Flu Shot - Boynton Beach, FL

Be very careful... My main problem with all of these vaccines is that they give them to small children who are sickly to begin with. Their bodies cannot always handle such strong vacc and if there is a genetic disposition for Autism (you wouldn't know this uless you already have a child or person in your family with Autism or a similar dissorder) sometimes, I think, the vacc pushes the child into Autism.

My son was sickly as a baby. He had very bad colic and he seemed to get sick easily. A few months after his first birthday, I took him to the pediatrician because he got behind on his shots when we moved. I told them that we needed to do whatever we should to catch him up. They told me it was completely safe to combine vacc and give them all to him in one visit. They are good people and I don't blame them but they were wrong. You cannot always trust doctors and nurses. They are good people who are often trained well but they are not always right. Human error exists in everything. Shortly after my son got his shots, 6 in one day which were a total of about 10 different vacc, he stopped answering when we called him. He started running in circles for extended periods of time. He flapped his hands. He didn't play with toys. He put his face against the tv screen instead of veiwing the whole screen. At 2 1/2 years old, he was diagnosed with Moderate Autism. I believe the genetic make-up was there for Autism and all those shots put him over the edge. I have two sons. My oldest, Blaine, is not Autistic and my younger, Devin, is. The shots are the only thing different that happened to Devin and didn't happen to Blaine.

I just don't believe what doctors tell me anymore just because they are a doctor. I research everything and follow my motherly gut feelings. They have been right every time so far!

It sounds like your son is a sickly child and already having some trouble communicating. Research everything and be comfortable with your decision. You can request vaccines without Thimerisal in them but it's more expensive and doctors don't like to do it. Thimerisal is a derivative of Mercury and is still present in many vaccines. I don't know if that is the true reason for Devin's issues but I do regret the day I let them give Devin those shots. I think about it always. I hate that other parents go through the same thing that I went through. You think Autism is something in the movie Rainman that will never happen to you but it happens to 1 in every 150 kids! It happened to my son. No one else in our families has ever had experience with Autism until now.

Best of luck to you. It's obvious that you love your son! He is in good hands!

Many prayers for your family,
C.

Here is a web site I found. It should just be a starting point for your research.... I don't agree with everything it is saying but you should hear all sides before you make up your mind....

http://www.who.int/vaccine_safety/topics/thiomersal/quest...

Hi M.,
I think you are on the right track with the ENT. My daughter also had ar infections...several in less than 6 months and we saw an ENT and they put tubes in her ears. WHAT A HUGE DIFFERENCE it makes....it will really make you happy to see the difference.

Normally, I'd say if your kid was really healthy it would be okay to skip the flu shot. But until you get his ears addressed, I would definitely do the flu shot...it will keep him well in the upcoming winter / flu season.

If you need a good ENT, please let me know as I truly believe where my daughter goes is the BEST!

Good luck and I hope it works out for you!
Gnia

We'll end up having shots against bad neighbors or undereye dark circles. I personnally believe it becomes more and more nothing but a commercial issue, exploiting our fears & concerns as mothers (and I've worked in the field for a couple of years).
M., have you thought about a homeopathic vaccine? We come from Europe, there are really severe flu outbreaks overthere, and I never had problems with my 2 yo daughter. I know, it's more expensive, it takes time to see the results, but it really worths every single penny. The best would be to find a licensed MD with homeopathic competencies (this is what I'm looking for too, actually)
Good luck and trust your feelings!

M.,
I can understand why you would be worried about giving your son a flu shot given all of the scars that you've had concerning his health, but you have to remember that his doctor would never do anything that would put his health in danger. If he has had 4 ear infections in the past 6 months then he is very suseptible to the flu. With the flu could come more severe ear infections and illness. My advice... listen to his doctor and get the flu shot.

I never got a flu shot for my son or my 2 nieces. me either for that matter. I think the shot attracts the flu! Good luck in your decision. May God bless & guide you!
Sincerely,
Kathy

Hi M.
I haven't heard anything about the flu shot linked to autism. My DS gets his shot every year without fail as he is a severe persistant asthmatic. He's 4 now and we have never had a problem.
I did wait to give him is first MMR until he turned 4; that was just my own thing though.

I hope this helps
L.

M.,
Although the flu shot works incredibly, if your son is speech delayed and you feel there may be more behind that, don't do it. My 2 girls got them once and they truly worked. I got one as well. I am a pre-school teacher as well as a Social Worker so, I have an idea of the speech and your concerns. Honestly, go with your gut. See the ENT first and also get on line and ask other Moms. My first who is now 10 had more ear infections to the point I got her hearing tested. They wanted tubes, My Gut said no, and sure enough she grew out of them. Get as many opinions possible. You will be surprised at how many different ones you get. If he needs his adnoids taken out (they just hold bacteria when swollen) making the child sich all the time. Constant cough, runny nose... Try an allergist as well.
OH, by the way, I thought it was my imagination that we were all getting sicker when we took up the purell habit. Come to find out, Purell kills all the good bacteria that we need to fight everything off. Both the pedia. and my Inturnist confirmed it. Just wash your hands frequently. Don't just go for the Purell at every chance.
Good Luck,
B.

