Prevnar-13 vaccine

This past fall, a link from the CDC website was being shared on various CI-related facebook groups and such.  The CDC updated their pneumococcal vaccine guidelines, and recommended that those who are getting a cochlear implant, or those who already have the implants, should get both the Prevnar-13 and the Pneumovax vaccines.  I shared this link with my CI audiologist in email late last October, and she was going to bring it up at the next team meeting at the CI Center.

Well, last week I got mail from the center, and enclosed was the information on the updated vaccination recommendations for cochlear implant users.  I then shot off an email to my primary doctor's nurse about this, and she had to do some research before finding another doctor's office that has the adult Prevnar-13 vaccine.  She was able to get me an appointment with them.

Yesterday, I went to this doctor's office, filled out some paper work, and then got the vaccine.  The nurse was wondering why I was getting it and asked if I was immunocompromised, so I told her it was because of the cochlear implant and the CDC updating the recommendations.  Turns out she has a son with hearing loss, but he doesn't qualify for an implant just yet, but maybe a few years down the road.  Anyway, I got the vaccine, and she covered the injection site with a Daffy Duck bandaid. Cool!  Then I was on my way.  Now I'm covered!

I may not like shots, but I most certainly do not want to take any chances when it comes to pneumococcal meningitis, so I was fine with getting this vaccine (even if it resulted in my arm being pretty sore).

Vaccination project

I'm pretty sure I mentioned that the Texas Childrens Hospital was working on a vaccination project and they interviewed various families that have been affected by illnesses that could have been prevented by vaccines on here. I can't remember for sure, exactly... but anyway. On Tuesday, I came home from work and came across a box on the front door step. I remebered I had ordered some stuff from the ADCO hearing products website, but thought the packaging was too big. I completely forgot about the vaccination project. Took the box in and was surprised at how heavy it was. I opened it up, and there's 8 copies of the book "Vaccine-Preventable Disease: The Forgotten Story". Wow! I flipped through it, and found my story in there. I read through the whole book and was impressed with it. I really do hope people read this book and realize just how serious the consequences could be if they don't get their children vaccinated against certain illnesses. Even I learned some new stuff from the book that I didn't know of before. A very powerful book, with powerful stories from different families affected by different illnesses (chicken pox, polio, different types of meningitis, flu, etc.).

http://www.texaschildrens.org/carecenters/vaccine/Default.aspx I would assume the book will be available for order/purchase from this website soon enough. They did an excellent job.