that, she went over his developmental milestones saying that he passed with flying colors. I was a bit concerned about his gross motor skills since he's not really moving too terribly much, but I suppose this is in comparison to Logan, who apparently was very physically advanced. The boy was crawling at 6 months and Carter isn't even rolling yet (a few times, but not across the room like Logan did). However, Carter is quite strong so there's nothing to worry about. He's just content to lay there and kick around.
The last topic of discussion was vaccinations. Prior to dealing with his Raynaud's, weight issues and food allergies, I was somewhat open to starting a single dose, selective plan. How quickly that all changed after witnessing Carter's body not functioning quite like it should. Those were major red flags for me and enough to not start any vaccinations at all. If his body is hyper-reactive to being cold and eating food, what's not to say he'll have a more severe reaction to chemicals? Add the family history in the mix and that's where I draw the line. I have to trust my gut, because I didn't with Logan (more than once) and he suffered from that.
So, she and I talked at length about it. She gave me the medical reasoning, but never pushed me into a decision. I thought long and hard about it, my eyes welling up with tears because of all of the parenting decisions I have to make, this is by far the most difficult. I think she understands that, thus why she doesn't push me. When talking about what vaccination she recommends the most, Hib is her number one priority. Logan had a mild reaction to this vaccination. So, my stomach turned even more and tears rolled down my cheeks. This issue is so heavy for me because I feel like I can't protect my kids either way. I'm damned if I do, I'm damned if I don't. I feel like a schmuck with whatever decision I make - if they contract a vaccine preventable disease or have yet another adverse reaction. For me, it's a no win situation.
It's even more difficult when you are having the discussion about the fatality of a disease in relation to your children. When the Doctor says, "this is an important vaccination because if he contracts Hib, every Doctor, no matter how good they are, doesn't think the child will make it or will have severe permanent injuries if they do survive". Then in the same conversation, "there's nothing we can do if he has an adverse reaction. The only thing we can give him is Benadryl for hives and rashes, Motrin for fevers and swelling and heavy steroids if it gets out of control. Once an adverse reaction starts, there's no stopping it. And I'm not going to say that there are not vaccine injuries out there, because there are".
It kills me. It is a gut wrenching predicament and I cry every single time I'm faced with making a decision.
The appointment ended with her telling me not to make a decision right then, to go home and think about it. This is why I really like her. She does fulfill her medical professionals obligation by informing me of all of the possibilities and consequences, but she knows how I feel and sympathizes. Unlike many other non-vaccinating parents out there, I don't think I'll ever have to worry about being kicked out of the practice for going against the CDC guidelines. Unless something else happens (God forbid) we won't have to go back for a while.
He was weighed and measured by the nurse. He measured 25 3/4 inches long (20%), weighed 13 pounds, 11 ounces (less than 3%) and his head was 16 1/2 inches (8%). When the Doctor came in, we talked about his growth and she wasn't concerned in the least. She said that he was measuring similar to what Logan did at this age (although his stats in their office start at 9 months). She said that he was beginning to slow down, but that was to be expected at this age. He looks very healthy and has some sort of chub on his arms and legs and he even has wrist lines. She shrugged her shoulders and said that breast fed babies aren't well represented on the growth charts. This was a relief since my initial reaction after the nurse took his measurements was a drop in my stomach, worried that he wasn't eating enough again.
We went over his food reactions and have a slower plan to go with. Rather than using the every three day rule before introducing a new food, we're going every week to two weeks. He's back on rice cereal and then we'll start with yellow and orange vegetables first. I'm adding banana to the list of possible food allergies and when he's a year old, we will discuss going in for allergy testing. But, at this point any testing is going to be inconclusive and a waste of effort and money.
After that, she went over his developmental milestones saying that he passed with flying colors. I was a bit concerned about his gross motor skills since he's not really moving too terribly much, but I suppose this is in comparison to Logan, who apparently was very physically advanced. The boy was crawling at 6 months and Carter isn't even rolling yet (a few times, but not across the room like Logan did). However, Carter is quite strong so there's nothing to worry about. He's just content to lay there and kick around.
The last topic of discussion was vaccinations. Prior to dealing with his Raynaud's, weight issues and food allergies, I was somewhat open to starting a single dose, selective plan. How quickly that all changed after witnessing Carter's body not functioning quite like it should. Those were major red flags for me and enough to not start any vaccinations at all. If his body is hyper-reactive to being cold and eating food, what's not to say he'll have a more severe reaction to chemicals? Add the family history in the mix and that's where I draw the line. I have to trust my gut, because I didn't with Logan (more than once) and he suffered from that.
So, she and I talked at length about it. She gave me the medical reasoning, but never pushed me into a decision. I thought long and hard about it, my eyes welling up with tears because of all of the parenting decisions I have to make, this is by far the most difficult. I think she understands that, thus why she doesn't push me. When talking about what vaccination she recommends the most, Hib is her number one priority. Logan had a mild reaction to this vaccination. So, my stomach turned even more and tears rolled down my cheeks. This issue is so heavy for me because I feel like I can't protect my kids either way. I'm damned if I do, I'm damned if I don't. I feel like a schmuck with whatever decision I make - if they contract a vaccine preventable disease or have yet another adverse reaction. For me, it's a no win situation.
It's even more difficult when you are having the discussion about the fatality of a disease in relation to your children. When the Doctor says, "this is an important vaccination because if he contracts Hib, every Doctor, no matter how good they are, doesn't think the child will make it or will have severe permanent injuries if they do survive". Then in the same conversation, "there's nothing we can do if he has an adverse reaction. The only thing we can give him is Benadryl for hives and rashes, Motrin for fevers and swelling and heavy steroids if it gets out of control. Once an adverse reaction starts, there's no stopping it. And I'm not going to say that there are not vaccine injuries out there, because there are".
It kills me. It is a gut wrenching predicament and I cry every single time I'm faced with making a decision.
The appointment ended with her telling me not to make a decision right then, to go home and think about it. This is why I really like her. She does fulfill her medical professionals obligation by informing me of all of the possibilities and consequences, but she knows how I feel and sympathizes. Unlike many other non-vaccinating parents out there, I don't think I'll ever have to worry about being kicked out of the practice for going against the CDC guidelines. Unless something else happens (God forbid) we won't have to go back for a while.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
The Land of Gross
This time of year is absolutely horrible for our town right now; the germs are making their way around offices, playgroups and homes. People have been out sick for weeks and not from just one virus or infection, but many. One after the other. It's nasty!
A few weeks ago we had a head cold make the rounds in our home. I got over it just before photographer friend's baby shower (thank God). Things were pretty good for a little bit, but then Logan started coughing something fierce. We thought it was allergies because he was breaking out with eczema in places that he had never been itchy before. It made sense too with all of the warmer spring-like weather, the trees starting to bud and all of that business. But, his cough lasted for a while and what do you know. Now I have it. I think I have an upper respiratory infection because it burns to breath (but not that bad that I feel like I need to see a Doctor). I hope this is just another bad cold or something like that.
All of our friends have been sick with something or another. The flu, colds, rotavirus, RSV and the adenoid virus (I've never even heard of this one before until now). We've been lucky in our house that nothing serious has hit us and most of all, Carter has been pretty healthy (just a little runny nose, but nothing bad). All of these infections are really making me think though, because Carter is 6 months old today and ready to go to the gym daycare. Germ central.
After Carter's Raynaud's disease visit, I was pretty adamant that he wouldn't be getting vaccinated since he has an autoimmune disorder and that (in addition to our vaccine history) increases the chances that he'll have an adverse reaction to something. On the other hand, I know that if Carter goes to gym daycare for a few hours while I workout, he's bound to get something. A while back they evacuated and closed down the daycare because one of the kids showed up with a staph infection (a really common infection in gyms anyway). I'm really starting to get a bit worried because of the infections that have already been spreading. This is one REALLY bad year. And to top it off, I saw a news story about how the flu in our state is particularly bad (4 kids have died making it the worst season in 5 years).
It's hard to separate the propaganda from the reality and make informed decisions right now. Add the fact that we have a germy preschooler who plays in the dirt, picks his nose and other activities that make his hands disgusting (and we wash hands often). He also LOVES to hold Carter's hands and get him his face, despite me telling him not to. I think he hears differently and does it more rather than less.
I have a bit of thinking to do over here...
A few weeks ago we had a head cold make the rounds in our home. I got over it just before photographer friend's baby shower (thank God). Things were pretty good for a little bit, but then Logan started coughing something fierce. We thought it was allergies because he was breaking out with eczema in places that he had never been itchy before. It made sense too with all of the warmer spring-like weather, the trees starting to bud and all of that business. But, his cough lasted for a while and what do you know. Now I have it. I think I have an upper respiratory infection because it burns to breath (but not that bad that I feel like I need to see a Doctor). I hope this is just another bad cold or something like that.
All of our friends have been sick with something or another. The flu, colds, rotavirus, RSV and the adenoid virus (I've never even heard of this one before until now). We've been lucky in our house that nothing serious has hit us and most of all, Carter has been pretty healthy (just a little runny nose, but nothing bad). All of these infections are really making me think though, because Carter is 6 months old today and ready to go to the gym daycare. Germ central.
After Carter's Raynaud's disease visit, I was pretty adamant that he wouldn't be getting vaccinated since he has an autoimmune disorder and that (in addition to our vaccine history) increases the chances that he'll have an adverse reaction to something. On the other hand, I know that if Carter goes to gym daycare for a few hours while I workout, he's bound to get something. A while back they evacuated and closed down the daycare because one of the kids showed up with a staph infection (a really common infection in gyms anyway). I'm really starting to get a bit worried because of the infections that have already been spreading. This is one REALLY bad year. And to top it off, I saw a news story about how the flu in our state is particularly bad (4 kids have died making it the worst season in 5 years).
It's hard to separate the propaganda from the reality and make informed decisions right now. Add the fact that we have a germy preschooler who plays in the dirt, picks his nose and other activities that make his hands disgusting (and we wash hands often). He also LOVES to hold Carter's hands and get him his face, despite me telling him not to. I think he hears differently and does it more rather than less.
I have a bit of thinking to do over here...
Thursday, November 20, 2008
2 months old and checked out just fine
This morning Carter had his 2 month check-up. My little baby isn't so little anymore! In fact, yesterday at playgroup, one of the moms who just had her second baby a couple of weeks ago made it out since being home from the hospital. We sat next to each other and I kept looking at her baby boy and then at Carter in absolute amazement. Her little baby (who was born at almost nine pounds and much bigger than Carter was at that age) looked so small next to my giant baby in my arms. Carter is no longer a newborn, but a full fledged growing infant.He checked out just fine at his appointment. He is 23 1/2 inches long (55%), weighs 11 pounds, 3 ounces (25%) and his head is 15 inches around (8%). Just to compare in size, Logan's stats at 2 months: 11.1 lbs (24%), 23 in. (51%), 15 in. circumference (12%). So, they are pretty similar in size at this age -although Carter is already wearing a size bigger (3-6 months clothes) in shirts than Logan was for some odd reason, but he still is in newborn to 0-3 month pants (like Logan was too). Both boys are built exactly like Bill. It's weird.
