So Halie has renal disease ,She has
(Renal Tubular Acidosis)and her Nephrologist`s office called earlier and left a message reminding us that she needs to get both the H1N1 and regular flu shot...
Well,I just don`t know what to do about the H1N1.I fine with the regular flu shot.
We are inbetween 2 peds. here. I am waiting for her records to be sent to the new ped.But the old one is adament on giving every shot known to man,right off the bat,and if you disagree they get nuts.We had a HUGE discussion on the gardasil,One reason I have a new ped.
Now the new ped. is totally for what you want ,but *I* don`t know what to do.
Would you get it for your child If they had an underlying medical condition? If they did not call I was not going to bother with it,although I have been thinking about it alot lately for her.Just weiging the pros and cons.

Quinn no longer has any underlying issues except the hearing/EI/tubes. That said 3-4 years ago had this all come out I still dont think id have given it. Its just too new and imsure like the reg flu shots its not gonna protect for every strain etc.

That said hes getting the reg flu msit and thats it.

Dh's comander at the airforce base told them not to get it. Just go get a flu shot. He must know what he is saying because he could be liable. H1N1 is actually a lesser form of all the flu that is out right now. There have been confirmed cases of organ damage from the shot and with her already having problems with her kidneys I wouldnot put at any higher risk. I would go with the flu shot only.

We aren't doing either flu shot, i would consider the regular flu shot wayyyy before the H1N1, it was rushed out imo and i'm not comfortable with it, they are saying they are having a hard time producing it now b/c it's not cooperating, they didn't test it enough and they don't know what side effects it will have later on in life, that said you have to do what is best for your family, i respect anyone who wants it but my family doesn't. Good luck!

quote:

Originally posted by Shelly:
We aren't doing either flu shot, i would consider the regular flu shot wayyyy before the H1N1, it was rushed out imo and i'm not comfortable with it, they are saying they are having a hard time producing it now b/c it's not cooperating, they didn't test it enough and they don't know what side effects it will have later on in life, that said you have to do what is best for your family, i respect anyone who wants it but my family doesn't. Good luck!

I agree with Shelly on the H1N1 Shot,......but I did get my kids the Regular Flu Shot

My girls and I will not be getting the H1N1. We will get the regular flu shot as always but I too feel that the H1N1 was rushed and don't really trust it.

I got an email about the odds of dying from Swine Flu that was interesting... It really puts it into perspective. The way it's made up is hard to copy into here but I found the same info on another message board. Here it is:

Lets Get Real
News is just “news”…
Not the absolute truth.
Let’s put swine flu (H1N1) into perspective
What are the symptoms of Influenza A (H1N1)?
• Fever• Headache• Cough• Sore throat• Runny & stuffy nose• Extreme fatigue• Muscle aches• Nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea (these symptoms may also occur, but are more common in children)
So….
Just about anyone could have Swine Flu
Deaths
816 deaths worldwide in 160 countries
Europe – 16,556 cases with 34 deaths
‘Given that countries are no longer required to test and report individual cases, the number of cases reported actually understates the real number of cases.’
Odds of …
# death by assault in your lifetime : 331/1
# death by falling : 250/1
# death by firearm : 325/1
# death by poison : 1,400/1
# death in a car crash : 5,000/1
# death by choking on food or something else : 5,000/1
# death by drowning : 9,000/1
# death by murder : 20,000/1
# death by lightning : 71,000/1
# death by dog attack : 137,000/1
# death in the bathtub : 807,000/1
# death by a flood : 713,000/1
# death by falling out of bed : 2,000,000/1
# being killed in a terrorist WMD attack : 6,000,000/1
1154 people died (worldwide)
Odds 8,000,000/1
Yup, that’s right
You at a greater risk from drowning in a bathtub

My daughter also has kidney disease (stage 3-4 renal failure). Her nephrologist also tried to shove it down my throat to give it to her. I refused. Like Shelly said there it was put out way too fast with too little testing. IMO, the risks outweigh the benefits right now to give my already compromised daughter a shot that could make her worse. Heck with the amount of mercury in it, my DH told me I am NOT allowed to get it cuz I am preggo. And he doesn't want our kids getting it either. He was given info on it through work, and is rather ticked he is required to take it (thanks, Navy).

