Flu shot

[Teri]

As per Dr. B's recommendation our DD 6 (PANDAS/Lyme/Bartonella). Will not get the flu shot this year. We believe that the immunizations she received last fall ( DPT booster & combination flu shot) was the tipping point that triggered her PANDAS. My question is .... Should other family members get the flu shot or is there a risk of exposing her?

[LNN]

If you get the dead virus (the shot), I don't think she'd be at risk. However, the shots use thimerosal as a preservative. So I won't get one for that reason alone.

[norcalmom]

I and my husband get the flu shots to reduce exposure for DS. We have never reacted. You can also look into what the predictions for the virulence of this years flu season will be like - and then decide.

[nicklemama]

If you choose to go this route, make sure you do NOT get the nasal flu mist. It is a live virus you will shed for up to 3 weeks. We do not get flu shots since a flu mist vax set off my DS's PANDAS.

[beeskneesmommy]

NO Flumist - my DS6 reacts to other kids who have had it within 10 days when he plays with them. We used to get the flu shot to protect our son (he has not had it himself for 3 years as he had a PANDAS response to it). However, I always get a hideous reaction to it that lasts for up to 48 hours. For this reason, I have decided not compromise my own immune system, as I might invite Strep or something else in, and expose my son. I am prone to Strep and it is believed that I had a PANDAS as a child as well. I believe that we should question the flu shots (and other vax) as there is an awful lot of stuff in there that is not necessarily brought to our attention.

[mar]

I have never and will never give flu vaccine. I think all these shots are making our kids worse.

Mar

[thenmama]

I ditto what everyone has said so far. The flu shot precipitated a major exacerbation for our dd, and we were told by our PANDAS doc no vax-- especially no flu vax. Also wanted to add 2 cents from another medical perspective... prior to my dc's PANDAS dx, when my dd was suffering many respiratory illnesses with bronchitis and asthma/airway complications, our old peds had us avoid FluMist b/c of its shedding-- to the point that nobody in the family could get it, we didn't play with any friends who'd had it for a couple of weeks til the risk would be gone, and we tried to avoid anyone/anywhere there was exposure risk. This was our regular general ped at the time, not an ID, immuno or pulmonary specialist-- so the risk of transmission to those at-risk via exposure to others who've had Flumist must've been pretty well known. This was back when they were giving my dd the shot b/c she was at risk from flu and we always had a period of several weeks of exposure avoidance while we waited for her shot to become protective (we didn't know the protection itself was a risk for her back then). I can't remember exactly what we were told last year-- but I remember thinking our PANDAS doc's advice was pretty consistent with what we'd done in the past-- minus the shot for dd, of course.

 

 

HTH!

[MomWithOCDSon]

Not to mention the fact that there are so many strains of flu, none of these preventative measures are fully effective. Basically, they make a best guess at which 3 or so strains are likely to cause the most problems in a given season, manufacture a vaccine against those 3 particular forms of flu, and then promote the bejeebies out of it to try and get everyone to sign on to it.

 

Not a fan . . . . . .

[nicklemama]

To add onto to what MomWithOCDSon said, my own personal doctor told me the flu vax is made for who are fragile and/or with conditions that would warrant a flu vax. The gov't makes the pharmaceutical companies produce the vax's. Its a money losing proposition to make flu vax only for the few, so they advertise the ###### out of it and convince doctors to recommend it to everyone so they can break even or make a buck or two. Flu shots are really not intended for the healthy.

[EmilyK]

We're not getting them at this point. At times like this, I'm grateful for my egg allergy - no one dares inject me with a vaccine.

[lmkmip67]

DS does not get the flu shot, never has. He used to be allergic to eggs, so couldn't anyway. But we just never did start once he outgrew the allergy. I do get the regular flu shot and will always continue to because I have very reactive asthma, when I get sick I literally can not breath. Not sure if he reacts to the regular one or not, I would doubt it since the virus is dead.