We talked about his eating habits which are still every 2-3 hours. At night he does have one long stretch of 5-6 hours (usually from 7 or 8pm to 1 or 2am). He doesn't spit up much in volume, but it is pretty frequent (not abnormal). The Doctor ruled out reflux (yea!). He is definitely getting enough to eat since he's growing like a weed.We talked about his sleeping habits, which are a little unpredictable. He wakes up at 6 or 7am to nurse and goes back to sleep for about an hour. It's a bit interrupted if we have to drive Bill to work. Once we are home, he sleeps some more before we head out the door to do our activities at 10am. He's in and out of consciousness after he nurses again, never really sleeping solidly. Sometimes he's wide awake at this time. We come home for lunch and after nursing again, I put him in his crib for a good afternoon nap. He sleeps for about 30-45 minutes. Only a handful of times have been longer stretches. He has another good stretch of awake time and I try to get him to sleep again before we pick up Bill from work. Sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't. But he's almost always in bed between 7 and 8pm - never later. Once he's in bed, he sleeps well (usually) until he wakes up to eat. Getting him back to sleep in the middle of the night is a bit challenging though. I'm often up three or four more times to get him to relax back to sleep.
He is developing right on track, smiling, cooing, squealing, being social and lifting his head very well. He can track objects and turns his head towards sounds. He seems to be a really social and vocal baby who smiles a lot (so cute!). We have "conversations" together where he is very responsive, he recognizes me and smiles these huge, bright, eye-squinting smiles for me. It's freakin' adorable. he is just beginning to learn about his hands and arms and has started reaching out for some of his toys while in the bouncer (which at first was by accident, but the look on his face was hilarious when he got the connection).
We don't do tummy time nearly as much as we did with Logan, but it's more of a safety issue. With an energetic preschooler running around who tends to be disobedient, Carter is either in my lap or his his swing more than on the floor so he doesn't get trampled over. In the afternoon we do have playtime all together where Carter is on his blanket doing tummy time on the floor and Logan gets to choose what baby toys we play with. He also loves to line up all of his cars along the edge of the blanket so Carter can see them which really helps with Carter's head control. Carter loves this time and is completely infatuated with Logan, carefully watching him and smiling at him.
We also talked about a couple of minor health issues, like his night/morning congestion, which is apparently normal for our climate in Colorado. As long as he can breath while nursing, he's fine. His left tear duct is blocked again, but it's not bad and I may have to continually massage it to re-open it and maintain it for a few months. As long as his eye isn't completely crusted over or swollen red, he's fine. He has a moderate case of eczema, but we've got that under control considering that we've been doing this whole treatment routine with Logan since the beginning of his breakouts.
At the end we talked about vaccinations, which I declined. With Logan's adverse reaction history (that started at his 2 month check-up), I was very wary about them. I truly believe that there's a genetic component in our family that makes us super sensitive and reactive to substances and irritants. Since Carter has the same type of symptoms that Logan had at that age (skin sensitivities, eczema and nasal congestion) I fear that he may be in the same boat with vaccination reactions. I explained this to our pediatrician who understood where I was coming from, but still had to cover her bases and explain why it was important that Carter get vaccinated at an early age (meningitis) and that the adults in the house should get vaccinated for pertussis again (we're not going to). But it wasn't something that I felt pressured into doing and she knew that it wasn't an issue that I was going to change my mind on.
So, Carter is a healthy, happy, growing baby!
Monday, November 12, 2007
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea...
I think I've had enough of one cartoon for the day. Logan & I had our usual cuddle/cartoon time on the couch after we got home from driving Bill to work. Then, we spent the later half of the morning watching SpongeBob SquarePants & cleaning the living room (like moving furniture kind of cleaning). There happened to be a cartoon marathon going on today, so this was the only thing he wanted to watch.
This afternoon Logan had an appointment to get his DT (diphtheria/tetanus) vaccination at the allergists office. We ran an errand or two before going to the appointment & it was nice to get out of the house (& away from SpongeBob) for a while. We got to the office & found the "kids corner". Somehow I missed this part of the waiting room the two other times we had been there. Logan had fun playing with the wood-carved animals, making animal noises & playing with a 3 year old boy that showed up shortly after us for his appointment too.
We were called back to an exam room & waited for an hour. Honestly, it was the fastest hour I've ever experienced. Logan & I were reading books, counting cars & tires in car magazines, playing with his cars & coloring (his SpongeBob coloring book, of course). The next thing I know, a nurse is apologizing for the Doctor being so backed up.
After the Doctor came in & we talked for a minute, a nurse came in to give Logan his shot. He was so cute in his long sleeved t-shirt, socks & diaper just running around & having conversations in "baby speak" with anyone who walked in the room. He was super brave & wanted to watch the needle go into his left leg. He literally only cried for 5 seconds. After he got his shot, we had to wait for 30 minutes to make sure he didn't have any reactions. While we waited, the nurse put on a video for Logan to watch. SpongeBob SquarePants.
We watched this the whole time & continued to color in his coloring book, reading books & playing with cars. He seemed fine & his usual self. He kept pointing to the band-aid on his leg because it was sore. But, he just pointed to it, nothing else.
After we were cleared to go, I got Logan dressed & noticed that he had a redish-purple mark behind his left ear. It was almost like a bruise, but he didn't get hurt there today (or yesterday). The Allergist took a look at it & just said to keep an eye on it & give Logan Benadryl if we need to. Logan got a SpongeBob sticker on the way out.
We got home & ate dinner. Pasta with ground beef meat sauce & cheese, peas, carrots & milk. Logan was stripped down to his diaper because he's still super messy with the pasta sauce. As he was eating, I noticed a few more hives pop up. One on his left forearm & another on his chest. After dinner, Bill gave him a bath then we did our usual tag team switch off where I do the rest of Logan's bedtime routine. As I was brushing his teeth, I checked his left ear again & it was looking OK. I checked his right ear to find a hive on his ear lobe (of all places). He had a few more on his left leg & hip.
I got him massaged with lotion & in his jammies for the night. I also gave him some Benadryl before hitting the sack. The hives weren't huge, but there were enough of them that I didn't want him to have any other kinds of reactions in his sleep. I don't think I'll sleep well tonight because of it, going in to check on him every time I wake up.
So, this will be an interesting conversation with the Allergist. Logan had a skin test that included the DT vaccination & it came back negative. Yet, here we are with him breaking out into hives - a delayed reaction, 45 minutes to 2 hours after the shot. He didn't even have any reactions to this vaccination the last time he got it. I'm sure I'll just get the Benadryl advice since there's nothing else they can do about it. We still have to go back to do some more skin testing, one test specifically for gelatin & the Allergist thinks there may be gelatin the the DT shot (the MMR for sure) & it would make sense if it was this component that was making Logan break out after his shots.
Update Tuesday 11/13
Logan woke up fine this morning with the spot behind his ear gone. He still had a big hive that at first glance, looked like a goose egg on the left side of his forehead on his hair line. He had a small cluster rash on his stomach, on the sides of his legs & behind his knees. He didn't eat anything out of the ordinary for breakfast today (banana, whole wheat toast, butter, cinnamon, Carnation Instant Breakfast with whole milk). He was in good spirits despite the seemingly uncomfortable skin irritations.
I think I've had enough of one cartoon for the day. Logan & I had our usual cuddle/cartoon time on the couch after we got home from driving Bill to work. Then, we spent the later half of the morning watching SpongeBob SquarePants & cleaning the living room (like moving furniture kind of cleaning). There happened to be a cartoon marathon going on today, so this was the only thing he wanted to watch.
This afternoon Logan had an appointment to get his DT (diphtheria/tetanus) vaccination at the allergists office. We ran an errand or two before going to the appointment & it was nice to get out of the house (& away from SpongeBob) for a while. We got to the office & found the "kids corner". Somehow I missed this part of the waiting room the two other times we had been there. Logan had fun playing with the wood-carved animals, making animal noises & playing with a 3 year old boy that showed up shortly after us for his appointment too.
We were called back to an exam room & waited for an hour. Honestly, it was the fastest hour I've ever experienced. Logan & I were reading books, counting cars & tires in car magazines, playing with his cars & coloring (his SpongeBob coloring book, of course). The next thing I know, a nurse is apologizing for the Doctor being so backed up.
After the Doctor came in & we talked for a minute, a nurse came in to give Logan his shot. He was so cute in his long sleeved t-shirt, socks & diaper just running around & having conversations in "baby speak" with anyone who walked in the room. He was super brave & wanted to watch the needle go into his left leg. He literally only cried for 5 seconds. After he got his shot, we had to wait for 30 minutes to make sure he didn't have any reactions. While we waited, the nurse put on a video for Logan to watch. SpongeBob SquarePants.
We watched this the whole time & continued to color in his coloring book, reading books & playing with cars. He seemed fine & his usual self. He kept pointing to the band-aid on his leg because it was sore. But, he just pointed to it, nothing else.
After we were cleared to go, I got Logan dressed & noticed that he had a redish-purple mark behind his left ear. It was almost like a bruise, but he didn't get hurt there today (or yesterday). The Allergist took a look at it & just said to keep an eye on it & give Logan Benadryl if we need to. Logan got a SpongeBob sticker on the way out.
We got home & ate dinner. Pasta with ground beef meat sauce & cheese, peas, carrots & milk. Logan was stripped down to his diaper because he's still super messy with the pasta sauce. As he was eating, I noticed a few more hives pop up. One on his left forearm & another on his chest. After dinner, Bill gave him a bath then we did our usual tag team switch off where I do the rest of Logan's bedtime routine. As I was brushing his teeth, I checked his left ear again & it was looking OK. I checked his right ear to find a hive on his ear lobe (of all places). He had a few more on his left leg & hip.
I got him massaged with lotion & in his jammies for the night. I also gave him some Benadryl before hitting the sack. The hives weren't huge, but there were enough of them that I didn't want him to have any other kinds of reactions in his sleep. I don't think I'll sleep well tonight because of it, going in to check on him every time I wake up.
