Hey there fellow TND'ers! For those of you following, I have to say, I'm sad that you can't just get an email saying "Team Nate Dog has posted a new blog!" You can however grab the headline animator to see if there's new blogs.
What's going on with Nate? Well, little strong, powerful Nate Doggie has a new little something to help him experience this world. It's a hearing aid. When we first went to put it on him, he DID open his eyes a little wider. He DID interrupt his breathing. THAT, people was response. He didn't turn towards the sound, but there WAS a response that showed he noticed something. Wonderful, right???
Well, the ear piece is a little small, so when he turns just so... it whistles. So, the audiologist fit him for a new mold, hopefully that will fit him better. It's a little hard to figure out how to hold him just right so that it doesn't whistle, but I'm sure we will figure it how quickly after he gets the new ear piece! I'm still so amazed at how much this little "low end" hearing aid costs! $1300! Can you believe it? I ordered the ear piece to be somewhat camoflouge. It's mostly green with a few brown spots throughout. But, we are very conscious of keeping a good eye on it.
I remember after Charlie got his glasses, how concerned I was about keeping track of them. My nephews got glasses and couldn't same to hang on to them. I think that the difference was that Charlie wore them constantly, so they became a "part" of him. We haven't had a problem (knock on wood) for a few years now.
Well, this little hearing aid is MUCH smaller and he DOES NOT wear it constantly (mainly because of the whistling), so I'm so afraid of it getting misplaced. But so far, so good.
He will get his cochlear implant on Jan. 15. I'm very excited for that. Also, I'm a bit apprehensive after realizing how hard it is to hold him and all after this hearing aid business. The cochlear implant will obviously be on his right side, so all the effort we've put in to trying to keep his left side untouched will now have to extend to his right side as well. Since he doesn't sit upright, he's either reclined, or on the floor, on we are holding him. So, that leaves many times that he won't be able to have BOTH of these aparatises (sp?) on. HMMMMM.
Also, if things are going well eyesight wise, he will get glasses soon. How THE HECK am I supposed to have all of these thing on at once, to help him develop and experience the world around him??? I'm sure it's just anxiety that probes my brain right now on how I'm supposed to deal with that, but I sure am glad it's not a trachea thingy or a G-tube feeder! We really have it good, considering the alternatives!
Nate did get his 3rd HIB shot last week. That's the vaccine for pneumococcal meningitis. I really wasn't as nervous as I thought I'd be. It was just ONE shot. Although, the nurse that was going to give him his shot asked our pediatrician (who saw us walk in to the lab), if SHE wanted him to get the flu shot as well. Here's where my inner conflict rages.
WHYYYYYYYY would she ask the PEDIATRICIAN about that before ME???? Thankfully, the pediatician asked me before giving the well-meaning nurse the answer. Had Dr. Glotzbach said "Yes, he needs to have the flu vaccine, I believe he's at risk.", I wouldn't have argued. However, our amazingly compassionate dr. directed the question to me. She asked, "what do YOU think? What are you comfortable with?" I chose to have him just have the one vaccine. Maybe later, WE will choose to have more.
This brings me to a rant that I have mentioned to many people before...
I do NOT have a child who had a negative reaction to ONE shot or even TWO shots. I have a baby... who is nearly one year old, who at 4 mos. of age was subjected to 4 shots and one oral. Simply, because I didn't know enough.
Emi...
She was pretty much a non-event as far as shot went. The dr. told me what she was due for, I said "OK", they gave her some Tylenol and gave them to her. She was after that... sleepy with a few bandaids.
Charlie....
EVERY SINGLE TIME he got he vaccinations, he got an ear infection. I knew at them time that it was linked to his vaccinations, but I didn't realize WHY.
Nate...
Three days before he had SYMPTOMS of meningitis, he was given his shots. THREE DAYS! HMMMMMM.....
After the intial diagnosis, we pulled out that little pink card you are supposed to have with you and update ever single time you have him vaccinated. That same card that you have to copy and fax or mail to the elementary school your kindergardener is enrolling in.
That little pink card showed me exactly, as an uneducated parent as far as vaccines go, how many WEAKENED viruses were inside his body.
4 shots, one oral.
14 different viruses!
