UPDATE: To vaccinate after a reaction?

[WeLoveLilo05]

HI all,
wondering if anyone could help. DD had a bad reaction to the MMR vaccine when she was 1 and a half, she had a fever of 103.7 for a whole weekend and then after the fever didn't move from the couch all week. She has to get the booster next week and I'm wondering if I should continue on with the vaccine even though she had this reaction.

 

[jbmom1b2g]

Did you talk to your dr. about the reaction? If you didnt I would talk to the dr. at this appointment and let them know exactly what happened and what concerns you have. You could also see if they would be willing to break it up for you. The dr.'s office can order the shots seperatly. My youngest had hives after her 2 month shots so we are getting her immunizations but very slowly

 

[npmommie]

I would speak to your doc about the reaction she had. You could also put off getting the booster, the range for the boost is age 4-6 yo. how old is she?
also another thought is to have titres drawn to see if she developed immunity from the first shot.
she may have.
but I would start with a discussion with your doctor.

eta, I see in your sig she is 5 yo, you could still wait a bit if you are concerned

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

Did you talk to your dr. about the reaction? If you didnt I would talk to the dr. at this appointment and let them know exactly what happened and what concerns you have. You could also see if they would be willing to break it up for you. The dr.'s office can order the shots seperatly. My youngest had hives after her 2 month shots so we are getting her immunizations but very slowly

I told him of the reaction in January when we began with DDs other boosters. He said there's less of a chance she will have a reaction this time, and said he wanted to give all her vaccines separate from that point, but they can no longer give the MMR as 3 separate vaccines, the pharmaceutical companies do not make it that way anymore.

And the other concern is school, she needs the vaccines to be in school, its state law. So if she's not vaccinated by a certain date she will be asked to stay home from school until she is vaccinated

 

[sparklynails23]

I'd skip it, at least for awhile. Is she allergic to egg or any vaccine component that you know of?

 

[Bren's Mom]

She doesn't HAVE to get the booster next week, I'm assuming you mean that per your state's vacc schedule she's due for it and her yearly appointment is next week.

Hold off on it for now. Talk to the doc while you're there. Discuss the possibility of the 3 vaccs being done separately, or perhaps them doing a titer check for her immunity (which might mean she won't need the booster at all).

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

I'd skip it, at least for awhile. Is she allergic to egg or any vaccine component that you know of?

No, just peanuts

 

[bumbershoot]

There's no way I would do it after a reaction.

Make sure that reaction is reported to VAERS. You can do it yourself even.

 

[npmommie]

I told him of the reaction in January when we began with DDs other boosters. He said there's less of a chance she will have a reaction this time, and said he wanted to give all her vaccines separate from that point, but they can no longer give the MMR as 3 separate vaccines, the pharmaceutical companies do not make it that way anymore.

And the other concern is school, she needs the vaccines to be in school, its state law. So if she's not vaccinated by a certain date she will be asked to stay home from school until she is vaccinated

there are ways around that.

 

[jbmom1b2g]

Your dr can always write a not e to the school saying your DD had a reaction to the shot and she is not getting at it the time.

 

[Geoff_M]

And the other concern is school, she needs the vaccines to be in school, its state law. So if she's not vaccinated by a certain date she will be asked to stay home from school until she is vaccinated

As others have said, you need to talk to your doctor about the situation.

Also, you can be assured that if your doctor advises against continued vaccination for the time being you can get a medical exemption to the school's requirements since you'd have a legitimate reason.

 

[wdwmom2]

There's no way I would do it after a reaction.

Make sure that reaction is reported to VAERS. You can do it yourself even.

I do respect your opinion, but IMHO, that would be overkill. VAERS is for adverse reactions. Running a temp after an MMR vaccination is not all that uncommon. Even that high of a temp. Believe me, I have seen temps in office over 105.0. Not necessarily from immunizations, just illnesses in general. A temp that can freak a parent out, and what actually worries me as a health care worker, are two different temps.

So would I vaccinate, most likely yes!! I would speak with my ped about my concerns, and see what their opinion is. Together, we would make a decision.

And no, MMR can not be broken into 3 different vaccines. At this time, it is not being manufactured.

 

[sparklynails23]

No, just peanuts

Well, if she has a history of allergies to other things, as well, I would skip it for a while, maybe when she's 8 and her immune system's more mature. JMO, though. The schools won't give you a hard time.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

wow, thanks everyone.
Usually i am all alone on the subject and I have been thinking about this for a while now. I am not against vaccines at all, but her reaction upset me. Do you think he will write a note to the school to postpone the vaccine?