So, this will be an interesting conversation with the Allergist. Logan had a skin test that included the DT vaccination & it came back negative. Yet, here we are with him breaking out into hives - a delayed reaction, 45 minutes to 2 hours after the shot. He didn't even have any reactions to this vaccination the last time he got it. I'm sure I'll just get the Benadryl advice since there's nothing else they can do about it. We still have to go back to do some more skin testing, one test specifically for gelatin & the Allergist thinks there may be gelatin the the DT shot (the MMR for sure) & it would make sense if it was this component that was making Logan break out after his shots.
Update Tuesday 11/13
Logan woke up fine this morning with the spot behind his ear gone. He still had a big hive that at first glance, looked like a goose egg on the left side of his forehead on his hair line. He had a small cluster rash on his stomach, on the sides of his legs & behind his knees. He didn't eat anything out of the ordinary for breakfast today (banana, whole wheat toast, butter, cinnamon, Carnation Instant Breakfast with whole milk). He was in good spirits despite the seemingly uncomfortable skin irritations.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
The end of the vaccination debacle
After Logan's allergy testing came back negative for vaccination allergies, I made an appointment to speak with his pediatrician about what we should do next. Since our move to our small town, we've always met with Nurses & Physician's Assistants at the clinic we take Logan to. We had yet to sit down with a pediatrician, even though the Nurses & PA's work with the Doctors as a team. It never bothered me & I was never concerned about how this clinic functioned, but after all we had been through with reactions & testing, I thought it was time to get a second opinion & speak one-on-one with a pediatrician.
I am so happy I did.
We met with Dr. B (oddly, this is the 3rd Dr. B we've seen since Logan's birth). She went over Logan's history with me & we talked about his vaccination reactions. She took the time to explain what diseases would be the most dangerous if Logan were to contract them & which diseases he had virtually no risk of ever coming in contact with. She also explained that if he were to contract some diseases, like Pertussis, he would be fine but if we had another baby it could be fatal for him/her. She never used any scare tactics or tried to push vaccination propaganda at me. She was honest, telling me that many of the vaccinations that Logan was "scheduled" for were unnecessary for his health, but important for the health of others.
After weighing the risks, we made the decision that Logan only needs two more shots; DT (Diphtheria/Tetanus - he never reacted to this, so I'm fine with it) & Hib (H. influenza type B). Hep A is a possibility. These diseases pose the greatest risk of serious complications or fatality if he were to contract them at his age. He will get them separately & spaced a few weeks apart. He won't get Polio, Pertussis (as this is the main vaccination that caused his reaction), MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), Prevnar (pneumococcus) or flu shots (due to his egg allergy). Chicken pox (varicella), Hep B & flu shots were not very high on the list of serious illnesses.
This was the first time I felt understood & listened to since our move to our small town. I was so disappointed to leave our pediatrician when we moved because after having met with two other Doctors, we finally found a one that was best for our family. Now I had to find another one to fill her shoes. Well a year later, I found her. Dr. B was very caring, understanding & compassionate about my concerns & anxieties with Logan's reactions. We came to a compromise that balanced medical responsibility & mothering responsibility that I felt comfortable with. I didn't feel pressured & I certainly didn't feel like she ignored the risk of more adverse reactions like I had felt from previous appointments - even though her professional opinion was that another reaction was unlikely. She still took the time to listen to me & helped me develop a health care plan that would be best for Logan. It was an awesome consultation & it's such a HUGE relief that we have some solid decisions that I feel good about.
After Logan's allergy testing came back negative for vaccination allergies, I made an appointment to speak with his pediatrician about what we should do next. Since our move to our small town, we've always met with Nurses & Physician's Assistants at the clinic we take Logan to. We had yet to sit down with a pediatrician, even though the Nurses & PA's work with the Doctors as a team. It never bothered me & I was never concerned about how this clinic functioned, but after all we had been through with reactions & testing, I thought it was time to get a second opinion & speak one-on-one with a pediatrician.
I am so happy I did.
We met with Dr. B (oddly, this is the 3rd Dr. B we've seen since Logan's birth). She went over Logan's history with me & we talked about his vaccination reactions. She took the time to explain what diseases would be the most dangerous if Logan were to contract them & which diseases he had virtually no risk of ever coming in contact with. She also explained that if he were to contract some diseases, like Pertussis, he would be fine but if we had another baby it could be fatal for him/her. She never used any scare tactics or tried to push vaccination propaganda at me. She was honest, telling me that many of the vaccinations that Logan was "scheduled" for were unnecessary for his health, but important for the health of others.
After weighing the risks, we made the decision that Logan only needs two more shots; DT (Diphtheria/Tetanus - he never reacted to this, so I'm fine with it) & Hib (H. influenza type B). Hep A is a possibility. These diseases pose the greatest risk of serious complications or fatality if he were to contract them at his age. He will get them separately & spaced a few weeks apart. He won't get Polio, Pertussis (as this is the main vaccination that caused his reaction), MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), Prevnar (pneumococcus) or flu shots (due to his egg allergy). Chicken pox (varicella), Hep B & flu shots were not very high on the list of serious illnesses.
This was the first time I felt understood & listened to since our move to our small town. I was so disappointed to leave our pediatrician when we moved because after having met with two other Doctors, we finally found a one that was best for our family. Now I had to find another one to fill her shoes. Well a year later, I found her. Dr. B was very caring, understanding & compassionate about my concerns & anxieties with Logan's reactions. We came to a compromise that balanced medical responsibility & mothering responsibility that I felt comfortable with. I didn't feel pressured & I certainly didn't feel like she ignored the risk of more adverse reactions like I had felt from previous appointments - even though her professional opinion was that another reaction was unlikely. She still took the time to listen to me & helped me develop a health care plan that would be best for Logan. It was an awesome consultation & it's such a HUGE relief that we have some solid decisions that I feel good about.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Allergy testing - Part 2
A couple of weeks ago, I took Logan to the allergist for skin testing for food allergies. This morning we saw him again to test for allergies to vaccinations. On our first visit, we already decided that Logan would never get the pertussis or flu vaccinations ever again based on his previous reaction & egg allergy. We also decided that Logan should receive single dose & not combination vaccinations so we can pin point which shots he reacts to the most. We went ahead & skin tested him for the 6 other vaccinations he's already had.
They all came back negative. He's not allergic to the vaccinations.
This brought up many questions for me. We had discussed that if he was allergic to them, we could introduce lower-grade doses to him to see how much his body could tolerate (this makes him sound like a guinea pig). If he were to have an allergic reaction, it could be resolve by giving him epinephrine & we would also know that from there on out, he should not receive another shot. But now what do we do? He's not having an allergic reaction to the vaccinations, but the adverse reactions the manufacture lists on the printed warning.
The allergist still suggested that Logan receive single dose shots, starting with the most important/urgent first & get caught up on his vaccination schedule. If he were to have another reaction, we would add that to the list of ones he can't have. My only question to that was, if he were to have a reaction, what could be done to help him? If it was an allergic reaction, there was a solution to the problem. But now that's not the case, what could be done if Logan were to have a reaction like he did at his 2nd month vaccination appointment? I was met with a blank stare.
We decided that we'll speak with Logan's pediatrician & go from there. Before I consent to anymore vaccinations, that's the question I want answered first - What can be done to help him if he has another reaction? I already know the answer. Nothing. I'm not willing to sit there & pray for a week hoping my baby returns to normal like I did when Logan had his first shots. The Doctors & Nurses are all pushing hard to get Logan caught up, shrugging their shoulders at the fact that's he's already been adversely effected by them. It amazes me that they are willing to take that risk.
I'm not a paranoid mother who's been reading too much information & getting caught up in the vaccination propaganda, like I'm sure the Doctors encounter on a regular basis. I'm not saying I don't want to vaccinate Logan because I'm fearful of the increased risk of Autism. I'm saying that I followed their advice & Logan received his scheduled vaccinations. He had a reaction to them. A serious one that had to be reported to the CDC through VAERS. We did smaller combo shots, he had smaller reactions. He's had reactions to every shot except for one. It's not logical to me to continue vaccinating him & pray for the best. There's already more than one vaccination he shouldn't have, it seems awfully risky to keep pumping him full of more chemicals.
It all boils down to this: The risk of him having another serious reaction is increased with each shot. There's nothing that can be done for him if he has another reaction. The risk of him contracting any of these diseases is minimal. If he should get sick, there are treatment plans available. Besides, vaccinations do not guarantee that he will not contract those diseases! I have a strong gut feeling that I know what is right here. My mommy instincts are practically screaming at me. It just sucks that I feel so alone in this decision.
A couple of weeks ago, I took Logan to the allergist for skin testing for food allergies. This morning we saw him again to test for allergies to vaccinations. On our first visit, we already decided that Logan would never get the pertussis or flu vaccinations ever again based on his previous reaction & egg allergy. We also decided that Logan should receive single dose & not combination vaccinations so we can pin point which shots he reacts to the most. We went ahead & skin tested him for the 6 other vaccinations he's already had.
They all came back negative. He's not allergic to the vaccinations.
This brought up many questions for me. We had discussed that if he was allergic to them, we could introduce lower-grade doses to him to see how much his body could tolerate (this makes him sound like a guinea pig). If he were to have an allergic reaction, it could be resolve by giving him epinephrine & we would also know that from there on out, he should not receive another shot. But now what do we do? He's not having an allergic reaction to the vaccinations, but the adverse reactions the manufacture lists on the printed warning.
The allergist still suggested that Logan receive single dose shots, starting with the most important/urgent first & get caught up on his vaccination schedule. If he were to have another reaction, we would add that to the list of ones he can't have. My only question to that was, if he were to have a reaction, what could be done to help him? If it was an allergic reaction, there was a solution to the problem. But now that's not the case, what could be done if Logan were to have a reaction like he did at his 2nd month vaccination appointment? I was met with a blank stare.
We decided that we'll speak with Logan's pediatrician & go from there. Before I consent to anymore vaccinations, that's the question I want answered first - What can be done to help him if he has another reaction? I already know the answer. Nothing. I'm not willing to sit there & pray for a week hoping my baby returns to normal like I did when Logan had his first shots. The Doctors & Nurses are all pushing hard to get Logan caught up, shrugging their shoulders at the fact that's he's already been adversely effected by them. It amazes me that they are willing to take that risk.
I'm not a paranoid mother who's been reading too much information & getting caught up in the vaccination propaganda, like I'm sure the Doctors encounter on a regular basis. I'm not saying I don't want to vaccinate Logan because I'm fearful of the increased risk of Autism. I'm saying that I followed their advice & Logan received his scheduled vaccinations. He had a reaction to them. A serious one that had to be reported to the CDC through VAERS. We did smaller combo shots, he had smaller reactions. He's had reactions to every shot except for one. It's not logical to me to continue vaccinating him & pray for the best. There's already more than one vaccination he shouldn't have, it seems awfully risky to keep pumping him full of more chemicals.
