Immunizations

How is it that weekends FLY by, and I feel like I have not accomplished one thing?

This weekend, I managed to spend a lot of money. And that's about it! I bit the bullet and finally accepted the fact that I really did need to update my wardrobe in this size. I have been denying it since I gave birth…"I will lose it before I buy new stuff".

Not so much.

I mean, I will still lose it, but it's not going to be before my work wardrobe would be screaming, "update me, please!"

So I had fun spending way too many student loan dollars on clothes this weekend. Hey, most of this is school related---aka clinical rotations. I can't look like a slob in the clinic!

That's my justification. Money well spent.

Now moving on to a question from Brittany at Unexpected Surprises. I just love Brittany! She is awesome, and bonus that she's a fellow Minnesotan. Immunizations.
I touch this one gently as I know it's controversial to some. If I offend you, I'm sorry. But I'm not sorry at the same time---because it's an important issue and there are many, many skewed facts out there.

Some of you know that part of my job entails working in the Immunization department at Mayo. I work there at least one of three days weekly, if not more. It's not a role I ever imagined myself in, but Immunizations is part of my General Internal Medicine department, and when they were in need of someone to help out---guess who? Yep, me. Do I love this role? No. I think it gets monotonous, but I love the opportunity it brings in meeting many, many wonderful people from all over the world. Some world-famous individuals even. It's a unique role but not one that I crave.

Why? Because it gets repetitive, and it's predictable, I am one that thrives on change and the unknown.

However, since beginning in this department 2 years ago, I have learned more than I have ever dreamed there is to know about immunizations. I really didn't have an opinion on them before. I think this was because I didn't know enough about them one way or another.

My number one rule when making decisions that affect my daughter is that I do so from a parent point of view. I am first and foremost a mother. Nothing in this world means more to me---my career is all relative. I love my career/future career, but I love my family 100 million times more. So there's nothing I could ever learn based on my career alone that would stand in the way of my ability to be the best mother I can be.

Immunizations are no exception.

Was I nervous as a first time mom taking her new baby to the hospital nursery for her first Hepatitis B vaccine? You betcha.

Was I a little freaked out about putting something synthetic into her tiny, untouched, 6 pound body? You betcha.

Was I more concerned with the brief pain it was going to cause her? You betcha.

Travis and I both went in and I held her tightly while they gave her the quick shot in her skinny little thigh. She sucked away on her glucose coated binky and didn't even open an eye to it.

This was before I was ever introduced into the world of Immunizations at work. I always thought the Hepatitis B vaccine might be one that isn't totally necessary to start at birth, and I know other mothers who chose not to start this one right away. Hep B is spread by blood or body fluid contact of an infected individual, and I knew my little bitty baby girl wouldn't run any risks of that. Certainly.

But is it so certain? No. You never know when your health might fail and you could be exposed to multiple procedures, needles, etc. You just never know anything 100%. Never. So I figured getting the vaccine while she is young enough to forget it, or even realize it, vs. waiting until she is old enough to fight me was worth the little poke she would feel.

At Emersyn's 2 month appointment, I wasn't yet working in the immunization department, so I didn't have any more knowledge on this than I had before becoming a mother. We chose to immunize our daughter per the recommendations. Yes, It's hard to hear that shrill, painful cry. But it's over in 2 minutes.

When I came back from maternity leave, I started in the Imm clinic. I then learned above and beyond what I ever thought was involved with immunizations.

I had the opportunity to access some really great research facts about immunizations upon returning to work when Emersyn was 3 months old. I learned there are way too many children that die from preventable diseases each year. Preventable deaths are so sad. So, so sad.

Did you know that there are still 30,000 adults each year in the US who die from vaccine preventable influenza? I'm not saying all these cases could be prevented with the annual vaccine, because who knows what else those individuals may have had contributing to their death. But 30,000 certainly leaves much room for improvement.

It just doesn't have to be this way.
I took Emersyn to her 4 month immunization appointment more certain, and more confident than I ever had been, that we were doing the right thing. Emersyn is immunized on schedule, each time, each vaccine.

