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I bet everyone is waiting with baited breath to hear about Libby’s first social and how it went. Well, I am not going to tell you. That’s not completely true. There is nothing to tell. The social was canceled. That’s right, approximately 24 hours before it was scheduled to start, the superintendent canceled it. It was canceled due to the swine flu panic (I know, it is politically incorrect to call it the swine flu, but it is a much better name than H1N1 so I am using it). I say it was canceled due to the panic, because here in the Small Town, there are only 21 confirmed cases (yes, they actually publish that information). In other parts of the state, the swine are active. I understand being careful in those parts of the state where there are hundreds of cases. But we are still one of only 3 states where the flu is only regional rather than widespread. And what about school? Is spending 7 hours locked in a building with 600 kids really that much safer than 2 hours locked in the same building with 150 kids? It’s not like the kids were going to mingle with outsiders. And all 3 of the moms organizing the social are germophobes (yes, that includes me). I can’t imagine we would even allow germs to be present. The kids were pissed. Libby spent the day coming up with a list of creative adjectives to describe the superintendent. It was one of my proudest moments. That kid has quite a vocabulary. When she ran out of words, she accessed a thesaurus and was able to discover even more words. It seemed to make her feel better (although yesterday I said something she didn’t like and she said the list now describes me do we may have to banish the list). In addition, Joanna’s school has canceled her Halloween party. They do an annual parade for the parents, followed by classroom parties. The parade will still happen (since it is outside and all those germy parents won’t be in the school), but the parties have been canceled. This brings to the forefront a dilemma that I have been wrangling with recently (like many moms across the country if not the globe). While I know the swine flu shot is not yet available, what should I do when it is available? Should I vaccinate the kids (I, of course, am too old to deserve the vaccine). I originally thought, no. I would not vaccinate. I am lucky that both of my kids are healthy so the flu shouldn’t pose a danger to them. They wil be sick, but they will recover. Until I found out about a cousin of mine (Joanna’s age). Who was hospitalized for 3 days due to complications. She was healthy (and fortunately, she will be again). What would happen if my girls got sick and then developed complications? Could I live with myself? The answer to that question is a big, fat no. But, what about complications from the vaccine. The last time a swine flu vaccine was rushed to market, it led to a number of cases of Gullain-Barre syndrome. That scares me even more than the flu. I will admit, my kids (especially Libby) have an extremely negative reaction to shots so I have never gotten them a flu shot. In Libby’s case, a flu shot would be worse than the flu. So what should I do? It may not even be an issue since by the time the vaccine is available, the flu may be finished, but I am a mom so I worry about it. What are you doing about the regular flu and H1N1 vaccine for your kids?
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Posted on 11:53, October 30th, 2009 by 
Posted in 
I had my kids vaccinated, but then, I wasn’t given a choice. We showed up for their yearly well-visits and they both got it. Fine by me, actually, because #1 has asthma when he gets sick.
I’m not sure if I’m going to get it, myself, or not. I should ’cause I’ve got asthma. But my doctor may not get it, and I’m not going to stand in line for hours and pay the $20 for something insurance ought to cover.
It’s a tough call. Our kids are old enough to make their own choices, and we don’t get any shots at all. We are of the generation that survived rubella, whooping cough and all “the usual childhood diseases” without vaccination. I don’t know if the lack of natural immunity is a cause or effect of the huge increase in immunisations before the age of 6. You just have to do what you think is right, That’s what mommies do.
I am just glad my kids are all too old to have to stress about making the decision. Good luck with your deliberations. I’m sad that the social was cancelled though.
Too bad about the dance being cancelled but it seems it was a very educational experience since she learned all those new words.
My kids are both adults so I don’t have to worry about the shot thing.
They closed down every school in my area because of the swine flu. I think the ideas is to do everything they can to make sure it doesn’t spread, which, unfortunately would include not doing awesome public events. Though you have a really good point on sending the kids to school and not having the social.
My father actually ended up with the swine flu, so it can happen anywhere, without expecting it. I am not sure what to say for your own childrens sake, that is a decision each parent must decide on their own.
Thanks for the post!
It is so hard to be a parent with all this stuff going around and having to decide what to do. H1N1 has been around since the 70′s so I am confident the shot will protect and work the way it should so we are getting it. I am not giving The girl the regular flu shot because she always seems to get sick after getting it. We have a lot of cases of H1N1 here where I am and I am just making sure we wash our hands often and be careful about contact with others until the shots are available. Good Luck with your decision
[...] is such a bummer … on all levels. Disappointment, frustration, and [...]
There is going to be a special on 60 minutes this Sunday about the safety of the H1N1 vaccine. I am anxious to see what they have to say. What I do know is that it is a live (weakened) vaccine and for the most part, it went straight to market without safety and efficacy testing. The base used is the same as the one used to develop the anthrax vaccine given to the troops in desert storm.
