What are the Chances

As many know, I am just a little freaked out by Immunizations. I believe that many of them make sense and are good. On the other hand, I distrust the medical community and realize that they tend to “push” things before they are fully tested. I struggle often with the “God provided doctors to help us” vs. the “God designed our bodies to fight infections and we are interfering with that process.” Hubby does not share my struggle. Except for 1 or 2 vaccines, he thinks we should do what they tell us. The chances are very low that there will be any problems anyways.

With his blessing and having researched EVERY immunization that our children had due, I took the boys to the doctor last week. They sailed through their boosters with no problems. So far, so good……maybe it was just me being paranoid. I took the Imp in for her boosters and well check. She was good and the staff reinforced that we liked this new doctor.

Then it happened. The Imp woke up covered in a red bumpy rash that was spreading as we watched and waited for the doctors office to open. She itched everywhere and the site of her immunizations was the size of a baseball and a very angry red. Benadryl seemed to help a little. Her breathing was good, but her ears started to burn and she complained that her chest was getting tight. I took her in.

One and a half hours later, with $20 for a doctor visit and another $39 in prescriptions to fight the allergic reaction, I was given this little gem of wisdom. My daughter is allergic to the Chicken Pox vaccine, or the MMR vaccine, or egg products that were used to make them (she has no history of egg allergies), or something in her environment. Because they gave them both in the same arm and only millimeters apart from each other, they aren’t sure. This is very unusual and they wish they could tell me more, but since the child won’t have to have either vaccine again, her boosters are complete, they don’t see reason for concern. Also, the medications that they are giving her to stop the allergic reactions are very strong. As they wear off, I can watch the rashes return and see her arm swell up again. She is on them around the clock. They are “fairly certain” that us countering the immunizations with medications won’t totally make the shots pointless. Hmmm. Fairly certain. Great. Further, what are the chances of her reacting to another immunization made with egg products? Yeah……go figure….I’ll let you know when I’m on the other side of all the itching, swelling, and countering the vaccines with “rare” side effects with the additional meds that help keep her airway from shutting down. Yeah, I’ll get back to you on that. Grrrrr.

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