I usually don't "go against the grain" but aside form this DD has had some medical issues in the past 2 months which involved her not eating/losing weight and now she is underweight, I would hate to have her get sick after the MMR and then NOT EAT again and lose weight, the past 3 weeks she has been doing good with eating and I want her to gain as much as she can!

 

[golfgal]

I told him of the reaction in January when we began with DDs other boosters. He said there's less of a chance she will have a reaction this time, and said he wanted to give all her vaccines separate from that point, but they can no longer give the MMR as 3 separate vaccines, the pharmaceutical companies do not make it that way anymore.

And the other concern is school, she needs the vaccines to be in school, its state law. So if she's not vaccinated by a certain date she will be asked to stay home from school until she is vaccinated

If she can't get a vaccine for medical reasons there is a form her Dr can fill out so this really isn't a concern.

Honestly, having flu like symptoms for a week is a heck of a lot better than going blind from getting rubella or sterile from getting the mumps-heck it is just plain better then getting the mumps (I had them in kindergarten OMG ). I have to agree with your Dr, chances of having that severe of a reaction again is small.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

You can have a blood test done to check for titers. This shows if you have immunity to measles mumps and rubella. If you have immunity you do not need the boosters and the school accepts that.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

I would discuss this extensively with the Doctor. When I was a child I had a severe reaction to the MMR shot. I ended up paralyzed from the waist down for about 6 weeks (they actually thought I had polio).

I recovered and they still aren't 100% sure what in the vaccine caused it, but I'm guessing what I had was similar to GBS.

Anyhow, when I had to be re-immunized for College I was told that there was NO WAY I should risk getting the shot again, since it could create a worse reaction as an adult. Luckily I was able to procure a note from the Doctor explaining the circumstances and I still got to go to College.

I would express your concerns and see about getting a note. Also, as a PP mentioned, they can draw a blood sample to see if she is immune from the initial shot. Unfortunately for me I am no longer immune, so I cringe a little every time I see someone brought Measles back from overseas.

 

[Hannathy]

If she can't get a vaccine for medical reasons there is a form her Dr can fill out so this really isn't a concern.

Honestly, having flu like symptoms for a week is a heck of a lot better than going blind from getting rubella or sterile from getting the mumps-heck it is just plain better then getting the mumps (I had them in kindergarten OMG ). I have to agree with your Dr, chances of having that severe of a reaction again is small.

I agree.

It wasn't even a week, just the weekend if I'm reading correctly. I would get the vac. I don't think what she had was that bad of a reaction. It is normal for kids to run a fever after getting that shot. I think both of mine did. And her fever wasn't that high for a kid. And are you sure it wasn't something else that happened to hit at the same time? was it cold, virus season?

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

I agree.

It wasn't even a week, just the weekend if I'm reading correctly. I would get the vac. I don't think what she had was that bad of a reaction. It is normal for kids to run a fever after getting that shot. I think both of mine did. And her fever wasn't that high for a kid. And are you sure it wasn't something else that happened to hit at the same time? was it cold, virus season?

No, when we left the peds office he said theres a 30% chance that in a week she will run a fever and it will be high and he said to do a bath and tylenol if that happens and let him know. (Since then we have moved though so its a new ped). And it was eerie b/c that next friday @ 10:30am, the same time she was vaccinated, she ran the fever. She wasn't throwing up or coughing or sneezing, no runny nose. Just the fever, not really eating as much, and then the week after not doing much of anything but laying on the couch.

 

[mickeyplanner08]

Yep, 7-10 days after the vaccine is the usual time frame for the MMR fever/possible rash. It's about 5% of kids who can develop this kind of reaction. It is more common after the first dose than the 2nd, and probably is a pretty good indication that she was developing immunity to at least one of the three antigens. I always try to explain that this can happen, and also try to explain that a fever is not a bad thing...it means that your immune system is working.

Good luck to you, whatever you decide. You could start investigating how you would need to get a waiver. Her previous reaction would not qualify her for a medical exemption because it is within the realm of "normal" reactions to that vaccine. You will need to look into whether your state allows for a philosophical objection to vaccines, because that is likely the route you will need to take. You could also go ahead and do a titer if you really want to know if she is protected, but that does mean another poke.