That would be a tough one....I think if it were me personally I'd go with the regular flu shot...which does give some protection against H1N1 and decline that other...then if she showed any signs or symptoms I would immediately take my child to the doctor....most of the people we have seen in my office that have gotten really sick from it...waited for treatment...

quote:

Originally posted by Monica:
My daughter also has kidney disease (stage 3-4 renal failure). Her nephrologist also tried to shove it down my throat to give it to her. I refused. Like Shelly said there it was put out way too fast with too little testing. IMO, the risks outweigh the benefits right now to give my already compromised daughter a shot that could make her worse. Heck with the amount of mercury in it, my DH told me I am NOT allowed to get it cuz I am preggo. And he doesn't want our kids getting it either. He was given info on it through work, and is rather ticked he is required to take it (thanks, Navy).

While I have my own opinions about the vaccine, I did just want to clarify that there is actually no mercury in the single dose vials, and only trace amounts in the other. Mercury is the least of my worries with this vaccine.

If/when my ped has it available my girls will most likely get the shot. I've talked extensively with my cousin who is a ER pediatrician and the shot is made like the normal flu shot which is rushed out every year as well in a new form. It's a personal decision though, so if you aren't comfortable don't do it.

I was sick from Friday until yesterday (still am tired and beat minus the horrible fever) and put on Tamiflu despite testing negative for the flu just three hours after starting my fever. They felt certain I had the flu but due to me going in so soon the test wasn't coming back positive yet. I went in fast b/c I was suppose to work all weekend. May be a bunch of bologna...I don't know, but I can tell you I was knocked on my arse all weekend and can totally understand how a child with an underlying condition would quickly find themself in the hospital if they were to come down with the same thing I had. I don't want my children having what I had if I can prevent it and feel safe about doing so which I do.

Mell I agree with you. If I can find a place around us that has the H1N1 vax I will be getting it for my kids. I think this is one of those things that really will vary from parent to parent. You really just have to make your own decision based on the facts you gather about it. I have known several HEALTHY kids who have gotten this and ended up in the ER and several who have been admitted to the hospital with secondary infections from this flu. The mother of the girl I babysit is a Medical assistant at an OB office and she has done her research and talked to the dr's she works for about it and she opted to get her kids the vax. Just to lighten the mood a bit, I saw this somewhere and it made me laugh(oh I think it was on Misty's fb post) that we may not know the long term affects of getting the H1N1 vax but we dont know the long term affects of dying from H1N1 either! I had to chuckle when I read it.

Spoke to my ped's office this morning. They finally got the H1N1 vaccine yesterday. They were taking names and then were going to go through the list in order of priority. I got a call a few hours ago that they had enough to include my girls so we are scheduled next Tuesday.

i hvaen't heard of anyone around here that has the swine vax, but i haven't been looking, i'm sure some places do, but while we were at the ped. office yesterday they had just got a shipment of the regular flu vaccine but had already ran out of it, they were hvaing to call ppl. to cancel appts they had b/c they didn't have enough for them, they said it'd be several weeks before they got anymore of it in

My ped's office is still out of the regular as well. They have an order in, but its on backorder. Amelia was suppose to get her second of the regular vaccine next Tuesday, but it looks doubtful that it will happen then. if she doesn't get two doses this year, they said they will have to do two next year.

It is a personal family decision and people need to do what they feel is in the best interest of their families. Sadly though as a health care person, I feel there is a great deal of misinformation out there.

I did the H1N1 flu vaccine for the girls and will get mine when I can. There have been over 115 pediatric deaths in the US and not all were from children with underlying disorders. I have a friend who works as an NP in a peds office and they had a child die with H1N1 with no previous underlying disorders. She was seen when she presented with symptoms and was treated as the treatment guidelines say to do, but she developed complications and ultimately died. Over 50% of the hospitalizations that are occuring from H1N1 are in people under 24 years of age. This is a much larger percentage than the seasonal flu.



As far as the vaccine being "rushed", it isn't really a new vaccine, it uses the same technology the regular seasonal flu vacc uses but just uses the H1N1 strain. I am actually impressed they were able to manufacture it as quickly as they were.

