A. Because I reserve my right to make choices for my family I have to respect a doctor's right to make choices regarding their private practice. Which is why we simply moved elsewhere and let it be. That said, this is my blog and I felt that article was off base, so I'm throwing my two cents out there for those interested. And if your not interested, don't read. Seriously stop reading.
B. As a parent I have no idea what to think about vaccines. So I rely on doctors and science and parents to help me figure it out. Unfortunately none of those sources seem to agree about the issue. No one knows their kids and how they react to things better than their parents, but yes some parents are a little "over the top" and/or biased. And professionals of the medical community are suppose to be able to tell us what's best, but leave us scratching our heads when they cannot definitively draw conclusions about the safety of vaccines. And let's face it, some medical professionals can be just as biased as some parents. As a parent what/who do you trust?
C. I expect that as my child's caregiver, a relationship with my child's pediatrician should include any conversation about vaccines that I would like. Having a relationship with a doctor entails having conversations with them to guide you in the direction necessary for your child's best health. That's hard to do if doctors avoid conversations about vaccines.
D. Having a relationship with a pediatrician and trusting him/her should not mean you have to agree with everything they say without question. This "my way or the highway" attitude exhibited in the article sounds like doctors acting like the toddlers they are treating. I have relationships with lots of people and professionals and not one of them do I agree with EVERTHING they believe. Having a relationship with anyone is about finding common ground and mutual understanding. Parents are not meant to be submissive when it comes to their child's care and if that's the direction our culture is headed, we have problems. It is completely normal to respect and trust someone without leaping every time they do.
So who is really misguided, the pediatricians who won't address the topic with their patients? Or the parents trying to make sense of a slew of conflicting information? I mean really, doctors can think I am as misguided as they want for carefully considering various details of my son's care, but I am simply a parent who both respects the experiences of other parents and the training of doctors and is trying to navigate a world where none of them agree as best I can to make the best decisions for my kid.
As for why I put so much stock in the experiences of other parents? Parents know things medical school can't teach. And every child is different. For example, when Clayton gets a dose of zofran through an IV, he throws up within a minute. He hasn't always done that, but for some reason half way through his chemo, he started doing that. George and I watched the exact same reaction through the rest of chemo, radiation, antibody therapy and various other occasions even as recently as his vomiting from his head injury and receiving a dose in the ER. So in varying situations over the course of years George, myself and Clayton's grandparents all witnessed the EXACT same reaction, yet few medical professionals believe us. Seriously. They always have an excuse as to why they think he vomited. But Clayton's caregivers know different. It's situations like these, medical professionals can sometimes dismiss as a parent imagining something or being crazy all because science can't/hasn't already explained this event. Or because it isn't the "normal". We have experienced multiple situations like this through Clayton's many medical adventures and we have heard tons and tons of similar stories from many other parents. All of this is why when a parent says something like her kid began havig seizures for the first time ever shortly after receiving a vaccine, I stop and think. And at the end of the day I don't know and I never will for sure whether that vaccine is to blame, but what those stories should teach all of us is that we should be paying close attention to what we are giving our children. Contrary to what some folks might like us to think, there is nothing wrong with asking questions and it is our right to know what we are considering giving our kids. All I can do is what I feel is safest for my kid and what avoids making our life more complicated.
So where do I stand? Clayton will get some vaccines, but not all. I reserve the right to choose which vaccines I think are relevant for him and weigh that information with the controversial/potential risks. I haven't figured it all out yet, but I know my approach and would love to have an open minded doctor to discuss anything I'm conflicted about. Since Clayton's immunity test showed he could stand to start from square one with vaccines, I need to finish my research.
As of now, based on the CDCs information, I WILL NOT be giving him the polio vaccine. I don't think it is relevant today. If something changes, I will revisit this vaccine and determine what is best. It is not lost on me that our progress with polio is made possible because of vaccines. I think that is wonderful! And if polio even looks as though it may become and issue in North America again, we will certainly do our part and give Clayton the vaccine and check if we need them ourselves. God willing, that won't be necessary. Unless that time comes, no polio vaccine.
However, I WILL give him the pertusis/whooping cough vaccine. He has a sensitive respiratory system and this is something that is relevant today and we do see outbreaks with throughout our country, therefore, I think it is worth any potential risks if it saves him the distress of coming down with whooping cough and us hospital time.
And no Clayton didn't get the flu vaccine and he did get the flu, but we did the responsible thing and did not go anywhere or endanger anyone by spreading germs. Other than the ER visit, we stayed home the whole time. If Clayton is going to get a flu vaccine, it better have a much better prevention rate than this year's vaccine did. With or without the vaccine this year probably would not have mattered. The ER we were in said many of their patients with flu had had the vaccine.
Anyhow, I'm still researching other vaccines, but I think you can see where I stand from this. I'm all about necessary risk and completely against unnecessary risk. Obviously what is necessary is a matter of opinion for many.
Peace to everyone in making difficult decisions regarding their family's health and what options are the best fit for them and their circumstances. :). I am clearly not a doctor and my opinions are based on my research and experiences and are what is right for my family. Whether you are for or against vaccines, wishing everyone good health!
Life isn't black and white and the quicker folks learn that the better off our world will be.
FYI: I have no idea why the font keeps changing and I can't seem to fix it!
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