Today Treyson received round 2 of immunizations. I didn't do ALL of them. I did what I felt comfortable with.
Then, the home teacher (a man from our LDS congregation who visits monthly to see if we are doing okay/need anything etc) came over and proceeded to tell me all about his child with autism and how his wife thinks it's linked to immunizations and how harmful they are to little bodies.
I know his intentions were good, but little did he know he left me in absolute freak out mode.
I am SO scared of autism. I am SO scared of anything hurting or causing problems for little Trey. Immunizations are just one of many issues without any answers. I've always been a worrier. I've always been one to freak out about things out of my control. But, having a kid is truly taking it to a new level. I've now had knots in my stomach (to the point of illness) all night.
Conclusion?
I need more faith.
someone reassure me.
Because if anything happens to this little man....ever...
12 educated comments:
do not worry. Did you know that no study has EVER shown to have a link between autism and immunizations. You ask ANY Dr. and he will say they are COMPLETELY safe. The reason that there was fear was because ONE dr did a study with only 12 people and it seemed like it linked autism to immunizations, but it was actually found out that he fabricated results. If you think this is scary, think of how scary it would be if he got sick with one of those horrible diseases. Reese got the baby measles one time because she wasn't immunized on time. HORRIBLE. I was so so so sad. I am all for immunizing. Seriously NO doctors tell you not to immunize. Only hollywood celebs. Oh one more thing, that study that came out caused a HUGE scare and people in England where the study was done stopped immunizing their kids and that year they had something like 1,000 more deaths from diseases that have immunizations available. Sorry I am so passionate about this, but I just do not think that it is something you should worry about. Relax. You are fine!
Faith.
You had immunizations. Austin had immunizations. All at the same time. In mega quanities. Ever seen a kid suffer from whopping cough, diptheria, measles, polio? Probably not. That's because of immunizations.
Special needs kids are special. If you get one, you'll get the blessings to go with it.
Trey is going to be fine.
You could try a plastic bubble. ;-)
Enjoy worrying. It will make you like me. (yikes!)
Love you, baby. The autism and vaccination link is a hollywood story blown out of proportion.
Hi Andrea,
I found your blog through Marisha Thomson, who I went to high school with. I'm sorry if it weirds you out that I read your blog! Anyway, I wanted to leave a comment because I'm getting my PhD in microbiology and immunology. As such, especially as someone who designs new vaccines, I am exposed to this controversy alot.
I'm sure people who tell you that vaccines cause autism have their hearts in the right places, and feel like they're speaking from experience. However, there is no scientific evidence to back this up. I'm more than happy to send you research articles on the subject from some of the top labs in the world. Science is a very competitive field and believe me if we could find the link, we would. If someone could do that, there would almost certainly be a Nobel Prize in it for them.
And your mom is dead on. When you and I were children, the additives in vaccines were much worse than what we give now. And we're all healthy. It's also super important to vaccinate your kid because as parents stop vaccinating, we're going to see a decrease in herd immunity and an increase in measles, mumps, rubella, etc. In order to protect your child, the best thing you can do is vaccinate. Sorry to write a novel on your blog, but this is my livelihood and my passion.
Geez, don't you love when people tell you exactly what you DON'T need to hear? I can't fully understand your worry yet, but I'm sure I will soon. And I'm sure little Treyson will be a happy and healthy kid.
Oh - and I was going to let you know that I emailed that lady and she is holding a satchel purse for me to go pick up. Yay! :) Thanks for giving me her email.
Don't worry!!! I read into the whole autism/immunzation theory and everything has been difuted. The original Dr. who started that theory has said he discredits it completely and has withdrawn his name from it. My brother in law is a pediatrician and he feels the same way - no link. It is proving to be more dangerous to not get children immunized now. I was worried at first too - before Ada was born - but I read up on it a lot and felt completely comfortable (more pro immunization than I was before I read the stuff) getting Ada immunized.
Hey Andrea its Casey Kiser and I just wanted to assure you like Brooke W said that there is NO LINK BETWEEN AUTISIM AND IMMUNIZATIONS. We talked abou this in Med School for a long time. First, there was one study who said that there was a link between the two but that Dr. is being SUED for FALSIFYING his data. He made it up and now is getting sued for it. http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/02/08/original-link-between-mmr-and-autism-based-on-false-data/ . Second, the reason that there are more cases of autism now then back when there weren;t as many immunizations is because we have greatly expanded the definition of autism to encompass many more children then would have been considered autistic back when there weren't as may immunizations. It is true though that there are way way way more problems from not immunizing children. Sorry to rant but I get so pissed when I hear people like that talk about it.
I have done a lot of research on autism as well (one of the things that come with being a worried parent). I also worked in an autistic preschool for quite some time so I understand the fear (a lot of parents attributed their children's disease to autsim). However, what I found is that the link between autism and immunization, as currently believed, is that the gene that causes autism is in the child who will develop it from birth. However, it takes a high fever to cause it to show itself. That is why a lot of parents might associate it with immunizations because the immunizations will often cause high fevers in these little guys and allow the disease to show itself. Immunizations however shouldn't be a worry, any high temperature caused by flus or colds can cause the autism to display itself. So apparently there isn't much that can be done to prevent a child from developing autism (or so current studies indicate) but I always made sure to alternate Tylenol with Motrin every three to four hours after my little guy got his immunizations to keep his fevers under control for peace of mind. Also, with the MMR your son could develop a fever one to two weeks after so be prepared with the medicines then. Hope that helps calm the nerves a little.
Honestly, autism links or not (and I have heard that people are born with the gene and that immunizations just help it "present itself" like Jessica was saying) sometimes immunizations cause reactions. It's true. I didn't give Tof any for two months - AT ALL - and then I still didn't give him all of them. The only thing to do, is exactly what you are doing, follow your gut (spirit). My sister has six kids, some of them she felt perfectly comfortable giving them all their shots on time, one of them has ZERO shots still and he's three years old. She had to petition the state. She just felt really bad about it. And this sister, has an uncanny ability (sensitivity) to be RIGHT ON about EVERYTHING so I don't doubt her for a second. Do the same. You'll be fine. You're doing it now. You are awesome!
Tell him he is not allowed to talk that crap in your home! lol...Trey will be great! The rewards of the immunizations far outweigh the risks....!!!
I am so thankful to have come across your post and all of these helpful comments, as I am deciding whether or not to get my little man vaccinated. Given all of this information, I think the smart thing to do is vaccinate. Thanks.
In response to your comment on my blog...really, only 20? haha. He has been eating about 35 oz a day since he was 2 months old. He just eats a TON! I've tried to feed him less before, but he's just still hungry. I guess that's why he's 18 lbs haha.
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