Vaccines

Windsor81

I'm so glad to see sooo many people in favor of vaccinating.  It gives me hope everyone is NOT crazy out there.

I'm a grad student, and this past year a fellow student came down with a bad cough she couldn't shake.  A few weeks into it and she says she has pertussis - and she's sitting in the middle of class.  I was SO MAD.  I had whooping cough as a kid, and while I've been exposed a few times since then I have never gotten it.  However, there are people out there who HAVEN'T been vaccinated and she's WILLFULLY exposing them to it!  Her response to me was "Well, everyone here should be vaccinated".  Unless they're NOT for the reasons everyone mentioned!

And as another voice to add support for the HPV vaccine.  If you've been with more than one sexual partner, you've probably been exposed to HPV.  I had an opportunity some years ago to get vaccinated, but it was when it first came out and I was with my ex-husband.  I thought "monogamous relationship, never gonna need it, won't get it".

Fast forward 7 years, we're no longer together and I would have to pay out the butt to get the vaccine.  Unfortunately, it wouldn't matter even if I did.  I had an abnormal pap smear this past winter that was most likely related to HPV.  Besides the biopsy they had to do (which is EXTREMELY uncomfortable, bordering on painful no matter WHAT the doctor says it should feel like), I had 4 weeks of waiting to find out if my "abnormal cells" were just abnormal or were actually cancerous.  I got lucky - they were abnormal and I have to follow up every 6 months for 2 years to see if it resolves or if they need to surgically remove them.  And while cervical cancer is slow growing and managable, I was terrified that I might not ever be able to have children.

So please, if not yourself, get your daughters vaccinated.  Please.  I wish I could go back and do it all over again, but since I can't the next best thing I can do is recommend it to ALL females who may become sexually active!

[Deleted User]

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_vaccines?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:17Discussion:be751667-d8ae-422b-9140-dcd4e836609ePost:bed00ccd-604e-409b-90ab-0f7b405cf94d">Re: Vaccines</a>:
[QUOTE]I'm so glad to see sooo many people in favor of vaccinating.  It gives me hope everyone is NOT crazy out there. I'm a grad student, and this past year a fellow student came down with a bad cough she couldn't shake.  A few weeks into it and she says she has pertussis - and she's sitting in the middle of class.  I was SO MAD.  I had whooping cough as a kid, and while I've been exposed a few times since then I have never gotten it.  However, there are people out there who HAVEN'T been vaccinated and she's WILLFULLY exposing them to it!  Her response to me was "Well, everyone here should be vaccinated".  Unless they're NOT for the reasons everyone mentioned! And as another voice to add support for the HPV vaccine.  If you've been with more than one sexual partner, you've probably been exposed to HPV.  I had an opportunity some years ago to get vaccinated, but it was when it first came out and I was with my ex-husband.  I thought "monogamous relationship, never gonna need it, won't get it". Fast forward 7 years, we're no longer together and I would have to pay out the butt to get the vaccine.  Unfortunately, it wouldn't matter even if I did.  I had an abnormal pap smear this past winter that was most likely related to HPV.  Besides the biopsy they had to do (which is EXTREMELY uncomfortable, bordering on painful no matter WHAT the doctor says it should feel like), I had 4 weeks of waiting to find out if my "abnormal cells" were just abnormal or were actually cancerous.  I got lucky - they were abnormal and I have to follow up every 6 months for 2 years to see if it resolves or if they need to surgically remove them.  And while cervical cancer is slow growing and managable, I was terrified that I might not ever be able to have children. So please, if not yourself, get your daughters vaccinated.  Please.  I wish I could go back and do it all over again, but since I can't the next best thing I can do is recommend it to ALL females who may become sexually active!
Posted by Windsor81[/QUOTE]

My daughter got whooping cough when in 4th grade.  Doctor told us after a certain amount of time, 24 hours maybe?....she was no longer contagious.  She coughed her flippin head off for a good 6 weeks.  She was vaccinated, but apparently you can still get it?
I am all for the HPV vaccine too!  But...both sexes need to get the shot, not just the girls!

