flu shot runaround #, like, 4.

[flea]

Finally talked to the new ped about getting the kids flu shots. They have not yet received the medical records from the old doctor (who said Friday they were faxing them, after I emailed Tuesday and tried to fax but apparently failed Tuesday and Wednesday) but can give the kids shots if we bring in their print immunization records, which I have.

So, assuming mr. flea can take off at 4 tomorrow and bring the Dillo (which I can't ask him right now since he is in a conference all day), we can get the kids immunized for seasonal flu tomorrow afternoon.

BUT the nurse said that they should wait a month before getting the H1N1 vaccine. This doesn't jive with my understanding; since the shots are killed viruses, it shouldn't matter if you get them together. (The Flu Mist, since it has a weakened live virus, is another matter; what I've read says you should wait a week after having Flu Mist, but the ped says they have shots.)

The nurse also said that that County Health department would be the only local place to get H1N1 vaccine. I told her they'd told me Medicaid only, and she said that might have been the case for seasonal, but for H1N1 anyone qualified. So I guess now I have to call the county and see what they say. Again.

Off to do more research about having the two vaccines close together, and I guess call the county. SIGH. Have I mentioned I hate making phone calls?

EDIT:
-CDC says it is fine to get the seasonal and H1N1 shots on the same day.
-CDC suggests children under 10 need two shots of H1N1 to provoke adequate immune response. Not clear is this applies to FluMist as well. Sigh.
-Called the county and they have FluMist for H1N1 right now. They are open on a first-come first-served basis and as the woman I spoke to said, "Come early - it's a lot of people." Hours: M,W,Th 8-4:30; Tu 8-6:30 (she said come before 5), F 8-1:30 (what is it with every medical provider in the county closing midday on Friday?) Expect to have shots maybe later this week.
-I guess I am making progress, right? Sigh.

Comments

[gannet.livejournal.com]

http://flu.gov/ has some useful stuff, as does http://webmd.com/

[ste-noni.livejournal.com]

I was told both kids needed a second dose.

And I heard the month thing also, so I'm glad to know it's not correct.

Good luck to you. The H1N1 seems unavailable here for now (for Ellie).

[fabby.livejournal.com]

I hear you. I'm trying to find it as well and not having any luck at all. I'm 30 weeks pregnant and neither my regular OB nor my high-risk OB is getting it at their office, but they are both telling me I need to get it ASAP, though they can't tell me where to get it. Frustrating as hell.

[wandsci.blogspot.com (from livejournal.com)]

The info I got when we got Pumpkin the H1N1 vaccine was that she'd need two doses. We got FluMist, because that's all that was available. My understanding is that kids will need two doses of the H1N1 vaccine no matter which one they get.

And yeah, you can get the seasonal and the H1N1 vaccines on the same day, even if one is a FluMist. You CAN'T get two FluMist vaccines on the same day, though.

Good luck. We'll have Pumpkin vaccinated against the seasonal and H1N1 once we go back for her second dose of H1N1 (you wait about a month between doses). We're on the priority list for adult H1N1, since we have a newborn. But no one in our county seems to have that vaccine yet, so we've just had our seasonal flu shots. Of course, there doesn't seem to be much of anything but H1N1 circulating out here right now, so those aren't really much help!

[(Anonymous)]

Let me know how it goes at the Health Department; I heard the same thing from them but I haven't been over there yet. I need to get my kids the H1N1 vaccine too, since my 5 yr old has asthma and is at high risk for complications from H1N1. BUT, I know people with asthma aren't supposed to get the flu mist for regular flu vaccines, so I don't know if he can have the flu mist for H1N1. I wish the didn't make it so complicated.

Clare