How important is the last DTP?

[wobblyknicks]

DD (now 10 months) had her first two out of the 3 dtp's at the regular time but she had a bit of a bad reaction with each (nothing too bad but don't want it again). Since then I've left the 3rd one, partly through snuffles she's had, the upheaval at leaving UH and not wanting a bad reaction again.

Now I keep get reminders from gp and parents telling me I should get the 3rd one done but I think its not worth it. Don't want to affect her health again, especially as she'll have to have MMR in about 6 months, and IMO she's pretty well protected as it is. AND she'll have another DTP anyway.

So is it really worth it?

again not a medical site, but it definately says:

"The DTP jab is given to infants aged two, three and four months.

If parents ask, their children can be provided with the mercury-free version of the vaccine on the NHS."

here

WK there is a seperate DT jab, but it always contains thimerosil. The nurse may not have come across it much as it isn't used for children generally. it's been around years though. (My SIL had it back in the 70's). The only problem with leaving a big gap is that the risk of side effects from the tetanus part increases, but they used to standardly leave at least 3 months between them.

Hi Wobblyknicks,

Just called my doctor to ask if he could he could sent me any leaflets/new of any leaflets on the web re the alternatives to DTWP.

No leaflets unfortunately, but apparently it is common knowledge so your doctor should be able to request the Infanrix for you.

The vaccine that DD had was Infanrix (not Infranix).

Injections she had were as follows:
(1) Infanrix , (2) HIB, (3) Meningitis C & then (4) Polio - a live vaccine given on a spoon.

The Pertussis was not therefore the separate injection. Apparently they used to mix (1) & (2), but the currently guidelines are that they should be injected into separate sites. Hence the extra jab.

Hope this helps and apologies for any confusion.

So is it better to have the mercury free DTP or the pertussis free DT?? I know that the tetanus part can be a major factor in side effects but its only really the tetanus and men c that I think is important for dd. All the rest I think she's protected against enough for the probable risk. Am just worried about tetanus for when she starts running round getting into scrapes and of course meningitus is always a worry.

Thanks jimjams and preggiemum - really helps to know people who've been there done that -else I'd REALLY be lost now!!!

The nurse phoned back to arrange an appt (in 2 weeks time) and I didn't bother talking to her about it anymore because she was still intent on talking down to me. I'm going to ring on Monday to talk to my gp and try and sort something then.

Before having dd I used to really wonder why parents (who's children had no pre-disposition to bad immune reactions) were so wary of the info about imm's. Now, having experience of how useless some nurses are I'm only surprised so many parents feel they can go ahead with the jabs!!!

I've always been very pro-vaccination but even I'm unsure now, all because the gp/nurses are so difficult to deal with!!!

hi wobbly ,im in exactly the same quandry as you are but with ds 7 mths and a different reaction the jabs seem to affect his chest.i actually started a thread on this today ,sorry before i noticed yours and his final jab appointments tomorrow.im going to mention my concerns to hv at clinic and mention DTaP to her and i hope she'll come to speak to gp with me.if it comes to it i will refuse to let him have the final one this bothers me so much ,both a nurse at the hospital and my local chemist asked if hed had his jabs recently which made me feel my suspicions of reactions were correct.i feel its the whooping cough vaccine thats affecting him so maybe gp will do rest ,hes usually very good with anything to do with the kids but when i voiced my concerns last time he just said it was coincidence.
also ds has had a rather nasty upset tummy today ,both me and dp also have had bad tummys does anyone know if its ok for him to have jabs or not.gps says as long as he doenst have a temp its ok ?
anyhow i'll let you know how i get on and i hope you get your concerns listened to and make the right choice for your dd,afterall no-one knows your dd more than you.

Ds1's 4th set of DTP was due recently. She was absolutely fine about ds1 not having it and didn't try to persuade us that we should go ahead. All she said was to remind them when he goes for his pre-school boosters so that they will know to just give him the MMR and polio. IIRC ds1's immunity to whooping cough was tested after the second set of DTP and was found to be 90+% so there should already be a fair amount of immunity if you choose to miss out the whooping cough element.

"she" being the HV.

Must remember to preview.......

Well I wouldn't give thimerosil containing DT - which is why ds2 hasn't had any jabs (would quite like him to have tetanus, but don't want thimerosil or P)

For a young babythe disease P is a risk so unless there are other factors (such as risk of epilepsy) then I would go with DtaP, rather than DT.

Thanks everyone!! Really appreciate all the help.

karenanne - really hope the jabs go well.

I think I'll definitely have the mercury free DTaP, thanks jimjams and ct!

i dont know how to start a thread so, does anyone know the first simptoms of chicken pox,

johno - you may not get too many replies unless you start a thread. Just at the top of this one there's things to click for refreshing the page, adding a reply etc, and one for starting a new convo - just click that.

hi all just thought id let you know how i got on with ds final jab this morning.spoke to a different hv mine was on holiday who was no help at all so when we got called into see gp i voiced my concerns to him .he said because ds was late having his final jab it should be fine but if i was that concerned he give him DTaP instead ,just like that no hassle at all.i was ready for either fight or flight but ended up gobsmacked lol.now all ive got to look forward is the mmr fight as im absolutley sure ds wont be having that,but hey got a while till that happens.
wobbly hope your gps as understanding as mine.