It all boils down to this: The risk of him having another serious reaction is increased with each shot. There's nothing that can be done for him if he has another reaction. The risk of him contracting any of these diseases is minimal. If he should get sick, there are treatment plans available. Besides, vaccinations do not guarantee that he will not contract those diseases! I have a strong gut feeling that I know what is right here. My mommy instincts are practically screaming at me. It just sucks that I feel so alone in this decision.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Allergy testing - Part 1
When you hear hoof beats think horses, not zebras. Well, maybe we should have been thinking about donkeys. Now that we have the results from Logan's skin test this morning, looking back on his food journal is like a slap in the forehead. DUH! While it wasn't completely obvious, I should have really analyzed the food labels closer & I probably would have seen & made the connection.
We went in early this morning (running late, as usual) with Logan sliding off my hip on one side & a huge notebook full of medical histories, previous IgE tests, copies of the vaccination reactions that I blogged about on here & records of eczema flare ups. I felt prepared to give the Doctor all of the information I could so he could make a complete diagnosis & provide the best treatment plan.
While getting checked in, Logan was not very cooperative & commenced with temper tantrums. I did find one distraction that literally saved everyone's ears from bleeding in the doctor's office. Motor Trend. We sat there turning pages with Logan saying "Car. Car. Car. Car" to every single car picture he saw. We counted cars, we named the colors of the cars. We talked about cars & trucks. We were called back to the exam room & I made sure to bring the magazine with.
After going over Logan's medical history with the nurse, the Doctor came in & we went over it again. We really focused on his vaccination reactions & he took a look at Logan's last IgE blood test (when he was about 2 months old with bloody, mucous filled stools). He said that the previous test wasn't very reliable & notorious for giving false results.
We discussed the skin test & all of the foods we wanted to try. It was hard to not want to try all of them (69 foods available) but I decided to try all of the foods Logan eats on a regular basis: apple, avocado, banana, carrot, potato, tomato, orange, oats, rice, wheat, peanut (even though he's never had peanut butter before), soybean, garlic, casein/milk & egg. Another nurse came back & numbered Logan's back with a ball point pen while he watched SpongeBob SquarePants. He totally flipped out while he was getting pricked because it hurt, but he was also forced to being confined on my lap. Which was worse than the pricks to him.
While we waited the 15 minutes for the test to take, I saw all of the hives begin to grow all over his back. Some were very small, a couple looked mean & nasty. They were really bothering him because he kept trying to scratch them. A couple of nurses came back in & measured his welts & determined what he was allergic to.
Garlic & Eggs.
Garlic I knew, but eggs? Really!? He doesn't like eggs, so he hasn't been eating them for months. He never had obvious reactions to it when I was introducing new foods to him when he started solids, otherwise we wouldn't be in this situation. It wasn't like garlic & egg plant (we didn't test for egg plant, but that one is very obvious). He ate yolk just fine without breaking out into hives shortly there after & when he started eating whole eggs, no immediate breakouts there either.
Yet, this answers so many questions. Like when we went out for breakfast after his 12 month checkup & vaccinations & he broke out; he ate eggs & garlic. When Aunt J & C were visiting this summer & we made scrambled eggs with garlic; he broke out everywhere (this is why we only thought it was garlic too). When we went out for lunch with some of our friends a couple of weeks ago, he stuck his fingers in my wasabi mayo & broke out in hives. All week long as I've been doing his food journal, there's been egg in almost every meal; eggo pancakes, english muffins, chicken dumpling stew...the kid has been ingesting some type of egg product almost daily. This is also why I thought it was wheat or dairy, because he wasn't "eating" eggs, but he really was.
The Doctor came in & we talked about the results of the test. He was very surprised that Logan was allergic to garlic & commented that he's only seen a few adults with this allergy. He wasn't going to test for it until I said that it was a suspected food allergy. So, I'm going to start eliminating all egg from Logan's diet (you wouldn't believe all of the products you can find egg in) & never cook with garlic again (boo. But it's not like I cook with it all of the time because it bothers Bill too). He gave me cream for Logan's eczema & decided that steroid creams were not right for him (thank God). Then we talked about the vaccination reactions some more.
He whole heartedly agreed with Logan's pediatrician about his 2nd month vaccination reaction. The culprit was definitely the Pertussis part & it was recommended that Logan never receive that vaccination ever again. Because of his egg allergy, it's not recommended that he get the flu shot either. To figure out more about the other vaccinations, the Doctor has to get single dose samples so he can perform another skin test. The scary part is when we were talking about this, the Doctor outright said that he hasn't done this test in a while & hasn't done many of them. He's also one of the top allergists not only in our town, but our state.
We go back in two weeks for part 2 of the testing, which is strictly vaccinations. At that point, we'll find out what vaccinations he may be allergic or sensitive to & proceed with the best treatment plan.
When you hear hoof beats think horses, not zebras. Well, maybe we should have been thinking about donkeys. Now that we have the results from Logan's skin test this morning, looking back on his food journal is like a slap in the forehead. DUH! While it wasn't completely obvious, I should have really analyzed the food labels closer & I probably would have seen & made the connection.
We went in early this morning (running late, as usual) with Logan sliding off my hip on one side & a huge notebook full of medical histories, previous IgE tests, copies of the vaccination reactions that I blogged about on here & records of eczema flare ups. I felt prepared to give the Doctor all of the information I could so he could make a complete diagnosis & provide the best treatment plan.
While getting checked in, Logan was not very cooperative & commenced with temper tantrums. I did find one distraction that literally saved everyone's ears from bleeding in the doctor's office. Motor Trend. We sat there turning pages with Logan saying "Car. Car. Car. Car" to every single car picture he saw. We counted cars, we named the colors of the cars. We talked about cars & trucks. We were called back to the exam room & I made sure to bring the magazine with.
After going over Logan's medical history with the nurse, the Doctor came in & we went over it again. We really focused on his vaccination reactions & he took a look at Logan's last IgE blood test (when he was about 2 months old with bloody, mucous filled stools). He said that the previous test wasn't very reliable & notorious for giving false results.
We discussed the skin test & all of the foods we wanted to try. It was hard to not want to try all of them (69 foods available) but I decided to try all of the foods Logan eats on a regular basis: apple, avocado, banana, carrot, potato, tomato, orange, oats, rice, wheat, peanut (even though he's never had peanut butter before), soybean, garlic, casein/milk & egg. Another nurse came back & numbered Logan's back with a ball point pen while he watched SpongeBob SquarePants. He totally flipped out while he was getting pricked because it hurt, but he was also forced to being confined on my lap. Which was worse than the pricks to him.
While we waited the 15 minutes for the test to take, I saw all of the hives begin to grow all over his back. Some were very small, a couple looked mean & nasty. They were really bothering him because he kept trying to scratch them. A couple of nurses came back in & measured his welts & determined what he was allergic to.
Garlic & Eggs.
Garlic I knew, but eggs? Really!? He doesn't like eggs, so he hasn't been eating them for months. He never had obvious reactions to it when I was introducing new foods to him when he started solids, otherwise we wouldn't be in this situation. It wasn't like garlic & egg plant (we didn't test for egg plant, but that one is very obvious). He ate yolk just fine without breaking out into hives shortly there after & when he started eating whole eggs, no immediate breakouts there either.
Yet, this answers so many questions. Like when we went out for breakfast after his 12 month checkup & vaccinations & he broke out; he ate eggs & garlic. When Aunt J & C were visiting this summer & we made scrambled eggs with garlic; he broke out everywhere (this is why we only thought it was garlic too). When we went out for lunch with some of our friends a couple of weeks ago, he stuck his fingers in my wasabi mayo & broke out in hives. All week long as I've been doing his food journal, there's been egg in almost every meal; eggo pancakes, english muffins, chicken dumpling stew...the kid has been ingesting some type of egg product almost daily. This is also why I thought it was wheat or dairy, because he wasn't "eating" eggs, but he really was.
The Doctor came in & we talked about the results of the test. He was very surprised that Logan was allergic to garlic & commented that he's only seen a few adults with this allergy. He wasn't going to test for it until I said that it was a suspected food allergy. So, I'm going to start eliminating all egg from Logan's diet (you wouldn't believe all of the products you can find egg in) & never cook with garlic again (boo. But it's not like I cook with it all of the time because it bothers Bill too). He gave me cream for Logan's eczema & decided that steroid creams were not right for him (thank God). Then we talked about the vaccination reactions some more.
He whole heartedly agreed with Logan's pediatrician about his 2nd month vaccination reaction. The culprit was definitely the Pertussis part & it was recommended that Logan never receive that vaccination ever again. Because of his egg allergy, it's not recommended that he get the flu shot either. To figure out more about the other vaccinations, the Doctor has to get single dose samples so he can perform another skin test. The scary part is when we were talking about this, the Doctor outright said that he hasn't done this test in a while & hasn't done many of them. He's also one of the top allergists not only in our town, but our state.
We go back in two weeks for part 2 of the testing, which is strictly vaccinations. At that point, we'll find out what vaccinations he may be allergic or sensitive to & proceed with the best treatment plan.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
18 month check-up
Yesterday afternoon was Logan's 18th month check-up. I've been looking forward to this appointment for a while because I had a list of questions & concerns to go over. This list was much longer than all of the other appointment questions.
We got there & I filled out paperwork while Bill & Logan ran around the waiting area. Yes, both Logan & Bill were running in a public place, pointing at things making funny noises; you would have thought they were the same age.
A nurse escorted us back into an exam room & I undressed Logan down to his diaper. He weighed a little under 25 lbs (25th percentile) & measured 33 inches long (75th percentile). I explained that we never had the chance to see the pediatric allergist that we were referred to on our last appointment because of a change in insurance companies. I also mentioned that because Logan has not gone thought proper testing, we were not going to go ahead with any vaccinations on this visit (last visit, he broke out into hives after his shots).
A nurse practitioner came in next to examine Logan & answer our questions. She was really nice & has seen Logan before. My main concern was the diarrhea Logan's been having for a full week now. And it's not normal diarrhea, it's the mucous filled diaper experiences that are reminiscent of his 3rd month. I did a little research on it prior to the appointment & it sounded like Toddler's Diarrhea. The nurse was a little concerned because sensitivities to dairy usually don't go away & then come back. I also mentioned that this is all happening at the same time as a pretty big eczema flare up (on the back of his arms & a little on his chest & back).
After some conversation about his nutrition (& how dairy is the only protein he will eat right now) we decided to try soy again & replace that with dairy (even though last time, this caused bloody stools). We are getting another referral to the allergist for testing & we were also sent home with stool sampling kits. How fun. Oddly enough, since the appointment he hasn't pooped.
