A friend asked a question about vaccines and I realized that I never followed up on a post I wrote about my daughter's delayed vaccine reactions!
When my daughter had her 4-year set of vaccines, the pediatricians office actually did let me space out the vaccines by a week or so, plus they let me read the ingredient inserts and found an alternative formulation for me that consolidated a couple of vaccines into one shot that didn't have ingredients that I was wary of and that reduced the total number of shots.
My daughter was also given her MMR vaccine, which has an egg allergy warning on it, yet doesn't actually contain egg. She did not have a reaction to that vaccine, like she did with the flu shot, but the flu shot actually contained egg protein.
I asked the doctor if there was anything preventative that I could do to keep my daughter from having a reaction to the shots, but he said there really wasn't anything to give her and I've read in the past that you don't want to give them fever reducers, because it would mask a reaction and you actually want to know that they are reacting and not have it hidden from you, since fever is the body's signal that something's wrong. I watched her closely, that night, and for the days following, and thankfully, nothing happened. She went in for her second vaccine (the MMR, which was given separately) and that one also went without incident.
At this point, I no longer feel that vaccines caused my daughter's food allergies, as I've heard from many with un-vaccinated, food-allergic children. (Edited to add: Um, I think I need to re-word that...What I mean is, given that there are children who are un-vaccinated who have food allergies, I don't feel they can be the sole cause. When I re-read it, it seemed like I was stating that those with un-vaccinated children were telling me that vaccines caused food allergies, which is not what I meant! :O) However, I think great care should be taken when administering vaccines to allergic children and I think they should be allowed to space them out, if they contain food-related ingredients, so parents and physicians can spot reactions. If they are all given, at once, it would be hard to tell which one caused the reaction. Even with the reactions she experienced, I am still glad she was vaccinated, as the reaction is the "lesser of the evils" compared to the diseases which they prevent. I do take each vaccine under consideration, separately, and would advise parents to discuss their child's vaccines with their doctor, especially if your child has multiple food allergies.
Currently avoiding:
Foods - eggs, milk, mustard, peanuts, tree nuts, and wheat.
Additives - artificial colors, aspartame and sucralose.
Animals - allergic to cats and dogs.
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I think vaccine can be one of many triggers leading to allergies, asthma, eczema, ADHD, autism, and son on. It's very likely a big combination of many toxins and things that weaken the immune system. Pinpointing one particular cause is very hard.
ReplyDeleteDo you give her probiotics before and after? They make some great allergy-free versions that could help boost her immune system. I give them to my children every day.
Sounds like you have a GREAT doctor that was willing to work with you to find the right vaccines for your child. Our previous pediatrician told us there were no options and we had to essentially take what they offered. And that was before I know what I know now :)
Jennifer
I agree that pinpointing a single cause is hard and it's more like a large "soup" of causes. :/ I do wish little ones weren't given so many vaccines, at once, as I think that's quite a huge overload. Obviously, many children withstand the barrage just fine, but so many of our children suffer a spectrum of effects from mild (like our experience) to severe, which is why I think vaccination should be approached with care in sensitive children, though we can't always know ahead of time, which child is sensitive, immunologically speaking.
ReplyDeleteI started my daughter on probiotics about a year ago, and I think it has been pretty great! I can't be sure if it is just that her skin has matured, or the probiotics, but her skin is much clearer and I've discontinued using Miralax, which she was put on by the pedi's office, indefinitely, until a friend showed me a disturbing article that made me decide to wean her off of it. We use Yum Yum Dophilus by Jarrow Formulas, which is Top 7 free (traces of soy). She has also been on Qvar (maintenance medication for her asthma), so I don't know how much that might have contributed to things, but she hasn't been sick in a long while, either.
As for the pediatrician's office...they are really great...for the basics. When it comes to food allergies...Hmm, not so much...This is the same office that dismissed my concerns for 15 months before I insisted that my daughter be tested. This is the office that said, "hey, try cow's milk, again, at 12 months", after which my sweet baby projectile-vomited everywhere...No, not so great...However, in treating other areas, they have been pretty good. Their service level is great...Same-day appointments are always available, and they have a few great doctors who are very attentive, but most of them know very little about allergic conditions. I know they can't know everything about everything, but allergic conditions are spiking and I think all pediatricians' offices need to get up-to-speed on this spectrum of conditions.