Tuesday, November 10, 2009

I'm at LA Moms Blog


Jumping Into the Fray

O.K. I've held off for quite a while, now, about the H1N1 virus and vaccine, quietly reading the many posts about it and the comments about these posts. I've given my opinion on a couple of the seizure/epilepsy list serves that I'm a member of and been silenced a bit by what I believe is hysteria and fear. I even responded to an advisory put out by a very large, national epilepsy group, expressing my anger that parents of children with neurodevelopmental conditions do not have nearly enough information to make informed decisions about this virus and the vaccine for it.
 This space is not sufficient to really voice my opinion in a careful and nuanced way, balanced by facts and history, but I can probably summarize. I have a fourteen year old daughter who developed a severe seizure disorder shortly after her initial round of vaccines at two months of age. As you might know from my blog, we have never found a reason for her seizures AND have never found a treatment for them. She is profoundly disabled as a result, and despite trials of eighteen medications continues to have seizures just about every day. We stopped vaccinating her when she was about six months of age. After a year or so of largely fruitless treatment for her seizures, I began to look for alternatives and found an osteopath who changed her life and mine, steering us toward more holistic health care. As a result, her general health improved dramatically.  She stopped having ear infections and weathered colds and fevers without increases in her
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14 comments:

  1. An excellent, level headed piece. Thanks for it. I am, of course, of the same mind and on the same health care path.

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  2. Elizabeth, in principle I'm of your same mind, and my kids have been treated from birth by a paediatrician and a homeopath, but in practice this is a very difficult decision for me to take. My daughter risked her life at 8 months, when an aggressive and never detected virus attacked her lungs (and as a preemie she'd already had her share of ICU and respirators). For many, many days it wasn't clear whether she'd make it. It was nothing that could have been prevented, whereas H1N1 - which can give respiratory complications - could be prevented. At what cost? I don't know.

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  3. As always so many things to think about regarding our children. So many options. And yet it always comes back to a mother's instincts (after research and prayers).

    Thanks for sharing.

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  4. we're not getting the vaccination either .... following my heart on this one

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  5. Just want to say "Hello," and tell you that you've written lovely and thought-provoking pieces (as usual). I am behind in work and correspondence, so am not commenting meaningfully on them, but I am reading and thinking of you often. XO

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  6. Its a heated topic. I admire anyone who jumps in the fire. You've stated your personal choice clearly while showing no judgement for the other side.

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  7. I appreciated your thoughtful words on this tough topic. Left a longer comment on the LA Moms Blog site.

    Just wanted to add how beautifully luminous Sophie looked in the photograph.

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  9. It's such a complex issue and it makes my head hurt every time I think about. If I were you, I would be scared to death of vaccination as well. You made some valid arguments in your article and I appreciate your points as well as your courage to write about such a controversial, hot topic that can provoke some militant reactions in some.

    I don't think we will have Izabella vaccinated against the H1N1 virus because she is too young and doctors, at least in Europe, don't recommend it for children under 2 years of age. I am thinking that my husband and I should get it though, considering that Izzy is in the high-risk category.

    May I ask what homeopathic or herbal remedies you take against the flu?

    And on a side note, I LOVE the picture of Sophie.

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  10. Erika -- We all take Colostrum (3/4 tsp) in juice or water, and Immulox, a spray that we get from our homeopath. He also sells Pleoquent and Pleonot which we've used for regular flu. Both work well for us.

    Also, when we feel like we're coming down with something, we quickly start taking Yin Chiao, a Chinese herbal combination that really nips colds in the bud...

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  11. A great piece Elizabeth and I definitely see why you would not go near this vaccine. I'm so wary of the vaccine and all the hype about the virus. Five years ago when there was that seasonal flu vaccine shortage my husband was went to England to help get production back on track...I learned more than anyone would want to know about the primitive nature of these vaccines (though thankfully most of the details escape me now) We'd never done flu shots before that and continued to steer clear. But I keep receiving medical alerts from our PWS Clinical Advisory Board about kids with PWS dying from complications from H1N1 and so I caved. Oscar will get an injection on Thursday. The other two will not. I hope I don't regret it later. Ugh.

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  12. And how true is that, that you wouldn't be alive to tell the tale.

    I believe that they have to be individual decisions, but I absolutely agree the the media are terrorizing the populace about this vaccine.

    Love Renee xoxo

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  13. Thanks for the info! I appreciate it.

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  14. http://tiny.cc/31r9T

    enough said.

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