Flu Shot? - Elyria,OH

the flu shot does not cover all flues. Shot are suppose to have dead viruses of what ever they are getting a shot for. Sometimes there are a live viruse in them so the kids will actually get the shot. I do not get the flu shot for my kids. There are many good books they give great info on weather to vaccinate or not. Sorry for spelling mistakes.

jo

N.,

I would not go back. Seems to me they got the flu already with the shots. I didn't know they were giving shots to children that young now. A friend of mine just got her flu shot, and she got sick for 3 days this time, which had never happened in the past.

I would say no to the next shot. Why put your poor children thru this again? My 19 mth old has not had the shots and besides an occasional runny nose has been perfectly healthy since birth.

Hi N.,

I am a 42yr. old mother of 2 beautiful children...a son 8 & a daughter 1. I have learned from a friend in the Alternative Medicine field...she is a Certified Clinical Nutritionist...that giving your children these vaccines is causing more problems now than doing good. She is helping over 200 Autistic children in her practice. I do not have either of my children vaccinated or give them any antibiotics or flu shots(it is NOT a LAW in Ohio) and they are the healthiest kids. The key is to keep their immune systems up and running. I suggest a Good Vitamin supplement and healthy foods. Keep sugars to a low minimum...sugar surpresses the immune system...and staying away from food colorings(which I know is in everything), high fructose corn syrup, and juices that are not 100% juice. BIONUTRITONIC from BIOPRO Technology is an Awesome immune system supporter...it actually detoxes the cells so nutrients can get in. I joined the company so I could purchase the products at 30% off the retail price...quite a savings. For more info. go to: www/mybiopro.com/lbarclay
Also, you may want to check out these other sites on vaccines:

www.generationrescue.org
www.PutChildrenFirst.org

I would suggest that you not give your children anymore flu shots. If mine start to get a cold, I use Boericke & Taffel Cough & Bronchial Syrup...you can get it at the Health Food Store...this works wonderful for coughs & congestion.
Hope this info. has helped you make an informed decision.

God Bless You & Your Family

I say not to finish the series. My first daughter got really sick after the first DPT in the series. She was 18 months old. This was a normally very healthy child. The doctor's office tried to tell me it wasn't related and that she must have picked up a bug. I was told they usually don't react to the first shot, but it is more common with the second one in the series. I was thinking, well if she reacted to this one, it could be worse with the second one. So, I didn't do it. Since then, I became more educated about vaccines and have chosen not to vaccinate any more. I like the book "Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parents' Guide" by Aviva Jill Romm. I think every parent should have it even if you do vaccinate.

The thing that I really don't like about the flu shot is that it still contains thermisol. It's a preservative that can lead to high levels of mercury in your child. Also, there are so many strains of flu and the flu shot will not protect against all of them or even most of them. Even if the child gets the flu, the child will have a stronger immune response the next time he/she is exposed than if just vaccinated. Most healthy children and adults are not going to have a major problem from getting the flu.

Also, when you get the flu shot, there can be side effects. There can be flu like symptoms. A vaccine weakens the immune system temporarily so any exposure can more likely lead to illness.

I would have to say that those symptoms were not from the shot themselves as the flu is respiratory not stomach related. There are many stomache viruses going around right now, that just taking them to the doctors they could have been exposed.
They do two shots for people recieving the flu shot their first time around. It's to help increase the amount of anitbodies in their system.
On the other hand, I only did one shot for my son his first year recieving the flu shot because there was a shortage. He didn't get the flu and the doctor was not at all concerned with the fact that he only got one. She said they prefer them to get two but it's not absolutely necessary.
On that note, I would say it's your call, but I don't see the need in risking those symptoms being related to the flu and going through all of that again. Call and talk to your doctor about your concerns before you go in.

I know a lot of people think that you can get the flu from the vaccine but you can't. Ask your doctor about that but I recommend you get the flu shot even though it does not cover every single strain of flu there is. Your child was probably exposed to someone that had the flu prior to their getting the shot so it seems coincidental that it was the vaccine that caused it.
Some doctors say that children can't get diarrhea, vomiting,etc from teething but others agree that the pain can cause these side effects. I'm not sure what made your child sick but I've been the flu with three of my kids three times this year. I'd rather get the vaccine!

