by Carolina S.G.

Created on: November 17, 2008   Last Updated: November 18, 2008

I have a four year old son. Unfortunately I did not inform myself thoroughly about vaccines until he was about 1 year old.

So he received most of the rigorously scheduled shots until his 18 month doctor's visit.

At 9 months, he received the DTAP vaccine among others and had a reaction of a swollen arm at the site of the vaccination followed by a cold/flu and his first ear infection. I did not administer antibiotics although the pediatrician did prescribe them without doing a thorough examination to determine the cause of the ear infection. (bacterial or viral)

After that episode i became more concerned about the adverse effects of vaccination my son was experiencing.

I ceased all immunizations around the time he was 18 months old when at an appointment the pediatrician was very persistent about vaccinating my son despite the fact that the little boy was harvesting a fever of 101 degrees F at the time. I refused treatment and had a very unpleasant experience. Needless to say, I did not return to that Pediatrician after his shocking lack of proper knowledge of vaccination protocol.

At the age of 4 I enrolled my son in Preschool for the 2008 school year. I applied for a Vaccination Exemption from the Orange County Health Department in Orlando. It was a simple process that bought me time without compromising his attendance to preschool where it is required to provide proof of vaccination or an exemption (which most people don't know about, check with your county's health department)

We started seeing a homeopathic pediatrician where I feel he's being cared for much better. There, I decided to try bring my son's vaccinations up to date.

He received a DTAP vaccine that he once again, had severe reactions to. Only this time, it was the worse yet.

It began with his arm swelling up to the size of a baseball at the site of the vaccination. It was warm and red. He complained of pain. Within the next 7 days more severe signs began to show up. Cold sweats, sleepless nights, fevers, uncontrollable shaking & shivering, strong cough, runny nose, sore throat, thick mucus, stomach pain, vomiting, middle ear infection (otitis media) on both ears and a series of screaming episodes with complaints of pounding headaches. (which I later found out are called encephalitic headaches meaning there is a temporary swelling of the brain)

I took him to the Pediatrician where he was examined by the nurse practitioner who checked all his symptoms and proceeded to prescribe an antibiotic. She sent

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>