Vaccines at 13 Yo Check-up

I won't get into the debate. I will tell you that I am an RN with over 30 years of experience.

For ME and MY family, from my research, we do not get flu shots. And I flatly refused the HPV vaccine for my daughter when she was 11, just 2 months after it was approved.

I totally agree with you. I have stopped ALL vax's on my kids. I have signed a waiver and got it notarized and the schools can't do anything about it. We have never done a flu shot either.

Nope. Working in healthcare you see kids DIE of these totally preventable illnesses.

To me, not vax'ing is even more stupid than not having a carseat... Because millions never even get in a fender bender, but most of us are exposed to these microbes. In some cases (like tetanus) on a daily basis.

Don't worry, our grand kids will feel like the AIDs /HIV vaccine the same way so many people feel about MMR, DTaP, etc.

People snort about the 'dead kid card', and it makes me wonder if they've had a head injury. That is EXACTLY what vaccines prevent. Dead kids.

But refuse to let car seat manufacturers, water purifying companies, and big pharm profit if you like and don't use car seats, vax, and drink out of the storm gutter if you like.

The sad thing is, like a drunk driver, it's usually someone ELSE who dies.

tDAP is the most important one at that age. More for protecting all of the infants and small children in your community than your son. You should get a tDAP booster as well. It's the responsible thing to do for your community.

And while I'm surprised at how many vaccines kids get, I have to say it's pleasant to live in a day and age when it's big news to hear of measles or whooping cough outbreaks. That was not the case 50 or 100 years ago. People did die of these illnesses, and some still do. People die of flu, meningitis, tb, whooping cough, etc. and so on. Vaccines are not the enemy. The illnesses are.

The alternative to vaccines is illness and death. Would you rather go back to the pre vaccine days and have your children sick and is some cases dead.

I had scarlet fever which has possibly caused my heart murmur. I had chicken pox which puts me at risk for shingles, a very painful condition. Some children die from measles and whooping cough. More from diptheria. Boys may become sterile.

Some illnesses were so serious in there effect that when one was ill with them they were quarantined so that they didn't spread the disease to others who were younger, weaker, at risk for serious effects.

Would you rather go back to that time?

I believe the flu vaccine is only recommended for those at risk, That's me at 69. You do have a choice for flu and HPV vaccines.

I have some concerns about the HPV vaccine in that it's seems simple to abstain from unprotected sexual activity and not be exposed. At the same time, the world has become very sexual in it's outlook and sex seems to have become a common activity even for the young.

I used to be against giving birth control to teens until my daughter became pregnant at 16. It's nearly impossible to protect our teens from their hormones in today's more lax society. Now, I would give bc to any teen who is in a relationship that allows them to be alone. That's not to say I would stop advocating for abstinence. I would just be realistic. The HPV vaccine goes along with sexual activity, too.

Parents are free to choose how many and which vaccines their children get. My kids get most of the recommended vaccines but not all. And remember it's not only a matter of protecting your own child but the community as a whole. I certainly have no interest in returning to a time when it was commonplace to lose a child to a deadly disease. I'll take my chances with trace toxins over deadly viruses any day.

I question it all constantly.

There is an inherent conflict of interest, imho, when the only liability for vaccine injury is borne by either the parents/child, or by the tax paid on each and every pediatric vaccine on the "schedule" (i.e., the vaccine compensation fund). The doctor has little to no liability, so why would he/she recommend against it in all but the most obvious cases? In fact insurance companies hold their feet to the fire to maintain high vaccine compliance rates.

I do not want my kids to get a preventable disease. Nor do I want them to deal with chronic health problems. In my OPINION the benefits to vaccines are over-hyped and the side effects under-reported. It is my further OPINION that we do not fully understand why some children are more vulnerable to complications/injuries than others. As it is frequently stated, genetics load the gun but the environment pulls the trigger.

None of these choices are easy, nor are they black and white. And this is coming from someone whose children received all the early childhood vaccines. But if I could do it over again I would probably do it differently. And these aggressive "tween" vaccines really bother me, because the recommendations changed between my two kids who are only three years apart in age. I suppose my ped thinks I'm going to have amnesia with regard to the advice he gave me with my first child ("wait to get the meningitis vaccine until he goes to college, and you don't need flu unless you're in a high risk group").

I am not a health care provider of any type and this is just my mom opinion. Just wanted you to know that you are not alone in the frustration.

I am right there with you!!! My 11yr old is due for Dtap and HPV at her 12yr check up and the only one she will get is Dtap. HPV is too dangerous IMO and doesn't protect against the types of cancers it claims!!! Side effects from it are horrible too. I also stopped doing the flu shot for myself and kids when they combined with with swine flu and kids in other countries were dying from the same strain that was going to be used in the US!!!! I'm not 100% against vaccines, but I try to stay informed as a parent so I can make good choices for myself and family and just because some Dr recommends something doesn't make it the best thing!!! Some people just think because it is 'tested', the FDA approves it or their Dr says they need it then it's ok and safe but 90% of the time it isn't safe at all!!!