Single dose vials do not have thiermerol in them, only multidose vials. It is a preservative and found in trace amounts. Eating such things as fish introduces your body to mercury so I am not sure what all the fuss is about.

Great info Mary! I had been up in the air but leaning more towards getting my kids vax'd then not getting them done and when I woke up one morning and heard on the news the stats for deaths in children from H1N1 vs the seasonal flu etc I knew then I was definitely getting my kids vax'd for it if I could find a place offering it. I also spoke with our ped when I was in on Friday for well checks for the girls about it and she eased my mind even more. We also just had a lady who was pregnant die up here in the county next to me who was very healthy. I am very scared of this flu because of how its affecting HEALTHY people.

I have been back and forth on whether to get my kids the H1N1 vaccine or not. They are having 2 free clinics this week at 2 different schools for kids 4 and up. It is scary and my kids have never had the seasonal flu vaccine and only Noah has ever had actual flu and that was 3 years ago.A little boy I keep well just after school he in Kindergarten has it.He was here after school on Thursday and that evening started running a fever and saying his chest hurts. His mom took him on Friday morning and sure enough he tested positive for it. She has 2 other kids and one is turning 3 on Tuesday and I have her everyday. The other one is in Chasity's class at school.The ped. gave them all tamiflu.I haven't talked to her all weekend to see how he is doing. As of Friday afternoon as she came to pick up her child I was watching,he didn't feel too bad but had motrin in his system and a very flushed and red face.The ped. said if he didn't need motrin today then he could go back to school tomorrow but if he needed motrin today then no school tomorrow. I am really thinking seriously to go to one of the clinics at the schools this week and go ahead and get my kids vaccinated. Thanks everyone for their opinions and information. I know for one it is appreciated by me who is so confused as the best thing to to do.My kids are all older and hardly ever sick with more than a cold and even not very often even with a cold. Chasity is the one who usually picks up things more than my older 3 but still as April said it is scary how it is effecting healthy people that get it.

Am I worried about this flu? yes. But honestly I am still thinking my kids are not going to get this shot. It is so sad about the healthy people and kids that have died, but with as widespread as it is (it is literally everywhere) it's still a small number of fatalities. And the thing is they don't tell you the full story on the deaths. Were the kids totally healthy? Could there have been an underlying disorder that wasn't known about (as is usually found when a child passes away on an amusement park ride, they usually have an unknown heart condition that isn't found until an autopsy is performed). Were any of this kids vaccinated for the flu? NONE of this is reported. They put out all these numbers without giving us the total facts which is unfortunate. I'm worried about the long term effects the adjuvants in the vaccine could have on my kids. Honestly we know nothing about what they are putting in these vaccines especially now that there's been a shortage and they are rushing them out. Do I love my kids? Of course! But with as much flu that is going around, they would probably already be exposed before the vaccine took effect. Generally what is going around is pretty mild and I think I'd like for my girls to get natural, longer lasting immunity than a quick jab that will only cover them for the season. I think if it hits even stronger later, those who have natural immunity will be more prepared than those who got the shot. I am not a doctor, so I can't say for sure. But you'll notice the older people who were around when this strand of flu broke out before aren't as effected as us younger people. That's my observation on this. I am a firm believer in God and I believe that if it's someone's time, it's their time. So I'm going to be saying a ton of prayers for my girls' health and watch them closely and follow my instinct as far as going to the doctor. But I figure they'd probably catch the darn flu waiting around for the shot in a clinic where it's been lingering! lol. So I'll keep them home and keep doing preventative measures and pray for them. My gut feeling in the beginning was to avoid this vaccine, so I'm going to listen to that.

Frances, I havent researched this for myself yet but my ped did tell me her fears originally were about the adjuvents being put it in the vax but she found out they werent putting them in and that was her ONLY concern about it. Like I said, not sure the truth in that. Your theory does make great sense though. This is such a hard decision to make as a parent. I wont lie, I have still had feelings of doubt, am I making the right decision? I honestly dont know, I lean strongly more towards vax'ing then not so I am going to go with my gut and continue to pray a lot like you. Why must parenting be so hard??