Just booked Dd MMr but am scared

[Georgiesmum]

I have just booked Dd 1st MMr jab and now I am worrying. My DP and I have looked onto it and decided to go through with it but I am alittle scared still.

It seems we parents are having to try a decide which is the lesser of two evils. Not vaccinate and risk the illnesses or vacinnate and risk autism. I am finding it so hard and am so scared that my decision COULD determine the rest of my daughters life.

Anybody else fell the same?

I think it's dangerous to assume that if your child's been vaccinated you don't need to worry about measles. Vaccination isn't 100% reliable, although being vaccinated usually means that if a child does get the illness, it will be milder than average.

But don't they need a booster at teenage-dom?

true caligula.

we went for the single vaccines, and though expensive, it has given us peace of mind about it, knowing that we've given him the protection (as far as can be offered, as caligula says) without the attendant worries and uncertainty.

As jimjams said it's not possible to know who will be damaged by MMR and while the numbers are absolutely miniscule, it'w whether you can go with them, or not. And a colleague's daughter has autism which he would bet all the money in the world, was caused by her jab, and he was so passionate and eloquent in describing her life and their life, that it seemed silly NOT to take the single vaccine option as it was available...
It worked for us.

georgiesmum, there is no proven link between MMR and autism, where did you get that information?

I was still nervous about vaccinating ds but as there is no proven risk what was the point, he had his jab and has been fine.

Good luck with your decision

I've had 3 kids in 3 different countries (not UK), and there's no debate over mmr in any of them. All the paediatricians I've had (lots) say it's just something in UK media. Children die from measles. The link between mmr and autism is speculative, and seems to be based on the 'fact' that autism becomes apparent at around the age the mmr is given.

I sympathise georgiesmum. I booked ds's mmr appointment this afternoon for a couple of weeks time. We dithered around with dd and finally had hers done when she was 18months (is now 4 and aa quarter) and she was/is fine, but I still am having pangs of concern thinking about ds.

Like Jimjams I'm weary of discussing it.

I won't do the jabs though.
If you like I can point you in the direction of plenty of research and literature which backs up my decision, but you may already have read all you need to so I don't want to be pushy.

Sparkle, are the single vaccines thimerosal-free? Did your dc's have any reactions to them?

the 'fact' that autism becomes apparent around the time the MMR is given.
Oh I luurrve this one. Has me rolling on the floor with laughter. 'Tis a pile of pants. Silly little mummy over there didn't notice her kid having seuzires before (as that is the common sign of a serious dodgy MMR reaction). Autism can be missed at the time, but is all too apparent in retrospect- when its there. Research last yearish showed that parents were accurate at recording the age of regression- if there had been one. (study done using retorspective videotapes and blind researchers- they accurately picked out the kids who has regressed, and the dates tallied with parental reports- how weird and unusual parent spending 24 hours a day with their child know them better than doctors who have never met them).

I'm still not debating but just popping head into say MMR and single jabs all thimerosal free (and yep is the same thing as thiomersal). The thimerosal used to be found in the baby jabs, still in anti D afaik ask mears) and be wary of flu jabs.

If you want a good book giving the current situation regarding genetic susceptibility and environmental triggers read Richard Lathe (sorry tamum again) Autism, Brain and Environment

Do singles if you are worried, Georgiesmum?

Caligula - MM & R are live vaccines, so they don't contain thimerosal (a preservative).

'But don't they need a booster at teenage-dom? '

YES!

And all too often it's not offered to them.

The result is that we've had NINE confirmed cases of mumps in the small department where I work - among adults aged 19-23.

They all became very, very ill w/it.

One even went back to her GP and requested an MMR, b/c she is worried about having no immunity to rubella when she decides to have a family.

She had to write to her MSP to get it.

werd she hadto write to her mp expat. I asked for a rubella immunity check pre-ttc and was given one.

btw, my dd had single measles and single mumps a yera apart but won't be having any more jabs (for now, at least)

with ds - 20 months - my instinct says not to (atm).

caligula, the thimerosol bit was answered by jimjams before I got back on here - and no, my DS had no reactions at all to the single jabs.

