To get flu vax or not?

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I had the flu vaccine a few years ago when pg with DD4. It made me VERY ill, so much so that I haven’t had it since and have refused it for all my three of my DC in previous years. HOWEVER, I’ve just read that we are set to have the biggest outbreak in fifty years and it’s put a seed of doubt in my mind as to whether I’ve made the correct decision this year.

So, AIBU to refuse the vaccination this year? Honest opinions needed please.

Husband got a terrible side effect from having it last year - not flu but a neurological condition which he still suffers from when he picks up a virus. I've chosen not to have it this year given his neurologist suggested he shouldn't have it for at least 4-5 years if ever!

To put in context we are not anti-vaxers.

I got told herd immunity was a myth today

I vaccinate my kids any myself

The same person who told me that was stunned that someone would be allowed to read the insert because apparently they hide them even from doctors

I'm so scared he will have amother seizure. I mean terrified. I don't think I'll ever be able to sleep without him being at my side.

If I hadn't have slept with him last Wednesday night he would be dead becaue he stopped breathing after the seizure. Then he had another seizure in A&E and they had to sedate him to put a tube down his throat. I'm terrified and I feel sick and I can't the eying of anything else. I can't stop staring at him and I can't eat because I'm so nervous. I had to give him CPR after his seizure and I can't see anything else in my mind apart from him lieing on the floor and not breathing. I'm so scared and I have to go back to work next week

it's dark now and it happend in the dark at night. since last week we have been with medical professionals. This is the first time we have been on our own and it's dark again. What if he's poorly in a few weeks with a temp and it all happens again but this time he dies

I have to go to sleep tonight because.I'm really tired but last time I fell asleep at home was the start of the pervious week

I just want to be safe in the hospital bed cuddling my litthe boy with the nurses and Dr's calling st our bed every few minutes.

I don't have a clue about seizures or CPR or anything. I'm panicking alot

Showergirl
My family has a genetic condition called GEFS+, my DGM,DM and Dsis and My DS 22 all had it. It meant they had febrile convulsions past the age of 5 (DM and DSIS were 10 and DS was 13) my DD also had 4 febrile convulsions at the age of 3, so i know how scary they are.
It is extremely rare for a child to die from a fc, if they do it is because of other underlying issues.

Most children will not go onto have another fc, let alone a 3rd, my families genetic problem was unknown until a few years ago, despite my family can trace it back to dgm who was born in 1912, it is very rare. FC do run in families but usually just 1 or 2 and not past 5years of age.

There is a wonderful piece of advice from Dr Christopher Green along the lines of "A febrile convulsion does very little damage to a child, only their mothers nerves"
Hopefully your son will have no more, but it is better for him to be protected against illness than not, get advice from your sons doctors on whether he should have anymore vaccines. My children have had all theirs.

it's the fact that he didn't breath after it and theyou havnt given me answers why

Do you actually know he had stopped breathing properly though? from what i can gather sometimes they appear to have stopped breathing but air is still going into their lungs and will start breathing properly again, once the fit stops.

Could the hospital refer you too someone you talk to about what's happened?

In my Trust you can read your child's notes with a doctor present to go through it all with you.

"But according to Dr. Joshi, breathing irregularities are another item in the horrifying-but-expected category: Children may still be taking in air, if irregularly, and spells of seizure-induced breath-holding are usually too brief to be a serious concern."

which is from the following article

I do think he stopped breathing because they was giving him air in A&E and they said they couldnot do it forever so they sedated him and put him on a ventilator down his throat. Then he was put on ICU. I was so relived when he woke up breathing for himself a day later!!

I don't think they care about how I feel. They were so busy and rushed of their feet. However my GP has phoned and asked to see Finley becaue she wants to talk to us. The practice is also concerned because they give him the flu vaccine

oh shit I just gave his name. never mind. I'm too stressed to care

DS and I have been advised to have it because of DH's cancer. I hate needles but the worry of him getting ill outweighs my fears. We are going on Thursday to have it done - and my GP is doing it free because apparently I'm classed as a carer.

more info

"your child may hold their breath for up to 30seconds, they may go blue in the face"

They do sedate if the fit goes on too long. I was given rectal diazepam for ds if the fit went on for more than 10 minutes. The last time when ds was 13 he was at school and from what i can gather started fitting again when the ambulance arrived and they gave him diazepam by drip. He had walking pneumonia that time.

When my DS came out of hospital my GP went through it with me, she had a pretty good idea what had happened. I presume his notes or a summary of his care had been passed on.

My DS was ventilated, I was unconscious in theatre but DH was not allowed on the unit while they did it.

Are you getting any rest/eating?

I got the jab last year. Never a pleasant experience. Unfortunately I then caught a different strain of the flu. Fever and crazy vivid nightmares for 3 days, feeling poorly for nearly 5 weeks... I'll DEFINITELY get the jab again this year on the off-chance it will work. If a couple of days of discomfort can spare me weeks, it's a no-brainer! I'll also not hesitate to ask those who interact regularly with my newborn to get it. Flu is no joke.

I have been sleeping soundly at hospital as I have been sleeping in DS bed on the high dependency ward and then the children's ward knowing that a nurse was along every so often doing his STATS.

I now know what to do if he stops breathing after another one but it was awful that they sedated him and put him in ICU.

Why did they put him on antibiotics and say they think he had an infection? Then today tell me they don't know of he had an infection and they will never know?! I just don't understand what has happened

Shower you sound completely traumatised which is understandable, you need to make an appointment with your ds's Dr and ask lots of questions, have they given you a follow appointment with a paediatrician?

I went through similar 18 months ago with dd, she contracted flu and after 48 hours her airway had swollen up so much they had to ventilate her. She was a fit and healthy 10 year old, she was not immuno compromised in any way and flu nearly killed her. We spent two days in PICU and a further week in hospital.

Please vaccinate, I would not wish what we went through on anyone.

The first one ds was 15 months had we never knew what caused it. He cut a tooth that night, which may have been a coincidence but tests showed up no infection. After that he had fc when he had ear infections, flu, tonsillitus.

I am traumatised. I can't stop images flashing theu my mind.

I will make an appointment with GP tomorrow and hopefully talking through it with a Dr I know will help. Thanks everyone

Shower it might be worth a double appointment and get yourself checked over as well.

I can't stop images flashing theu my mind.

www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/#.We-aBYZ4WEc

That's a link to a MH site with information about PTSD, I'm not a doctor and no one can internet diagnose you. That's what symptoms I started with, I tried dealing with it myself and it just got worse.

Medical trauma is a common cause