I.S.O. Pediatrician Who Will Break Up Vaccines (no questions asked)

[khalverson]

My husband and I live in Olney, and we use the practice of Drs. Miller and Lee. Elaine Lee is Matthew's primary pediatrician, and since we began with her, she's given us no trouble or pushback re. unbundling his vaccines (which we are strong proponents of doing, and we don't back down on that). She's never questioned us, has always agreed, reminding us that we simply have to come in for more appts (which we're fine with; this is not about convenience, it's about safety).

Well, today, Jeff brought Matthew in for his 15-month visit, and lo and behold, we had Dr. Miller, who is basically an old grump who gave Jeff a VERY hard time about this. Jeff finally got him to break up the vaccine, but in the process, Dr. Miller made Jeff feel like a bad parent for wanting to protect his son from too many shots at one time. I'm glad I wasn't there. My Irish temper would have been unleashed for sure!

So, I am in the process of writing a letter to the practice, explaining to them that they need to get on the same page about this, as it's very confusing for parents, and we don't know what to expect from one visit to the other (in this case, Jeff expected no pushback and was quite taken aback when he got it). They need to be consistent, for everyone's sake. I do plan on using only Dr. Lee anymore (at least, until we change practices, which we are likely going to do b/c of this debacle).

Long and short of it is, I am considering leaving this practice and would like some referrals to doctors in Montgomery County who DO willingly (with no questions asked) unbundle the shots. I remember hearing the name of a female doc in Kensington (name, anyone?) but can't seem to find it in my old emails or in my bogged-down brain! It's not like I'm resisting the shots altogether; I simply want us to take a careful, cautious approach. Is this too much to ask of a doctor? I don't think so. I do think it's generational. Dr. Lee seems to be in her mid-forties, whereas Dr. Miller is the founder of the practice and (I would guess; never met him) in his sixties or maybe even seventies. Speaks volumes, probably. He comes from a time when a doctor's advice was the letter of the law and never questioned. We all know better now. We must be our own advocates, and the younger doctors know this. The older ones, not so much.

Thanks for any guidance you can provide. Sorry to have dragged you into my rant. I just needed to vent, and I feel better now.

[Anonymous]

You are probably thinking of Dr. Jane Fusner, at Kensington Pediatrics.

[Anonymous]

Capitol Medical Group will do what you want, although they will not be happy about it. You can't unbundle the MMR now anyways.

[Anonymous]

khalverson wrote:My husband and I live in Olney, and we use the practice of Drs. Miller and Lee. Elaine Lee is Matthew's primary pediatrician, and since we began with her, she's given us no trouble or pushback re. unbundling his vaccines (which we are strong proponents of doing, and we don't back down on that). She's never questioned us, has always agreed, reminding us that we simply have to come in for more appts (which we're fine with; this is not about convenience, it's about safety).

Well, today, Jeff brought Matthew in for his 15-month visit, and lo and behold, we had Dr. Miller, who is basically an old grump who gave Jeff a VERY hard time about this. Jeff finally got him to break up the vaccine, but in the process, Dr. Miller made Jeff feel like a bad parent for wanting to protect his son from too many shots at one time. I'm glad I wasn't there. My Irish temper would have been unleashed for sure!

So, I am in the process of writing a letter to the practice, explaining to them that they need to get on the same page about this, as it's very confusing for parents, and we don't know what to expect from one visit to the other (in this case, Jeff expected no pushback and was quite taken aback when he got it). They need to be consistent, for everyone's sake. I do plan on using only Dr. Lee anymore (at least, until we change practices, which we are likely going to do b/c of this debacle).

Long and short of it is, I am considering leaving this practice and would like some referrals to doctors in Montgomery County who DO willingly (with no questions asked) unbundle the shots. I remember hearing the name of a female doc in Kensington (name, anyone?) but can't seem to find it in my old emails or in my bogged-down brain! It's not like I'm resisting the shots altogether; I simply want us to take a careful, cautious approach. Is this too much to ask of a doctor? I don't think so. I do think it's generational. Dr. Lee seems to be in her mid-forties, whereas Dr. Miller is the founder of the practice and (I would guess; never met him) in his sixties or maybe even seventies. Speaks volumes, probably. He comes from a time when a doctor's advice was the letter of the law and never questioned. We all know better now. We must be our own advocates, and the younger doctors know this. The older ones, not so much.