My other topic of concern was his speech development. I've been a little worried that he hasn't been saying much & frustrated because I know this is the main cause for his temper tantrums. Among the many papers in the forms I filled out, there was a speech development check list. Every single box in the "expressive speech" column was checked, while only one box in the "receptive speech" column was marked & only so because he could communicate with sign language (now that I type this out, it may be the other way around). Either way, the nurse wasn't too concerned about it & said that if he didn't hit certain milestones by 2 years old, then we might begin considering an early intervention program. But as of now, things are just fine, which was a relief of sorts (still doesn't stop the screaming fits, but whatever).
After discussing the stools & speech, the nurse was quick to constantly comment about how it was important that Logan get vaccinated. I reminded her of his last reaction & was firm in my standing that there are to be no more vaccinations until Logan is properly tested. With as sensitive as he is & with the many (not one, not two...many!) reactions he's had after his shots, it would be irresponsible parenting to vaccinate him right now. Just because there is hoopla & propaganda going around about it, it doesn't mean it's right for everyone. I would sorely regret getting him vaccinated, knowing that he's had reactions before & another reaction wouldn't be surprising, only to witness an extreme, if not fatal reaction. The nurse even mentioned that we could get Logan's shots done at the allergist's office & if he had a reaction, they had EpiPens on hand. I will not inject my son with any substance that may result in the potential use of an EpiPen. My hell. I couldn't believe what I just heard.
After explaining my point, the nurse "got it" & retracted with "yes, let's get him tested first & we'll go from there". We all walked out happy & with handfuls of lotion samples for Logan's eczema.
So, now we're taking stool samples & waiting for a call from the clinic letting us know that we got the referral to the allergist. It will be interesting to see all what Logan is sensitive to (everything under the sun?) & finally get some answers & hopefully, some solutions.
Yesterday afternoon was Logan's 18th month check-up. I've been looking forward to this appointment for a while because I had a list of questions & concerns to go over. This list was much longer than all of the other appointment questions.
We got there & I filled out paperwork while Bill & Logan ran around the waiting area. Yes, both Logan & Bill were running in a public place, pointing at things making funny noises; you would have thought they were the same age.
A nurse escorted us back into an exam room & I undressed Logan down to his diaper. He weighed a little under 25 lbs (25th percentile) & measured 33 inches long (75th percentile). I explained that we never had the chance to see the pediatric allergist that we were referred to on our last appointment because of a change in insurance companies. I also mentioned that because Logan has not gone thought proper testing, we were not going to go ahead with any vaccinations on this visit (last visit, he broke out into hives after his shots).
A nurse practitioner came in next to examine Logan & answer our questions. She was really nice & has seen Logan before. My main concern was the diarrhea Logan's been having for a full week now. And it's not normal diarrhea, it's the mucous filled diaper experiences that are reminiscent of his 3rd month. I did a little research on it prior to the appointment & it sounded like Toddler's Diarrhea. The nurse was a little concerned because sensitivities to dairy usually don't go away & then come back. I also mentioned that this is all happening at the same time as a pretty big eczema flare up (on the back of his arms & a little on his chest & back).
After some conversation about his nutrition (& how dairy is the only protein he will eat right now) we decided to try soy again & replace that with dairy (even though last time, this caused bloody stools). We are getting another referral to the allergist for testing & we were also sent home with stool sampling kits. How fun. Oddly enough, since the appointment he hasn't pooped.
My other topic of concern was his speech development. I've been a little worried that he hasn't been saying much & frustrated because I know this is the main cause for his temper tantrums. Among the many papers in the forms I filled out, there was a speech development check list. Every single box in the "expressive speech" column was checked, while only one box in the "receptive speech" column was marked & only so because he could communicate with sign language (now that I type this out, it may be the other way around). Either way, the nurse wasn't too concerned about it & said that if he didn't hit certain milestones by 2 years old, then we might begin considering an early intervention program. But as of now, things are just fine, which was a relief of sorts (still doesn't stop the screaming fits, but whatever).
After discussing the stools & speech, the nurse was quick to constantly comment about how it was important that Logan get vaccinated. I reminded her of his last reaction & was firm in my standing that there are to be no more vaccinations until Logan is properly tested. With as sensitive as he is & with the many (not one, not two...many!) reactions he's had after his shots, it would be irresponsible parenting to vaccinate him right now. Just because there is hoopla & propaganda going around about it, it doesn't mean it's right for everyone. I would sorely regret getting him vaccinated, knowing that he's had reactions before & another reaction wouldn't be surprising, only to witness an extreme, if not fatal reaction. The nurse even mentioned that we could get Logan's shots done at the allergist's office & if he had a reaction, they had EpiPens on hand. I will not inject my son with any substance that may result in the potential use of an EpiPen. My hell. I couldn't believe what I just heard.
After explaining my point, the nurse "got it" & retracted with "yes, let's get him tested first & we'll go from there". We all walked out happy & with handfuls of lotion samples for Logan's eczema.
So, now we're taking stool samples & waiting for a call from the clinic letting us know that we got the referral to the allergist. It will be interesting to see all what Logan is sensitive to (everything under the sun?) & finally get some answers & hopefully, some solutions.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
12 month check-up
This morning we went to Logan's One Year check up. He measured 28 3/4 inches long (20%), weighed 20.4 lbs (16%) & his head circumference is 17 3/4 (12%). The nurse said that he looks great & is very healthy, even after he peed on the table three times in the process of getting measured. A whole lot of it too.
We talked about his nutrition, drinking whole milk (which he's been doing for a couple of weeks now), sleeping patterns & his activity. Everyone was really surprised that he's walking. The only thing that he's "behind" on is language development. They're not worried at all because there's such a big learning curve for the timing of development. I'm not really worried about it either.
We talked about ear infections because he's been tugging at them a little more than usual & he seemed a little warm on Monday. They checked out clear. They checked his blood to see if he was anemic. He's not. I asked about when we should take him to the dentist for the first time. I was glad to know that we won't have to think about it for a couple of years.
I also had questions about Type 1 Diabetes. Not that I think Logan has developed it, but what to look out for if he does. The kid drinks water like a camel & has the diaper changes to prove it. His weight loss at his last appointment made me start to wonder. Development of Type 1 at this age is pretty rare, but apparently you know without a doubt when your kiddo is that sick.
Bill had questions about when to switch to a forward facing car seat. Logan meets the age, height & weight requirements now, but he's still happy to be rear facing. In this conversation, we decided that he's going to stay rear facing until he starts to complain about it, or until it begins to look really awkward. It's safer & why change it if he likes it the way it is?
Then we talked about his vaccinations.
Bill & I are still on opposite ends of the spectrum in our philosophy. He wants to do the combos & all, in spite of Logan's history of reactions. I would rather not vaccinate him any further. But, we continue with our compromise of doing single dose shots. Logan ends up getting one or two shots at the most.
The nurse we had this visit was very understanding, compared to the nurse last visit who made it seem like I was making up Logan's reaction. I told her how I felt & what we were comfortable with. She said that she read his chart (which the previous nurse did not have prior to our visit) & totally agreed with our plan of action.
We decided not to give him an MMR. He ended up getting two shots, one in each leg (we left his records of what he got at the office). These were vaccinations that he had before, so I felt better about what kind of reaction he would have. The only difference was that these were combos. The last set of shots produced a mild reaction that we could deal with, compared to the pertussis shot that sent him into his semi-coma. He was brave & only cried for a little bit. We check out & decided to go out for breakfast.
We ate a a place that was just around the corner from the children's clinic. We had a great time at breakfast, talking about how lucky we are to have such an easy going, healthy boy. Logan charmed everyone around us by his fabulous behavior & cute smile. After we finished, Bill left to pay up front while I got Logan cleaned up.
I noticed Logan's face turning a blotchy red with a little swelling. Bill came back & I asked him, "Look at Logan's face. Do you think these are hives?" Bill looked. "Yeah, I think those are hives". As we sat there studying Logan's face, we could see the hives growing bigger & turning into little pustules. "Holy freaking crap! Is he having a reaction!? Jesus! Well, lets drive back to the clinic & have him checked out", I told Bill.
We drove back around the corner & walked into the clinic. I told the receptionist at the front desk that he just had his shots today & is now breaking out into hives. The nurse that we had just seen not more than an hour ago came back to get us. She checked Logan out. He sounded good & the hives weren't blocking his airway. She asked what he ate for breakfast. Crackers, eggs, toast, a little bit of sausage & potatoes. He's had them all before, many times. And he's never had a reaction like this before.
She said that she didn't exactly know what was causing this, but there was a possibility of it being another reaction to his vaccinations. Because of Logan's history, she said that we should see a pediatric allergist. She mentioned the name of a Doctor who specializes in this field & said that their insurance department would get the referral together & give us a call. In the mean time, they gave Logan Benadryl & told us that if anything got worse, call the clinic.
We left with Logan feeling well, but looking off. He sang in the car for about two minutes & then passed out. We got home & I put him to bed where he slept for three and a half hours. I constantly checked on him to make sure his face wasn't swelling anymore. It was actually starting to look a little better. When he woke up, he was fine. His face was back to normal & he ate goldfish crackers. I decided that he was well enough to go to play group. He had a great time & is now passed out again.
I'm glad everything is back to normal, because my biggest complaint about vaccinations is that you can't take them out & there's not a treatment plan for adverse effects. Because Logan has had multiple reactions varying from sever to mild to moderate, I think we're now starting to believe that those will be his last set of vaccinations. I'm finished playing Russian Roulette with my son's health.
This morning we went to Logan's One Year check up. He measured 28 3/4 inches long (20%), weighed 20.4 lbs (16%) & his head circumference is 17 3/4 (12%). The nurse said that he looks great & is very healthy, even after he peed on the table three times in the process of getting measured. A whole lot of it too.
We talked about his nutrition, drinking whole milk (which he's been doing for a couple of weeks now), sleeping patterns & his activity. Everyone was really surprised that he's walking. The only thing that he's "behind" on is language development. They're not worried at all because there's such a big learning curve for the timing of development. I'm not really worried about it either.
We talked about ear infections because he's been tugging at them a little more than usual & he seemed a little warm on Monday. They checked out clear. They checked his blood to see if he was anemic. He's not. I asked about when we should take him to the dentist for the first time. I was glad to know that we won't have to think about it for a couple of years.
I also had questions about Type 1 Diabetes. Not that I think Logan has developed it, but what to look out for if he does. The kid drinks water like a camel & has the diaper changes to prove it. His weight loss at his last appointment made me start to wonder. Development of Type 1 at this age is pretty rare, but apparently you know without a doubt when your kiddo is that sick.
