Would you write a letter about the vaccinators?

[PineConeWar]

Is that a word? The babies students giving the vaccinations.

DS is petrified of vaccines, needed three of us to hold him down for his last lot of regular vaccines and his Covid shot was no different. I got EMLA plasters for him, he happily walked into the vaccination centre but went into fighting meltdown as soon as he saw the syringe. He also hates people touching him (asd) and doesn't like people asking him questions . The two (student) nurses were very patient, kind and called for reinforcements, but clearly had never encountered a patient like my DS before. We managed to get him vaccinated in the end, I've just about recovered and he is highly motivated to get his second vaccination this week. They wrote on his appointment form that for his second, he should be sent straight to them if possible so we don't have to wait and so he sees familiar faces. Hopefully they will be there.

I am under no illusions that he will walk in, let himself be vaccinated and out again. If he refuses to walk in, I will have no chance of getting him in. Somehow he remembers the last appointment as "it was fine, they were really nice people who vaccinated me" which is why he is happy to go back. I remember the 20 odd minutes of tears, screams, scuffles... They both looked a bit shell-shocked when we left.

I wonder if I should write a letter for them to give to their boss thanking them for, I don't know, their kindness/patience/understanding/professionalism in treating DS because it can't have been a nice experience for them. Or is that a bit weird?

@keepOutOfTheFridgeDerek

DS is petrified of vaccines, needed three of us to hold him down for his last lot of regular vaccines and his Covid shot was no different.

Bloody monstrous. Though I doubt anyone else here will tell you that. As long as vaccines are administered anything goes doesn't it.

I agree. Stuff like this can make a phobia worse.

Is there a point where the vaccinator will refuse to inject someone?

My daughter has ASD and is like this with any blood tests or injections. She has not had the covid vaccine, no one will be pinning her down I am afraid! She had covid recently and thankfully was absolutely fine.

@keepOutOfTheFridgeDerek

DS is petrified of vaccines, needed three of us to hold him down for his last lot of regular vaccines and his Covid shot was no different.

Bloody monstrous. Though I doubt anyone else here will tell you that. As long as vaccines are administered anything goes doesn't it.

...what??

Pfft. Can't be arsed. I have a severely autistic son, do you think he consents to any medical procedure that involves momentary discomfort? I have to make decisions in his best interests because I'm his mother, and I will have to do that for as long as I'm alive and have capacity, because he never will have capacity. So please do fuck off. You clearly have no idea.

Did those saying it is monstrous, read the bit where he is motivated to have his second jab.

I’d go further actually- I’d ring the centre beforehand, explain the situation, ask if he can be taken straight through and ask if there’s any way humanly possible he could see Jane and Mary again.

@keepOutOfTheFridgeDerek

DS is petrified of vaccines, needed three of us to hold him down for his last lot of regular vaccines and his Covid shot was no different.

Bloody monstrous. Though I doubt anyone else here will tell you that. As long as vaccines are administered anything goes doesn't it.

Nope , no . You don't get to do that.

Truly how dare you ? I have an ASD son and you have absolutely no idea. I've had to at times hold him to clean his ears at times. I've had to sit in the bath with him when he was younger in a damn swimming costume with legs wrapped around him to wash his damn hair because it was the only way he felt safe. Its. Not. Just. About. Vaccines.

You absolutely do not get to push your agenda at the expense of the trauma for parents who need to go through this.

Vaccines, basic self care , sometimes actually eating and drinking are hard as hell sometimes. Don't you dare coopt this to make a stupid political point.

This isn't about obsession with vaccines this is about the relentless constant need to protect and support your child when they don't understand basic needs. You have no idea and your comment is stupid and ignorant. I hope you are truly disgusted with yourself for making that comment.

@PineConeWar please do, it’s so lovely to have someone go out of their way to say Thankyou
Things are tough and about to get a whole lot worse in healthcare and a kind Thankyou would lift my spirits.

Absolutely 100% do it. There is nothing better than positive feedback, plus having it in writing means they can refer to it in annual reviews.

Send that letter! They will really appreciate it. I sent a thank you card to my GP earlier this year who contacted me a while later to say thank you, that it meant so much to them and that it really helped boost their motivation and morale.

Go for it, OP! :)

Please do OP. I am a student midwife and we love to get feedback and can use it as evidence for the practical element of our degree.

If you know their university you could address it there and give the location, date day and time of appt.
or same advice addressed to the local NHS board.
And yes- as a student nurse that would make my day! Last year I had a Xmas card addressed to “lowly the student” from a former patient is seen on placement at a local hospital and the hospital tracked me down to get it to me. (That placement had finished a few months earlier).
I still have that card and will keep it.

Ahh that’s so nice to hear. I would say write the letter, it’ll make their day!

Reminds me of my vaccinator. She was so incredibly lovely and reassuring.

I'm wondering if I was there tbh. When I was having my jab there was a young person who was actually really upset and protesting about having it, I couldn't see as it was behind a curtain but it did sound like they were holding them. I found it really distressing tbh.