Thanks for any guidance you can provide. Sorry to have dragged you into my rant. I just needed to vent, and I feel better now.

Sorry, I don't have a lot of sympathy. There's nothing unsafe about the vaccine schedule and I can't blame a doctor for encouraging you to stick to it. It's nice that one of the pediatricians is willing to humor you, but if I were Dr. Miller I'm not sure I'd be that nice about it either.

[khalverson]

Thanks for your unsolicited opinion. I wasn't asking for sympathy or an opinion. I was asking for a referral.

[Anonymous]

You want a referral for a doctor who does not ask questions when a patient prescribes their own treatment. Maybe Michael Jackson's doctor will take you.

It's one thing to have a point of view on vaccinations, but you are asking for a yes man, not a doctor.

[Anonymous]

Thanks to those of you who shared names and information (both here and in direct email communication)! Most of you have been very helpful, and I now have a good list of docs to call! I have a feeling I'll be on waiting lists due to these doctors' popularity, but it's worth it. Bye now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Sorry, I don't have a lot of sympathy. There's nothing unsafe about the vaccine schedule and I can't blame a doctor for encouraging you to stick to it. It's nice that one of the pediatricians is willing to humor you, but if I were Dr. Miller I'm not sure I'd be that nice about it either.

And you would know this with such assuredness ... how?

[Anonymous]

My DH has an MD and a PhD, and has asked and gotten one shot at a time for our children, thinking it was safest to space them out.
Drs. Sadhasivam and Sithanandam at Takoma Park Pediatrics saw no problem with this.

A doctor should criticize only if the parents wish to do something unsafe. Erring on the side of caution does not warrant a harangue. I would have been mad too, OP!

[Anonymous]

Dr. Margaret Sears in Clarksburg. Dr. Iona Razi in Georgetown. Dr. Matt Irwin in Old Town Alexandria. All very comfortable with non-vaccinating, semi-vaccinating, or whatever variation of vaccinating the parents request.

Best of luck to you OP, and don't let the sheeple get you down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Sorry, I don't have a lot of sympathy. There's nothing unsafe about the vaccine schedule and I can't blame a doctor for encouraging you to stick to it. It's nice that one of the pediatricians is willing to humor you, but if I were Dr. Miller I'm not sure I'd be that nice about it either.

And you would know this with such assuredness ... how?

The study that was published in Pediatrics, where they examined pre-teens and compared their vaccination schedule to a number of indicators of mental health and acuity. This should allow you to identify the actual journal paper yourself:

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1869702/vaccinations_do_not_affect_childs_mental_state/

[Anonymous]

Actually, delaying and spacing out vaccines can be dangerous to not only your child, but to other children. I had put off the MMR because I wanted to do it by itself and only when my child was older, like closer to 2. Then there was a measles outbreak in my neighborhood - yes, someone on our very block had it.

Suddenly, it was critical that I get my baby vaccinated ASAP. These diseases you think aren't an issue are very real and can be very, VERY deadly. The reasons they are on the rise are because of people like you.

[Anonymous]

OP - my child is a little older and though I originally wanted to space out and delay some vaccines, I ended up sticking to the schedule.

I just wanted to say that I go to CMG and they are starting to push back more on this. They were more accomodating years ago but they have begun to crack down a bit. My take is that they will let you space them out but I think the days of "no questions asked" are gone given the new research and the pressure from parents who want to go to a practice where most of the children are vaccinated (ie given the PP's experience with measles, there has been a backlash to the vaccine backlash).

Not trying to change your opinion at all, just giving you the word on the street I've heard.

[Anonymous]

People think the diseases these vaccines prevent are just not around anymore, but they are on the rise in a large part because of people delaying and avoiding vaccines.

http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/health/new-london-measles-exposure