At 12:01pm on Jan. 17, 2011, Lisey said…Thank you all for your kind words. Still in shock that my son was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes in December. I still have lots of questions…One big one I have is on the issue of the flu shot. I have never given my son a flu shot. We only do whatever is required by law, but I never do any extra shots. What are your thoughts if we continue to forgo the flu shot? I know the diabetes nurse and endocrinologist strongly recommended he get one, but in my heart I do not feel good about it.I want to do the best for my child…I really appreciate what you all have to say on this. I don’t want my son to end up in the emergency room again. Is the flu really that dangerous if a diabetic gets it? Could it really lead to death?
The flu can kill anyone; not just a diabetic. What’s your objection to the modern medical best practices?
the flu shot is virtually painless and side effects are extremely rare. if you’re concerned, they have thimerosal-free vaccines available. i also would get over the fear of shots. your son is going to need a lot of them in the future and the risk of side effects from vaccines is really negligible. you have a better chance of being struck by lightning than getting a serious complication from a childhood vaccine or a flu shot. the media way over-hypes the risk of shots and people only see the rare cases in which a vaccine did have a side effect.
I’ve heard and read that the flu vaccine can bring more harm than good.
As I stated above, my son does get vaccinated…just doesn’t get the extra shots.
(ie. Flu, rotovirus,etc.) It is not that he has a fear of shots… Just wanted to know if anyone else has also heard of the dangerous side effects associated with the flu vaccine?
In my non professional opinion, no, it isn’t as dangerous as people would like you to believe. Last year I think I came down with the dreaded “killer” swine flu. I never went to the doctor to confirm it, but it felt the same way as other times when I got the flu. (runny nose, coughing, slightly elevated sugars, and general crappyness) If your son does get the flu, you may have to check more often and give a little more insulin than normal, but it has never put me in the hospital.
and for some reason my mom got me the swine flu vaccine a few weeks after I recovered, my blood sugars went into the 300s for a bit. Even though the nurse said that the shot wasn’t the cause, i’m not so sure
A diabetic has a compromised immune system to begin with. In my opinion it is less compromised with good BG control but with a young child BG control can be difficult. Moreover young children seem to always get a “stronger bug” as my mother used to say when they get the flu. Being diabetic your son’s BG with the flu will raise his BG also.
You have to outweigh the risks as with any course of treatment. I would lean with the Dr and Nurse on this one.
the human body is immensely complex and we’re not close to understanding how it works. in spite of this, modern medicine has been remarkably effective at preventing diseases that used to kill tons of people. i’m happy to accept the risk of autism or alzheimer’s if it means not dying of polio, measles, diptheria, or other diseases that are now easily preventable. i will say that if you look at epidemiological data, it strongly suggests that the risk of dying from the flu is far greater than that of contracting a disease from the flu vaccine. i’d be interested to see evidence suggesting otherwise.
I myself felt wrong about getting a flu shot this year…I didn’t get one this year because the whole swine flu vaccine scares me. Last year, I got a regular flu shot and felt OK about that, but now it’s combined so I disregarded the advice to get one. I understand where you’re coming from. However, so many people get the shots and are OK or are better-- not getting sick. I guess it’s really all just preference. I have a friend who has never gotten any sort of vaccine her whole life and she is very healthy…but I also know people can have major complications if they are diabetic and do get sick. Even a cold raises my blood sugars, so if I were to get the flu once, I might change my mind on the shot! I really don’t know what else to say, haha…do what feels right in your heart though!
Before I became D I never had the flu or a flu shot. Since being DxW/D, have gotten the flu shot every year with no problems. I think you should judge by the general health of your son. If he has had the flu in years before becoming D, does he get sick with regularity or is he usually very healthy. The docs will always vote for getting the shot no matter what kind it is. It is true that with T-1 D your immune system is compromised, but you should write down the pros and cons of the shot and go with your gut as parents.
no vax’s here…even more ‘conservative’ about what goes into my body since dx. lets face it, we have autoimmune disorders…do we really need to be experimenting with known toxin injections?
Since I was diagnosed, I’ve always got the Flu shot, and for me, it has worked. You need to just do what is good for you and your child. It sounds like if you get him the shot or not, you will be checking his levels a lot, so unless you are very far away from a hospital, or clinic, you should be ok.
The choice is yours. Don’t let people pressure you.
These sorts of decisions are all about trying to weigh the risks in the face of lack of information. A child that gets the flu can up with a more serious condition than an adult who is not only stronger against these attacks, but has more general immunity. And when a child gets the flu, has dramatic blood sugar swings and gets dehydrated, then the flu could cause an unexpected trip to the ER. But on the other side, no medicine is without side effects. A discussion of the details is available frokm the CDC. The flu shot is inactivated virus, and thus has a smaller range of things that can go wrong (than say an vaccine of inactivated form of the polio virus). Unless your child has something like an allergy to eggs, it would seem the risks of an adverse effect from the flu shot are quite small.
MEDIA HYPE LAUREN MEDIA HYPE!!!
http://www.livestrong.com/article/305872-vitamin-d-the-flu-shot/
vitamin d
no adverse reaction. and it protects everyone equally.
So your friend never attended public schools her whole life? There are laws that children must be vaccinated against certain things before they are allowed to attend public schools.
Hmmmmmm Let’s See Dying from FLU or Flu Shot??? Hmmmmm Last I checked NONE HAVE DIED from Flu shot (PROVEN) NOR CAN YOU GET SICK FROM IT PURE SIMPLE BUNK it’s PURE PARANOIA!!! Here’s How I look at it?? I almost died not once BUT TWICE Due to Flu…and once time in intesive care…DKA within 2 hours of being SICK I HAD DKA that could have killed me!!! I ve been taking (FLU SHOTS) since that it’s been 15+ years EVERY YEAR…and if you’re a parent who has children and LOVE THEM (I have to 23 and 21 they are PERFECTLY FINE and NEVER EVER SUFFERED ONE BOUT OF FLU NEVER) or any from their immunizations in general!!! Read this PARENTS and PEOPLE http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/05/vaccine-autism-study-repor…
(Only the one’s who suffer “adverse effects” are persons who are allegic to EGGS the only condition known)
It’s a PARANOIA STUNT and sometimes we get Snicker Doodled into the False BS!!! from PARANOID PERSONS OUT THERE!!!
LIKE!!!and correct!!!