Bill had questions about when to switch to a forward facing car seat. Logan meets the age, height & weight requirements now, but he's still happy to be rear facing. In this conversation, we decided that he's going to stay rear facing until he starts to complain about it, or until it begins to look really awkward. It's safer & why change it if he likes it the way it is?
Then we talked about his vaccinations.
Bill & I are still on opposite ends of the spectrum in our philosophy. He wants to do the combos & all, in spite of Logan's history of reactions. I would rather not vaccinate him any further. But, we continue with our compromise of doing single dose shots. Logan ends up getting one or two shots at the most.
The nurse we had this visit was very understanding, compared to the nurse last visit who made it seem like I was making up Logan's reaction. I told her how I felt & what we were comfortable with. She said that she read his chart (which the previous nurse did not have prior to our visit) & totally agreed with our plan of action.
We decided not to give him an MMR. He ended up getting two shots, one in each leg (we left his records of what he got at the office). These were vaccinations that he had before, so I felt better about what kind of reaction he would have. The only difference was that these were combos. The last set of shots produced a mild reaction that we could deal with, compared to the pertussis shot that sent him into his semi-coma. He was brave & only cried for a little bit. We check out & decided to go out for breakfast.
We ate a a place that was just around the corner from the children's clinic. We had a great time at breakfast, talking about how lucky we are to have such an easy going, healthy boy. Logan charmed everyone around us by his fabulous behavior & cute smile. After we finished, Bill left to pay up front while I got Logan cleaned up.
I noticed Logan's face turning a blotchy red with a little swelling. Bill came back & I asked him, "Look at Logan's face. Do you think these are hives?" Bill looked. "Yeah, I think those are hives". As we sat there studying Logan's face, we could see the hives growing bigger & turning into little pustules. "Holy freaking crap! Is he having a reaction!? Jesus! Well, lets drive back to the clinic & have him checked out", I told Bill.
We drove back around the corner & walked into the clinic. I told the receptionist at the front desk that he just had his shots today & is now breaking out into hives. The nurse that we had just seen not more than an hour ago came back to get us. She checked Logan out. He sounded good & the hives weren't blocking his airway. She asked what he ate for breakfast. Crackers, eggs, toast, a little bit of sausage & potatoes. He's had them all before, many times. And he's never had a reaction like this before.
She said that she didn't exactly know what was causing this, but there was a possibility of it being another reaction to his vaccinations. Because of Logan's history, she said that we should see a pediatric allergist. She mentioned the name of a Doctor who specializes in this field & said that their insurance department would get the referral together & give us a call. In the mean time, they gave Logan Benadryl & told us that if anything got worse, call the clinic.
We left with Logan feeling well, but looking off. He sang in the car for about two minutes & then passed out. We got home & I put him to bed where he slept for three and a half hours. I constantly checked on him to make sure his face wasn't swelling anymore. It was actually starting to look a little better. When he woke up, he was fine. His face was back to normal & he ate goldfish crackers. I decided that he was well enough to go to play group. He had a great time & is now passed out again.
I'm glad everything is back to normal, because my biggest complaint about vaccinations is that you can't take them out & there's not a treatment plan for adverse effects. Because Logan has had multiple reactions varying from sever to mild to moderate, I think we're now starting to believe that those will be his last set of vaccinations. I'm finished playing Russian Roulette with my son's health.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Researching
After Logan woke up from his nap yesterday afternoon, he seemed to be a little bit better. So, at Bill's urging, we went to playgroup. Logan wasn't himself, clingy & mostly sitting in my lap. It wasn't like last week where he roamed around, climbing on the other Moms. He even was fussy & stayed a bit grumpy. We got home & it was like night & day. He was back to himself. Thank God.
Bill & I had another discussion about his vaccinations after he went to bed. We have different views on the subject & it's difficult to compromise. What we have in common is that we both want what's best for Logan & we're both concerned.
Bill is all about conventional medicine & believes everything that he's told. He doesn't question anything. I, on the other hand, question everything. I research. I'm involved in health care decisions. I get second & sometimes even third opinions. I work things out in my head until I know that I'm making an educated, rational & ultimately, the best decision.
Before Logan was born, or even a twinkle in our eyes, I had been involved in pro & anti-vaccination education for myself. I worked in chiropractic & read many articles & papers on the subject. I researched the topic even more when Logan was about to get his 2nd month shots.
I didn't want to do go through with it, but after talking with his first pediatrician & compromising with Bill, Logan got all of his scheduled vaccinations. He ended up having a reaction that was reported to VAERS.
At his 4th month check-up & a new pediatrician, we talked about his reaction. I told her that initially I wanted to do single dose shots & was told that it wasn't an option. I was very worried about Logan going through another reaction. She was awesome. She said that we could do single doses & was willing to work with us on a personalized vaccination schedule for Logan. She figured that it was DTaP-HBV-POL (Diptheria, Tetanus, acellular Pertussis, Hepatitis B, Polio) combo. We did a single shot for DT (Diptheria, Tetanus). Logan was fine & didn't have any reactions.
Because of our insurance coverage mess & the move, Logan missed his 6th month check-up & the subsequent vaccinations. Now we're picking up where we left off with a new clinic. I'm not at all worried that he missed his shots. I'm a fan of delayed & spaced out vaccinations. Bill is on the other end.
My only worry is that we don't know what caused Logan's reaction. So every time he gets a shot, it's like playing Russian roulette. The only way to figure out what shots work for him & what ones don't is trial & error. This doesn't make me very comfortable. Bill is worried about what would happen if Logan contracted one of these diseases.
Now I'm doing more research. More specific anyway. I'm looking into all reported cases of these diseases in our state. Then I'll find the reported cases of reactions (which may be challenging because most of them don't get reported). I'll break them down into statistics to weigh out the pro's & con's. It's looking like it will be quite a bit of work. But, Logan's health is worth it.
After Logan woke up from his nap yesterday afternoon, he seemed to be a little bit better. So, at Bill's urging, we went to playgroup. Logan wasn't himself, clingy & mostly sitting in my lap. It wasn't like last week where he roamed around, climbing on the other Moms. He even was fussy & stayed a bit grumpy. We got home & it was like night & day. He was back to himself. Thank God.
Bill & I had another discussion about his vaccinations after he went to bed. We have different views on the subject & it's difficult to compromise. What we have in common is that we both want what's best for Logan & we're both concerned.
Bill is all about conventional medicine & believes everything that he's told. He doesn't question anything. I, on the other hand, question everything. I research. I'm involved in health care decisions. I get second & sometimes even third opinions. I work things out in my head until I know that I'm making an educated, rational & ultimately, the best decision.
Before Logan was born, or even a twinkle in our eyes, I had been involved in pro & anti-vaccination education for myself. I worked in chiropractic & read many articles & papers on the subject. I researched the topic even more when Logan was about to get his 2nd month shots.
I didn't want to do go through with it, but after talking with his first pediatrician & compromising with Bill, Logan got all of his scheduled vaccinations. He ended up having a reaction that was reported to VAERS.
At his 4th month check-up & a new pediatrician, we talked about his reaction. I told her that initially I wanted to do single dose shots & was told that it wasn't an option. I was very worried about Logan going through another reaction. She was awesome. She said that we could do single doses & was willing to work with us on a personalized vaccination schedule for Logan. She figured that it was DTaP-HBV-POL (Diptheria, Tetanus, acellular Pertussis, Hepatitis B, Polio) combo. We did a single shot for DT (Diptheria, Tetanus). Logan was fine & didn't have any reactions.
Because of our insurance coverage mess & the move, Logan missed his 6th month check-up & the subsequent vaccinations. Now we're picking up where we left off with a new clinic. I'm not at all worried that he missed his shots. I'm a fan of delayed & spaced out vaccinations. Bill is on the other end.
My only worry is that we don't know what caused Logan's reaction. So every time he gets a shot, it's like playing Russian roulette. The only way to figure out what shots work for him & what ones don't is trial & error. This doesn't make me very comfortable. Bill is worried about what would happen if Logan contracted one of these diseases.
Now I'm doing more research. More specific anyway. I'm looking into all reported cases of these diseases in our state. Then I'll find the reported cases of reactions (which may be challenging because most of them don't get reported). I'll break them down into statistics to weigh out the pro's & con's. It's looking like it will be quite a bit of work. But, Logan's health is worth it.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
9th month check-up
Our health insurance fiasco is finally sorted out (for Logan anyway, I'm still waiting for my approval) so we got Logan in for his 9th month check-up.
They measured him at 28 inches (40%), 16 lbs 14 oz (5%) & his head was 17 1/4 inches (15%). They checked his ears & eyes, reflexes & his mouth. The white spot on his gums that has been there since he was about 5 months old, is just a cyst that will go away on it's own. No big deal. He checked out healthy & looking good (& cute).
It was pretty funny when the nurse was looking him over. She gave him a couple of blocks to play with. He held on to one of them, trying to put it in her mouth. Everything is a binky to this boy. I thought it was really sweet though.
His weight percentile dropped, but the nurse wasn't too concerned about it. She said that it's normal at this time for breast fed babies to kind of "plateau" on weight gain. She talked about trying to stretch his nursing times from every three hours to every four & that way he'll eat more during that time. That might be challenging just because Logan is pretty insistent on eating every three hours. Bill agreed.
We talked about his vaccinations again. We decided to go with single doses, starting with the most important & going in every few weeks or so to get the rest. I still don't think I want him to get the flu or chicken pox vaccinations. We started with Hib (Haemophilus Influenzae Type b).
Logan didn't notice that he got stuck at first, but then it dawned on him & he cried. It wasn't for long though. He calmed down & we checked out, going on with the rest of our day.
Logan was pretty tired because his appointment was right in the middle of his morning nap. Then we went & ran a few errands. We got home & I put him to bed. He slept for about an hour & woke up incredibly grumpy.
I nursed him & fed him lunch. He wouldn't eat all of it, especially the chicken & rice. He cried & cried & cried. I got him out & cuddled on the couch. He was OK for a minute, then started crying again. This off & on went on for about an hour. I gave him some Tylenol & put him back to bed.
I don't think we're going to make it to the playgroup this afternoon & I don't think I ever want to put Logan through this hell again. I'm having a really difficult time believing that a shot that makes you feel like absolute crap for a while is good for you. We'll see how it goes for the rest of the day.
Our health insurance fiasco is finally sorted out (for Logan anyway, I'm still waiting for my approval) so we got Logan in for his 9th month check-up.
They measured him at 28 inches (40%), 16 lbs 14 oz (5%) & his head was 17 1/4 inches (15%). They checked his ears & eyes, reflexes & his mouth. The white spot on his gums that has been there since he was about 5 months old, is just a cyst that will go away on it's own. No big deal. He checked out healthy & looking good (& cute).
