9yr old asthmatic dd2 been called to have swine flu jab....do i?

[cutekids]

Anyone else's kids had it yet?
How was it?
Were there any after-effects etc?

still worrying....read about all this Guillan-Barre stuff last night aswell.(although apparently that was the last swine flu epidemic).Read on one website that two boys (in America) have been severely affected by the jab.Nothing on our news though so not sure if there's a bit of a cover up or whether they have a different jab there.(sorry shouldn't scare-monger).

I think they do have a different jab in the States (adjuvant-free, I believe) but not absolutely sure.

Right, decision made for now. He's not having it today. He has got a bit of a cold, and that on top of everything else, swung it. I've spoken to the surgery and they aren't having another session until 25th Nov. I'm worried, of course, that leaving it until then means he is unprotected until nearly Christmas - as he'll need two jabs I think being under 10.

Good luck with whatever you decide, cutekids.

Hi, I spoke to our GP today who said that he wasn't sure if he would give it to his children, but if they had Iga issues and / or asthma, he would. If children are under 9 he said they need two injections three weeks apart.

He said he could not advise about side effects as the vaccine is so new. He said Australia had been using the vaccine longer than us with no major side effects. He mentioned Guillan-Barre and as Khara said, he said that is not relevant here as different jab.

So... I am still undecided....

DS1 is 5 and he had it last week. Her was absolutely fine, no after effects at all, not even a sore arm. i was petrified about giving it to him but his asthma is brought on by colds & flu and i figured he had a bigger chance of catching SF than having a bad reaction. I was told he would only need one injection.

Hi charliesbrownsmum - thanks for that. DD &DS going in this pm for their injections.

ds 7yr is booked on for saturday

the thought of his asthma flaring up becasue of SF is why we are going ahead with it

Hi, read this thread with interest. Ds7 has his on Wed coming. He had a cough the other week, and that brought on his asthma by it turning to croup! Theat really scared me, so I think I am doing the rigght thing by letting him have it. he had fluy last week, and that was fine. he has a flu booster in 3 weeks - poor child!!!

Hi

I have Ds (4.5 yrs)who is asthmatic and is having the SF jab tomorrow. I am concerned as most people are and I had a long chat with his consultant based at St Georges in London on Thursday and she says that she has know some asthmatics who had SF and not been affected whilst others have had it badly. She did also say that she has seen lots of kids with SF and it is a metter of time before Ds will get it.

Whilst she did not ram him having the vaccine
down my throat she said that he colleague used his 4 kids in the trials of pandremix so I figured that it can't be that bad if a Dr is testing it on his kids. That's what made my mind up.

I am more worried about the SF than the vaccine and she says that it is made in the same way as the normal seasonal flu jab. To be honest DS has had that 2 years in a row and has had no affects whatsoever - not even a sore arm. Consultant actually said that she was surprised I was wavering on the SF vaccine when I was already giving him the flu shot.

I am of course nervous but feel that it is the best decision and actually feel better in my justification now that they are rolling it out to all under 5's.

Will let you know how I get on. Fingers crossed.

Ds2 will have his on Wednesday.

DS has had the jab this afternoon. Pandremix. He has to go back in 3 weeks time for a second shot. I am now waiting anxiously hoping that he will not have any severe rection to it and depressed because I know I have to go through it all over again for him to be fully immunised.

my 3 year old ds1 has asthma. He was treated for swine flu in summer (wasnt actually tested for it) but was very ill. He is booked for the flu jab next week. Are there any side effects from that? He is also having preschool boosters in new year. I also have a 1 year old ds2 who is having boosters at 12 months, mmr at 13 months....

Really scared as ds2 has had bad health problems since he was born (on meds, getting there now though) and has spent alot of time in hosp so i really dont want him getting swine flu.

Is this going to be too much of an overload for them? Can ds1 have swine flu jab same time as flu jab?

Mad4byboys:
I have gone through the same concerns about overload and you have my sympathy - it is such a huge responsibility and only you can carry it and make the decisions for those you love and care for. I hope you find the information you need to make you as comfortable as possible with your choices.

mad4myboys as far as I have heard you can have both at the same time but with my DS I had him done for normal flu at the beginning of October so that when the SF vaccine came along he would not have to have them at the same time.

DS has had the normal flu jab 2 years in a row so this year he only needed one shot of normal flu vaccine. He needs 2 of the SF vaccine though 3 weeks apart.

If you know that he has had SF (I know he has not been tested but if you are certain he has had it given symptoms and timings) then perhaps you could do flu vaccine 1st and then the SF later on?

I am not a dr and i don't know your personal situation so would hate to worry you or not be helpful but I suppose if it were me I would not vaccinate both flu together but only because that is me and I am a worrier! If you are worried then you shoudl perhaps talk to your DS's consultant to get a medical viewpoint?

but how do i know if its too much for them?

this is the next few months :
ds1 flu jab next week
also due preschool boosters but putting off till new year as going on hol before xmas holidays and dont want to risk him having any reaction to the mmr booster while away.
Now due swine flu

ds2 has 12 months boosters week after next
december is due the mmr but will prob be new year due to the hols.
now due swine flu.

ds1 is asthmatic and have alot of problems with coughing even with minor colds and do feel he should def have it..i think. But i didnt know they had to have a 2nd jab 3 weeks later, thats ANOTHER jab they have to have done, ANOTHER appt at the docs esp as ds1 will know what will happen after the flu jab next week!

