I Didn’t Vaccinate My Kids and the One Who Lived Turned out Fine

[Winstonm]

I stumbled on this while trying to find an answer to one of our players who was trying to find a place to post an obit. Curious coincidence. But my addition to the thread follows:

 

As a busy mother of four I never found it expedient to get a flu shot. Although all four of my kids had all the doctor prescribed inoculations required - schools at the time needed evidence that all required shots were given.

 

So, kids now grown and I thought one day during the fall of the year after I moved to Dallas, I should be a responsible person and get a flu shot. I did that - the first time ever.

 

A few days after that I came down with a curious headache. Not a migraine, just an irritant that wouldn't go away. After two weeks of this blasted headache that wouldn't go away, I picked up the phone to call my PCP to get it checked. Trouble is, it was a land line that needed to be put back in the cradle and I kept dropping it, using my right hand. Finally got it back in the cradle using the other hand and then noticed my right hand was numb. Then my arm. OMG I'm having a stroke!!!

 

So called 911 and told the operator, HELP, I'm having a stroke. So to cut to the chase, the ambulance took me to the ER where they determined it wasn't a stroke but didn't have a clue what was wrong as by this time my whole right side was parallelized. WTF?

 

Finally after a week of immobility the diagnosis was Gullian Barre syndrome as a result of a FLU SHOT!! There's more (including a clot because of immobility), but it all worked out and I am as healthy as ever but yikes that was a scary experience.

 

Bottom lime is, if I had to do it all over again, I doubt I would immunize my kids again and certainly pass on any pneumonia, flu or other adult preventative measures that so enrich the pharmaceutical companies. Aspirin, Tylenol (in moderation) fine, but otherwise, no thanks.

 

Jacki :)

 

You are misunderstanding the nature of the two types of vaccinations. Immunizations are specific to a known type of illness. Flu shots are against one or two types out of a broad range of flu varieties.

 

I don't get flu shots because I seem to have a strong immune system and do not get flu; however, I may get exposed to a type of flu I have no immunity to and get sick. There is that risk. At the same time, I would always vaccinate my children against measles, mumps, rubella, small pox, polio, etc., and to do otherwise is to put your children and others at risk that is preventable and can be done in near absolute safety, though there is always a small risk but that risk compared to risking the diseases prevented makes the question itself moot.

[barmar]

There's an outbreak of measles in a Minnesota county.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Minnesota health officials say they are investigating an outbreak of measles in Hennepin County.

 

Hennepin County health officials say they’re working around the clock to try to reach anyone who could be impacted by the ongoing Measles outbreak.

 

Officials say as of April 17, there are now nine cases of measles in the county – all unvaccinated children ages 1 through 4 years.

 

Eight of the confirmed cases are Somali Minnesotans. The health department says that community has been targeted with misinformation about vaccine risks, so it’s working to alert families to the outbreak.

 

Hennepin County Public Health Epidemiology Manager Dave Johnson says all the cases in Minnesota’s recent history have originated from countries where measles is more common.

 

“What likely happened here is that someone came from abroad who was unvaccinated and exposed to measles and then brought that back to the United States,” Johnson said.

[mikeh]

I stumbled on this while trying to find an answer to one of our players who was trying to find a place to post an obit. Curious coincidence. But my addition to the thread follows:

 

As a busy mother of four I never found it expedient to get a flu shot. Although all four of my kids had all the doctor prescribed inoculations required - schools at the time needed evidence that all required shots were given.

 

So, kids now grown and I thought one day during the fall of the year after I moved to Dallas, I should be a responsible person and get a flu shot. I did that - the first time ever.

 

A few days after that I came down with a curious headache. Not a migraine, just an irritant that wouldn't go away. After two weeks of this blasted headache that wouldn't go away, I picked up the phone to call my PCP to get it checked. Trouble is, it was a land line that needed to be put back in the cradle and I kept dropping it, using my right hand. Finally got it back in the cradle using the other hand and then noticed my right hand was numb. Then my arm. OMG I'm having a stroke!!!

 

So called 911 and told the operator, HELP, I'm having a stroke. So to cut to the chase, the ambulance took me to the ER where they determined it wasn't a stroke but didn't have a clue what was wrong as by this time my whole right side was parallelized. WTF?

 

Finally after a week of immobility the diagnosis was Gullian Barre syndrome as a result of a FLU SHOT!! There's more (including a clot because of immobility), but it all worked out and I am as healthy as ever but yikes that was a scary experience.

 

Bottom lime is, if I had to do it all over again, I doubt I would immunize my kids again and certainly pass on any pneumonia, flu or other adult preventative measures that so enrich the pharmaceutical companies. Aspirin, Tylenol (in moderation) fine, but otherwise, no thanks.

 

Jacki :)

If you read up on any medication, including vaccines, you will find that everything has a potential for side-effects. Did you consider, for example, taking Tylenol for your headache? The list of side-effects is pretty scary.

 

You were unlucky. Give enough people a flu shot and it is certain that some of them will suffer side-effects such as you did. Give nobody flu shots and it is certain that a far larger number of people will get the flu, with all that that entails (including, every year, a number of deaths). Humans are inherently bad at intuiting statistical odds: we overestimate low probability events, especially after one occurs.

 

While I sympathize with what you went through, a decision to avoid preventative medicine for yourself and your family based on this episode is sort of like seeing someone struck by lightning in a storm and never going outside your house ever again. Anecdotal 'evidence' is very appealing to the human psyche, especially when we are the one telling the anecdote from direct experience, but it leads to illogical thinking. Fortunately, for your children, you had them vaccinated before your horrible experience. I hope you aren't using your experience to persuade your kids not to immunize their children.....such would be a shame, needlessly exposing them to far greater problems than you experienced. If you doubt me, look up the complications of the various diseases against which you immunized your children, and imagine your grandchildren getting sick because of your current beliefs.

[Winstonm]

If you read up on any medication, including vaccines, you will find that everything has a potential for side-effects. Did you consider, for example, taking Tylenol for your headache? The list of side-effects is pretty scary.

 

You were unlucky. Give enough people a flu shot and it is certain that some of them will suffer side-effects such as you did. Give nobody flu shots and it is certain that a far larger number of people will get the flu, with all that that entails (including, every year, a number of deaths). Humans are inherently bad at intuiting statistical odds: we overestimate low probability events, especially after one occurs.

 

While I sympathize with what you went through, a decision to avoid preventative medicine for yourself and your family based on this episode is sort of like seeing someone struck by lightning in a storm and never going outside your house ever again. Anecdotal 'evidence' is very appealing to the human psyche, especially when we are the one telling the anecdote from direct experience, but it leads to illogical thinking. Fortunately, for your children, you had them vaccinated before your horrible experience. I hope you aren't using your experience to persuade your kids not to immunize their children.....such would be a shame, needlessly exposing them to far greater problems than you experienced. If you doubt me, look up the complications of the various diseases against which you immunized your children, and imagine your grandchildren getting sick because of your current beliefs.

 

Speaking of Tylenol (acetaminophen), it is one of the most dangerous drugs in OTC use as it has devastating effects on the liver if doseage recommendations are exceeded, and the only known counter agent is something called Mucomyst, which needs to be administered within 8-10 hours of OD ingestion of Tylenol.

 

One risk of Tylenol OD is not realizing that many painkillers use Tylenol in combination - Lortab, for example, has 325 mg of Tylenol with it; if a person is taking 4000 mg a day of Tylenol and also taking extra Lortab as needed, say 4 a day, he is exceeding the safe doseage for Tylenol by 1000 mg.