It was pretty funny when the nurse was looking him over. She gave him a couple of blocks to play with. He held on to one of them, trying to put it in her mouth. Everything is a binky to this boy. I thought it was really sweet though.
His weight percentile dropped, but the nurse wasn't too concerned about it. She said that it's normal at this time for breast fed babies to kind of "plateau" on weight gain. She talked about trying to stretch his nursing times from every three hours to every four & that way he'll eat more during that time. That might be challenging just because Logan is pretty insistent on eating every three hours. Bill agreed.
We talked about his vaccinations again. We decided to go with single doses, starting with the most important & going in every few weeks or so to get the rest. I still don't think I want him to get the flu or chicken pox vaccinations. We started with Hib (Haemophilus Influenzae Type b).
Logan didn't notice that he got stuck at first, but then it dawned on him & he cried. It wasn't for long though. He calmed down & we checked out, going on with the rest of our day.
Logan was pretty tired because his appointment was right in the middle of his morning nap. Then we went & ran a few errands. We got home & I put him to bed. He slept for about an hour & woke up incredibly grumpy.
I nursed him & fed him lunch. He wouldn't eat all of it, especially the chicken & rice. He cried & cried & cried. I got him out & cuddled on the couch. He was OK for a minute, then started crying again. This off & on went on for about an hour. I gave him some Tylenol & put him back to bed.
I don't think we're going to make it to the playgroup this afternoon & I don't think I ever want to put Logan through this hell again. I'm having a really difficult time believing that a shot that makes you feel like absolute crap for a while is good for you. We'll see how it goes for the rest of the day.
Monday, June 05, 2006
Logans' 4 month check up.
I felt so much better about going to his check up this morning, compared to his last visit when I was in tears over him getting vaccinated. I told Bill that based on Logans' reaction, I didn't feel comfortable with going though that again. There was a bit of discussion with Bill saying that he felt like we were doing Logan a disservice by not vaccinating. If he had spent the time researching the topic & providing me with some material to go over, I probably would've taken him a bit more seriously. Seeing as though I've been the one researching everything, I felt like I had more of an opinion about the matter & I was sticking to my guns. "I'm his mom & I feel like I really know what's best for him. I may not know when to stop swaddling him or whatever, but this is something I feel very strong about" I said back.
We got to the office & had to wait for a while. We're ususally late to these appointments, but we were early this time. Logan did well, but got a little fussy. All I had to do was get him out of his car seat so he could watch the other kids around him. He's definitely a people watcher.
We were called back by the nurse & she got his vitals measured. He weighed 13.72 lbs (19%) & measured 25.5 inches (70%). His head was 15.34 (5%). He's not as big as I thought he was, but he sure is as tall as I thought.
While we waited for the Doctor to come in I had Logan on my lap. He was talking up a storm! It was so funny. He would talk to Bill from across the room. We sat there laughing as the Doctor walked in.
She checked him out & took a look at his rash. It's eczema. Lovely. Bills family has a lot of history with this. Logan developed a little patch on his forehead (but was told by the last Doctor that it was baby acne. I never believed her). Now, it's all over his body. I had been giving him a bath every other day because of it, but the Doctor said it would be ok to give him a bath everyday. We just need to use a thick moisturizer.
She also talked to us about his sleeping habits. She said that he's old enough & gaining enough weight to try & skip a feeding at night. After we get that down, then try to wean him from the binky. He should be a good sleeper after this. It sounded like a good idea to me!
When she was looking him over, she talked about how strong he was & that he was going to be an early crawler. So we have to start child proofing the house now! She mentioned that she could tell he was really smart, just by looking at him. The whole time we're talking Logan is trying to join in on the conversation. We all had a few good chuckles.
Then came the topic of vaccinations. When we brought Logan in for his 2 week check up, we saw Dr. "B". I talked to her for a bit about this, mentioning how I wanted to avoid the combos. She told me that wasn't an option. Dr. "B" moved & for Logans' 2 month check up we saw a different Dr. "B". We talked at length about his vaccinations & she convinced me that we should go through with it. That's when Logan slept for an entire week, shrieking in his sleep. So now we're seeing Dr. "F", who saw him when we went in for his food sensitivities. I told her about Logans' reaction & that I wasn't comfortable with going thought all of that again. She then talked about giving him single dose vaccinations...what I wanted to do from the beginning! She said that it was probably the Pertussis that caused this reaction & recommended just the DT (Diphtheria, Tetanus) shot. I didn't know what to think, seeing as though I was mentally prepared to not go through with it. But, I had an open mind & was convinced last time. I told Dr. "F", that I was willing to do one shot & if he had another reaction, then I would make different decisions. This seemed like a good compromise between Bill & myself. It made me sad to move because I realized how much I like Dr. "F". She was willing to customize his treatment & took me seriously, while looking out for Logan at the same time. Finding a good Doctor is hard. Now that we've found one, I don't want to leave her.
The nurse came in & gave Logan one shot. He cried for literally 2 seconds. Then he was ok. He hasn't been sleepy at all, with smiles & his usual grumpy monkey (as I like to say now) attitude when he tries to fight taking a nap. So, it seems like he'll be fine & I feel so relieved.
I felt so much better about going to his check up this morning, compared to his last visit when I was in tears over him getting vaccinated. I told Bill that based on Logans' reaction, I didn't feel comfortable with going though that again. There was a bit of discussion with Bill saying that he felt like we were doing Logan a disservice by not vaccinating. If he had spent the time researching the topic & providing me with some material to go over, I probably would've taken him a bit more seriously. Seeing as though I've been the one researching everything, I felt like I had more of an opinion about the matter & I was sticking to my guns. "I'm his mom & I feel like I really know what's best for him. I may not know when to stop swaddling him or whatever, but this is something I feel very strong about" I said back.
We got to the office & had to wait for a while. We're ususally late to these appointments, but we were early this time. Logan did well, but got a little fussy. All I had to do was get him out of his car seat so he could watch the other kids around him. He's definitely a people watcher.
We were called back by the nurse & she got his vitals measured. He weighed 13.72 lbs (19%) & measured 25.5 inches (70%). His head was 15.34 (5%). He's not as big as I thought he was, but he sure is as tall as I thought.
While we waited for the Doctor to come in I had Logan on my lap. He was talking up a storm! It was so funny. He would talk to Bill from across the room. We sat there laughing as the Doctor walked in.
She checked him out & took a look at his rash. It's eczema. Lovely. Bills family has a lot of history with this. Logan developed a little patch on his forehead (but was told by the last Doctor that it was baby acne. I never believed her). Now, it's all over his body. I had been giving him a bath every other day because of it, but the Doctor said it would be ok to give him a bath everyday. We just need to use a thick moisturizer.
She also talked to us about his sleeping habits. She said that he's old enough & gaining enough weight to try & skip a feeding at night. After we get that down, then try to wean him from the binky. He should be a good sleeper after this. It sounded like a good idea to me!
When she was looking him over, she talked about how strong he was & that he was going to be an early crawler. So we have to start child proofing the house now! She mentioned that she could tell he was really smart, just by looking at him. The whole time we're talking Logan is trying to join in on the conversation. We all had a few good chuckles.
Then came the topic of vaccinations. When we brought Logan in for his 2 week check up, we saw Dr. "B". I talked to her for a bit about this, mentioning how I wanted to avoid the combos. She told me that wasn't an option. Dr. "B" moved & for Logans' 2 month check up we saw a different Dr. "B". We talked at length about his vaccinations & she convinced me that we should go through with it. That's when Logan slept for an entire week, shrieking in his sleep. So now we're seeing Dr. "F", who saw him when we went in for his food sensitivities. I told her about Logans' reaction & that I wasn't comfortable with going thought all of that again. She then talked about giving him single dose vaccinations...what I wanted to do from the beginning! She said that it was probably the Pertussis that caused this reaction & recommended just the DT (Diphtheria, Tetanus) shot. I didn't know what to think, seeing as though I was mentally prepared to not go through with it. But, I had an open mind & was convinced last time. I told Dr. "F", that I was willing to do one shot & if he had another reaction, then I would make different decisions. This seemed like a good compromise between Bill & myself. It made me sad to move because I realized how much I like Dr. "F". She was willing to customize his treatment & took me seriously, while looking out for Logan at the same time. Finding a good Doctor is hard. Now that we've found one, I don't want to leave her.
The nurse came in & gave Logan one shot. He cried for literally 2 seconds. Then he was ok. He hasn't been sleepy at all, with smiles & his usual grumpy monkey (as I like to say now) attitude when he tries to fight taking a nap. So, it seems like he'll be fine & I feel so relieved.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
What a way to start the 9 th week.
Yesterday was a tough day. Logan had his 2 month Doctors visit & his first set of vaccinations. Vaccinations are something that I've researched for YEARS. Coming from the chiropractic office that I was in, we all held the belief that the body has innate intelligence & that it is a self healing organism. The immune system of the body is amazing & Doctors don't heal the body, they just help. The director & head Doctor of the office has 3 children. None of them are vaccinated. All of them are healthy. In the office we would often give parents vaccination exemption letters for school & where ever else they needed proof of immunization.
I've read many books, articles, research papers & had many discussions with this Doctor. A lot of the vaccinations that we are given are for diseases that are practically irraticated, like polio. They are starting to vaccinate for diseases & illnesses that I had as a child, like chicken pox & the flu. Yeah, it sucked to get sick with these illnesses, but I never came close to death. Especially with the flu. It's the flu for cryin out loud! There are so many different strains of the flu, the vaccination you get usually isn't effective. Vaccinations also weaken the immune system, not giving it a chance to do what it's designed to do. Getting sick is a natural part of life & it's almost crazy to think that we can protect ourselves from every illness.
Then there are they potential side effects & risks that are associated with getting vaccinated. The most common are mild fevers, lethargy, irritability & feeling just plain sick. Some children have allergic reactions that can be serious. Then there is the much debated & inconclusive association with the increased risk of autism. I was so afraid of this that I only ate 4 tuna fish sandwiches while pregnant. I didn't want anything that was even close to mercury to be near me. While working at the chiropractic office, the head Doctor got a call from one of his close colleagues in another state. His daughter, who was 12 & had been vaccinated the day before had a seizure while in the tub & drowned. This was very sad & very scary to me.
