Earlier this week, we had an Emergency Room adventure. In an attempt to keep our immune-compromised
son protected from as many infectious diseases as possible, we make it a priority
to get him vaccinated. Because of his medical condition, there are some vaccines
that he cannot receive. The MMR
(Mumps-Measles-Rubella) vaccine he cannot receive because it is a ‘live’
vaccine.
However, we do make a concerted effort to get him his flu
shot. This is what led us to the
Emergency Room this past Monday.
In the past, our son has had a reaction to the flu
shot. We have questioned whether we
should still give him the shot. With the advice of no less than five doctors,
we have been encouraged to keep doing it. Now we do the flu shot in microdoses. The shot is divided into 4 microdoses and
given in timed intervals. If the first
shot is given and there is no reaction - we proceed with the next shot. This process is lengthy, and you can imagine
how our son enjoys getting four separate shots.
We took this approach last year, and it went very smoothly.
There was no reaction. This past Monday,
we did it again. There was no reaction
until the fourth and final shot. After the last shot, Russell’s skin broke out
in hives, and he became very agitated and itchy. The Allergist who was administering the shots
provided an antihistamine, and when she felt that was not working, she then administered
epinephrine and called 911.
This engaged all of the resources of the Winnipeg Fire and
Paramedic Service. The first
to arrive at our Doctor’s office was the fire truck, with the ambulance closely
behind. Yes, it was overkill.
Susan and Russell were quickly escorted into the ambulance
and taken to the Emergency Room at HSC - Children’s. Russell got to operate the
sirens, which he did think was rather “cool.”
The purpose of going to the Emergency Room was to monitor
the allergic reaction and to ensure there was no rebound effect when the
effects of the epinephrine wore off. We were there a few uneventful hours and
were released. We went home for a much-needed rest.
The decision to give Russell a flu shot is not unlike many
of the decisions that we have to make as it related to his health care.
Managing a child with a heart transplant and kidney damage prompts many
discussions about the types and effects of the medications he takes. Most of
the medications he takes have the potential to do significant harm to him. We
are not alone in this situation, this is the reality of anyone who has to
manage a medically complex condition.
So, why did we chose to give Russell the flu shot when we
knew there was a significant risk that he might have an allergic reaction.
After all, the efficacy of the flu shot varies from year to year, and sometimes
it’s a good match, and sometimes it is not. It is effectively playing the
odds. So, why did we do it? Quite simply, because of anti-vaxxers.
Everyone in our home gets the flu shot, so it wouldn’t be a
big deal for Russell to not be vaccinated except for the fact that with the
increased prevalence of the population not getting vaccinated (thanks to anti-vax
hysteria) we now have to worry about every kid with a runny nose who Russell is
exposed to at school.
We have a long history of having issues with this. Our children have been quarantined twice due
to measles scares in their school and Russell had to endure a 5-day stay in
hospital when he contracted Chicken Pox. Being immune-suppressed makes diseases
like Chicken Pox and Measles a life-threatening reality. All thanks to the
tin-foil hat conspiracy theorists who think they know better.
Will we give Russell a flu shot next year? At this point - I
don’t know. We will have to make that decision in the next few months. Just
another choice in a long list of options that we have had to make over the
years. It is infuriating to have to face this reality knowing that many of
these diseases could be mostly eliminated if people would just vaccinate.
The next time you see a GoFund Me page or a Social Media story about a child with cancer or some significant health malady and you feel a need to support these families? Perhaps, think about ensuring you and the people around you are vaccinated. You might even prevent getting ill yourself.
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