My kids are scheduled to get the mist vaccine on Friday. Just wondering if anyone here has gotten it yet for themselves or their kids and if there were any problems/side effects.

They don't have it in my area yet.

Same here...they don't have enough yet so I think just medical personnel are getting it right now. They're planning to vaccinate the kids at school though, I think. We've all had the flu already so I don't know if my kids will still have to have the vaccine or not, though.

Considering they want us to sign a waiver when we get it, no.

More scared of the vaccine than I am the flu.

I also will not be getting vaccinated, and certainly not my children. I think this vaccine is a knee-jerk reaction to a media-maunfactured panic. This vaccine has not been properly tested for any long-term complications. I wouldn't even consider it.

BTW - we had a flu in our house in the summer, which may or may not have been H1N1. My daughter and husband were both pretty sick, but they are fit, healthy and strong - they got over it, which is what most fit, healthy, strong people do.

And that is another big reason Tubbscookies. I can't for the life of me figure out how they came out with a vaccine so quickly!!! Things like that take years to come up with, years of testing, and then years to get approval. I just can't figure out how they got it out in a year.

I heard on the news today about this girl who was healthy, a cheerleader, very athletic. She got the vaccine and now has a devastating neuromuscular disease. Like I said, I'm willing to battle the flu instead of risking something permanent.

No, I hadn't read about that one. I have 5 girls and I'm not giving them the Gardasil vaccine either.It doesn't protect from all HPV's, just some, so what's the point. I do believe in vaccines though. Just not sure about that one and don't trust the H1N1 vaccine yet.

Just to clarify a point about flu vaccines (I was a microbiologist & used to work in vaccine research, once upon a time): every year they have to come up with a new flu vaccine, so the idea that the H1N1 vaccine is "too new" is kind of a mis-conception.

There are many different strains of flu virus, and they constantly mutate and recombine, so you get a "mix and match" of the major antigens (the protein components of the virus that the immune system recognizes and responds to). Every year the flu virus that goes around is different than the year before, thus the vaccine must be different each year as well.

There has been years and years of research & testing behind the flu vaccine in general, but each year they have to take their best guess at what the prevalent strain is going to be, and make a new batch of vaccine, plugging those antigens in. Sometimes they guess right, and sometimes they guess wrong, which is one reason for vaccine failure (sometimes even when they guess the right strains, it just doesn't elicit as strong of an immune response).

So, the H1N1 vaccine is not really as rushed as it might seem to the layperson, only a few months behind this years seasonal vaccine that everyone is quite willing to get.

That being said, I'm still not 100% sure about getting it, but leaning that way, though I will wait for the shot with the killed virus. Not a fan of live virus vaccines.

I'm going to get it, and I'm going to get my kids vaccinated. The reason they came up with the vaccine so fast is that they use the same medium to put it in, which is the regular flu vaccine medium, then just put the virus in that. They don't have to develop a new medium for it, so that's already availabe. The only part that they have to add to it is the actual virus, which they're having trouble growing because it's growing slower than they thought it would. That's why they're behind schedule on producing it.

If you have the regular flu vaccine, or the regular flu, it won't give you protection against H1N1, it's a different strain.

You have to play the odds here, and the risks of anything happening from the vaccine are way lower than the risks of getting H1N1. I'll be standing in line when they hand those shots out.

Edited to add: There's a vaccine against the bacterial form of meningitis, and that is the deadly one. The viral type isn't as dangerous. (I wrote the oppostie thing first, then went and checekd after thinking about it!)

Hey Tubbscookies,

I Totally agree...hubby and I will not be getting H1N1 nor our kids! and......I certainly will say NO to the Gardisil that they immunize girls against in the middle school here!! You are absoluetly right when you say that theses vaccinations haven't had sufficient testing to even know what the side effects are...We also have had the flu a few times already when the first wave hit last this spring and we all are fine.It really angers me that the media has sooo much power of the public and their perception of everything...I too think the media has blown it completely out of proportion!

Obviously this is a very personal issue, and I would never criticize anyone for the decision they make with regard to vaccinating or not. I would hope they would extend the same courtesy to me. We all make the best decisions we can for our families, based on the information that's available to us.

Thank you for the information CakesbyJen2. I never thought of it that way. I'm still not going to be getting it, but it does help to know that information. To each his own I always say. I believe we all base our decisions on what we truly feel is best for our children.

No vaccine for my house either!

Even though there is the theory by some that it has been researched properly, I say NOOOOO WAY!!!!