For M. and anyone else concerned with the dangers of multiple vaccines for babies. These links are long, but well worth the read:

http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1016192#i

http://www.mercola.com/2001/feb/24/autism_mercury.htm

http://www.informedchoice.info/cocktail.html

http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/01/15/flu.vaccine/

P.S. Please note that a flu vaccine can only protect a person from acquiring disease from the particulr strain contained in the vaccine. There are many strains of flu and every year and every geographical location develops new or different outbreaks. It is impossible to protect anyone from all the possible strains of flu out there. What is ENTIRELY possible is to build up healthy immune systems in ourselves and our children. As long as we are feeding them empty processed foods, sugary snacks and cereals, white breads and junk foods, they will never be strong enough to develop healthy bodies and immunity to diseases of all sorts, both during childhood and into adulthood.
Moms: Feed your children well and refuse to put ANY kind of junk into their bodies. Their immune systems will thank you for years to come. :-)

Hi M., You are absolutely being a prudent Mother by your concerns because Mercury may still be in the FLU vaccines. Our son has been affected by Autism by vaccines and we possess the medical documentation to prove this and are in litigation pursuing a toxic tort case with all parties involved. So, trust your instincts -always! You are your child's best advocate and since your child is only 21 months and cannot speck for himself, you owe it to him to do some thorough research so you can make sound decisions and live with your choices without any regrets. First, research the possible common and uncommon causes of a recurrent ear infections and request all scientific information from the government, manufacturer, and doctors regarding said vaccines. Second, do not hesitate or be worried about offending the relationship that you have with your child's physicians EVER! If you are a first time Mom please understand this is your responsibility and let this guide your every decisions by doing your homework and research prior to important decisions. It is your legal right to investigate by going to the Pediatricians office and ask to see the vaccine bottles prior to getting any shots & get the Manufacturer's Name, LOT #'s, & expiration date. Goodluck!

Listen to your intuition, you are a wise mom to question!! Go to www.herballure.com or amazon and check out the book called Vaccines: The Risk, The benefits, The Choices, A resource guide for parents by Sherri Tenpenny, D.O. Research the topic until you are comfortable with your decision otherwise you will be fearful whether you do or whether you don't vaccinate. The most important thing is to be secure in your decision so others don't scare you and make you second guess your decision, because they will!! Find a doctor who supports your decision either way as well!! Happy reading!!

Hi M.,
dont be scared of the flu shot, it is perfectly safe!! I'am a nurse and mother of a 4 year old. my daughter has recieved a flu shot in the past with no problems. The only time you cannot have it is you are allergic to eggs!! It is better for him to have it than not, some strains of flu can be deadly for little ones!! I also was afraid of the MMR! I waited until natalie was 4 until she got it ( series of 2 shots), she did fine!! the children that have been struck w/autism due to the MMR were all under 3!! There are no reported cases over age 3 after recieving the MMR! besides he has to have it before he starts school! I have never known the flu shot to have mercury! The CDC recommends that all children under 5 recieve a flu shot every year! The info you recieved about not giving the flu shot to anyone under 10 is totally incorrect!! Good luck, dont worry!

You should talk to your doctor about getting a ENT (ear nose and throat dr.)recomendation, your son might need to get tubes in his ears. Not sure about the flu shot, I got it for my daughter when she was 6months old and she was fine. She's a year now and I have had no health probs. thus far. My little brother had alot of ear problems though, and he has had an abundance of speach and behavior problems due to it. You could try the holistic way, I have a friend that is very happy with it, her son was having alot of trouble with his ears at around 6months and they found he had allergies. Same with my brother, he has bad allergies and is why his ears always stayed bad. When they get sick their ear canal gets clogged up and they just keep getting sick over and over because the bacteria never goes away. Hope that helped.

M.,

I get the flu shot for both my youngest boys and have had no problems. If you are concerned, there is an article in this months parenting magazine regarding just this very thing. The mercury and the flu shot. As for the speech delay, my now 5 year old was diagnosed with speech delay at 2, and now I can not get the kid to be quiet, don't worry about it.

Good luck.

S.
SAHM of 3 boys

My daughter is 3 years old and had two serious bouts of pneumonia in less than 4 months, one requiring a hospital visit. Due to an immune deficiency her pediatrician recommended the flu shot. She received hers in May and had no problems or side effects from it. I was advised it would help her have less severe reaction to the flu or pneumonia in the future but I was also told they are normally not given to children under 10 years old unless. Our pediatrician felt that due to the severity of my daughter's illnesses and her immune deficiency it would be a great benefit to her. I think it all depends on the case and how comfortable you are with it. I couldn't take my little one being on breathing treatments, losing a substantial amount of weight, and the severe dehydration that came along with her illnesses because she refused to eat or drink. I probably would have questioned it more if she hadn't gotten so sick. Just make sure you are comfortable with the decision. Good luck.