H1N1 Concerns

I work for a pediatrician and she does not recommend it unless the person has pre-existing illnesses. I know several kids who have had it and they are fine now. This vaccine is new and the complications that go with it are not well documented or known. I have a 5 year old and have not given it to her.

I agree with you! I am pregnant and have a 10 year old and 4 year old. I spent 20 minutes in the doctors office at my prenatal checkup getting lectured about not getting it. I don't/haven't ever got the regular flu shot and this isn't any different. My OB told me that if the CDC would have waited 2weeks and figured out the the the h1n1 was coming, they would have included it the regular flu shot, but they missed. If the vaccine was in the regular flu shot, no one would be making such a fuss. People dye of the flu every year, this is no different. People need to wash their hands and get meds when they are sick. I'm not getting it, nor or my kids. If you do decide to get it, make sure you get the shot, that is the dead virus - not the nasal spray that is live.

Hi Carrie,

Good for you for looking for more info. I am shocked at the anger and vehemence in the advice you have received. They may or may not be right, but don't forget, YOU need to make this decision based on YOUR situation. I will have my children vaccinated, but that is my choice based on my family's health, and previous experiences.

One of your posters mentioned how it was strange that there was suddenly enough vaccine for everyone.........that is because the H1N1 vaccine is different than the seasonal flu vaccine, of which there truly is a shortage. Do the research for yourself, keep asking questions, and THEN decide. Like I said, I am shocked that some posters use the very same scare tactics that they claim the govt. uses! Only YOU can make the right decision for your family!

Carrie,

I personally think it is WAY over hyped. And I think you are very wise to question and "re-think" your concerns per se.
Yes, there is some nasty thing going around. And yes, I think we all know someone who is or has been sick and the majority are recovering just fine. I have a 19 year old and 15 year old. I think the 19 year old had it last spring when it was first out. But he ran a temp 2-3 days had a headache (maybe hangover related?) and was fine. The 15 year old ran a temp a few weeks ago and was back to school, in 2 days. No, I didn't send her back too soon. I work from home so she could have been home as long as needed.

I'm a little confused because it seems like they are counting everyone who has "flu like" symptoms as the H1N1 yet they are NOT testing unless they are hospitalized or very severe so how do they really know all these people have H1N1? I also am not getting, nor is anyone in my family the vaccine. In my opinion, I am NOT putting a bunch of chemicals in my body that has just been tested on a minimal percentage of the population for just 2 months!

If you are overall healthy, which we are, I believe that IF you do get sick chances are, it won't be that bad. Most cases of those who have died from this did have underlying medical issues. And I would argue that just because someone "healthy" person dies, he/she may have had something underlying that just had not been diagnosed yet. And I am honestly sorry for those who have lost loved ones. But there are MORE people (kids too) dying from cancer, heart disease etc and it's not this mass hysteria.

OK, off my soapbox for now. My opinion is that you are a smart mom. Keep up the basics like washing hands, eat lots of fruits and veges, get plenty of rest and just be smart about being in crowds and around sick people. And relax a little.

In good health,

Lori K, RN

I am on the fence as well. We had no intention of getting the vaccine, until a very healthy lady I know, who had no pre-existing complications, died from H1N1 (pneumonia she got as the result of the virus). And no, she didn't wait to go to the doctor. She had been going the whole time. She left behind her 15 year old daughter...so, now I don't know what to do.

I completely understand. I never get a flu vaccine and the hype over this really has pushed me against getting the H1N1 this year. That said, I'm pregnant (due in 2 weeks) and have a 2 year old daughter. After much insistence by my OB and family members, I was willing to at least look into it. The more research I did, the more divided I became about it. Ultimately I decided to leave it up to fate. I called the dr. and asked if they had it available. They did, so I got it. Now I'm struggling with what to do about our 2-year-old. The age of your son may be the biggest factor. The problem with H1N1 is that it is affecting healthy people without a history of problems. 2-4 year olds are the first kid age group that had vaccinations available to them. I'm checking with our pediatrician's office from time to time to see if they have any, but they haven't yet. So while I'm going to keep checking, I'm not going to go so far as to take her to a clinic to get it. The best advice I've gotten so far is preventative measures. Frequently washing your hands, of course, but also daily gargling with salt water and using saline nose spray to rinse out the passages where you take in germs. Good luck with your decision!

check it out for yourself.. or try turning on AM 710 or 980 instead of the FM garb.. I promise, you listen to talk radio for just one day, and your world will be changed.
just click on this: http://acheson.wordpress.com/2009/05/01/is-the-truth-abou...

I was actually a pretty liberal mother, until all of this, it is time, start thinking about what is best for your family, not the world. You are the last security your child has. PLEASE just think about what you are doing before you line up your child with the rest of the world to get vaccinated.

As of this week, Olathe Public Schools are "suggesting" that every student get vaccinated, and from out of no where, there is enough to go around. Doesn't that alarm anyone? not to mention they are required to turn in both "lists" of the children vaccinated/ and not vaccinated to the govt. YES, they are bringing it to each school, so "we do not even have to worry about any cost or inconvenience." That itself really has me worried. Every child could really use a TOOTH CLEANING / CHECK UP too, (as with everyone of us out of work, dental insurance is the first thing to go for most,) It would be wonderful if we they had just a couple days for every student to get that kind of govt help, wouldn't it, I am sure Dentists can't afford to do things like this without TAX help.

Most teachers are getting in line for the shot too, but then again most secretly voted for the "O" man as well. THINK before you sign the approval for your child's school take charge!

I am a mom of 5 wonderful HEALTHY children, and I intend for them to stay that way. CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN is the answer not a shot of who knows what inserted into their fragile little systems. I am sure I am offending lots of moms out there,SORRY but if this at least makes you stop and RESEARCH IT COMPLETELY FOR YOURSELF. I've helped one child. NOW I love mamasource. But this is something each mom/parent will have step up and truly make the right choice for your family. Not from soapbox moms like myself. RESEARCH-DISCOVER-LEARN-CHOOSE these are things I hope we always have the ability to do.

Good luck
And after all, If I am wrong, everyone else has had the vaccine, so won't it eventuality die out on its own?

Hi Carrie -
This is a hard one huh? The media hype got to me, and as a pregnant woman, I was convinced that I was going to get and die from H1N1. Then my 7 year old got it. It was pretty bad for her, she didn't have to take tamiflu, and then she got better. I have 3 other children, them my husband and I, and none of us picked it up. I completely agree with "wash wash wash those hands, and disinfect!"
I think getting the vaccination is a family decision, just wanted to share that you can survive :) I also did want to add, someone had commented that they are just saying everyone has it not testing, but that is actually incorrect. They do test to see if that is the flu strain you have - it's a nose swab test, and it only takes about 10 minutes to get your results.

Good luck to you

My personal opinion is that this thing is HUGELY over hyped!!! I love how the gov't seems to be so "worried" about our health in regards to us getting the swine flu vaccine, but have done absolutley nothing about all the people swarming into our country bringing these diseases w/ them.
No one in my family is getting the vaccine and I'm even pregnant and not going to get it. Not sure I will even get the regular flu vaccine. I haven't been sick in years and w/ my last pregnancy I didn't get the shot and never got the flu.

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I just came accross this story on the web...quite interesting!!
http://www.generationrescue.org/desiree_jennings.html