My four children have measles.

[Spidermama]

I'm almost at the end of it now.

My 7 year old got it first and was ill throughout half term. The other three have just had the week off school with it and are still loafing around on the sofas at the tail end.

We've lived like vampires in darkened rooms.
During the worst days (probably about 2 days per child) I had to carry them upstairs to the toilet, hold bottled water to their mouths to get them to drink, and DS2 didn't eat anything for four whole days.

We're on the home stretch now and they just need fattening up. It has been a very bonding, intense experience and I'm really glad they have now got natural, lifelong immunity.

I hesitated before starting this thread. I have talked about my childrens measles on the vax thread but I wondered if I could have a measles thread which didn't turn into a vax debate. I also thought the subject deserves a thread of it's own because it's a really big deal for me.

None the less this is such a full on, eminal parenting moment for me, I would hate to let it pass without sharing it with MN. It would feel somehow wrong, like concealing stuff from my family almost.

So DS3 bounced back very quickly. He was flat out and barely able to whisper one day - the next je was out on the trampoline in full gold cape superhero gear. DD1 is also bouncing back nicely. DS2 and DS4 are a bit slower but showing improvement by the hour.

DH is away by the way so I'm here on my own.

I've been saddened and surprised by you attitude on this thread MP.

Why? I'm very much pro-vaccination for people with healthy children and no reason to avoid it. Single jabs are there for people who don't like the MMR. I think the statistics speak for themselves. But I haven't made any comments whatsoever about your personal choice. I don't really feel that strongly about it, TBH. But I don't like the suggestions on the thread that people who are pro-vaccination are somehow a bit dim and sheep-like (not from your posts in particular).

I do suspect that if my DD contracted any 'serious' illness she would probably not fight it off. So from a purely selfish POV I'm very much in favour of eradicating as much as possible so that I don't have to keep her in her room.

Okay a few people have mentioned statisitcs on here, so heres another one, taken from the cdc website (American centre for disease control www.cdc.gov).

'Approximately 30,000 VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) reports are filed annually, with 10?15% classified as serious (causing disability, hospitalization, life-threatening illness or death).'

So in America, each year 3,000-3,500 peoples lives are either lost, ruined or severely hindered due to vaccination. I think that is an absolutely shocking statistic and that is just the officially reported cases.

I am not against vaccination but I am certainly against unsafe vaccination which is what we have in this country and America (don't know the ins and outs of other countries). We are giving too many vaccines (some unnecessary), too close together, too soon in childrens lives.

I would like to thank Spidermama for posting her story on here it has been interesting to read a real life story of what happens when a child has measles. I don't blame you for leaving this thread now Spidermama, but if you do read this like another poster said take the opportunity to realise who your true friends in life are. If someone is ill informed enough to tell your child you are cruel for not giving the MMR then be glad you no longer need them in your life.

BTW, I come from what is considered a 'developing' country where diseases like TB (what the BCG jab is designed to protect against) still happens now and then. When I took DS (then 4 months old) over to visit my parents, I made sure he had his BCG before he went. There was a story when I was there that they were trying to trace all the passengers on a flight that flew recently in the region where interestingly, a young British woman had travelled on and she was diagnosed with TB shortly after she had been on the flight. That is the kind of horror situation you never want to find yourself in but it does happen. My grandmother has enough horror stories about the days where she has had (and known) children who had died from what are preventable diseases now. There is no question where I come from that you immunise your children (and yes, with the MMR).

But Spidermama, well done you for nursing your children back to health! I can barely cope with one sick child, let along FOUR REALLY sick children.

Spidermama - it isn't measles after all . I think I suffer from hypochondria by proxy! It was still pretty nasty, though, and she didn't eat for 4 days. She's turned a corner now, though, and I got some sleep last night!

It must have been so tough nursing all your children through measles.

I'm very sure you didn't make your decisions lightly and it was brave of you to post as you did.

Are you all totally recovered now?

'Fio just dirty looks, people I considered friends NOT phoning me, avoiding me, and my ds saying, "X's mum says you're mean for not giving us the MMR". '

I'd have avoided you like the plague because my baby is too young for the MMR and, for some reason, I don't want to experience my 'seminal parenting' moments worrying if he's going to develop meningitis.

He has swine flu now and that's bad enough, if he picked up measles at the same time it could kill him.

It's a lot of the reason why people in the African nation where my landlords are living walk for days to get vaccines for their children: it's one less thing to kill them.

We have the luxury of being able to make other decisions in this country.

But why poo poo everyone who decides otherwise for their children as sheeple and meeja-kowtowers or people who don't know what is best for their children?

Yes, most people recover from these illnesses without complications, but some don't. Some die.

You don't honestly think vaccines are created for the hell of it?

Spidermama, what a shame you've decided not to revisit this thread. Yes there have been some harsh posts, which was probably always going to happen - but I for one have found your description of your experience useful and eye opening and I've (enjoyed isn't the right word but my brain isn't operating on 100% today) enjoyed getting the updates about your DC's.

I wholeheartedly agree with you btw in your beliefs about everything you've talked about in this thread. Environment, immune systems etc etc - the works.

Expat, your poor ds...hope he has it mildly and gets well soon.

swine flu expat? Your poor babe. Is he coping with it?

