Today I took my #4 to the doctor for his "routine check-up" and to tell you the truth I was dreading it. It doesn't matter how nice I am, it always ends up being a debate about the vaccine issue at the end. I have learned not to take it personally and to be prepared with some valid and educated replies. I have been down this road many times.
I was fortunate to get my favorite doctor in the group. Although he doesn't agree with me, he respects me....or at least acts like it. All that matters is that I get to do what I want in the end. He doesn't make me feel like a bad parent or make me feel like I am crazy. However, I have noticed that lately my waiting time has doubled! Today I got there at 10:45am (appt. was at 11:00am) and I didn't see the doctor until almost 12:30am! I thought that was a bit long and I was getting a bit anxious. By the time the doctor stepped into the room, my child was so tired and hungry. He was not in the mood to be bothered. Somehow we managed to get through the physical exam and then he started to write some notes down. He paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and then out of the corner of his mouth muttered, "so...are we doing vaccinations today?" It was kind of funny. I knew that he was just dreading the question all along. I think I surprised him when I said, "yeah, we are." This is when the "fun" began.
He looked up at me and stood more erect and then I continued, "as you know...it looks like we have a genetic disposition for autism and you know how I feel about the whole vaccine-autism link... I want to be careful." He nodded and said, "Of course." I could tell he was waiting to see where I was going with this. I explained how I still wanted to do just one vaccine shot at a time and that I would like to figure out a schedule we could BOTH agree on. He was game! "That was easy, " I thought to myself. We agreed on a schedule and then it began....the discussion. He started telling me how there is no scientific proof that thimerosal in vaccines causes autism (although everyone knows that mercury is dangerous....remember those mercury thermometers?...and they were injecting that into babies!), but they have to take it out and his practice won't buy any vaccines with it for fear that they will get sued. Then he said that they did studies in other places where they took the thimerosal out and the autism rate still increased (a very flawed study since there is still thimerosal in flu vaccines and trace amounts in many childhood vaccines given today). He also started lecturing me about how it's just a coincidence that parents notice autism at about the same time kids get shots. (although you can't say that since babies get shots the first few hours of their life and continue to do so well into their 18th month)...."Here we go again....," I thought.
Well...I just listened and let him get it out of his system. THEN I chimed in...hehe... I looked him straight in the eye and said, "Now Doctor, you mean to tell me that even after everything that has happened with my kids and the difference there is with my #4 you won't even admit that there MIGHT be a chance that SOME kids are just predisposed to autism and that MAYBE vaccines are a trigger?" He said, "No way! There is just no proof. It's like you said...it's genetic." I continued, "What about metabolism? It's like my girl....she's got a metabolic disorder...maybe some kids can't metabolize stuff in vaccines...." Then he interrupted and said, "Oh..yeah, I forgot that she had Wilson's Disease. All her autism symptoms could be explained by that and she got better because you treated her." Then I said, "No...we didn't know she had Wilson's until recently and she got better waaay before then." (Do you see where this is going?)
I decided that it wasn't worth the time and I just stopped right there. I wanted to tell him that he was so closed-minded that he didn't want to listen to the truth. I also wanted to argue and prove my case, but deep in my heart I knew that he wasn't going to listen. THEN....I asked about the MMR. I asked if I could get separate shots. He explained how it's too expensive and they would have to buy a "batch" of them and the rest would be wasted. He said if I was willing to pay for the entire batch then he would do it. I asked how much it would cost and he gave me a "political answer" by saying that they charge about ten to fifteen percent above cost (which is bull) .....not giving me any specific numbers. He said I could try the health department but he didn't know of ANY doctors in our area that did them separately. I asked if any other parents had asked about it like I did and he said "a few" had. I wish I could get their names so we could go in together on a "batch".....that would be nice.
An interesting thing to note is that we discussed the different vaccines that my child had not been given. When we went over specific ones he mentioned how my child was too old to get them now. Then he said that polio was eradicated so didn't need to be on my priority list. Interesting, huh? Go figure....my child is 2 1/2 and didn't need those shots. So....he just proved my point today. Vaccines are all about money. If you have a healthy child and you live in the good old USA then there are plenty of vaccines that your child does NOT need. Parents are scared into giving babies unnecessary vaccines.
I have done my research and there are actually childhood illnesses that are worse if you get as an adult. Chicken Pox is definitely one of them. Ask anyone who has had the shingles! The only reason they have the chicken pox vaccine is because there are a lot of working parents who cannot miss a week or two of work. When I was a kid I NEVER heard of anyone dying of chicken pox. NOW.....all of a sudden they are spreading rumors of the numbers of children who have died in the past and how we have to vaccinate against it! That's crazy! There WERE children who died of complications due to chicken pox, but they were sick to begin with.....they were immunocompromised. Those children were already sick and the chicken pox complicated their condition. I think that if a child TODAY is in that subgroup then by all means vaccinate.... However, if your baby is healthy and normal then why bother? Even my mom said that she new many people who got the measles and it wasn't any big deal. The other day I saw an old movie on t.v. and one of the characters had the mumps and she was upset because she had to miss a date with a cute guy.....it wasn't any big deal. Her cheeks were all swollen and she had to stay in bed. So....I am asking you....is it REALLY worth the risk?
What about lifetime immunity. There is something to be said about that. When you get the chicken pox or other "childhood illnesses" then your body is immune to those things and you will never have to have a "booster shot" because your body is an amazing machine. They are already seeing that the chicken pox vaccine doesn't always work. That means that there are kids who get the vaccine and they still get chicken pox. So...their solution is to offer more "booster shots" and that should do the trick, right? Why is the vaccine not working with some kids? Why do we have to have so many vaccines and why don't we just let our immune system do its job? Let me ask you this: is it not better to get the chicken pox as a child, have lifetime immunity and be done with it...... OR is it better to get the vaccine and then hope it works, but if it doesn't then get it when you're older or an adult? I just think it's called a "childhood illness" for a reason.
I've had people ask me....but what if your child got the measles? They are beginning to see an increase in measles in some areas and it's because parents are not vaccinating. They say they might see an epidemic if something is not done soon. Well...that's a legitimate concern. Doctors should make the MMR vaccine available in separate shots so that parents like me have that option. However, I have a better question for them: would you rather your child get measles or autism? That is not a choice any parent should have to make. I think the chances of your child getting measles is a lot less than having some kind of neurological damage such as autism. Did you know that the rate of autism is now 1:150?!! Now THAT is an "epidemic"!!!
This is my final thought: the same way drugs are not a one-size fits all.... vaccines are not either. It is my belief that modern technology, better hygiene, better nutrition, and other factors have made it to where we live longer and healthier lives. A long time ago, people died from the flu... now unless you are very young or very old, it's unheard of. I know it sucks to be sick...however, it also sucks to die or to get brain damage from toxins that your body can't get rid of (by the way, thimerosal is not the only bad thing in vaccines). My point is that I don't think vaccinating against certain things is worth the risk of the vaccine in the first place. Everytime you give your child a shot you sign your name to give them permission and you also agree that you won't sue the doctor if anything goes wrong. They have a compensation program....but let me tell you, you won't get any money unless your child DIES or if you have documentation that something happened. Of course, doctors aren't going to admit anything happened cause vaccines are "safe"....so you're out of luck!
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Open your mind and you will see that the answer
is usually staring you right in the face.
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