CRAZY ADMISSIONS QUESTION FOR ANYONE! HELP!

[zilla]

I am considering applying to medical schools, however, I have a problem! I do not want to go through the required immunizations for admission to any of the schools. I know this may seem crazy, but ever since I had a severe allergic reaction to the flu vaccine, I have been extremely leary of putting anything in my system. I am not allergic to eggs, so it was not the protein that triggered the reaction, which left my allergist confused. I received the MMR and the DPT as a child and apparently had no reaction, however, medical schools also require Polio, Hepatitis B, Varicella, and Tuberculosis.
DOES ANYONE KNOW IF I WOULD BE ALLOWED TO GET AN EXEMPTION FROM BEING VACCINATED!! Would this be a right of mine, or would they require it because I potentially could put patients at risk? What do hospitals require? Would not being vaccinated affect my clinicals, residency, etc.? Has anyone ever heard of a dillema like this? Is there an organization which oversees the regulation of this? I really want to be a doctor! Any suggestions? HELP!!!!

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[vyc]

are you kidding me?

just get the stupid immunizations, for god's sake.

did you get an allergy test for the preservative in the flu shot, thymerosol? (i might be spelling that wrong)

 

[PiperNate]

First of all...what type of "severe reaction" did you have to the flu shot? Where did you get the shot(hospital, clinic, work ). When was this. Let me know and I can help you further with your dilemma.

 

[faerichilde]

even if you are allowed to be exempt while in school, you will never be allowed to work in a hospital without immunizations. Even when I was volunteering in an ER (and had absolutely no patient contact) it was required. TB isn't a vaccine, it's a test, and something you will probably have to have once a year as a physician, so you should probably get used to it now

 

[PelicanMan]

I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but if you are going to let some shots discourage you into going into medicine. It seems to me that you are not very dedicated to medicine. You gotta realize that getting shots is like the easiest thing you have to do. There are so many more difficult things we all have to go throught to get into med school. You have to study when all your non-premed friends are going to parties and stuff. Anyways the point is that if shots are holding back, that is freaking ridiculus. You have to deal with death but you don't want to get some shots. Give me a break.

 

[zilla]

I received the flu vaccine approximately 6 months ago at my doctors office. Immediately following the shot I broke out into a rash across my chest and shoulders, and became very flush. I also had severe shortness of breath which was real scary. One week after the shot, I experienced burning sensations all over my body, numbness in my feet and hands, and trouble walking. I went back to my doctors and he became worried about the possibility of guillan-barre, so he contacted a neurologist. Up to this day, I still have residual symptoms and do not know if I will ever fully know what it did to my system. I have never been allergic to anything in my life! Weird

 

[dustinspeer]

Sounds like an acute case of hypochondriosis! :wink:

 

[BlackPuma]

I AM ASTOUNDED BY THE STUPIDITY OF THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE POSTED ON THIS WEBSITE!!!

I RARELY IF EVER AM CRITICAL OF ANYONE...

BUT, he has a valid reason for NOT GETTING THE SHOTS!!!! which I found it absolutely appalling that you people are calling him a "wus" for not taking it!!!

and you people want to go into medicine!!!

CASE IN POINT, the original polio vaccine (Salk's version) versus (Sabin's version) actually CAUSED POLIO, in 1 to 2% of the population

SO RELATIVELY NORMAL PEOPLE, WHO GOT THE SHOT TO BE "IMMUNIZIED" AGAINST POLIO, did in fact GET POLIO because of the vaccine, the number of people who actually got polio because of the vaccine in the 19060s/1970s was around 300,000 PEOPLE!!!!!!!!! <img border="0" alt="[Wowie]" title="" src="graemlins/wowie.gif" />

THEY SUED the government for forcing them to take the polio vaccine shots, because of the epidemic, it had become MANDATORY

also, case in point, Persian Gulf War, thousands of millitary personals, were vaccinated against "anthrax" or other chemicals...

and then what did we get afterwards, "Veteran Gulf Syndrome" where some of their kids were born with BIRTH DEFECTS!!! asthma, diarrhea etc etc

so please don't go around spewing what little knowledge of vaccines you have and say, oh "dont be such a baby, dont let a "shot" keep you out of medicine"

WHATEVER, such idiotic ignorance!!! pisses me off, that people think one type of "Cure or prevention fits all"...

as future physicians you have to take a look at exceptions in every case, this person has a VERY legitimate concern for NOT TAKING shots that might cause a problem to him...

of course it isn't to say, that all SHOTS ARE HARMFUL, OR JUST BECAUSE YOU HAD A reaction to a flu shot, doesn't mean you might have a reaction to another shot,

but also, THAT DOES cause a huge problem if you're trying to go into medicine...as much as I hate to say this, you have to be immunized against certain diseases before you go and treat the patient!!!

and for some of you on this thread who posted those things, I AM SO SORELY Disappointed in you...



oh and the two people that I was referring to were vyc and Pelicanman...nobody it's not freaking ridiculous...people have been known to die from vaccine medications!!!

 

[djipopo]

well, if you've already had the immunizations as a child, your doctor could run an antibody titer test. if your titers are still up, you won't need the "boosters" now. i recently saw my doc and although i didn't have an aversion to getting immunizations he ran the titer anyway. i only had to get the polio vaccine. hope this helps . . .

 

[Assassin]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by faerichilde:
•TB isn't a vaccine, it's a test, and something you will probably have to have once a year as a physician, so you should probably get used to it now •••••No way in hell am I getting used to it. That thing itches like hell

 

[Fah-Q]

Take it easy on him/her!!! From your description, it sounds like you definitely had a anaphylactic reaction to the vaccine. This can be really scary but the important thing is that is was not as serious as it could have been. Vaccines are very different. Some are protein extracts, others are live, attentuated viruses, and still others are killed virus. The point is that you had a reaction to a specific component of the vaccine and this component is not likely to be in other vaccines. Your allergist should be able to nail down what the allergen was. Your future reactions to this allergen (if you ever have it again) are not likely to be worse than the first reaction. Bottom line: figure out the allergen and get all of the required vaccines tat don't have the allergen in it.