There are people like Jenny McCarthy who made irrational claims….and make me furious. I like how her son "outgrew" his autism. That doesn't happen. What does happen, is that he didn't have autism to begin with, and this fake autism wasn't caused by a vaccine.

How come some plastic blonde ex-Playmate can get on TV and make such a claim, and someone who has dedicated their entire lives to immunology can get on TV and make truthful claims, and America believes the "celebrity"?

Not only that, but those with the evidence are the ones who get threats!

I have the privilege of working with one of the most brilliant immunologists/infectious disease experts on the planet. Dr. Greg Poland, who appeared on Dr. Oz, CNN, and the Today show (just off the top of my head. Dr. Poland is the head of our immunizations department where I work.

He is such a wealth of knowledge and has dedicated his entire life to vaccine research and infectious disease. (For a list of his research studies, click here). You will also note he was mentioned in the above linked article about receiving threats over immunization recommendations.

Stupid.

On a personal level, I can say that he treats everyone with respect and dignity and would want nothing but the absolute best for us all. He is wonderful! Making vaccine recommendations that might potentially hurt someone is definitely not what the medical community is about.

No vaccine is 100% effective. As is nothing in life. However, your odds of having an adverse reaction to a vaccine vs. your odds of having serious or fatal complications of illness are enough to make for an easy decision for me.

I was literally in tears last fall when Emersyn wasn't able to be scheduled on the very first day the H1N1 vaccines were offered here.

She got it early enough in the season, but wasn't in the very first round to be immunized.

After her 2^nd vaccine, (H1N1 was a 2-part vaccine for children under age 9) she got sick. Really sick…involved trips to the doctor for blood and urine tests. Urine tests by catheter, even. Ouch. It was heartwrenching. I cried.

Did I blame the vaccine for causing her to be sick? I mean, her symptoms started 2 days after her second H1N1 vaccine...it seems logical, right?

Absolutely not. She's a child, and that stuff happens.

Might I have blamed the vaccine had I not been educated on it?

Probably. I think we live in a world where it's easy to blame. We want to blame. Especially when a child is involved---it certainly wasn't the fact that we had her all over the community during the peak of sick season that was playing a role in her being so sick. It had to be the vaccine, right? Because I am SuperMom and I would never allow my kid exposure to...eeew...germs!

Riiiight. That's the easy, uneducated way out.

I am guilty of it at times, too. But this is not one of those cases, because it just isn't possible for an inactivated vaccine to cause symptoms as severe as she had. Her blood counts were out of whack and everything. She was sick for a good week.

Might I have blamed the vaccine as a nurse who hadn't worked in the immunization clinic for 2 years?

Maybe.

What I am saying is, as parents, rarely is there an easy decision…with anything we choose for our kids. Heck, I struggle with myself over much more petty decisions on a daily basis. Should I really let her eat fries from McDonald's? Should I really let her continue to lick the dirty floor? I don't take anything lightly as a parent, and immunizations are certainly something I have educated myself on as thoroughly as I possibly can. I approach everything with parent-first mentality, and I educate myself as much as possible as to the rest of it.

Anyone can do it. It doesn't matter that I work with Dr. Poland, or am a nurse or student for that matter. Knowledge is power, and getting the cold hard facts is easier and easier. Just be careful of which "facts" you choose to believe. Know where your sources of information are coming from…not everyone who claims to be a "doctor" on the internet is really a doctor. And even if they are a doctor, there are false claims about this topic.

Andrew Wakefield, anyone? He is the British doctor responsible for the whole MMR/autism drama. His publications were fake. False. He was out to establish himself as a hero and made up "research".

I mean really, anyone who draws blood for their "study" from children at his son's birthday party? Would you trust your child's healthcare to this man?

While nothing in life is certain, I am certain of one thing….I will always do the very best I can to educate myself thoroughly first and foremost as a parent when making decisions for my family and I.

I already got my flu vaccine for this season, and Emersyn and Travis will be amongst the first in line. Guaranteed!