flea | Entries tagged with flu shots

In the doctor's office just now, seen WRITTEN on the sign-in sheet: Harley Davidson. A girl of 2, whose mother was no older than 20 or I miss my guess.

I wish I'd gotten the names of the 6 year old identical twin girls with matching Uggs (name-brand, not knock-offs) and matching iPads, Our ped's office does pull a variety of social types!

The kids got flu shots, and the doctor was like, "Have we seen them?" to the receptionist. Well, he has, but barely - we've been "seeing" him since fall of 2009, but aside from flu shots in fall 2009 and Dillo's 4 year checkup in September, we haven't actually been in at all. I am so blessed with the overall health of my kids.

The kids are now both old enough that I can leave them with Grandma with almost no qualms about how things will go. (I do expect the possibility of tiffs between my hard-headed daughter and my hard-headed mother, and generally get them.)

Grandma and husband are off to Asheville, leaving me in great hopes that mr. flea arrives at the Athens airport as scheduled at 4:40pm, because I don't have a backup plan to collect Dillo from school if mr. flea ends up kicking his heels in Denver or someplace. Taxi, or my neighbors (who would be happy to help and there are enough of them that one should be home), I guess, would be the answer.

Had parent breakfast at Casper's school today. Thomas' mother informs me that Thomas told her that Casper plans to marry him. This is news to me, but he's actually a great kid, so if she still feels this way in 20 years and can convince him, I'd be okay with it. He's going to be tall enough, too (his parents are as tall as we are). Lots of parents showed up, including many of the ones you always suspect won't, and I got to spend some nice time talking to kids who were parentless as well as loving on my kid. I told Jeremiah he had a beautiful name and he was so shyly pleased. There are a bunch of seriously beautiful children in Casper's class.

Dillo had a charming habit of hating it when I push up my sleeves. He always pulls them down for me. He is doing GREAT on the potty lately, and I feel like we are finally finished with diapers in my house!

Tomorrow is mr. flea's birthday and I am planless. It's been a very distracted week, all out of routine and dealing with Mother. I am also planless for Thanksgiving and Christmas (though I have preliminary gifts bought for my mother and siblings at least.) This weekend needs to see some serious planning happen.

(Oh! Grandma got the kids flu-misted yesterday at the county. They got 2 of the last 3 available doses of mist, but the county did have some shots. They say they need another dose in a month, but we'll see how the WHO/CDC work this advice out in the next month, and also, will they actually have any in a month?)

I got the kids seasonal FluMist last Thursday. They had the shot, but I went with the Mist because Dillo was all freaked out about a shot. I thought you only had to wait 7 days after getting the seasonal Mist to get the H1N1 Mist.

The County was out of H1N1 Mist for a few days, but they have it now, and I am home with the kids today, and the County office is open and even walkable from my house. But you actually have to wait 28 days after getting seasonal Mist to get H1N1 Mist (I double-checked the CDC web site). Which means if I'd gotten the kids shots last week - which was an option - I could have gotten them Misted today.

So, if my kids die of H1N1 in the next 3 weeks, it's now officially my fault.

The County is expecting to get shots, but they have no idea when.

Several (mostly online) friends are down hard with flu - nobody's had it typed that I know of, but I'ma bet it's H1N1. It's worrying. Take it easy, friends, and when recovering don't try to do too much too soon.

We got the kids FluMisted (seasonal) yesterday at the new ped, whose flexibility I am loving right now. We told them it would be a shot, and pre-bribed them with chocolate Pop-Tarts. Dillo sat, all chocolate-faced, in the office, repeating, "I don't want to get a flu shot." When we decided to do the mist, he changed to, "I don't want to get a flu shot in my nose." But he dealt with it okay. I'm a little worried about the mist (since it is a live, weakened virus) but the kids are healthy and since a weekend is coming that can get plenty of rest. I haven't called the county again about the H1N1 vaccine. I am home with them next Friday, so I was hoping we could all go in at 8am then and get it done that day. If they have shots by then I'd choose that for H1N1; if they only have mist it will have been a week since the seasonal and so safe to get. And then I'll have to figure out some way to do it again in a month, since the H1N1 is recommended in two doses a month apart for kids under 10. If they still have H1N1 vaccine at the county in a month I'll be amazed.

I am feeling like I am carrying a huge load in the family right now, doing all the planning and organizing and getting stuff done. I'm at the point where I want to go away for a week so everyone sees how it all falls apart when I am not there to do it. What would happen is that they would eat out a lot and eat spaghetti-os, and watch a lot of TV, and get to bed too late, and be late for school, and forget things, and the house would be dirty(ier)). They would be fine, not, like, harmed, but that's not the way I want us to live. Unfortunately I seem to be the only one who cares about the way I want us to live, which is depressing.

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.

mr. flea, being an employee of the Federal Government, is getting a free seasonal flu shot at work at some point. Apparently they just show up and jab everyone. (He is also now prohibited from texting while driving a government vehicle!) Go team Socialism!

I used to get a flu shot at work - they'd do several clinics on campus, usually one in the library, and you just had to line up, bring ID, and there you were. Often the line was long unless you timed it well, but since it was generally made up of coworkers, fairly jolly. And by "long," I mean half an hour. Go team University Hospital!

The kids got shots at regular fall doctor's appointments, or the Saturday flu shot clinic at their doctor, which took appointments at 15 minute intervals.

Our options now? I can get a shot at the Uggaversity Clinic (paying $25), or at various local clinics (i.e. the one in Target last Saturday that I missed) (paying $25), or at my doctor when my doctor gets the seasonal flu vaccine (originally told us Oct. 1, now saying they don't have it yet and check back Thursday.)

Casper can get a flu shot at our family doctor, too, when they get some. And they told mr. flea on the phone today that they wouldn't charge for an appointment, we could just bring her by any time (really? I'll believe it when I see it). But Dillo can't, as they aren't getting the vaccine for kids under 4. So far I have called or looked at a variety possible places to get him a flu shot (I'd be willing to pay): County health clinic? Flu shots only for Medicaid patients. Uggaversity? Staff only (and students, etc. - unclear if they have any kid vaccine anyway). Clinics at Target, Public, CVS? Vaccine only available for children over 10, or people over 18. Other clinic finders helpfully suggested by our insurance company? None in our area (I live in a city of 100,000 people, not the boondocks!)

We're planning to switch the kids to a pediatrician next year; unfortunately there are very few pediatricians who accept our current insurance, open enrollment for both our health plans isn't until November, and won't take effect until January. I guess I should be glad that Dillo is the kid who is never sick, and I should be able to get the one who's had pneumonia and gets a hacking chest cold every fall vaccinated, I hope?

I took the kids in to the doctor on Halloween, to get established with the practice and get flu shots, and Casper needed her 5 year well child check. They both are fine and healthy and were cooperative.

Casper: 49 pounds, 45.5 inches
Dillo: 28 pounds, 36 inches. He looks tall and skinny all of a sudden, which is what happens when you're two.

I couldn't get Dillo a flu shot as they didn't have the kind that's for under-4s; this is the disadvantyage of a family practice doctor in an era when most children are taken to pediatricians. The public health clinic has drop-in flu shots though, and we could probably even take him to Kroger. I need one too.