My son is autistic - predisposed to autism genetically, but thrown over the edge by non-genetic factors (including the overkill of vaccines). I'm not saying that I don't believe in vaccines - but I'm saying some of them are not necessary. And the ones that are necessary should be spaced out more in infancy and toddler years. Dogs aren't even allowed to get too many vaccines at once and we can't extend that to our children? Seems crazy to me.

Got off the subject a little - but google it - "the truth about the flu shot."

I'm not getting it, nor are my kids. I have a severe reaction to the normal flu shot and was told never to get it again. I work in a high risk facility that pretty much demands everyone get one, and they won't let me either.
I know most people just get a mild reaction and I'm considered a special case, but I'm afraid my kids might have the same problem with the shot.
That's the main reason I'm not allowing my kids to have it.

I'm not saying to get it or not too. I have one friend who has to have it because her immune system is so week that if she gets sick with anything she's close to death. However, my cousins son (he's 7) got the shot because of his severe asthma and he's been sick for 3 weeks and can't get rid of it. She's not doing the recommended 2nd one since he's doing so bad.

It's all up to you and your beliefs on what's right.

I will get it, assuming that I can find the thimerosol-free version. (I developed an allergy to thimerosol when it was used in contact lens solution.)

I have been trying to get the regular seasonal flu vaccine, but they're out everywhere around here. I am considered high-risk (severe lung disease), so skipping it would not be a good option.

For those who want to check on some of the rumors that are flying around, you might want to look at FactCheck.org's analysis at http://factcheck.org/2009/10/inoculation-misinformation/

Thank you RedPanda for that link and for everyone who has responded. It's hard to sort thru facts vs. speculation, I think.

I was real curious to see what everyone thought. In asking my friends around here, I think at least three-quarters of them will be getting vaccinated. I think this is the first week that the vaccine has been available in my area (Florida).

I was lucky enough to get the virus about a month ago (CDC confirmed), and it really knocked me for a loop. Hadn't been that sick in a long, long time.

I got it. We have it as an injection here. My husband and I are both teachers and we have been sicker than ever this year with the amount of viruses going around. There have been times we have half our classes away. I only work one day a week so I have lost all my immunity to the kids and I'm bringing everything home at the moment which means my kids have both been really sick too. My 3 year old has asthma that is particularly triggered by viruses and my 2 year old had chronic bronchitis last year and we've found everything goes to her chest. I'm terrified of them catching swine flu so we both got the shots. There is no vaccine for children here - at least none for kids under 9 or 12 - can't quite remember the age. If there was, I would have gotten it for the children.

When I got the shot, they injected it into my left arm. My arm and hand tingled for about 1/2 hour - the nurse said she might have touched a nerve when she gave me the shot. For the next few days I felt a bit crappy but now I am sick. The kids got tonsillitis about 3 days after I had the shot - I suspect I picked it up off a kid in my class who had all the same symptoms and brought it home (I worked the day after the shot so my immune system was a bit lower than it should have been). So I'm yet to feel on the top of the world. But I am glad to have decreased the risk of exposing my kids to the virus (and my husband too is an asthmatic).

My family won't be getting it, but then, none of us have ever had a flu shot. I just don't like them and I don't think our risk of getting the flu merits a vaccination. Of my entire family, I'm the only one who's EVER had the flu, and that's happened once in 34 years, when I had other health issues. That said, I totally believe it's a personal choice and if you choose to vaccinate, that's your business. Our schools offered the vaccinnation to all students and when I refused to sign the consent form, and specifically wrote "Do Not Vaccinate" by my children's names, the teacher sent it back home and told DD not to bring it back until it was signed. Of course, there was no place on the form to sign it to opt out. That's what I have a beef with...when they start trying to influence my choices for my children. (btw, I got that issue straight with the school REALLY quick...they will not touch my children.)

I will get it for my boys if it's available, my husband and I probably won't get it because we are over 24 so we aren't in a recommended group.

You can find all sorts of claims on the internet. There are websites devoted to the flat Earth theory who swear we are the center of the universe and don't really move around the sun. People who claim that certain vitamin supplements and blood tests can cure Down Syndrome kids of any mental delays.

People make up all kinds of statistics right on the spot to prove their ideas right.

Unless it's a scientific study that is posted on a known medical site I don't believe any wacky claims because anyone with half a brain can make claims that look like they contain real data when it doesn't.

mbelgard

I feel sorry for you then. I've seen the wackadoo vitamins, GFCF diet, etc actually work for my autistic son. And I've SEEN it work on others. Screw the medical community (most of them) that thinks we just need to give drug after drug after drug to our kids. And, they ARE doing studies now to prove that these things work to gain notariety in the "regular" medical community.

