Yes polio and hpv are not the same in terms of diseases, which is the very point. A polio vaccine prevents polio. Your child wil still need to get screened for cervical cancer even after the HPV vaccine, so why open yourself to additional risk of a vaccine that has already had so many side effects. And our special needs kids have more fragile immune systems so who knows how they will react to that vaccine.

Parents of SN children routinely underestimate their children's interest in sex, just like all other parents. I cannot imagine not vaccinating.

Anonymous wrote:I'm not anti-vaccine and my girls have gotten all vaccines except the HPV one. There are so many reports and current lawsuits against gardasil that it's not worth the risk of additional side effects. The vaccine doesn't prevent cervical cancer-just some strains. Women still have to get screened.

Umm, you do know that Gardasil was the only manufacturer to have such side effects and the other manufacturers of the HPV vaccine haven't had any similar side effects?

That's like having a concern with ONE of the manufacturers of the polio vaccine & deciding not to vaccinate your children against polio, even though the other manufacturers of the polio vaccine were safe (and I understand that polio & HPV aren't in the same class of diseases, it's just an analogy).

I haven't heard of any doctors who even offer Gardasil as an option anymore.

I'm not anti-vaccine and my girls have gotten all vaccines except the HPV one. There are so many reports and current lawsuits against gardasil that it's not worth the risk of additional side effects. The vaccine doesn't prevent cervical cancer-just some strains. Women still have to get screened.

Anonymous wrote:How does a vaccine protect my daughter from sexual assault?

I think I'm the one you were responding to, and I'm sorry, my post was really badly written. I shouldn't post on my phone at work!

What I meant was that the vaccine would protect your daughter from cancer and other HPV related issues, in the event that she were sexually assaulted, and that while it seems incredibly unfair that your daughter should have to undergo the pain, cost, and risks (albeit tiny) of a vaccine because someone else might commit a crime, it's probably a good idea to have her protected in that way.

There are other things a family can do, and that I'm sure you're already doing and will continue to do, to protect your child, whether it's screening who cares for her, or teaching her to protest and report things. But unfortunately, none of those things work perfectly, and people with significant disabilities are at higher risk than any other group for sexual assault. So, if she were my daughter, and there wasn't some medical contraindication to the vaccine, I'd probably do it.

Anonymous wrote:

In your case, no, I would not. I am not sure if we will or not. I want to see more long term studies on the long term effects as there are issues with the vaccine and our child has had reactions.

Uhh, proof??

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's NOT just sexual assault you have to worry about, it's the risk of cervical cancer (which is a VERY real thing for girls in their 20's now).

My pediatrician will not allow you to continue to be patients in their practice if you refuse the vaccine for your children (as well as they should).

Please read this & afterwards you won't have a question in your mind as to whether to vaccinate your child.

https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/science-public/hpv-vaccine-cancer-prevention

op here -- I am fully familiar with the cancer risks. They arise as the article states via sexual activity and sexual exposure. I'm not a prude nor am I anti sexual activity. My daughter weighs 32 lbs. She wears diapers. Is this a medical treatment she requires? I'm asking parents of girls in my position.

In your case, no, I would not. I am not sure if we will or not. I want to see more long term studies on the long term effects as there are issues with the vaccine and our child has had reactions.

Can you provide the research where you found this?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's NOT just sexual assault you have to worry about, it's the risk of cervical cancer (which is a VERY real thing for girls in their 20's now).

My pediatrician will not allow you to continue to be patients in their practice if you refuse the vaccine for your children (as well as they should).

Please read this & afterwards you won't have a question in your mind as to whether to vaccinate your child.

https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/science-public/hpv-vaccine-cancer-prevention

op here -- I am fully familiar with the cancer risks. They arise as the article states via sexual activity and sexual exposure. I'm not a prude nor am I anti sexual activity. My daughter weighs 32 lbs. She wears diapers. Is this a medical treatment she requires? I'm asking parents of girls in my position.

In your case, no, I would not. I am not sure if we will or not. I want to see more long term studies on the long term effects as there are issues with the vaccine and our child has had reactions.

