Sep

29

The best you can

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your thoughtful comments on yesterday’s post. So much to think about, and I really appreciate hearing from each of you. Commenter Phoebe mentioned that she feels people’s anecdotes help her remember information by allowing her to relate to facts on a more personal level, and—wow, yes, exactly. I tend to have a difficult time researching child-safety issues, probably because I often react so strongly to personal opinions (especially if they’re scary, if I’m being honest) and find it hard to stay objective while sussing out facts. It’s really helpful for me to hear what real people are thinking, because even with multiple conflicting points of view, I take away more jumping-off points for doing my homework than I would from simply, say, watching the news.

This whole thing makes me think about how people say to trust your gut when it comes to parenting decisions. I’m generally a fan of the gut-guide method, but sometimes it’s not really enough, you know? I mean, when I read about how pregnant women are in trials for the H1N1 vaccine right now, my gut says, whoah, they’re doing trials now but the vaccine’s going to be publicly available in a few weeks? That’s not . . . much of a trial, right? Those babies won’t even be born! And I know the flu vaccination development process is supposed to be safe and well-tested and vaccines in general are not linked to anything and thimerosol is okay and it’s all fine and dandy, but . . . well, don’t we sometimes find out things aren’t what they seem to be? I mean, now Pluto’s not a planet and the Brontosaurus is actually an Apatosaurus, what the fuck.

Anyway, my gut says: I would rather not give my children this swine flu vaccine. But my brain is doing the research, and I think we probably will anyway.

Here’s something a reader named Karoline wrote me, with regards to considering the vaccination:

1) What’s the worst that could happen?
2) What’s the best that could happen?
3) How often does 1 happen? How often does 2 happen?
4) How do I feel about that?

I think that’s a really useful tool for coming to a decision. Sometimes it’s all about doing the best you can with what you’ve got, even if you’re not completely confident in the choice.

55 Comments 

Sep

28

Fretful

The last time I saw my doctor, he was very firm on the subject of flu vaccinations. Get them for myself, and get them for my kids. Get the H1N1 vaccination for my kids the instant it becomes available. Do not pass Go, do not fiddle-fart around, go directly to the pediatrician’s office.

I planned to do so. Then, after a while, I started feeling unsure. Specifically about the H1N1 vaccine. I started worrying, in my non-medical-professional mouthbreathing sort of way, about potential dangers of a fast-tracked vaccine, and about reactions and side effects. You know, like a fever. Or . . . Guillain-Barre Syndrome. Death. Little things like that.

Then I read that in preparation for the swine flu vaccine, Washington has temporarily lifted a restriction that limits the amount of thimerosol—a mercury preservative—given to pregnant women and children under 3. Only around 15% of the vaccine supply will be mercury-free, and people may have to wait longer for it to become available.

Huh, I thought. That doesn’t seem good. Isn’t mercury what made Jeremy Piven such an insufferable douchebag, or something?

The FDA assures us the trace amount of mercury in an influenza vaccination is fine. The CDC is recommending vaccinations for people 6 months to 24 years old, among other groups. And since it seems inevitable that my kids will be repeatedly exposed to the flu this season—you can throw all the hand sanitizer you want at a daycare, but it’s still basically a toy-filled, skill-building petri dish—it would be irresponsible for me to not get that vaccine, right? I mean, statistically if we’re looking at worst-case scenarios the kids are probably much more likely to have Something Bad happen from the flu than a vaccination. JB’s coworker had the H1N1 virus a couple weeks ago and described how it made him feel like he couldn’t breathe for a couple days. Well, jesus. If there’s a way to help my kids avoid getting an illness like that, I should be ALL OVER IT.

… right?

So why does this feel like such a creepy, shitty decision?

Where are you at with the swine flu vaccine, with regards to your kids? I’m really interested in hearing your thoughts.

218 Comments 

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