 

[dfleis]

1 or 2 per 1,000,000 get GBS from influenza vaccine... so now, I guess the only question I can ask you is...

Are you feeling lucky, punk?

 

[PiperNate]

I would not consider it an anaphylatic reaction. He said he was short of breath. Anaphylaxis causes an occlusion of the trachea, you can't breathe.
Sounds more like a systemic skin reaction with anxiety induced SOB. As for the symptoms afterwords, perhaps coincidental? Often people claim they have gotten the flu from the flu vaccine. The flu shot does not contain a live virus. The people really were exposed to the virus before the shot though they were asymptomatic. Something else could have been going on-or anxiety.
The Hep B series is one of the safest vaccines out there. The incidence of side effect is minimal. I have given 100's of them and the only reaction I have seen was redness, soreness at the injection site. I did have one patient who was so afraid of the idea of injections she passed out before I even drew it up.
The local health department can draw a blood sample for Measles and Rubella antibodies. If you have antibodies then you need not get a booster. This is a live virus vaccine, though if you have had it in the past a reaction is minimal.
As for the polio virus it is no longer a live virus. It too is a safe vaccine. They no longer provide oral polio vaccine for children as it could be excreted though elimination and contaminate nonvaccinated or immunocompromised family members. Unfortunately, by eliminating this vaccine it also elinimated to protection from wild strains of polio. Generally if you have had this already you do not need it.
Varicella is another live virus vaccine. Yes, in some cases it causes the herpes zoster symptoms. Most folks have had chicken pox, thus they do not need it. As for adults who have not had Chicken Pox it is recommended because the older you are when you get it comes the increase in severity.
The TB test, manatou, is a simple injection that goes under your skin to detect presence of exposure. There are hardly any risks from this.

What I can tell you is immunizations are a personal issue. Some parents won't let their kids get the Hep B series because they adamantly instist their child will never have sexual relations or other high risk behavoirs. As a health care worker you are given the choice of whether or not to be immunized. There are forms relieving the facility/establishment from responsibilty if you do contract a preventable disease.
It is easy for people to bash immunizations. It is easy for people to declare the perfection of them. However, I tend to see the societal benefits of them. None of us lived in a time when sending your child out to play in the springtime could result in death or paralysis.
I can say, what ever you choice educate yourself. Many people have taken the black sheep approach and rely on herd immunity. However, if only half the herd is protected then disease can be reintroduced.
Try some benedryl 30-60 minutes before you get them. If your anxiety level is high have your doctor prescribe an anti-anxiety med. Alot of people have to do this, there isn't anything wrong with it.

Health care is risk vs benefit.If you have questions feel free to PM me.

 

[vyc]

slow your roll, WatchaMaCallit!
what's your problem, dude?

i never said vaccines were 100% safe. but should we all run away from them bc of that tiny risk?

zilla needs to go back to the allergist and have more tests done bc i doubt anyone could avoid having these required immunizations.

 

[showeeeeeeeee]

Yes, an anaphylactic response is scary! The important thing is that you tell your doctor/whoever is giving the shot, that you have had such a reaction. If you're going to have a reaction, it's good that you're in a hospital where they can treat you.

Also, they can probably keep you there to observe you as well. I think you should be ok. It's not knowing what's going on/how it will be treated that's scary. Perhaps you can talk to your doctor about this and become more educated regarding allergic reactions. You're less likely to be afraid the more you know.

Good luck!

 

[dfleis]

.

 

[PiperNate]

Most people who have egg allergies know they have egg allergies. Most people do not reach adulthood without consuming a product, like bread, that has eggs in it. And yes, those flu drives have trained personel giving vaccinations. And yes, they have epinephrine and benedryl handy.

 

[CANES2006]

Try to nail down the reason why you experienced those side effects. I'm sorry to tell you this, but almost everyone who has posted is correct. You're going to have to take the vaccines if you go into medicine. It's not only for your patients' health, but yours too.

 

[PelicanMan]

Ok listen whicha.

If you pay attention to the thread you will see that my response was before he mentioned the effects he had.

I didn't know it was that freaking severe.

You think I would say that stuff after he described the symptoms. No way.

I hope you understand. and I realize I did make a mistake. But that was due to not having enough information.

 

[docuw]

The CDC requires those immunizations - without them, you can not work at the hospital. It is that simple. It is a federal regulation.

 

[jmejia1]

Talking about vaccinations, there was some speculation that the required shots kids need in order to enter grade school might've been culprits in the development of autism.

 

[oldman]

i know there were forms i could sign if i refused to get vaccinations. i got my hep B vaccinations a long time ago.

try your best to find out if you can get some of the vaccinations required. they are for your proection, but not worth it if you could have a very bad rection from the vaccination itself.

 

[none]

It might be possible to not get the vaccines if there is some known reason for you specifically not to get the vaccines in question. A poor reaction to a flu shot just isn't enough. You need to spend some quality time with a physician trying to nail down exactly what it is that caused such a severe reaction and then you need to figure out which vaccines, most likely the vast majority of them, aren't going to induce it again.

 

[PiperNate]

Yes there are waivers if you choose not to get vaccinated. There are several forms you must sign, see my other post, that releases each facility you train in from liability. The Hep B series is one of the safest vaccines out there. It is important to remember in any clinical situation there is a high risk for needle sticks. It happens.