Pediatrician/ Vaccinations

MMR will be available in separate shots again in Jan 2010- you can just wait until then... We see Dr Klein at N Pinellis childrens medical center (on 19 in PH)- even though we live in Eastlake too (I am guessing you also posted about the schools :) He has let me choose a separate schedule (as long as I still vax). My son is 28 months & is behind 3 shots (MMR is one of them).

I don't know Pinellas county well. However, I was going to make the drive to Dr. Timothy Vaughan in Pinellas (I think Largo, around Missouri/Seminole and East Bay) from Tampa, until I found a pediatrician in Tampa that will separate shots and do an alternate vaccination schedule. I met with Dr. Vaughan and really loved him. I think his practice is called Bay Pediatrics. Good luck. Stand your ground and what you believe in. I switched to my current pediatrician at 4 months with my son because he refused to give separate MMR and I knew there had to be another option.

L.,
My son will be 2 on Sat. We delayed the MMR shot for exactly the same concerns you have. I researched and called pediatricians, health dept. you name it. Noone around locally will separate the shots. I was told by the health dept that any pediatrician who will separate will charge you up the wazoo because it is more expensive for them to buy the vaccines seperately. Who knows if that is true or not but with us, our Ped. has known us for years and I finally agreed to get the shot when I found out there was no thimerosol in it and I told him he'd only recieve that shot that day. My kiddo has a rough time with shots. Does fine getting them but winds up with a fever and several sleepless nights after. If you choose not to vaccinate you must get a religious form from the health dept. so you can opt out and most Peds in the area will not accept your child as a patient if they are not vaccinated. It stinks but theres the truth of it. my friend has one of those Peds that will accept you but she waits on average 2 hours to be seen even when she has an apt sick or not. her name is Dr. Danuta Jackson-Curtis if you are interested. Good luck and God bless with whatever you decide. I know it is a tough decision.

If they say they can't do it, find a new pediatrician. My son spoke fine and was actually a little ahead of my girlfriend’s son in speech at 13-15 months. We brought him in for his vaccinations and that night he spiked a fever of 104+. I called the Doctor and he assured me that it was "normal". I wish now that I had known better then to listen to him. After that he stopped talking all together. He started having fits of frustration and acting in ways he had never done before. I addressed these concerns with that doctor time after time and he kept telling me that it was normal for a child his age. I finally had enough of being told it was nothing and switched doctors. On the very first visit the new doctor sent me to have a neurological evaluation, a.s.a.p. He was diagnosed with P.D.D. within the autistic spectrum. He was 3 1/2 years old before he started talking.
If you have any doubts at all, find a doctor that will support you. It is better than saying I wish I had insisted but now it is too late.

Ok, this is the information that I have
1) Japan has reduced their autism when they stopped doing vacinations before the age of 3!!
2)all vaccines can be single, it is just that the doctor has to order them
3) you can request the vaccine w/o mercury
4)there is so much extraneous stuff left in the vaccines from manufacture- be very very sure you want that in your child before you do this.
5) I didn't vacinate my girls. After alot of research my oldest hasn't done this with hers, either. They are very healthy. And you have to decide for your children- not an easy call- so do your due diligence so you can stand by what you decide.
best, k

L. - if you are in a position NOT to take the MMR at this age, then DO NOT DO IT! It isn't necessarily the combination of them, but the preservative that keeps the vaccine good. They aren't suppose to use that preservatie any longer, but there still seem to be cases evolving! There are many schools that will allow them to push it out until they are 2 years old. So if he goes to school then you should ask them their policy. Not even the public school system can mandate that they have it!

PS - there is a chemical in the brain that if not fully developed/evolved can mix with the preservative and cause autism - this is what they reports are telling you. Because boys mature slower then girls - even through pregnancy, this chemical is less likely to be developed in boys at this age.

I looked into this a few weeks ago and found that Merck does not currently make the MMR seperately, in monovalent vaccines (Measles in one shot, mumps in another, etc). However, I found a press release that said merck would begin manufacturing the seperate shots again, but they won't be available for a year or more. I talked with my son's pediatrician, who provided articles about how important vaccines are, and the fact that there is no scientific evidence proving a link to autism. Dr. David Berger is a wholistic pediatrician, www.wholisticpeds.com for more info on his practice.

Congrats to you for being concerned and wanting to learn more BEFORE injecting anything into your prescious little one! You have every reason to be concerned. First, you do not need to rush.... Your child is only 14 months, which is extremely young for any of the M, M or R vaccines. Even though I don't get it for my kids, my ped doesn't even do it until kids are a full 24 months because he says this vax hurts and feels their immune system needs to be more mature before dealing with these. Don't rush, it's a decision that can't be reversed. Do lots and lots of research and educate yourself as much as possible and make a decision that you feel is best for your child. You have the option of waiting until the typical age of 18-24 mo or delaying longer, it's all up to you. Right now I don't
think you can get one of the 3 components seperarely, I'm not remembering which one of the m's
but the others can be obtained but not one of them. They claim that all 3 will be available again in another year or 2. I would highly recommend reading a few good books.... 'Shoot em Up' comes in book and video/DVD form (I got the DVD so hubby could watch too and we were then on the same page), Dr.Sears Vaccine Book, and there are a couple others I've found helpful but I'm not sure I'm remembering the titles correctly.... I think 'vaccines: what your dr. May not tell you' and also 'how to raise a healthy child in spite of your Dr' . Plus I would really check into the vaccine section and forums on www.mothering.com and www.kellymom.com where there is lots of experience and reading lists.... Best wishes, remember you are in control and don't get bullied. If you need a waiver from the government, it is very easy, just go to the county health dept. Best wishes!

While I understand your concerns... I had them myself... please do some research before making any decisions. We ended up getting the vaccines for our son after talking with his doctor and doing our own research. I'm in the medical field, and decided that the link between autism and vaccines is not proven; there are so many factors to think about, but the thing that struck me was that the kids was became autistic "after" the vaccines were, in fact, often showing signs of autism before they ever received it. Whatever you decide, research may help alleviate your concerns.