I'm too uninformed about the science of it to know whether this is significant but he has had reactions to the jabs which are not single ie, diptheria, tetanus, whooping cough, which he had a huge rash reaction to......so completely unscientifically, this made me even more happy that we'd given him the 'big ones' seperately!!!

My son had his MMR on Thursday last week. On his first night he was unsettled, crying, couldn't get to sleep. He had a temperature on Sunday and Monday. He had a very unsettled night Monday night. He has been off his milk and food. He is lacking in energy. Today he had diarrhoea. Nappies stink really badly too. If he doesn't improve tomorrow he'll be down the GPs.

According to the practice nurse who gave him the injection the only side effect is a possible swelling in the neck or rash about 3 weeks after the jab. But a leaflet I picked up in the chemist said some get a temperature 6-10 days afterwards. OK, so all the things he has had are all co-incidence then? Hmmm I think not.

Don't know how much longer this will go on for, but hopefully better than nursing him through measles, mumps and german measles.

they're tits about it here, jimjams. stingy, greedy gits about something that could save someone's life just b/c it doesn't fit in w/their targets or budget.

that girl was really, really ill. another will not be able to graduate b/c he was unable to sit his exams - he is FURIOUS he was never offered a booster MMR as a teen. in still another case, the mumps attacked the victim's ovaries. she has no idea what long-term damage may result from this as she is only 19.

Update-read today- latest figures (reported/calculated by somone who I believe developed a rabies vaccine so he's hardly anti vaccine) are that MMR triggers autism in about 5% of cases (so very similar to the 7% I've been spouting for the last 3 years). Previous heavy metal exposure may or may not be involved. But he reckons heavy metals (not just mecury), and possibly other chemicals (from industry) are the real nasties. Which is also what I've been saying for years. With a susceptible genetic background of course. And according to him not too wise to eat too much sea fish whilst pregnant or young (which of course I did in ds1's case it was pre the toxic warnings but during the 'fish oils are good for you' days- should just point out that fish oils are good for you- but perhaps better in a detoxified pricey capsule than a toxic fish.

Anyway wanted to bring up to date.

I started uni last year and received a letter from them with regards to mumps. As a mature student routine immunisation for mumps had not began in the 60's. I couldn't get single mumps so had mmr, with the warning that I would very likely feel unwell in 6 days then in 6 weeks.
In all honesty never had any symptoms at all!

As a parent who has had all children 'done' they all have reacted to them with either temperature, smelly poos etc!

Dd1 had the MMR with absolutely no side effects.
Dd2 will be having hers in a few months along with boosters for MenC and Hib.
Having lost Dd1 to a childhood disease i know the importance of vaccinations it's as simple as that for me.

I am pro choice but don't get people who are terrified of the MMR, have had all the earlier ones (DTaP or whatever it's called now) and want to opt for singles. There isn't vast amounts of research that's been done on singles MMR and autism so I don't know why you would necessarily trust them more.

A link to what psychobabble? I've just quoted the 5% malarkey on the other thread on MMR at the moment- and given the ref there.

oh sorry it snot an MMR thread \link{http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=138&threadid=174478\but its here}

I do agree that a certain part of the population are chosing not to vaccinate for the wrong reasons.
I had a conversation with a mother who had chosen not to vaccinate her son with mmr at all, not even singles she was doing it because she couldnt take the risk of him 'getting' autism..
what about the risk of getting measles mumps etc??
People have forgotton how serious these diseases can be because they fortunately have not seen the damage they can do.
No to spark another debate.. I know some mothers are very well read and can absolutely justify (to themselves) why they have not given the jags. they need not justify it to anyone else the decision is for their child.

But IT really bothers me that people choose not to vaccinate because they dont know enough about it!
I have worked with both autistic children and a child with encephlapathy from measels.
To be scared of one condition without knowing the full extent of the other is dangerous.

I think health visitors/gps need to be more honest about both sides of the story, not pushing people into vaccinating, but making sure they have all the information so they can make the best choice for theire child.