bjhubble

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_vaccines?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:17Discussion:be751667-d8ae-422b-9140-dcd4e836609ePost:bed00ccd-604e-409b-90ab-0f7b405cf94d">Re: Vaccines</a>:
[QUOTE]I'm so glad to see sooo many people in favor of vaccinating.  It gives me hope everyone is NOT crazy out there. I'm a grad student, and this past year a fellow student came down with a bad cough she couldn't shake.  A few weeks into it and she says she has pertussis - and she's sitting in the middle of class.  I was SO MAD.  I had whooping cough as a kid, and while I've been exposed a few times since then I have never gotten it.  However, there are people out there who HAVEN'T been vaccinated and she's WILLFULLY exposing them to it!  Her response to me was "Well, everyone here should be vaccinated".  Unless they're NOT for the reasons everyone mentioned! And as another voice to add support for the HPV vaccine.  If you've been with more than one sexual partner, you've probably been exposed to HPV.  I had an opportunity some years ago to get vaccinated, but it was when it first came out and I was with my ex-husband.  I thought "monogamous relationship, never gonna need it, won't get it". Fast forward 7 years, we're no longer together and I would have to pay out the butt to get the vaccine.  Unfortunately, it wouldn't matter even if I did.  I had an abnormal pap smear this past winter that was most likely related to HPV.  Besides the biopsy they had to do (which is EXTREMELY uncomfortable, bordering on painful no matter WHAT the doctor says it should feel like), I had 4 weeks of waiting to find out if my "abnormal cells" were just abnormal or were actually cancerous.  I got lucky - they were abnormal and I have to follow up every 6 months for 2 years to see if it resolves or if they need to surgically remove them.  And while cervical cancer is slow growing and managable, I was terrified that I might not ever be able to have children. So please, if not yourself, get your daughters vaccinated.  Please.  I wish I could go back and do it all over again, but since I can't the next best thing I can do is recommend it to ALL females who may become sexually active!
Posted by Windsor81[/QUOTE]

Just to add on to the pro-HPV vaccine info here, it's my understanding that what the vaccine actually guards against is 4 strains of HPV, the 2 most likely to give you cervical cancer and the 2 most likely to give you genital warts.  Also, HPV can be passed without actual sexual intercourse.  I'm pretty sure I read that any skin-to-skin contact from waist to knee can spread it.  I learned about it in high school so in my mind that translated to "if I'm sitting next to some skank I don't know and we both decided to wear a skirt that day I'm screwed."  I know that's a little extreme and a lot less likely than it being spread during sex, but you get the point.

I actually couldn't finish the round of vaccines (I almost passed out after the first and the second one gave me a three day migraine, so my doctor was afraid the last one might kill me), but I'd still recommend it.

rhodesign

Yeah I'm on the HPV vaccine train as well once they hit high school at least.

I have had two LEEP procedures from pre-cancerous dysplasia. It puts you at a slightly higher risk for premature delivery or m/c if you have several of these procedures (which takes layers from your cervix and thins it out) so I'm being monitored cloesly with this pregnancy. So far so good, but still not pleasant and colposcopies are the SUCK. FTR, I never once had sex without a condom before my H and still came into contact with HPV. It's like the common cold of STIs so being a slut isn't a pre-requisite for contacting it.

rajahmd

I'm in medical school.  You should hear some of my professors complain about the anti-vaccination crowd.  Here's some scientific info on two of the most controversial (in the medical community) vaccines for anyone who wants more info:

Chicken Pox: It will prevent chicken pox in childhood, but there are signs that immunity wanes as you reach childhood.  Adult chicken pox infections are worse than those in children.  Also, shingles is caused by the same virus.  After you get chicken pox, the virus lives in your neurons for decades.  When it comes back out, it causes shingles.  Shingles is incredibly painful.  The vaccine does not prevent shingles, so you can get the vaccine and still get shingles later in life if exposed to the virus.  So, the medical community doesn't really have a consensus on this vaccine- some doctors recommend it, some don't.

HPV:  As someone specifived above, the vaccine covers four strains.  Recently the CDC recommended the vaccine for boys and girls because it can cause a variety of cancers: cervical cancer, oral cancer, anal cancer, and penile cancer.  There's no effective test for the virus in an asymptomatic male.  Since HPV is extremely prevalent (it's estimated that over 50% of the population has been infected at some point in time with at least one strain), the vaccine could definitely help decrease several cancer rates.  Due to its age though, it's still controversial.  Many are waiting to see what the long term results are.  Good idea though, and definitely good for adolescents- they're the most likely group to become infected.

codaeva

I took my two children down for their 5 year and 1 year shots and BOTH kids came down with Autism with in weeks. I watched my completely normal smart friendly 5 year old for get how to read for get how to count for get how to talk for get how to use the potty I watched my one year old loss all his milestones and didn't speak words again till he was almost 4. It was the darkest day of my life and the longest and hardest years trying to find the help they needed trying to get them excepted in main stream school. I have had 2 more kids and they have not had shots and their development has been completely normal. My last baby has a different daddy and he took me to court and is trying to have a court force me to get her shots. If you haven't seen a child go from completely normal to not being able to communicate basic needs because of shots then you don't know what you would do.

codaeva

So your not vaccinated completely your bad mouthing those of us who have Good reason not to vaccinate and the shots might have killed you but its a good idea for everyone else? I see ! Maybe if it had given you autism and locked you in a prison inside you own body where the only my to tell someone something is wrong is to vomit on yourself or scream or use the bathroom in your pants on the school bus because the teacher at school is hurting you and the driver always brings you home if you do that, maybe then you would be more understanding.