All current prescription anti-virals are effective against swine flu. Tamiflu can be compounded for children’s doses orally and the supply of IV tamiflu has been released for more severe cases. There already has been confirmed cases of Gullain-Barre Syndrome from the H1N1 vacccine which is a horrible neurologic disorder. Plus viruses can mutate at a rapid rate and I believe the mutation rate at this time is unknnown with H1N1.
I believe the key is early diagnosis. Diagnosed early, it can be easily treated with the anti-viral drugs. Unfortunately, this is not cost effective for the masses. In light of the numbers of children and people that could potentially contract H1N1, from a financial perspective, early diagnosis and treatment is not cost effective. Bringing the vaccine to market without testing and having some serious side effects in a small population is much more cost effective. Unless it is your child that develops some sort of reaction.
Frequent hand washing, not touching your mucous membranes with your hands (eyes, nose, mouth, ears) helps prevent the spread of viral infections. Children who exihibit signs of flu should be kept home. When coughing, children must be encouraged to cover their mouths and cough into their elbow to prevent spread of airborne pathogens.
There are homeopathic remedies that have anti-viral properties. There was a small study from Italy that demonstrated that Elderberry syrup shortened the duration of the H1N1 virus from 7 to 4 days. There are also other supplements that have been shown to have anti-viral properties.
It is a really tough decision, Anne. I think you can see that I am against the vaccine. I believe if you have decent health insurance and access to quality medical care, early diagnosis and treatment with anti-virals is the way to go. I have stock piled one complete dose of Tamiflu. Obviously you cannot do that with children. It has been suggested that you can intermittently administer elderberry syrup-Sambucus (it is incredibly yummy) without any ill effects and it may also have preventative properties. Another small European study showed that the supplements NAC and ginseng administered twice daily had anti-viral properties and decreased the rate of infection significantly compared to the control group that took placebo. This is what I learned from my research and we are doing the NAC +ginseng combo. and elderberry syrup. We also use sublingual oscillococcinum by boiron (sweet little pellets) when we feel a cold or flu coming on and have found it quite effective. There is also an old anti-viral prescription medication called amantadine that showed effectiveness against H1N1.
My old supervisor’s daughter received the vaccine and was very sick for three days. He regretted having her receive it.
Do some research on-line from reputable sources. It really is a tough decision and I think you should do the best you can to educate yourself so that you feel comfortable whichever way you decide to go based on the information you have learned.
How unfair. Your poor kids!
I really don’t know what to tell you about the vaccine. (I don’t have kids.) It seems like from what little I do know, if your kids are healthy and you’re a vigilant mom (which it certainly sounds like you are), you may be better off giving it a pass.
Either way: Happy Halloween!
sorry the awaited social was cancelled. on the other hand, i may be a little scared of swine flu because maybe i live in san diego, where i think there have been a lot reported who has acquired it, actually some of my students had it, but thankfully, they all survive it and got back to school healthy and strong.
We’re vaccinating. The pediatrician doesn’t have it until the second week of November. Assuming he has enough for my three, they’re doing it. I won’t be surprised, though, if they run out. In the end, I anticipate we’ll actually not have access to it until February. In which case we’ll just take a pass.
As for the GBS connection, I’ll stick with snopes and the CDC.
We never get the flu, so I don’t get the seasonal shots for my family. It’s a tough call, because I know some kids that get very sick from the flu so their parents tend to get the shot for them. I know others whose kids feel so bad after the shot that it seems about the same as if they had gotten the flu.
A swine flu outbreak has already closed the school that my boys go to, so I don’t know if that means we’re done here for the season or not–very confusing.
I understand the concern, well maybe not really. It is kids mostly that are dying from this illness. 120 just this past week, according the the CDC. However, how does a bunch of kids at a dance, put them at any more risk, then sitting in an enclosed classroom with twenty or more kids? It makes no sense, and honestly they really look quite ignorant.
I’m nervous about it too and not sure what to do. I’ll be interested in some of the reports out there…right now it isn’t even available at our doctor’s office. I think I will go with the flu shot at least. I’m sorry about the social…seems like people are freaking out a bit too much.
I work in the Human Relations dept at work and the info we are receiving from the CDC is that WE are the test subjects of this vaccine. There was such a rush to make something, ANYTHING, to stop this that there was no time for testing. Getting the shot DOES NOT guarantee that they will not get it. I’m choosing not to go through with this with my kids.
By the way, less people have died from this flu in the whole year that it has been around than have died in a month’s time from regular flu. Stop the panic.
