Swine flu - question for those of you with children

[sirrahbed]

Good thread Pam thanks for posting - this has been on my mind also. My doctor will likely remind me to get my own flu shot because I am a kidney patient. Some years I do so and some years I don't. I have only had the flu once in my life and that was many eyars ago after a flu shot. Of course I read all the stuff about how the newer vaccines are safer and all.... but like you I am worry more because of my grandbabies and the fact that the vaccine is so new. I have in the past refused vaccines for my children - not a popular thing to do but oh well. The H1N1 - I am also reading and wondering. Like Leslie above, my undertsanding is that the swine flu is not that serious in itself but the danger lies in it becoming so widespead....our parish nurse explained the difference between endemic, pandemic and epidemic.

I think it is a pretty hard thing for a parent to decide but the better informed we are - the better able we are to make the right decsion based on that information and not to agree to fear or refuse because of stubborness or whatever.

In the meantime, we are all washing our hands more than ever and longer than ever. I am keeping fun soap dispensers in each bathroom for the grandkids and us and little bottles of hand sanitizer in my purse and in our car.

[wolfsoul]

Just wanted to add a little tip for some people -- when cleaning ourselves and the things around us, be careful what you're using! Lysol and similar products are scary in that they (similar to antibiotics) are starting the rise of superbugs (plus they are harmful to us!). So when washing to kill viruses, simple bleach is the best way to go, or other old-fashioned cleaners like alcohol, ammonia, or hydrogen peroxide. There are alot of good hand sanitizers that just use alcohol to kill viruses and bacteria, and you can buy baby wipes that have alcohol added to them (not to use on baby, but to wash surfaces like grocery cart handles).
Also, antibacterial soaps have chemicals that are very harmful -- regular soap is all that is nessecary!

[Cataholic]

We have sanitizer in the car, wash our hands frequently, and I remind J constantly not to touch his face! That last one is so hard to get across.

[Karen]

Okay - I heard a scientist today address the concern in the original post. And the article is wrong. This "swine flu" vaccine is NOT based on the Vaccine that caused such problems in 1976, and caused Guillan-Barre syndrome, paralysis, etc.

This "swine flu" vaccine is being based on the normal "seasonal flu" vaccine that has been used for years and years, and has undergone lots of testing. They are using that "formula" and just stripping in the specific data for this swine flu.

That makes more sense, and sounds a lot more practical, and much safer.

As for me, I will do whatever my doc advises. I trust her.

[Pam]

Okay - I heard a scientist today address the concern in the original post. And the article is wrong. This "swine flu" vaccine is NOT based on the Vaccine that caused such problems in 1976, and caused Guillan-Barre syndrome, paralysis, etc.

This "swine flu" vaccine is being based on the normal "seasonal flu" vaccine that has been used for years and years, and has undergone lots of testing. They are using that "formula" and just stripping in the specific data for this swine flu.

That makes more sense, and sounds a lot more practical, and much safer.

As for me, I will do whatever my doc advises. I trust her.

Karen, I am not trying to scare anyone...just sharing info for what it is worth. The complaint with this vaccine, from those I have heard in the media, is that there hasn't been enough time for proper testing. I too, trust my doctor. However, they pass out drugs to all of us that their reps bring in (I work for a doctor). Sometimes those drugs get recalled. Remember Bextra? My doctor put me on that briefly and I took it because I trusted him (still do by the way ). The bottom line is that we need to be careful and informed and maybe just ask more questions when it comes to our health.

[Cataholic]

Karen, that statment about trusting your doctor scares me. I 'trust' my doctor or my son's doctor the same way I trust anyone else in the world, with a healthy dose of skepticism. No one, not even doctors, are perfect or immune to the drug companies, the practice policies, their own idiosyncracies (sic).

There is MUCH debate in the medical community about the vaccine. Enough to make me say, "no way".

[Karen]

Karen, that statment about trusting your doctor scares me.

I am sorry that scares you. I have had the same primary care physician for over 16 years. I have been through a lot with her, and she is thoughtful and careful, and if she isn't sure of an answer, she looks it up. I can email her with the "stupidest" question, and she always gets back to me. She follows up with me when I get switched to a new medication - as has happened several times when companies stopped making the meds I took.

When it comes to medical stuff, I do trust her. She has never given me reason NOT to trust her, and plenty of reasons TO trust her, and is by nature a cautious person.

[Pembroke_Corgi]

Right now I stay home with Lyra, so we are planning on vaccinating ourselves (my husband and I) so we don't inadvertently bring it home to her. If our situation changes and Lyra has to attend daycare then probably I would get her the vaccination rather than risk her getting ill.

In general I believe the medical community knows more about disease control than the general population and the CDC is recommending that children are vaccinated as they are an at-risk population. A lot of so called "evidence" that vaccinations are harmful is based on popular myth and not real science.

[Asiel]

Karen I've had the same pcp for over 25 years and trust him with everything he does for me. That doctor has gone ahead and beyond for me. But I can tell you that as far as the swine flu he is the first to tell us that there hasn't been enough research done for it to be safe. And the one relative who got that flu shot came down with Guillan Barre within 2 weeks of getting it and every neurologist agreed the shot was the cause. The other one had a regular flu shot and it can't be proven that it was the shot but his doctor told the family it was.
Because the government hands out these shots free of charge the doctors are under orders to offer the patients these shots. Our doctor offers them but never insists, he just obeys government regulations. As for being in favour of those shots he made it clear he does not trust them. If the government hands them out free it makes me think we're being used as guinea pigs for something.
I guess everyone has to do what they feel is best for their own health but I'll risk the flu before taking a shot of any kind. So far everyone taking the flu shot has come down with it every year while I haven't had it for years,probably as a child.
The one thing my doctor is very clear about is that a lot of drugs that come out haven't been tested long enough to know the long term effects in ten yrs from now.

[Karen]

Karen I've had the same pcp for over 25 years and trust him with everything he does for me. That doctor has gone ahead and beyond for me. But I can tell you that as far as the swine flu he is the first to tell us that there hasn't been enough research done for it to be safe. And the one relative who got that flu shot came down with Guillan Barre within 2 weeks of getting it and every neurologist agreed the shot was the cause. The other one had a regular flu shot and it can't be proven that it was the shot but his doctor told the family it was.

But was that back in the 1970s? That was a different vaccine ... just making sure.

[Asiel]

Nope. I was talking about the swine flu shot in one case and the simple flu shot last winter. I don't even know if we had flu shots in the 70's but I did watch a documentary with two scientists that are responsible for developping these flu shots amd both agreed that today kids are overvaccinated and the one also stated that the swine flu was not safe and is the cause of many neurological disorders. This is someone who makes these shots, to admit that they are overused and can be harmful takes a big person IMO.
I know my mom took the flu shot one year because of her advancing age and she landed in the hospital 2 days later and we almost lost her.
Guess everyone has to decide for themselves if they are worth the risk. If I had young kids not one of them would get any shots today. Autism is also not something I remember being so rampant as it is today and they do blame the shots for that, the doctors have even decided to admit to that fact.

[Pam]

**bump**

[Daisy and Delilah]

Has anybody gotten this vaccine yet? I hope people will post with any side effects or problems.

[sparks19]

Hannah will not be getting the flu or the swine flu vaccine. among other reasons... she can't have them. she has a reaction to eggs and that is a no no for the flu shot.

Brian and I most likely will be getting the regular flu shot for ourselves.

but basically we just need to be careful and wash our hands and hannahs hands and surfaces