First come, first served

There was no question that Melody and Jessica would get the H1N1 flu shot when it became available.

We've always immunized them for everything, as soon as they're eligible for the shot. (The pediatrician put them on a shot schedule that took their prematurity into account, so they were a couple of months behind their peers.) We even got Synagis shots to prevent RSV their first winter. Synagis alone involved seven monthly shots their first year, two syringes worth per baby by the time RSV season was done. I believe that it cost our insurance company somewhere between $1000 and $2000 a pop, but judging by how much pain the girls suffered from RSV a year later (with their lungs a year more mature), it was worth it.

When it occurred to me to ask Lucas if he was okay with Melody and Jess getting the H1N1 shot, he got worried. "Why wouldn't they get it? Is something wrong? They got the seasonal flu shot already, right?" We agreed before the girls were born that we believed in the value of immunizations and have confidence in our pediatrician. We read the research and decided that the immunization-autism connection has been thoroughly debunked. I grew up partially in the Third World, and have seen the sort of devastation that "minor" and preventable diseases can cause.

Lucas gets all sorts of shots because of his job as a soldier. The anthrax shot has, by far, the worst side effects. Poor guy.

The majority of parents I know are not vaccinating their kids for the H1N1 strain of the flu. Every family should decide what's right for them. I've listened to the arguments, and I choose to vaccinate.

Here are some arguments I've heard, and how I think they apply, or not, to us.

• "Swine flu symptoms aren't that much worse than the regular flu. Only a few people have died, and they all had pre-existing conditions."
  
• I agree completely. However, Melody and Jessica have pre-existing conditions. They were premature, RSV wreaked havoc on their lungs, and they both have frequent bouts of bronchiolitis. The regular flu could hurt them too; they got the seasonal flu shot as soon as it was available. So did I.
• I know or know of three people who've had the H1N1 strain of the flu, and been really sick. Really really sick. A coworker died earlier this month, one of my mother's former coworkers in Bangladesh was extremely ill, and Momo Fali has been in and out of the hospital, poor thing. It's probably true that the same proportion of folks get very ill from this flu as from any other strain, but it's terribly contagious, and it's started going around far earlier than other strains have in past years.
• They just haven't had enough time to test the H1N1 shot."
  
• Every year's flu shot is unique, based on the strains that are predicted to circulate through the population. The means of production is the same from one year to the next. The H1N1 shot has been as well-tested as the regular flu shot, and we choose to get that one.
• "Thimerosal/thiomersal is scary stuff."
  
• Yes, I'm a little leery of preservatives, whether in my food or in my prescription meds. However, I've weighed the risks, and getting the shot is the right choice for our family. The girlies got the seasonal flu shot last year, so they've already been exposed to thimerosal, with no adverse effects.
• "They make the shots in chicken eggs. Are you worried about allergies?"
  
• I used to be allergic to eggs, so I've been careful about egg albumen exposure for me, Jess and Melody. However, I haven't had an allergic reaction in years, and I had no reaction to the flu shot when I got it for the first time last year. The girls didn't have a reaction either. In fact, they got the seasonal flu shot the morning that we drove to Dallas to see Mary Poppins.
• "I've heard of people getting sick with the flu from the flu shot.
• I elect to get the shot instead of the mist because the nasal mist contains live virus, while the virus in the injected stuff is "killed". When we do get live virus vaccines for something or other, I try to get everyone in our home vaccinated on the same day to minimize any contact by unvaccinated folks with a live virus.

You've probably heard that there's a shortage of the H1N1 flu shot, in part because it grows unusually slowly in chicken eggs. One of the girls' teachers told me that, when she found out that there was going to be a flu shot shortage, she tried to get her asthmatic kids into a flu shot study to make sure that they'd be immunized, and early. I think that's a fantastic idea, and I'm sorry that she wasn't able to find a study in our area. My pediatrician has been informed that his office will not be getting the shot to distribute, so his staff referred us to the county clinic.

I started calling the county about the H1N1 shot in early September. "Call back next week," they kept telling me. I had a reminder on my work calendar every Monday morning to call and check on shot availability. Towards the end of October, "Call back next week," turned into "Keep calling!" I started calling every day.

On Monday two weeks ago, I couldn't get through. The phones at the county clinic were out. I'd give it a day, I decided, before I tried to figure out some other way to get in touch with them. The next morning, I called, and the phone was answered quickly.

Me: Hello, I was calling to find out whether the H1N1 shot was in.
Nice lady: The what?
Me: The H1N1 shot.
Nice lady: Um, let me, um, yeah, that's not here yet.
Me: Okay. I'll keep calling.
Nice lady: Who's the shot for? We can't give it to everyone because there won't be enough.
Me: It's for two three-year-olds. They were premature, have ongoing lung problems, and are in group daycare.
Nice lady: Let me check the guidelines. ... Five years old to eighteen years old ...
Me: But they're in group daycare.
Nice lady: I'm going to check the other list. Yeah. Um, yeah. Three years old? Premature? What's your name?
Me: Sadia Rodriguez. S A D I A.
Nice lady: Be here at 8:00 tomorrow morning. We only have 12 doses in right now. Ask for Elizabeth. I'll remember your name. Don't say H1N1 too loud. We don't have enough yet to open up the shot clinic. It'll be the shot, not the mist, okay?
Me: Okay. And thank you.

Elizabeth, bless you.

Before I had kids, I would have felt guilty about jumping the line. Before I had kids, I would have followed the rules and waited until the shot was officially available. Before I had kids, I only had myself and Lucas to worry about, and he's perfectly capable of taking of himself, although he's kind enough to let me feel needed. Before I kids, I had no idea this Mama Bear inside me was just waiting to rear up. Before I had kids, I wouldn't have been watching the news for the official opening of the county flu shot clinic to know when I could publish this post.

The girls got their first dose of the H1N1 shot two Wednesdays ago. The staff at the county clinic were just lovely. When I opened my wallet to pay my $20, they refused payment, telling me that no one should be charging for this particular vaccination.

Williamson County's offering flu shots to priority group now.