As far as I know, no state has mandated HPV and if my state did I would fight it!!!

You keep doing what you feel is safe for you and family!
S.

Oh joy...a vaccine debate.

I have actually avoided taking my kids to the doctor because our last experience was less than pleasant.

Food for thought: if viruses were irradicated by vaccines...they wouldn't come back if we stopped vaccinating.

Natural antibodies are better than vaccines. I had shingles as a child. It sucks but hey look...I survived. It wasn't that bad (about the same as children pox). The chicken pox vaccine has aborted fetal cells (not trying to start an abortion debate...as I am pro choice...but that thought sounds gross). The flu vaccine has formaldehyde in it and often times the strain they put in the vaccine is the wrong one and can still make you sick. I'm 31 and I've never had a flu shot. My kids haven't either. I don't trust an entity (FDA) that is so careless with our wellbeing that they blindly approve drugs and then recall them when enough people have died. If vaccines were so great...their track record would convince me and I wouldn't need recommendations. And drug companies wouldn't need protection from lawsuits. Unfortunately that isn't the case. What you have to consider is...many of the drugs on the schedule aren't tested together. Their safety is judged by studies where one drug is given at a time. also the information on side effects isn't readily given to us at the doctors (I'm talking about study results that show what side effects have been experienced and by how many).
we don't know how these vaccines will affect our kids 5, 10, or 20 years from now. Think about how many people are infertile now...could that be caused by vaccines...we don't know.

That being said, there are only a few that my kids haven't had and I'm trying to keep them away from. We all need to be informed. And if anyone thinks that I'm stupid for not trusting my doctor, the aap or the FDA, I don't care they are human and corruptible. I have on several occasions figured out what is wrong with me (and or my kids) when a doctor couldn't.

What's best for the community goes out the window when the choice puts your kid at significant risk.

NO way my 17 yr old will get HPV vac.

We've followed all vac schedules but HPV is a flat out NO WAY.

We don't do flu either.

My ob/gyn with 3 daughters refused it.

I think the HPV vac is a huge $$ maker preying on those who live in fears

Routine preventative care should catch any issues. The va. Does NOT prevent all strains.

It's a personal choice and for my family a he$$ to the NO

i am selective when it comes to vaccines. some i find to be important and some no, like chicken pox vaccine. my girls are young, and i have a few years before the HPV vaccine will be brought up. right now, it is too early for us to know long term effects (and side effects). like everything else, i would like to say ok to something that has been around for decades. which means i will be saying no to HPV.

My kids got the whooping cough vaccine last year (booster anyway) at 12 yrs. I got one when my son was born last year as well. I wish I had not opted out of the pneumonia shot because I got that in December when my son was one month. That was one nasty experience I do not want to relive, 4 days in the hospital. My older son was in the hospital early last year with pneumonia bacteria though it did not develop into full pneumonia.

I know 4 families with children that got very sick. One lost their child and another came very close. They both had refused to vaccinate. The other 2 children had very mild cases and recovered. For the HPV, from the last time I checked, it was not yet required and I don't think it should be but I will let my kids decide if they want to get it or not. The age range goes up to 20-something and I think making them get it at 13 is ridiculous. I think it actually starts at 11.
As for the chicken pox, when my first got the vaccine, I thought, really?? But I have never had them and do not want them now. Having them as an adult is a lot worse than as a child. I also have not had mumps while at least 2 of my brothers have.

My gyno told me to not to let my daughter get HPV mostly because it has a limited life and if you have it done too early you need it again. because he knows me well, he knows early sexual activity won't be an issue. Beyond that, we are current on all other vaccines and get flu shots every year. Whoping cough, TB, diptheria and polio are not to be messed with.

I'm sorry but for me the benefits outweigh the risks. I've seen a kindergartner die after Chicken Pox and a college student die from Meningitus. I'm sure those families would have given the vaccine had they the chance again.

well, my daughter had her HPV shots already so this check up at 13 yrs old was a no shot one. My 10 yr old's appt was also a no shot one. Boys can get HPV too and pass it along to their spouse when they get married. Don't you want to save his future wife from it?
It's not just in case, it's because once upon a time diseases like polio and small pox killed or maimed hundreds of thousands every year. It's preventing that from happening again.

I am struggling with the HPV decision also, I have a 14yo girl and 12yo girl, 10yo boy. But when my youngest was 1, she hadn't had her well check for the last series for Whooping Cough vaccine and got it. It was AWFUL and my mom got it from her because she had never had a booster. I am supportive of that vaccine for sure!!