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I am SO livid - maybe I shouldn't be but I am!!!

After all the hassle, getting spoken down to by the nurse etc etc I thought it was sorted but how wrong I was. Was supposed to go in tomorrow for a chat with the gp about the infanrix and the vacc's, then a check-up of dd and possibly the vacc's afterwards. Today I got a standard printout slip asking me to arrange an appoitment in week beginning the 16th for the triple, polio, MMR, HiB, and MenC. And I'm fuming about it.

I know its just a standard computer spewed piece of paper but the computer is what they rely on for their info and it obviously hasn't got the relevant info relating to dd on it!!! Else they'd know that I was booked in for the jabs and certainly wasn't going to allow dd to have all those jabs AT ONCE!!! I think its a stupid idea to expect anyone to be having all those jabs together!!!

Am seriously inclined to phone up and cancel the whole thing and change gp's. They obviously aren't paying attention to what I say, as they never have in the past either, so I've got nothing to say they'll pay any attention to me tomorrow - and I'm not taking my dd in to be jabbed but people I don't trust and evidently don't give a s**t about her health. Any advice?

Actually, scrap that, I could do with a good argument this week - I'll go in there tomorrow and see what they say, then cause a stink!!! (verbally, not actually make smells!!)

Are you sure it didn't come centrally? If it says something like "be wise immunise" (oh so catchy ) it isn't generated by your surgery but is generated centrally..... That may be a local catchphrase but a lot of these things come from the PCT rather than the surgery. My surgery are very good and intercept mine (or have put a block on them or something) but I did get a few at the beginning, and I suspect I will with number 3.

It is one of those central ones but I'm still annoyed because I've explained my feelings long before and said I didn't need or want reminders as I was considering my options so asked not to be sent them, which they agreed to - and I'm still getting them. Just reinforces my view that none of them 'talk' to each other and nothing I say gets further than the person I've said it to - iykwim.

And the idiocy of the PCT gets me - if I was totally clueless about vacc's and did what the slip was asking me to do, I'd be booking dd in for the 4 normal vacc's and the MMR together - surely not a very wise or healthy move IMO!

Nurse just phoned me - apparently in this county they won't allow babies to have the infanrix because its designed for pre-schoolers and hasn't got good enough pertussis protection. She's sending me a leaflet about it (hoping I'll change my mind) and then I'm going to talk to her about it more (in case they change their minds!!).

Does anyone know if its possible to pay for this to be done privately?

Really hate all this postcode medicine - if I lived somewhere else it wouldn't be a problem, even though dd would still be the same baby - surely that can't make sense!!!

we got infanrix!!!!!!!!!
In Hants... WE did have to make a little sing and jiggly dance though and we were not to make it public knowledge...
whoops is mn public?

piffle - I have a feeling if I make a big enough fuss they might back down but hate having to do that!!! Why can't they just let me have it now!!!

She's said I can have the hib and menc as they're mercury free anyway and I've got a sneaky suspicion that if I have those but still refuse to budge on the DTP that they'll back down.

My DS2 didn't get his second DTP because of a mess up by a locum nurse who only gave him a DT, she then tried to give him a DTP on top of that but fortunately i read the labels before she did and it didn't happen. So he has had 2 DTPs and a DT, he's missed out on a P(!) which they no longer make singly. However, after a lot of trawling through DoH websites the advice was that he should have adequate pertussis cover with only two vaccinations. This should see him through to his pre-school booster. So there must be a DT vaccination available if you think it is the pertussis that causes the reaction, i don't know about the mercury content though.

Our Dr. let us have the meningitis and polio vaccinations seperately from the DTP, so may be that's an option too.

Good luck, i've found if you ask often enough and are well informed,you usually get what you want.

Thanks doddle - I'm not so worried about the p as about the mercury - which is why I'm happy to have the infanrix which has less p.

DD will defo be having the hib and menc separate, about 2 weeks apart from rest - I think its less for her body to cope with at once and can show me what she has reactions to. I've already told the gp I want this and she's agreed so I have a feeling once I show I'm going ahead with those 2 but am not happy for thimerosil DTP that they may rethink but won't put any bets on it!

wk's if you stand your ground they will rethink- otherwise you are going to affect their vacination rates which puts them under a lot of pressure. My GP needed a letter from me saying that I didn't want ds2 vaccinated at all, and a seperate letter from me saying that I didn't want ds1 to have any more jabs, and I'm guessing he'll need another one for number 3. This isn't for his benefit- just so he can get the HA off his back. If you are saying you are happy to have dtap it will be hard for them to refuse.

Dt always contains thimerosil AFAIK btw.