And I'm not saying it cures down's syndrome, or that my son's autism will be "cured" but it sure makes life a whole helluvalot better for him!!!

While consulting web sites like factcheck.org it is important to know who funds them and pulls their weight.

The information about thimerosal is not true. The scientific jury is not in agreement. Some say the 49% mercury it contains causes a trigger effect in some children predisposed with genetic markers to these syndromes. Some say the build up of heavy metal in the brain from repeated vaccination causes the reactions. Some blatantly dismiss it and say it isn't possible. The possible side effects list is reason enough not to take it for me. They have to legally list all that on there-for good reason. No amount of down playing can make it go away.

I don't know personally about the rest of it but I have a hunch that their are many Vets that would strongly disagree about the Gulf War syndrome statement.

I am just saying be careful what you read may not be absolutely true. The media is a powerful tool and is the voice of deep pockets with their own agenda. Most things are monetarily and politically motivated.

This is really gross but if you don't know then you should. Viruses live or not need cells to infect and to be able to be transferable. So they use animal tissue and aborted fetal matter.

jonahsmom-you are right. I have two autistic cousins. One of them was on all the meds, and they really weren't helping. One day my aunt started working with his diet and with vitamins, and he is a different child. Last time I saw him, I was shocked at the transformation.

Keep up the good work!

We knew from the beginning we didn't want meds, but ended up putting him on Prozac anyway because we didn't have a great doctor (now we do!). Well, it did nothing for him so the University of IA hospitals said - let's increase it. Well that made him go batsh** crazy so we tapered him off. He's much better since.

And - at the beginning of the school year (on prozac and a couple of supplements) they did some basic skills testing. On rhyming (he's 6) he only scored 10% and didn't fair much better on the other tests. Yesterday (off prozac and on MORE supplements) he scored 80-90% on his rhyming skills and 100% on all of the other ones. So, you tell me, did the prozac do anything for him? Nope. But the other things we've started, B12 shots, B6, Folic Acid, Magnesium and others, in addition to treating for PANDAS...did work. That's my "scientific study" right there.

If there's one thing that I have learned through all of this, it's that you cannot necessarily take everything that the "old school" medical community tries to sell you. If they had their way, Jonah would be on all kinds of meds, including antipsychotics - which might work, but I don't want a zombie child. Then he would have to be on meds to counteract the side effects of those meds, and the circle rolls on...until they're on so many meds you don't really know which side is up and your child isn't your child anymore!

So, why wouldn't the manufacturers of prescription drugs and vaccines want to debunk all of the "rumors" about their products? Would they really make any money if people are treating the actual problem instead of treating all the symptoms, and the symptoms created BECAUSE of the meds? Plus, how can you completely trust a system that is so flawed? How many times has the FDA gone back to a product that has been used for quite some time and adds a black box warning because terrible things are happening to the people on those drugs? It's the same for vaccines. If the government really believed that mercury in vaccines wasn't a problem, why did they decide to remove it from most of the vaccines?

Sadsmile is right, you need to check where the money for this stuff is coming from. I don't believe everything that I read online either. On either side of this argument. But, I have read actual studies (even in ACTUAL print that I can hold with my own two hands) that tells me something needs to be changed. Did you see that autism rates have drastically increased? Something like 1 in 61 kids now! Hmmmm...are all these vaccines and medications really helping?

edited to say: didn't mean to underline the whole thing....this system confuses me!

Jonahsmom, I've noticed the increase in autism, but I wondered if maybe they're getting better at diagnosing it and catching the milder cases now instead of just the very severe ones. There seem to be more kids diagnosed with ADHD now than there used to be too...I remember when I was in school, there were "bad" kids, now they're kids with ADHD and the schools actually have to work with them instead of just sending them to the office or to sit in the hallway all the time.

I knew a woman whose son had autism and she was treating him with supplements, but in his case it wasn't working at all...she was giving him so many things trying to cure him that he got an ulcer, and chronic diarrhea so bad he couldn't go to school for a while. She said her son was walking and talking until he got his 1 year old immunizations and then he forgot everything he could do and didn't even recognize her anymore. So she was trying to flush the mercury from his body with different treatments. (She used to try to stop me from taking my kids to the doctor, I mean come out and yell at me when she knew I was taking them to an appointment.)

I'm so glad to hear that vitamins and a special diet are working well for your son. I think a lot of health problems can be treated through diet changes...I wish our medical community would put some focus on that, instead of just a pill for this and another for that, and then a third to fix the side effects of the first two, and so on.