I have no idea. I’m strugglig with the decision too. I’m worried because it’s the healthy kids that are getting it, not the old and not the sickly or young. I wasn’t getting it for my kids but now I’m re-thinking it. We get a DIFFERENT shot up here in Canada for it than you guys do, but no one can tell me why. I’m pretty sure the virus doesn’t uderstand the whole border thing….
Well, I got pressured into getting both the seasonal and H1N1 vaccines this year. I hadn’t gotten a seasonal shot for over a decade. But since I have a newborn my mom (a nurse) and all the nurses/doctors in her office pressured/guilted me into it. If I got sick and passed it on to him I’d never forgive myself. And most of the deaths are young and healthy people. They won’t even offer the shot to people over 65.
I really did NOT want to get either vaccine, but I did. And I haven’t had any reactions whatsoever, which I’m thrilled about. I told the nurses at the dr’s office that I’d be super ticked if I got that Gullain-Barre syndrome.
Oh, and hubby got both vaccines too because he is a first responder and comes into contact with all sorts of the public.
Good luck deciding!
Right now I’m going with not getting the H1N1 for any of us. I got the seasonal flu shot so did my husband and Sissy got the flu mist back in August. My doctor said she has refused to have the H1N1 vaccine in her office stating cases of Guillen-Barre. So that really makes me hesitate to get it for any of us. Our youngest has an egg allergy so he has never had any type of flu shot. I work in a pharmacy so I’m exposed to all kinds of horrible germs on a daily basis. So I’m keeping my fingers crossed and washing my hands and using hand sanitizer.
I think cancelling the the social and other Halloween activities wasn’t the best decision. I know Sissy would’ve been soooo upset. Hope you guys had a great Halloween anyway.
I was at the doctor for myself last week (sinus infection) and while they were doing blood work on me to check my anemia levels, all three nurses who were sitting in the lab with me said that they will not get the shot or the mist. They said that they don’t know enough about it and so they refuse to get it. I agreed with them – it was too rushed to get out and so we really don’t know it’s effectiveness yet.
Too bad the social was canceled. It’s funny how Libby chose to react to the news. I’m sure it gave you some laughs.
I wish I could give you the best advice about whether to get the shot or not but I don’t know what that is. I have decided to give it to my children and I’m just crossing my fingers that it will be the best decision.
Sorry to hear about the cancellation of the social. Libby must have been waiting for it. Hope she was not overly disappointed with it.
As for the vaccine, it is a tough decision to be made for the kids. Either ways, there would be risk involved. If it happens with my sister and her kids, I wouldn’t know if I should advise her to take her kids to be vaccinated too.
My main concern about the vaccine like most people here is that the vaccine was not intensively tested. We do not know the effect it may have on people especially kids.
In the mean time what we can do are to watch our personal hygiene and our diets. We have to be strict to make sure the kids understand the important to watch their personal hygiene not only during this time but at all time. We have to watch what we are feeding our kids too. Something we can ask ourselves is “are we giving them food that can boost their immune systems?” If they watch their personal hygiene, eat healthy and possibly with some exercise, they will have much better chance again H1N1.
That stinks about all the festivities being canceled!! Boo!
I have the same feelings as you. I’m just not sure. I feel more afraid of the reactions to the shot then I do to the actual flu. About 15 years ago my mother, who is a R.N., came down with the Gullain-Barre syndrome after she had a flu shot. Now she has permanent neurological damage in her spine. She told me a few days ago she is concerned about how fast this swine flu vaccine was thrown together. I’m more scared for my 5 year old then I am for myself. Gosh, what to do? Thanks for stopping by Anne. Have a great week.
That’s a bummer that the social was canceled. At least Joanna got to learn some new words from it, though.
I wasn’t going to have Princess Nagger vaccinated, but since her school offered to vaccinate all the kids for free, I signed the permission slip. We’ll see if they actually go through with it. Plus, I guess it will be a test by fire to see if she reacts to flu shots like I do – whenever I got a flu shot, I always got the flu…when I stopped getting the flu shot, I stopped getting the flu. So we’ll see. In this case I hope she doesn’t take after her mama!
Well, here’s how I look at it: If my kid (or I) gets sick, I can be on top of it NOW with Tamiflu or fluids or going to the Hospital. But, if I get my kids vaccinated, I have NO idea what might happen. They might get an irreversible neurological disorder. I just think my kids are actually safer NOT getting the shot.
But that is my decision. You need to make one that fits your family.
I think, though, you have already got the answer for your decision. If your kids do not do well with shots, it may not be the right thing to do. Down here (in TX) they have already began giving the H1N1 vaccine to kids and healthcare workers with the mist that gets sprayed into the nose. Maybe if you want to vaccinate you could ask your physician about that.