I hear more about the ill effects of vaccinations & not about the ill effects of the diseases that people are getting vaccinated for. I've never met someone with measles or rubella. I've never met anyone that has contracted polio within the last 15 or 20 years. We don't live in a third world country where disease is rampant & hygiene is a problem. That's where I can see vaccinations being beneficial & saving many lives. I can see the validity of a few vaccinations for diseases that are causing a few outbreaks in the U.S., like Pertussis (Whooping Cough). There is an outbreak of that going around Colorado. I was also informed of the mumps outbreak in Iowa. The sad thing is, that even though some of these children have been vaccinated, they are still getting sick with these diseases. 95% of the population in the U.S. is vaccinated. The 5% that isn't is still protected by the "heard".
Bill & his family know how I feel about this. Quite frankly, I feel like they think of me as some kind of organic hippy that poo-poo's modern medical advances. It's not true considering the fact that if it weren't for medicine during my pregnancy, I wouldn't have made it out alive. The problem is, they have the "old school" mentality when it comes to health care. They believe the medical community knows everything. While I have a particular stance, Bill has another. This posses a problem when two people are raising & taking care of a child together. Someone has to give & it's usually me, just like with Logan's circumcision. The sad thing is, they don't do any of the research, I do. They blindly follow the heard while I have the education & information.
So, without causing a family feud, I broke down & allowed Logan to be vaccinated. I was sick about it for the days building up to his appointment. Yesterday morning I was so edgy. I gave Logan some liquid tylenol before we left & he spit it all up over his outfit. I wasn't too happy about this (but not upset at Logan) & Bill told me to relax. "I can't relax because I don't want Logan to get any shots today!", I barked back. He didn't say anything. I was so nervous about it all I was practically in tears the whole drive to the clinic. I tried to keep it together while Logan was getting checked out. When the pediatrician came in she asked how we felt about his vaccinations. I told her straight up that I was very nervous & unsure about it all. We had a very long discussion. She mentioned about how she has the "benefit" of treating these diseases, knowing that they are a real threat. All of her children are vaccinated (of course) & she also gave me more research information. At the end of his appointment, she asked if we were going to go through with it. Already knowing that we were, even though I still didn't want to, I told her it was ok.
The nurse came in & gave Logan 3 shots. A Diptheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Hepatitis B & Polio combo. An influenzae b & then a Pneumonia shot. Logan did ok, but cried a bit (I don't blame him at all) & when the nurse left I cried too. It's one thing to see & listen to your child cry when they are hungry, tired or needing a diaper change. It's a completely different thing when they cry because they're in pain. We got home & I fed & changed him. He seemed ok. He ate well, smiled at me while changing him & fell asleep. Then that's where he changed & wasn't so ok.
I let him fall asleep in his swing while I read blogs & ate lunch. 3 hours after his last feeding he starts to shriek in his sleep. He cries, then falls back asleep. The 4 th hour goes by & he's still doing the same thing. If he sleeps this long I usually turn off the swing & let him wake up. So I do this & he screams at the top of his lungs. Thinking that he's probably pretty hungry, I take him downstairs to nurse. He won't eat. He's a little warm. He just cries & cries. He doesn't want me to hold him or touch him. I change him & try to give him some more tylenol. He won't suck on anything, thus the medicine won't stay down if I give it to him. He also looks dry in the mouth & his saliva is thick. Maybe he's a little dehydrated? I put him back in his swing to sleep. 4 hours later he wakes up a little bit more normal. He hasn't had anything to eat for 7 or 8 hours. This time he lets me pick him up to cuddle. He's also sucking on his binki this time, so I give him some tylenol, let it settle & then get him ready to eat. I cried & cried, beating myself up for going against what I believed & putting Logan through this. It became apparent that for some reason I have a hard time putting my foot down & saying, "Because I'm the mom. That's why"! After his nursing, he goes right back to sleep. He was this way for most of the night. By the time Bill got home from work, Logan was semi-normal. He skipped a lot of feedings & he was pretty tired, but at least he wasn't as fussy.
Bill's mom called to check up on Logan & see how he was doing. I told her everything that had gone on. She told me that she was proud of me for making this decision & that it was for the best. She also reminded me about the outbreak in Iowa & said that it was just a bad day, the worst was over. Right. I cried saying that I never want him to go through this again anyway & that we were lucky that this was as bad as it got, from what we could tell. His next set of vaccinations are in 2 months at his 4 month check up. I either have to suck it up again, or I have a lot of convincing to do if I try to nix them this time around. It really makes me mad that I'm the mom, but other family members have bigger influences on Bill & try to parent Logan through him. I suppose I'm not putting my foot down for the simple reason of not rocking the boat & causing conflict. But at what price? The health & well being of my child? It's not right & I cry every time I think about it.
Yesterday was a tough day. Logan had his 2 month Doctors visit & his first set of vaccinations. Vaccinations are something that I've researched for YEARS. Coming from the chiropractic office that I was in, we all held the belief that the body has innate intelligence & that it is a self healing organism. The immune system of the body is amazing & Doctors don't heal the body, they just help. The director & head Doctor of the office has 3 children. None of them are vaccinated. All of them are healthy. In the office we would often give parents vaccination exemption letters for school & where ever else they needed proof of immunization.
I've read many books, articles, research papers & had many discussions with this Doctor. A lot of the vaccinations that we are given are for diseases that are practically irraticated, like polio. They are starting to vaccinate for diseases & illnesses that I had as a child, like chicken pox & the flu. Yeah, it sucked to get sick with these illnesses, but I never came close to death. Especially with the flu. It's the flu for cryin out loud! There are so many different strains of the flu, the vaccination you get usually isn't effective. Vaccinations also weaken the immune system, not giving it a chance to do what it's designed to do. Getting sick is a natural part of life & it's almost crazy to think that we can protect ourselves from every illness.
Then there are they potential side effects & risks that are associated with getting vaccinated. The most common are mild fevers, lethargy, irritability & feeling just plain sick. Some children have allergic reactions that can be serious. Then there is the much debated & inconclusive association with the increased risk of autism. I was so afraid of this that I only ate 4 tuna fish sandwiches while pregnant. I didn't want anything that was even close to mercury to be near me. While working at the chiropractic office, the head Doctor got a call from one of his close colleagues in another state. His daughter, who was 12 & had been vaccinated the day before had a seizure while in the tub & drowned. This was very sad & very scary to me.
I hear more about the ill effects of vaccinations & not about the ill effects of the diseases that people are getting vaccinated for. I've never met someone with measles or rubella. I've never met anyone that has contracted polio within the last 15 or 20 years. We don't live in a third world country where disease is rampant & hygiene is a problem. That's where I can see vaccinations being beneficial & saving many lives. I can see the validity of a few vaccinations for diseases that are causing a few outbreaks in the U.S., like Pertussis (Whooping Cough). There is an outbreak of that going around Colorado. I was also informed of the mumps outbreak in Iowa. The sad thing is, that even though some of these children have been vaccinated, they are still getting sick with these diseases. 95% of the population in the U.S. is vaccinated. The 5% that isn't is still protected by the "heard".
Bill & his family know how I feel about this. Quite frankly, I feel like they think of me as some kind of organic hippy that poo-poo's modern medical advances. It's not true considering the fact that if it weren't for medicine during my pregnancy, I wouldn't have made it out alive. The problem is, they have the "old school" mentality when it comes to health care. They believe the medical community knows everything. While I have a particular stance, Bill has another. This posses a problem when two people are raising & taking care of a child together. Someone has to give & it's usually me, just like with Logan's circumcision. The sad thing is, they don't do any of the research, I do. They blindly follow the heard while I have the education & information.
So, without causing a family feud, I broke down & allowed Logan to be vaccinated. I was sick about it for the days building up to his appointment. Yesterday morning I was so edgy. I gave Logan some liquid tylenol before we left & he spit it all up over his outfit. I wasn't too happy about this (but not upset at Logan) & Bill told me to relax. "I can't relax because I don't want Logan to get any shots today!", I barked back. He didn't say anything. I was so nervous about it all I was practically in tears the whole drive to the clinic. I tried to keep it together while Logan was getting checked out. When the pediatrician came in she asked how we felt about his vaccinations. I told her straight up that I was very nervous & unsure about it all. We had a very long discussion. She mentioned about how she has the "benefit" of treating these diseases, knowing that they are a real threat. All of her children are vaccinated (of course) & she also gave me more research information. At the end of his appointment, she asked if we were going to go through with it. Already knowing that we were, even though I still didn't want to, I told her it was ok.
The nurse came in & gave Logan 3 shots. A Diptheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Hepatitis B & Polio combo. An influenzae b & then a Pneumonia shot. Logan did ok, but cried a bit (I don't blame him at all) & when the nurse left I cried too. It's one thing to see & listen to your child cry when they are hungry, tired or needing a diaper change. It's a completely different thing when they cry because they're in pain. We got home & I fed & changed him. He seemed ok. He ate well, smiled at me while changing him & fell asleep. Then that's where he changed & wasn't so ok.
I let him fall asleep in his swing while I read blogs & ate lunch. 3 hours after his last feeding he starts to shriek in his sleep. He cries, then falls back asleep. The 4 th hour goes by & he's still doing the same thing. If he sleeps this long I usually turn off the swing & let him wake up. So I do this & he screams at the top of his lungs. Thinking that he's probably pretty hungry, I take him downstairs to nurse. He won't eat. He's a little warm. He just cries & cries. He doesn't want me to hold him or touch him. I change him & try to give him some more tylenol. He won't suck on anything, thus the medicine won't stay down if I give it to him. He also looks dry in the mouth & his saliva is thick. Maybe he's a little dehydrated? I put him back in his swing to sleep. 4 hours later he wakes up a little bit more normal. He hasn't had anything to eat for 7 or 8 hours. This time he lets me pick him up to cuddle. He's also sucking on his binki this time, so I give him some tylenol, let it settle & then get him ready to eat. I cried & cried, beating myself up for going against what I believed & putting Logan through this. It became apparent that for some reason I have a hard time putting my foot down & saying, "Because I'm the mom. That's why"! After his nursing, he goes right back to sleep. He was this way for most of the night. By the time Bill got home from work, Logan was semi-normal. He skipped a lot of feedings & he was pretty tired, but at least he wasn't as fussy.
Bill's mom called to check up on Logan & see how he was doing. I told her everything that had gone on. She told me that she was proud of me for making this decision & that it was for the best. She also reminded me about the outbreak in Iowa & said that it was just a bad day, the worst was over. Right. I cried saying that I never want him to go through this again anyway & that we were lucky that this was as bad as it got, from what we could tell. His next set of vaccinations are in 2 months at his 4 month check up. I either have to suck it up again, or I have a lot of convincing to do if I try to nix them this time around. It really makes me mad that I'm the mom, but other family members have bigger influences on Bill & try to parent Logan through him. I suppose I'm not putting my foot down for the simple reason of not rocking the boat & causing conflict. But at what price? The health & well being of my child? It's not right & I cry every time I think about it.
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