What to do about MMR and Emily?

Taytee

I still haven't gotten Emily her MMR. At first it was because I felt she was still very sensitive in terms of immune reactions. She appears to have outgrown her dairy sensitivity but remains highly allergic to all egg and peanut. She recently had to be rushed to the ER for an allergic reaction of unknown origin which included hypotension and angioedema. I've done the research and she's never ever getting a flu vaccine because it's incubated in eggs.

MMR is a different. It's made with chicken embryo or something? Not a direct risk to an egg allergy kid but of course whenever I do any online research I come across all the anti-vaccine rants about all the fragment crap and additives etc that come in vaccines. It usually makes me feel like I've already poisoned the crap out of both my kids . The allergist office said they can give it in 4 shots spaced over a certain time interval (just what my kid needs FOUR shots right?)

Thoughts? Comments? I'm open to suggestion and welcome debate on the issue. I want to think it's a mothers intuition. Like I just know she shouldn't have it otherwise I would have just done it already. But maybe I'm just dragging my feet for no reason in particular. In the face of indecision on vaccines, my general advice is some I heard here which is WAIT. You can always get a shot later but you can't take it back once it's been given. But I don't know how much longer to wait is reasonable.

 [Poll]

libbyann

If she were at the allergist's office for the 4 shots, would the reaction be immediate? Or would it be something you'd have to watch for at home? I'd lean toward doing that over not vaccinating, most likely, but there are a lot of "what ifs" I'd have to factor in before making a decision. Is there a reason you need to do it now [like for preschool], or could you hold off awhile longer while you make your decision? I don't think there's anyway I'd give her the shot with all of them together if I were you.

ali-1411

I'd be inclined to go with the allergist's rec'd.  Are they rec'd her to get it or just suggesting that they can do it?

Temp13436125005166

I'm biased because I too have read a lot of vaccine injury stories as well as accounts by medical doctors about the risks of vacination.  And we found so many things that just starting coming up on Megan (hair eating, SPD, allergies) when she hit 3.5. So I would wait at least until she's old enough to better communicate with you.  That way you would hopefully know that she was feeling good before you vaccinate and might be able to better know if any symptoms/changes arise after you get home from the allergist.  For example Megan complains that her stomach hurts a lot this year, I have no idea how long its been hurting her and if its every day.  I don't know what it is either but I'm guessing its a nurtition/gut thing and I want to get that all in order before I consider any more vaccinations. 

That said both my kids got their MMR before any of the allergies/nutrition/gut healing, stuff came up so I never really researched risks of those diseases.  But I'm assuming you probably have a good idea about that side of it.  Good luck with the decision, I know that must be a really hard one. We have a while before we have to think about any vaccinations again and I'm grateful for that.

jml5q

what does your pedi think?

kiarox2002

I would eventually get it at the allergist's office, but I would probably wait another year until I felt confident that she could and would verbalize a reaction at it's onset.  (My throat feels ticklish, etc.)

carlinlp

I wouldn't. But you know that already. Because her immune system is at risk already due to allergies, I wouldn't hesitate to put it off. At least until the blood brain barrier is sealed and she communicate how she feels. Yes, there is a lot of controversy about if vaccine ingredients cross the barrier once sealed, and I would research that heavily before making a decision to decide where you stand before vaccinating. I would also heavily consider the total accumulation of the ingredients when they split the shot in the allergists office. Is it manually separated or do they order them that way?  I worry less about the accumulative ingredients of the MMR, than say, dtap. Also consider that in immune compromised or altered kids, immediate reactions are not as common as low grade underlying health concerns that present and accumulate over time. Additionally, if you do vaccinate, there are effective means of detoxing if need be. Plenty of people vaccinate and then work diligently to detox the unwanted ingredients. All that said, I'd never give the MMR again to one of my children. DS tested positive for measles in his gut post vax reaction. He had 10-15 acid filled diapers A DAY for 10 months. It tore his gut a part and he lives with food allergies now as a result. Granted, the hep a, varicella and dtap did more overall damage to his liver, kidneys and central nervous system overall, but those we've healed. Healing gut damage is HARD. And she already has allergies. Flame worthy I'm sure, but that's our reality. 

aggieoj

Reading your concerns and Emily's history I would hold off for now. (but again I've had my own hesitations with vaccines lately). It's not the immediate response I worry most about but the underlying  issues that can arise later. It's the vaccine bell curve effect that gets me the most and I see it daily.

Taytee

jml5q:

what does your pedi think?

Probably a bit skewed since I'm a nurse But Dr C hang is basically cool with whatever I want to do. He did seem to come across more along the lines of "everything will be just fine". The allergists office themselves seemed really uh... standard in their understanding of allergies. They just shrugged and said they could do it but in x number of years only one person had even a minor reaction. Which is of no comfort to me. Usually the numbers in medicine are but not when it comes to my Emily!

No particular rush. She is starting MDO in the fall though so I need to ask them about their policy. I've just never had to navigate the "no, my kid isn't fully vaccinated" waters before.

libbyann et all - The allergists office recommendation would purely be for Anaphylaxis.  I am concerned about the immediate AND long term side effects of the MMR vaccine but it sounds like I still need to know more.

carlinlp:

Flame worthy I'm sure, but that's our reality.

Not even close to being flame worthy! If anything can be gained from your struggles since his vaccine injury - it's that it's opened our eyes. If even I'M not 100% pro-vaccine anymore, it's safe to say you've made a HUGE impact on us all. 

And Emily is a special kid. It's funny because Abby is all intellectual and slender and just... delicate looking. And she's tough as nails. Emily is what my family calls a "bruiser" and is just go-go-go. And yet, she's the one with the most sensitive body of all of us. I felt confident in allowing Abby to have all 4 of her 4 year shots at once. And she was cool with it too! No problems. At that same visit, I let them give Emily 2 of the 8 shots she was behind on and her thigh swelled up like a balloon from the Hib.

I'm going to ask school and then just wait it out. I need to get a list of all the vaccines she is behind on and make a plan for detox etc.

carlinlp

I would first detox the ones she has already had. I agree about being concerned with the bell curve too. As for school, we stopped vaxing all our kids. Duders exemption is medical, the other two by reason of conscience. You sign a waiver, easy peasy for public schools. Private schools and mdo may have different rules but it wasn't an issue at all with ds's pre-k. They accept vaxed and in vaxed kids. If there is an outbreak they may require she stay home, but that's it. 

 

Above all else, no matter what a doctor or any of us here says, follow your mom instincts, they won't lead you wrong. Not listening to mine was the worst mistake of my life.  

molliedb

i think its a hard topic.  i hate the idea of vaccines, but i hate where we would be without them even more.  i got 6 (yes six) yesterday and as much as there may be unwanted ingredients etc, isn't that better than getting typhoid, hepatitis, tetanus, chicken pox, yadda yadda?

i think it is a different ballgame when we are talking about kiddos for sure, but still without them, where would we be?  i really dont know the answer to that question!

as far as emily goes, i would wait.  i tried to do the separate shots with lily but they suspended manufacture of the last one we needed so then after all those shots i had to give her a full MMR on top of it.  it was the last thing i wanted or planned for!  waiting until she is a bit older seems reasonable enough to me.