Kids are generally fine with covid. I am not sure we should be forcing children to have it - doesn't gillick competency apply here too instead of just being acceptable the other way round. I totally get this if covid is similar to other childhood disease - but its not.

We are now talking about Israel moving on to their 4th vaccine - are you really going to have to do this every few months? The WHO have said we need to stop this continual boosting and push the vaccine to other parts of the world that still have none. Children unless CV should not be priority or being forced.

Sorry I know this is going to be an unpopular post.

How lovely of you to think of them! Not sure where you are but in Scotland this can also be done on line which goes straight to senior management on the careopinion website.

Why are people piling on with comments about what they think is right/wrong. None of us know the situation with OPs son.

OP that gesture sounds lovely 😊 Not enough kindness around (evidently) and I’m making a special effort to be super polite and grateful to anyone in a key worker role right now.

Pinning him down to have a quick vaccine is probably a whole lot less distressing than being admitted to ICU without his mum and having all sorts of procedures being done to him.

I think that's a lovely idea. Peoole are so quick to applying but not as quick to praise. I'm sure it would mean a lot to them.

He is 5ft5, and 46kg. If he won't walk to the bus and walk into the centre then I have no chance of getting him there. He knows why he needs to have the vaccination, he knows the paediatrician has told him to have it, he knows we want him to have it and he knows how they work and why they work. I am 98% certain he will walk in without any problem, it will only be when he sees the needle that he will panic.

She has not had the covid vaccine, no one will be pinning her down I am afraid! She had covid recently and thankfully was absolutely fine.
That's nice for her, but bears absolutely no relation to how my son might react to Covid. What if she had not been absolutely fine? Would you still be thankful?

I'm wondering if I was there tbh. When I was having my jab there was a young person who was actually really upset and protesting about having it, I couldn't see as it was behind a curtain but it did sound like they were holding them. I found it really distressing tbh.
I doubt it. But I can assure you it was worse for me.

Pinning him down to have a quick vaccine is probably a whole lot less distressing than being admitted to ICU without his mum and having all sorts of procedures being done to him.
This. In spades. And frankly, a vaccination is nothing compared to dental treatment 😩

Is there a point where the vaccinator will refuse to inject someone?
I don't know. Maybe. They did ask for my explicit consent to hold him whilst vaccinating him.

do you think he consents to any medical procedure that involves momentary discomfort? I have to make decisions in his best interests because I'm his mother, This. We are his parents and we have to make decisions in his long-term best interests.

Kids are generally fine with covid. I am not sure we should be forcing children to have it - doesn't gillick competency apply here too instead of just being acceptable the other way round. Are they though? Our paediatrician was very clear she thinks the benefits of the vaccine outweigh this risks of catching Covid. I have no idea how Gillick competency applies for vaccinations, especially when SN are involved.

Doesn’t Autism fall within high risk category for COVID.

@GlomOfNit
@Nietzschethehiker
@PineConeWar

Well done to all of you for the tough and often thankless and emotionally/ physically exhausting efforts you make for your children.

I'm sorry that some people are so low and so up their own arses that they think it's OK to denigrate your parenting in order to push their own stupid agenda.

I have a relative with severe sen who needs to be essentially knocked out to have any dental treatment done. It's hard. Perhaps these **s would prefer that all her teeth rot and fall out of her head.

I think it would be lovely to write in praise of the vaccinators if you have the time and energy

Yes! Write the letter! I am happy to complain when I feel it's warranted but I always like to write when things go well too. We all need praise now and again, especially as they are students - all good feedback is great for their confidence and record!

Yes, I’d write a letter

My daughter has Tourette’s. Getting the jabs was “fun”

The staff were brilliant with her, very patient and yes, we did need a bit of help with holding her still as her tics just weren’t playing ball for the 15 seconds it took to jab her.

She’s 16 and wanted the jab

Yes definitely write the letter. Student nurses are asked to compile feedback as part of their documentation whilst on placement (at least we were when I qualified 9 years ago). Nurses in general need feedback as part of the NMC revalidation process, this can be hard to get sometimes as its not appropriate in some situations so the feedback presented is very samey. It's a huge boost to get positive feedback from patients/families/carers.

Does your hospital or GP practice a liaison nurse? I'm an RNLD and over the years have been involved in various creative ways of people having various interventions and tests etc when there are difficulties due to a learning disability, ASD and/or mental health difficulties. There should be someone to facilitate this.

OP, Gillick competence absolutely applies in relation to vaccinations, as with all health treatments/medicines/procedures. If a young person is Gillick competent, they can ultimately refuse the vaccine. LD/special needs are obviously taken into account in the assessment of whether the person (of any age) is Gillick competent. Vaccinators are however ensuring parental consent for young people under 16, but ultimately if the parent consented and the child didn’t, or vice versa, the child’s view would prevail if Gillick competent, and the parent’s view if child not competent.