Just let your doctor know about it. All drugs have the side effects of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

I'm really torn about this and also annoyed my DR never said a word to me at my daughter's 6 month appnt. I don't know what to do. I had read that if your child is in daycare then to definitely get it. My friend's DR said no since her son isn't in daycare. My daughter is 8 months and I really don't know...I guess I will call her DR to see...As for your 9 month old, it sounds like the rotovirus, which my daughter had a while back. It's extremely common with children and I think the only thing you can do is make sure she doesn't get dehydrated. My DR told me that if it lasts more than 9 or 10 days to bring her back in. It lasted about 8 then she was fine, so call your DR if you need to.

First, if your children are sick or have recently been sick with vomiting and diarrhea, I would AT LEAST DELAY their 2nd flu shot. I would never vaccinate a sick or teething child. When kids are sick or actively teething (like they're obviously in pain, chewing, drooling, bulging gums), their immune system is already working overtime. I would not personally add a vaccine to that mix - I'd wait until my kids were clearly healthy again before even considering flu shot #2.

Second, our family vaccinates on a very delayed plan and only selectively (we don't do multiple vaccines at a time in case our child would have a reaction so we'd know which shot was causing it). We also don't do all vaccines, only the ones we have researched and believe to be important - for example, one of the vaccines we do NOT get is the chicken pox vaccine (varicella/Varivax). We believe that it is more beneficial to actually catch chicken pox, recover (as the *vast* majority do), and have lifetime immunity - the chicken pox vaccine does not provide lifetime immunity.

At any rate, our family does not get the flu shot because:
* thimerisol (mercury preservative) is still used in the preparation of the flu vaccine and I do not want my young children to have even minute amounts of this, though some offices do have the thimerisol-free flu vaccine also available (if we got a flu vax, it would HAVE to be thimerisol free)
* we believe good hygiene (frequent hand washing, covering our mouths well if we cough or sneeze, etc.), eating healthfully (including probiotics), staying well hydrated, and getting adequate rest are more effective tools for fighting off the flu than getting a vaccine (http://www.mercola.com/2003/oct/29/flu_shot.htm)
* each year, the strains of flu that are in the vaccine are just a guess - yes, supposedly even if the flu that goes around is different than the ones given via vaccine, they say there's some protection despite the difference, but...? seems like there's a lot of uncertainty

Last, in general vaccinations are sort of considered "never at fault" by most medical professionals -- meaning that a decent number of reactions that are due to vaccines are often dismissed by doctors, nurses, etc., which is really awful if your child is having the reaction. I don't likw how the Vaccine Information Sheets (VIS) are "dumbed down" and tend to gloss over the comprehensive list of reactions, so I'd recommend asking for the actual vaccine insert that comes in the box of vaccines to see what are the more complete list of reactions, cautions, etc. You can see for yourself here how the 2 VIS for the different flu vaccines (one shot, one nasal spray) are so simple, but not necessarily very detailed or informative when it comes to a list of reactions reported by the people who have had the shot:
http://origin.cdc.gov/nip/publications/VIS/vis-flu.pdf
http://www.cdc.gov/Nip/publications/VIS/vis-flulive.pdf

Vaccines are a tough decision, in my opinon, as there are clearly risks to getting them AND to not getting them. As a parent, my job is to weigh my family's risks of getting the disease (whether it be flu, chicken pox, pertussis, mumps, etc.) with the risks of the vaccine. I know many say that there are "no risks" to vaccines - but why do you think they make you sign your name giving permission to vaccinate your child each time? You're basically acknowledging that you agree that there are risks to vaccines, including severe injury or even death, and that you're releasing them of any responsibility. Yes, if you don't vaccinate, you MAY run the risk of you or your child catching the disease, but how likely is it that they'll get it? How bad would it be if they did get it (what are the statistical dangers, what percentage of cases are severe)? Is the danger of getting the disease less or more risky than the danger of a vaccine reaction?

See what I mean? In my mind, the question of "to vaccinate or not" is a very big grey area with no one perfect, right answer. Either way, there are risks. It's really just risk management. So, for your kids, you just need to check in with your mothering instinct and see what you think is best - delay the flu booster until they're healthy, or not get it at all, or get it as is currently scheduled. You'll make the right choice for your family, I'm sure, since you know them best!

