Damed If You Do....Damned If You Don't

[Tallblonde]

Man oh man....you just can't win sometimes.  Here's the first paragraph of an article that's currently appearing on the Hepatitis Neighborhood website:

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Doctors in Boston are underscoring the increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) in people given the hepatitis B vaccine. But they are quick to add that patients shouldn't completely write off the vaccine because of its significant benefits in keeping the virus at bay.

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One of the first things I did after being diagnosed with HCV was to get vaccinated against A & B.  Now I can add that to my list of things to worry about.  Arghhh!

Susan

[Tallblonde]

Here's a quote from the lead researcher:

"We estimated that immunization against hepatitis B was associated with a three-fold increase in the incidence of MS within the 3 years following vaccination."


Lovely.

[cuteus]

the association with neurological problems from hep b and other vaccines have been floating about for years, "not enough data to be concerned" is what we keep hearing from the medical community. I did not want to chance it, so I declined the vaccine for my daughter and I. it was easier for me to decline it. My daughter is mandated by the schools, so it was a struggle to get them to waive it.
In Europe, they have been documenting cases for years. I did my research a while back and decided to give the reports the benefit of a doubt.  Universal precautions for hep b is enough for me. Hep A is another matter, though.

[Tallblonde]

Thanks for the insight.  I somehow missed this one in my research.  If I had known about this issue, I would have declined getting the Hep B vaccine. And, of course, I never heard a peep about this from any of my doctors.  It just goes to show you how important it is to do your research and make INFORMED decisions about your healthcare.

Susan

[CARUU]

Thanks for balancing this with "the other side of the story".  When I first read about the possible connection between HCV and MS I knew I didn't have time to add another worry to my list. As long as I'm feeling better I'm going in the right direction and I HOPE to stay out of the doctors office and labs for a long time. caruu

[Tallblonde]

Scott,

Thanks for the information. I hope my original post doesn't scare people.  Hopefully, it will motivate them to look at the research prior to making a decision.

Caruu....I wasn't sure after reading your post if you had or had not gotten the Hep B vaccine.  Could you clarify?

Susan

[CARUU]

Yes, I got it when I started tx.

[britgirl]

I was told not to get the Hep B vaccination by the hospital where I was treated as it "wasn't necessary", so I didn't. Another factor in my decision was a TV programme I saw over here about people who had never recovered from the side effects of the vaccine.
I have been vaccinated against HepA as it is much easier to catch.

[donAlfonso]

Rev, I just want to sneak in here and congratulate you on finishing your marathon tx, as the "Where we're at" thread is closed.  Sounds like you are doing great.  If I had a lawn I'd ask you over to mow it!  And to hear that the brain fog will clear is almost the best news of all.  Guess that is one of my great fears, that I'll be cured of the virus, but remain the village idiot forever.  Thanks for all your help so far, and I'm so glad to see that you are continuing to post.  You join Cuteus in my list of heroes, extended tx division (and hold the record, I believe).  BTW, as a former serious cyclist, my list began with Lance Armstrong, and I recommend IT'S NOT ABOUT THE BIKE to everyone.

Cuteus, your response to me in the earlier (BABell) thread was so heartfelt and beautiful it made me cry. And that's a Good Thing!

I got a call from my doc today, it's a good thing we started Procrit this week, as my latest blood test showed my 'crit at 29.  He told me to do injections 2x/week for a month.  I was so NOT surprised at his call; I knew I was feeling worse.  Worried now about finding spots to inject, and I forgot that Procrit shots BURN.

Oh, as for vaccine, my doc said if I get hep A now I'll probably die.  I took the vaccine.

Okay, forcing myself to go out now to buy an extended-probe thermometer... for cooking!  Good food is good medicine. Love to all.

dA

[annainitaly]

well SUSAN, I think I can understand your worries.
me myself got hep B vaccine some years ago... actually after I had my PCB diagnosis. and nobody told me about the possible risks.
I know a good number of people (good doctors among them) who refuse to vaccinate their children (it's not mandatory for school any more, here in italy). vaccines are suspected to trigger autoimmune diseases in some subjects (this could be my case) and other serious diseases.
pharmaceutical industry isn't a philantropic association (unfortunately we knew that already), as it doesn't seem to care much of the dangers and has been fostering the vaccine culture for a long time.

SCOTT it's really great to hear those news...  it seems that your trip to the land of belcanto is approaching quickly !!!  veeeeery well !Ó

[Tallblonde]

Hi Scott,

I'm thrilled to hear that you're feeling so well just one month after stopping treatment.  You must feel like you've run five back-to-back marathons and finally get to sit down and rest.  I must say however, that you were quite entertaining during your tx. You at least made it fun for us!  

Seriously though, I appreciate all the encouragement and support you provided during this past year.  Today is the one-year anniversary of me getting that dreadful letter in the mail from the insurance company telling me that I was turned down for coverage because I had tested postive for HCV.  I didn't even know what HCV was, but within a day or so I came to realize that it was the beginning of a nightmare.

I'm not quite so scared anymore, thanks to you and others who have helped me to better understand this disease.  Scott, you have my very best wishes, and tons of prayers, for SVR.

Susan

[cuteus]

huuummm!....I'm not sure I believe everything the CDC says....MS can be such an elusive thing to diagnose and very  slow to progress in many....it would take years of following vaccine recipients to fully ascertain a connection.
can't convince me to vaccinate a child for this mostly sexually, blood borne illness, when one of the reasons behind this massive campaign is to determine if it will make a difference in liver cancer rate in the future. They won't have these two guinea pigs for their experiment.

[Lucky Lou]

Got my vaccines today, my decision was based on risk vs Value. I opted for value.

LOU