You need to check re the 2nd SF shot. DS1 is on Pandremix so apparently due to his age (under 5) they recommend that he has 2 shots 3 weeks apart. Adults I think only need one SF shot on Pandremix. This double vaccine is also routine for all 1st time flu vaccinations as well (ie if you have not had the normal seasonal flu vaccine before then the 1st year you have it you will need 2 doses)

Re vaccines - it is so hard. Re the preschool boosters, if it makes you feel better I vaccinated DS1 for MMR at around 14 months and then he had his pre-school booster for MMR at 3.5 years. He had the pneumococcal vaccine at 12 months (which personally I think is one of the most important ones to give).

I would probably do what you are doing and tackle the flu first since this seems to be the most likely to cause problems for your son but at the end of the day like oters are saying it is such a personal choice. I do feel for you

so he will have to have 2 flu shots, then 2 swine flu shots and then pre school boosters?? He is 3.5. We are already in flu season, im guessing i prioritise swine flu jab? Can you do flu jab one week, swine flu next, wait 3 weeks then do the 2nd dose wekk apart? My goodness this is worse than i though!

Check with the GP re the normal flu vaccine but I know with DS yes last year he needed 2 shots 3 weeks apart and this year only a single shot so if your DC's have not had the flu vaccine before then I'm guessing they will need 2 (don't quote me though!)

I suppose you could do flu vaccine then SF vaccine alternated but again as I am not a GP you might find that they would prefer to do them together is SF / flu and then the same again 3 weeks later.

Re the MMR and pre-school boosters can you delay them a little bit - say a month since it's a range that they recommend you do it by and not exactly 13 months (MMR) & 3 years (booster). That might take the pressure off a bit for you if you are worried.

Do your DC's have consultants that you can talk to? It really helped when I talked to DS's asthma consultant since it made me feel happier about the decision that I was making.

You don't have to jump into this, you are right to hesitate and not make a decision if it feels at all in doubt.

There is much that is worrying about putting so many vaccines into such a young child and I would personally recommend you look into all the viewpoints on vaccinations - particularly the A (H1N1) that is new and therefore not as tested.

The official manufacturer's vaccine insert is worrying at page 2, paragraph 4 and stopped me from proceeding with the vaccination until I know better. It is available on the US site for the FDA at: www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/UCM182242.pdf

they both have various consultants as have various health issues!! I think i'll phone tomorrow to speak to my gp as she knows my boys very well now. I asked her about getting ds2 flu jab few weeks back and she said she wouldnt give it him if it were her as she thought it would be too much...

ds got his tomorrow. I know that they can have swine and flu both together on the same day though. Ds had the flu jab last week- his arm was only a little sore.

Tinalouise you have posted lots of vaccine-related threads today. Please realise that for those of us with asthmatic dcs this is no easy decision and yes, more often than not we have researched it carefully and consulted paediatricians.

In many cases on here the actual risk of complications following swine flu far outweigh the theoretical links you are posting would seem to suggest.

Weblette:
I believe as a mother and grandmother that the decision to vaccinate is one of the most important decisions a parent must make. I also believe that this decision can only be made by asking the questions, doing the research and having the discussions.

I came to these boards to find answers. I found others as confused as me and I went to so many links that were provided by other posters and every step of the way, I have found something more.

I in turn have posted links from mainstream news, the offical vaccine manufacturers insert and respected medical professionals - NOT 'theoretical' links.

We are ALL finding this decision difficult - do you imagine it is 'easy' for anyone?

The problem is that certain media aka Daily Mail has been whipping up a storm over the safety issues of these vaccines and in some instances I really believe will be putting kids lives who are asthmatic and who have other underlying health issues at risk.

You should read some of the stuff people are posting about - saying it is all a conspiracy theory and that it's part of a global world population culling programme and there is a mad nun who supposedly works at some high powered research centre in spain was on you tube "predicting" all this back in April. You should also read what they are saying about Baxter's laboratory (makers of Cevlapan) and that the "super flu / pneumonic plage (which really is badly managed swine flu) in Ukraine is again part of a popultion culling experiment.

Tinalouiseuk I hope that's not the sort of thing you have been reading about and basing your judgement on that.

To be honest there is so much rubbish out there it is hard to discover what is real. I have used New Scientist, the BMJ and the lancet - all of which have accessible archives for consumers. As soon as you go to anything else then you run the risk of running into the dangerous consipracy theorists.

Twolittlekings:
Please don't worry about what information I am absorbing - I have a sanity filter in place

I would though argue with you about the nun - she is a highly experienced Biologist who decided to investigate and speak out after the well-documented contamination accident in a Level 3 laboratory earlier in the year. She sounds sane and the fluidity of her speaking is certainly highly intelligent and sincere.

As to theories about the why's and who's of the vaccine debate - I am only looking to find the assurance of safety and nothing more.