Are either of your kids allergic to eggs? I just recieved a flu shot when I had my daughter and they asked if I had any allergies to eggs, because if I was I could not have it.

N.,

Your doctor should have given you a paper with possible symptoms to look for after the shot including slight fever and aches and pains. Vomiting is not one of the side effects from the flu shot. They probably picked up something else while you were at the doctors office.

If this is the first time your children have received the flu shot, they must have a second dose 30 days after the first shot. As someone else mentioned, children die from the flu. Please get you and your children vaccinated.

If you do decide to take your children back for the second shot, limit them on what they touch in the doctors office. Keep them in a stroller if possible. This is a bad time of year to report the the doctor for routine things.

Yes, the flu shot is necessary. The flu shot is for the respiratory type of flu - not the vomiting/diarrhea type of flu. Getting the second flu shot provides the most coverage, although your child will still be protected with just one. In previous years when there has been a shortage, clinics have only offered one.

I have two boys and my olddest one is 2 1/2 and he has got his flu shot every year now and that never happen to him. But if I was you I would go get the other one just to see what happens. If it does it again then I would think about not getting it next year.

I WOULD take them back. The true "influenza" which the vaccine is designed for is not vomiting and diarrhea, it's a very serious upper respiratory infection. My children are ages 2-1/2 and 6 months and they both got their flu shots earlier this month. The major deciding factor for me was hearing my family doctor say that PEOPLE DIE FROM THE FLU. Children ages 6 months to 5 years old are considered to be part of the high risk group, and to me it's not worth putting them at risk by NOT getting the shot.

Just my opinion.....

N.,
Did you let there doctor know they were this sick. There was a piece of paper my doctor gave me this past Wendesday when my daughter got her shot. She has a really bad cold now, but did not get as sick as your kids. I was not told about a second round either.
I just thought since her and I got caught in that cold pouring down rain that night is why she got sick.
I would at least let the doctor know how sick they got. Let them see if they should have the second round. It might have just been a fluke that they got sick like that right after the shot. Just like how my daughter got a bad cold and cough right after she got hers.
I would still get the shot if the doctor thinks it was just by chance. The flu can be rough on little ones. Think about how sick we get when we get it.

I don't know who said not to go back, but you can not get the flu from the vaccine. That is just an old wives tale that our parents still believe just like you can catch a cold if you go outside with wet hair. My 2 oldest had their 1st flu shots last year and my 10 month old just had hers this year. All of them needed a 2nd shot, but this is only done the very first time they recieve the flu shot. From now on you will only get 1 dose. And since you can't get the flu from the shot itself it is probably just a coincidence. I actually know of 5 kids already who have had their shots and have been sick. The flu vaccine you recieve is set up to protect against the stands that the FDA thinks will pose a threat this year so it is very possible to still get a flu strand that is not included in the vaccine. Just keep your kids hands cleaned and that will help with the germs. It's really hard this time of year to stay germ free so good luck!

HI N.,

I also have 3 small children (6, 4, and 11 months). We have been getting the flu shot for 4 years now. My infant just got his first dose this year and has to go back next week to get the second.
What the flu shot is is a dead strand of the flu. It will NOT give you the flu, but you could get the achiness, tired and fatigued, etc. from it. BUT, keep in mind, that the strand of flu they give you in the vaccine, is just one out of lots of different flu strands. If your children do get the flu, it will be a different strand then what the vaccine had. Getting the flu after a shot is still possible.
Just make sure to keep your children hydrated and make sure they are going to the bathroom also. This time of year is bad w/ keeping your body hydrated.
Also, a lot of my friends/family used to make fun of me but it has worked so they quit and started. I keep Purell hand sanitizer w/ me in my purse, all vehicles, diaper bag, etc. I put some in my hand (ok, a bunch) and wipe down the handles or seating area where my kids sit in a cart at a store. They clean their hands after we were in a store and as soon as they get home from school, etc. we wash their hands. I make them wash their hands frequently.
But, like I said, we have been flu free in this house for 4 years!!

Good Luck!

N.,

It seems there is some stomach virus that is going around lately - my whole house including myself and my husband have been dealing with this since last Wednesday and now my best friend just called this morning saying she was up all night vomiting and dealing with diarrhea. I don't think this is because of the flu shots - definitely take your kids back for a second shot.

take care,
Mel