My son who turned one received his varicella vaccine 2 weeks ago. He had the flu and I asked the doctor if he should be getting his vaccines that day and she said it will be fine. Well, my son developed big red welts and rashes all over his body, head, scalp. The doctor told us to give him benadryl but that didn't work. I took him to a naturopathic doctor and she told me it looks like an adverse reaction to the varicella vaccine (allergic to eggs) and gave me some ointments to put on my son. I was wondering if anyone else went through his and what you did to alleviate the itch? How long will it take to go away?
Hello,
I'm afraid ointments can suppress one symptom and create another either now or later. There are homeopathic remedies to help vaccine reactions comprehensively.
Liz
Although an allergy can develop a any time, this does not sound like an egg allergy to me. It sounds like a mild case of varicella (chicken pox) which they say is roughly 50 lesions or less. It could be your son was exposed to it before he got his shot. It's not as common as it use to be, but it's not rare at this point either. The good news is, it's much less serious if you have it as a child, and once you've had it, you can't get it again. My sister and I had chicken pox when I was in first grade. The itching was not fun. Besides having welts all over my body, they were inside my mouth and ears, too. Calamine lotion was what my Mom used on me and my sister. She'd put us in the bath tub and slather it on just about every where. I'm not sure if a colloidal oatmeal bath will help or not as chicken pox itch is not like an itch from poison ivy (I've had that, too) but it would not hurt to try it. It should subside in a few days. The welts heal without scarring if you can keep from scratching them. My Mom had us put mittens on for awhile because we'd scratch without thinking about it.
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/varicella/default.htm
My son had a similar reaction-rash that developed on his face, stomach, legs, and back 2 days after his shot. His doctor recommended giving him Benadryl and that actually helped. I think it took about a week for the entire rash to go away. Yes, I believe your doctor should have waited for your child to get better before giving hom his shot. However, unless the child has a fever, my doctor says it is okay to give vaccinations.
Wow. I am so sorry for your little baby. You should really visit thinktwice.com and childhoodshots.com.
These websites just give helpful information for parents who want to make informed decisions about whether to vaccinate their children. I'd also see if you can find the movie Are Vaccines Safe? It's an excellent movie. The woman on it, who talks about vaccines, is Mary Tocco, and she's been doing research on vaccines for around 30 years.
I know this doesn't really answer your question on how to help your baby this time, but I hope that it helps you for in the future. Good luck!
i second and third and i say a million times you need to drop that pediatrician. any kind of symptoms a child shows prior to taking a vaccine should be a sign for them NOT to give the vaccine. this is horrible. i hope your son feels better soon
Unreal your doc said it was ok to do while sick... that is vaccine 101 - never give any vaccine while sick!
So sorry to hear what he is going through. I can't say my kids had reactions like that, but sounds like you took him to another doc and it will get better.
However I would fire the doc who gave your son the shots...
Unless your child had a fever, there is no harm in giving a vaccination while sick. So don't go rushing to change your Dr. Reactions to vaccines do happen, and if it is an egg allergies, whether or not your son had the flu is irrelevant.
I'm not familiar with this reaction, sorry I can't give better advice.
I would agree with other posters - change your doctor right away! You never give any vaccine when a child is sick. Good luck with your son and you could also try a calamine type lotion to help with the itching.
Before you assign blame to the vaccination, you should ask a pharmacist to investigate what the known side effects of the vaccine are. You may be the first reported case of such a reaction, or it could be a less common side effect your pediatrician is not familiar with.
By law, side effects need to be reported to the FDA. MedWatch is their program that tracks products after they've been approved and released to the general public (http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/default.htm). You may be able to contact the FDA or the product's manufacturer to see if this is common and to find out what you can do to make your son well again.
Take him to an acupuncturist. He is not only having a serious reaction it could last for months or years undermining his health.
I cannot believe with all the information about the negatives of vaccination Mom's who are smart enough to be on Mamapedia don't do the research which is all on line.
My kids and I and all my siblings had chicken pox. Why are we not at the throats of the legislators who demand every kind of vaccination imaginable before our kids can go to school.
And, A. change doctors that woman doesn't know enough nor does she spend her spare time looking up what problems vaccinations can cause.
My grandson's morally bankrupt pediatrician gave him Pertussis when he'd already had a bad reaction the first time. He got epilepsy. If I were not a homeopath's homeopath he'd still have it.
You can get homeopathic vaccinations that don't cause life long reactions.
Edward Jenner the doctor who developed the first vaccination ever that for smallpox using cowpox as the substance (like cures like) was a homeopath.
Because it is a systemic itch, and not just topical, it may take time to go away.
Have him keep hydrated and drink water...
Also, he should have NOT gotten the vaccine, while he was actively sick with the flu. It is not your fault... but the Doctor should have waited.
Next, I guess no one knew he had an egg allergy?
Next, his vaccine was 2 weeks ago and how long after that did he present these rash/welts symptoms? ... Unless you POSITIVELY know it was an egg allergy, then it is still speculation. You need to have it diagnosed. Or it could be a reaction to something else?
The thing is, if it was an allergic reaction to eggs... then his reaction would have occurred pretty much quickly... not 2 weeks later.
Here is a link about egg allergies:
http://kidshealth.org/kid/nutrition/diets/egg_allergy.html#
http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/nutrition/egg_all...
You could try making a paste with baking soda and water... and dabbing that on him and letting it dry. To see if it helps the itch, externally.
Or, try Arnica Gel/ointment. You can get it at any GNC, natural food store, or Whole Foods.
Here are some other remedies:
http://www.ehow.com/way_###-###-####_natural-ways-rid-hiv...
http://www.actagainstallergy.com/aaa/11982-what-to-do-to-...
Next, If the Benadryl did not help.... then you tell the Doctor, and ask for another prescription.
All the best,
Susan
He should NOT be getting vaccines when he is sick!!! his immune system is down and he will get these adverse reactions! I never let them give vaccs to my son when he is sick if that has ever happened. I think when he gets most of his vacs the worse that he has gotten is a low grade fever. hope he feels better soon. Maybe use calamine? or maybe even some aveeno sensitive skin formula I would ask the naturopath too.
The Varicella vaccine doesn't have eggs in it so that would not be the allergic reaction. I looked up some information on the ingredients and the reaction tends to be to the gelatin in the vaccine. I agree with another poster that you should report the reaction. Check with your local health department as they would have the paperwork to do the reporting.