Yes, swine flu. He, DD1 and I got hit the hardest. In DH and DD2, it's been more like a heavy cold. DD1 and DS spiked a fever and got wretched - d&v, cough, headache, etc. In me it's been mostly the cough, d&v, and a lot of weakness in my chest, but I suspect my lungs may have been scarred by a bad bout of pneumonia I had about 13 years ago.

Not nearly as bad as the times I had normal flu, but in small children who might pick something else up, too, who knows.

I hope no one would feel I was slighting them if I avoided them knowing there was active measles in their family.

But all you know, actions have consequences, and if you decide not to vaccinate your children, which is fair enough, and then they get measles, you have to accept that some people aren't going to want to or be able to be around you and take it on the chin.

I mean, for all you know, there may be a reason why it could be dangerous for them to around someone who has measles.

Sure, there's risk all around, but some people aren't keen to jaywalk, IYKWIM.

And if I knew someone who was on their own with four kids with measles, I probably wouldn't phone them because I'd feel the person was exhausted enough dealing with just that.

hope you all feel better soon expat.

im shocked at this thread spidermama
why would you not vaccinate them ???
they could of died
am i missing something 'bonding experience'ffs

Firstly can I just say that I do believe vaccination is a personal choice and whilst it should be encouraged I don't really think it should be enforced.
I however firmly believe in vaccination and herd immunity for myself and my family.
However I am a little concerned at a few of the posters here who mention that measles vaccination does not provide life long immunity, since when? I was not aware of any adult measles vaccinations or similarly have not been made aware of any adult measles outbreaks.
Measles can kill, yes it's rare but it's a definite and real risk for a very small percentage of children, why would anyone take this chance and then hope their children catch measles to develop 'life-long immunity'
Many vaccinations are life long (those usually in which a weakened or dead virus is given as vaccine) and few require frequent boosters.
BTW, TB vaccination is only 80% protective and as such the USA choose not to vaccinate.
Each to their own spidermama but I do feel that your children were lucky to only be ill for a week and luckier still not to have any comlplications.
Not meant to flame you in any way, glad you got through it all and sorry to hear about your friend.

What did you expect posting a thread like this everybody to pat you on the back and agree with you. Lets face it your 4 children have been through a serious and some would consider a preventable disease. great yours have bounced back but what about the people they will have passed it on to who may have babies etc. Where is your social consense

Expat, glad you're all ok now, sounds horrible. There's been a bit of it at our local school (near dd's, but not).

And glad SM's kids are ok, too.

Thanks, Eli. Hopefully the worst is behind us now. But we are confirmed, positive cases.

There is no way to prevent what we had.

My DD1 was hit very hard by it.

She is underweight to begin with and really has no underlying medical conditions.

But it hit her very, very hard.

I don't technically have underlying medical conditions, but when I was younger I had pneumonia as a complication of regular flu and the pulmonologist warned me that my lungs were scarred.

I knew this wasn't just a cold because of how it affected my chest.

So you see, it's not so cut and dry, why some folks vaccinate.

And if you chose not to, well then, if you get all bent of shape because some folks avoid you when your family have active measles, well, ffs, you can't just expect everyone to embrace your decision with open arms.

I mean, feck, some folks, stuff just hits them hard and they don't like taking unecessary chances because of it.

I dunno why you'd post if you were so fragile you made a decision like that and then couldn't deal with the fallout from that.

I dunno, man.

There's so much we can't plan or protect for, you know, with our kids.

I look at me and my life. How it's worked out. How it may go. How it will go.

My sister was like, 'What are you running from?'

And I thought, 'Maybe some people run not to get away but to get to where they were meant to go. . . .'

Sort of like, not all who wander are lost.

But for me, it's cutting out what I don't need to risk, because there's so much else I can't control, you know.

Fair enough if you feel differently. That's cool, I guess. Well, not really but I won't go there.

Still, you can't expect everyone to stand aside and applaud.

I mean, seriously?

I get the cutting out the risks you can. I know a bit about the risks you can't. Though I also see that we all see 'risk' as meaning something different...and one person's risk is another person's safety, etc.

Anyway: the flu thing for people with weak chests is scary, and I'm just glad you and your dd1 are both ok (as well as the others, obviously). dh has asthma, dd1 has it mildly, dd2 has laryngomalacia and I do feel scared for them all, flu-wise, eventually. A friend of dd1's had flu last week - she was back at school white as a sheet yesterday, better today: her mum told me she'd had diarrhoea, a bit of vomiting, lost appetite, high fever, sore throat, not much cough though. We both wonder if it was swine flu, though her mother didn't think to get it checked out at the time so we'll never know (unless her family and school go down with it next!).

I have to admit, I gave them both a lift back from the playground today but yesterday, I was a little anxious about her being back at school. No judgement involved, just a simple desire to protect.

I'd expect neighbours to stand well back if I had flu/measles/croup/RSV/D&V etc.

I would not expect them to avoid me if I had AIDS, cancer, sudden deafness, a bereavement, etc.

Strangely though, in RL people often do the opposite of what I expect

And, Expat, it sounds v scary re your dd1.

Mine had measles too (was vaccinated), but very mildly. I'm sorry this has been so awful for your kids and yourself, hope they are quite recovered now. You did all the right things by the sound of it.

I remember having measles when I was a child many years ago too, don't think it was too bad. My parents made sure I wasn't lying around with a lot of light in my eyes.

THIS THREAD IS FROM 2009!

What's worse is I remember it.

I noticed after I posted. I wasn't on here in 2009. It is a very interesting thread, what I've read of it anyway. Very long!