HOW ON EARTH IS A BABY SUPPOSED TO BUILD ANTIBODIES TO 14 DIFFERENT VIRUSES AND NOT BE VULNERABLE TO ANYTHING ELSE THAT MAY COME ALONG???
I am not saying that I believe, or not believe that vaccines are dangerous or that they GIVE children diseases. BUT, if does seem fishy that Nate was stricken with this VACCINE strain of menigitis so soon after being given the shot. I DO believe that the vaccines are there to help people. I believe that they were created by good hearted people intending to irradicate disease. I believe that pediatricians and doctors alike strive to help people and save them.
HOWEVER, I believe that society has created a business.
A business that wants to expel convienence on uneducated parents and care givers.
"Here ya go, here's a few shots that will save your baby from certain death if they DO NOT get these vaccines.
Save your co-pay! Get them all at ONCE! Oh sure, you may notice a fever, a hard red lump at the sight of the shots, maybe an ear infection."
And they always give you that handy dandy sheet that tells you when to call the doctor, or what to expect as far as side effects. How many of us really read those, or better yet how many of us really read up on vaccines in general?
I, after all this, would rather pay a ka-gillion dollars in co-pays than subject my child to that many vaccines rolling around in his body for 10 days while he build immunities to them. One at at a time please, for me.
The AAP has a letter, maybe many of you have seen while taking your child to be seen. It states that there is no scientific evindence that links vaccines to autism. That definitley seems to be the big one these days. It doesn't mention ANYTHING about the link to other sicknesses, like for one ear infections. Another... MENIGITIS. Or maybe even SIDS!
Anything that happens thirty days from aquiring the shots, is considered an "adverse reaction" and should be reported! That means ANYTHING! Ranging from an ear infection, to a sniffle, to a cough, to the worst case scenerio possible! These babies are born with there mother's antibodies. But yet that isn't enough to save them. They DO need help and protection. If you CAN breast feed, do it! If you can't, than figure out other ways to build immune systems! I'm not sure about those ways, but I'm sure there ARE ways. The one thing I AM sure of is that a 2 mos. old, a 4 mos old, or even a 6 mos old. does not have the immune system that can support 14 viruses and build immunities to them AND fight off impending, deadly, opportunistic diseases.
My advice is to pay the co-pays. Spread the vaccines out. Endure the inconvience. It may be worth it.
I never questioned the vaccines. Even after all the autisim stuff came to surface. I read some about Jenny McCarthy and what had happened to her son. I honestly thought, "Oh man, that is so sad.... I'm so glad that is us."
In the words of Jenny McCarthy, "ONE SIZE DOESN'T FIT ALL WHEN IT COMES TO VACCINES".
Why do all 2 mos. olds, 4 mos. olds, 6 mos olds, 9 mos and 12 mos olds. get the EXACT same vaccines? There has to be a better way! I know that nearly all of us have had children who haven't been affected by the vaccine crisis. But those of us who have, I am here to say... There HAS to be a better way!
If all I'm here put on this earth to do is to help mothers, fathers, caregivers realize that they DO have a choice.... then here I am.
No one ever said to me, "This is optional, you don't have to do this shot, if you don't want to do right now. You CAN wait and do it at another time." I would have thought about it.
No one ever said that.
No one gave me a choice.
I always thought it wasn't up to me.
And that letter... from the AAP made that indestinctly clear.
I DO have a choice in my child's care.
YOU have a choice! YOU have a voice! Don't doubt your intuitions! PUSH! Hear that voice inside that tells you to fight... or to question the dr..... or to do it your way! Obviously, hear common sense as well, don't put your child in obvious danger, but be smart. Know that you DO make the decision in your child's health care!
After everything that has happened with Nate, I know that WE are the decision makers. And if I don't like it, I will find someone who DOES feel the same. I WILL always keep my children's health at high priority. But I will NOT trust an intiution that I don't agree with! Mother's instinct IS a powerful thing and thank GOD there ARE people as well as doctors who believe that as well!
OK, so now that I've ranted and raved as much as these skinny fingers can type, I must leave with this one thought...
Know yourself,
Trust yourself,
Know your child,
Trust your instincts.
Love to all,
Good Night!
Carolyn
