United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

Hallo there evryone. Wishing you all Merry Christmas. I would like to know about Immunization program for children with BPI . Is the schedule same like normal child or there are some precautions to be taken for BPI childrens . I have very bad Experience with my first Son ,he suffered badly after the DPT shot . Shall appreiciate responses from all.Happy Holidays.

Munam

We have had no problems with Immunizations. They schedule for us has been the same as non-BPI kids. Just don't let them place the needle into the affected arm. My doctors have always done them in the legs. If your first child had problems with the Shots I might see about having them done as seperate ones. Also how long ago did your first child get his shots. They now have a shot (at least in the USA) that is called the DTaP it has less reactions. Or they can just give a DT shot from my understanding it is usually the Pertuiss (P) that causes kids to have the problems. Make sure you ask lots of questions from the doctor and ask for phamphlets to read before you get the shots and let them know about your older childs reactions. And if you are not comfortable then don't get the shot!
Kristie
Have a very Merry Christmas!

Munam,

We had to make decisions about immunizations with Maia because my eldest daughter almost died from the DPT shots she got and we were very worried about Maia. With our doctor's input we decided to wait until she was over 3 years old to begin immunizing her and we started with an infant dose of Polio - we made sure that she would only get the vaccinations that had the 'new' preservatives in them (no mercury, etc.). With this one dose she had full body eczema that lasted for about 2 weeks. We chose polio because it caused neuromuscular issues and that was Maia's weakness.

Then we chose Tetanus next because she plays a lot in playgrounds and around wooded areas and she falls a lot. So we tried an infant dose of just tetanus - no D no P. And with this she was sick for 1 1/2 months with skin welts, eczema and a lot of asthma.

We were going to try measles next - because she goes weekly to an inner city hospital where mostlikely measles would show up over another type of hospital... but there are warnings on all the paperwork about measles and allergies to eggs and she is allergic to eggs. So now we are at a dead stop.

I think we are going to go to an immunologist next and try to figure this out together. I wanted to see an immunologist when were at Texas Childrens Hospital for her last surgery but there wasn't enough time at the time - I should have thought of it sooner and set it up months in advance.

So we are still going to go to an immunologist next and try and figure this out. We worry about her immunity to these diseases but won't risk her life for it. It's a scary process to make these decisions. And at the same time the government is taking a second look at all of our vaccinations - just in the last year or so they put an edict out to remove all of the bad preservatives from them (they were using mercury, alluminum and formaldehyde)

I'll let you know what the immunologist thinks when we get to see him.

Oh yes - as as someone else posted - not shots in the bpi arm. I'll send you a copy of the Emergency Medical Alert card for bpi which will give you four things you have to know for medical emergencies...

-francine

-I have chosen to review the immunizations on an individual basis also and not immunize according to the recommended schedule- in the USA many believe they have no choice about immunizations,this is not true- there are exemptions for those who do not wish to have their child immunized,
Theres alot of information on shots-correlations between the MMR and autism, DTPs and asthma, and other autoimmune issues, thimeresol/mercury, etc etc-
Here in the states I prefer,at this point, to risk my child coping with the diseases of mumps,measles,chicken pox, whooping cough- then the side effects of the immunizations- I might not be so quick with that risk however if I lived in a country where the diseases occured more often or if my childrens' immune systems were compromised.

We have had to repeat ourselves more than once to nurses about giving the shots in the leg....They don't like to do something different(my son is 12) but I told them if it doesn't go in the leg it doesn't go at all. It would be very unfair to put it into his healthy arm and have him get the soreness and have both arms down and out!!!