Anonymous wrote:OP, my kids' issues are very different, but if I were you, I would think specifically about my kids needs and if there is a reason NOT to do it. There may well be, especially if she is medically fragile in other ways.

I am debating whether to put off my daughter's HPV vaccine for a year or two. She has tremendous anxiety about shots, and I'm hoping if I wait a year or two, that will resolve. (It's tough for me as a mom, because I'm in the "What's the big deal? It's just a little needle!" camp -- but I have to keep reminding myself that these anxieties are not rational and dealing with them rationally is not helpful.) I do make her get the ones that "have" to be done at a particular time, but our pediatrician says that there is a little wiggle room on the HPV, so we may wait another year.

My daughter has anxiety and is the exact same way as yours about vaccinations & from my perspective, it doesn't get better as they get older.

In fact mine got worse, as it took many more people to hold her down as she got older.
Unfortunately, their rationale doesn't mature along with their age, a needle is a needle is a needle regardless if they're 5 or 15. I SO feel your pain though.

What has helped us immensely is the doctor's/nurses don't make a big show of it. They don't walk in with the tray & then proceed to stand there for 10 minutes yammering on about nothing, all while my daughter sits there in a panic & is completely zoned in on the tray with the needles on it & absolutely nothing else.
They know to walk in, put the syringe on, apply the alcohol & boom, it's all done within 30 seconds... they've gotten to be complete pros by now. There's no walking her through what's going to be done, the only talking they do is telling her that the alcohol is "numbing stuff".
She's 13 years old & still believes it, lol!

Vaccinations are so much easier than bloodwork though... ugh, now that's a true nightmare!
When my daughter was 8, she had to have 5 doctor's/nurses along with myself hold her down. She was carrying on like a wild animal! That's harder as it takes so much longer & the needle is SO much bigger, but vaccines are a cake walk compared to that, lol.

OP, my kids' issues are very different, but if I were you, I would think specifically about my kids needs and if there is a reason NOT to do it. There may well be, especially if she is medically fragile in other ways.

I am debating whether to put off my daughter's HPV vaccine for a year or two. She has tremendous anxiety about shots, and I'm hoping if I wait a year or two, that will resolve. (It's tough for me as a mom, because I'm in the "What's the big deal? It's just a little needle!" camp -- but I have to keep reminding myself that these anxieties are not rational and dealing with them rationally is not helpful.) I do make her get the ones that "have" to be done at a particular time, but our pediatrician says that there is a little wiggle room on the HPV, so we may wait another year.

Anonymous wrote:How does a vaccine protect my daughter from sexual assault?

It would protect her from getting HPV and being at a higher risk for cancer if she is sexually assaulted.

How does a vaccine protect my daughter from sexual assault?

Anonymous wrote:

Unfortunately, the rates of sexual assault for kids with significant disabilities are enormous. Even if a parent does everything right to prevent this, it's a very real possibility, and protecting one's child makes sense. I can imagine that's an incredibly hard decision to make.

This is exactly the reason why parents of SN children need to protect their children.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Other than the copay, which is a drop in the bucket of costs for care of a SN kids, why wouldn't you?

Answer based on science: No good reason. So, with a slight possibility of benefit, and no risk to outweigh that benefit, yes. Not even question that keeps me awake at night.

Thank you, my sentiment exactly!
I'd love to hear some of the excuses as to why parents WOULDN'T vaccinate their child?

We know that the HPV vaccination is NOTHING like the vaccinations that caused people to have concerns regarding autism. So why wouldn't you?

OP, what was your concern (fyi, that was said in a completely non judgemental way)?

Op here. This is not a vaccination issue. Please do not construe it that way. We are not anti vaccine. DD is up to date on all vaccines. This is an issue of informed decision making and trying to decide what works for my daughter. I am interested in what other similar families face and do. So far I have heard only scolding.

Anonymous wrote:And I am hardly lackadaisical. If I were I would just get her the shot.

The lackadaisical comment was NOT towards you OP, as you posted looking for answers/concerns & we're looking for more info (sorry, I should have made that clear).

It was towards the parents who just write "nope" & seemingly never give it another thought.