It's Monday. Steff was released from the hospital on Sunday. She was on facebook and the computer most of the evening. I'm guessing she was catching up. LOL I couldn't get on to blog. Then when she finished, she was pretty bummed out and sad, with the whole situation. So, she asked me to lay with her. I did. She had a medium to mild episode once she fell asleep. I put the pill in her mouth. It didn't last too long. She has been good all day. A little in a fog from the meds, but no episodes. She did release quite a bit of anger today. She's very angry at me for taking her for the Gardasil shots. She refused to get out of the car when we got there. It was a struggle to get her into the office to get it. She cried when she got the shot and I laughed. I laughed b/c she is so dramatic, and was carrying on like she was 4. I had NO clue what we were in for. I'm angry with myself for not doing my homework on the vaccine. I'm glad she had her little outburst today, it explains why she is SO angry with me ALL the time. She also told me that's why she doesn't trust the holistic information. It's not about the information, it's about trusting the decisions I make. We chatted it out today. I hope it helped her. I can apologize 500 times, but I can't take it back. I feel bad about it myself, but I didn't know.
After the drama, she came to me and said she would try the sauna, but if she was uncomfortable with it, would I not make her do it. I agreed. She was in for 30 minutes with her ipod on and me in the room with her. SHe didn't sweat. I hope I can get her there again tomorrow.
I called Mayo Clinic today. We already faxed all the paperwork of tests and a medical summary of Steff. I called to make sure they received it. They did and it's already in their computer. They said they would call us with an appt. once they figure out which Dr. will be assigned to her case. I also called Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Mayo is in our network and they cover it. I'm glad. Dave wants to drive instead of flying. Road trips is something we do as a family. Steff will get the front seat so she'll be comfortable, we'll make as many stops as necessary.We drove around yesterday when she got out of the hospital, jamming on music. That's something we all enjoy doing. So, all we need to do is get the appointment, a room and get there. I hope they are open to this gardasil thing. My amazing niece found a girl that is going through a very similar thing as STeffanee. I plan to contact the mom tonight. Her daughter still is not in school. Her symptoms started on March of 08. I only hope and pray the Mayo can get this figured out and get her back on track. My goal is to have her ready for Prom, which is less than a month away. We have everything ready for prom, but the girl. We'll get her there! Keep us in your prayers. Tomorrow is a new day.
Hi. I am very sorry to hear of Steff's symptoms. Her story is exactly that of my daughter, Victoria. Have you reported symptoms to the NVIC? VAERS? There is a Gardasil group comprised many people with the same symptoms.
ReplyDeletePlease feel free to email me if you there is any information I can provide. Also, please remember that there is power in numbers. I will be thinking of Steff and hope she good days.
Here is Victoria's story.
My daughter, Victoria, has been ill since February 2008.
Here is some history. I will be as brief as possible. My daughter had her first Gardasil vaccination November 2007. Her second vaccination was in the beginning of February 2008. Immediately after her second vaccination, Victoria experienced severe diarrhea and was nauseous for about eight weeks. She had blood work done many times and doctors thought she had a virus. On March 31, 2008, she had her first seizure. My daughter has treated with many neurologists, all of whom have not related her seizures to Gardasil. Meanwhile, there are quite a few hundred people that I have found over the internet through my numerous postings and through Erin Brockovich, and their daughters are all experiencing the same symptoms, which occurred after the Gardasil vaccination. We have actually formed a group and share our daughters' stories, symptoms and information. My daughter has had CT scans, MRI's, MRA's, EEG's, blood work and was hospitalized at an epilepsy center in the video EEG monitoring unit for two separate weeks in May 2008 and September 2008. She was put on many different seizure medications. After the normal EEG results, she was taken off all medications. Her SED rate has always been high and she does have protein in her urine, but doctors do not seem concerned. I was told that her red blood are small, but this apparently is not concerning either.
My daughter has been seen by several neurologists, a psychiatrist, psychologist, several neuropsychologists, an immunologist, several infectious disease doctors, and also treated a at Wellness Center for a period of time. Wellness Center physicians believe that my daughter may have Lyme disease that was dormant until the Gardasil vaccine. Infectious disease doctors differ. Which doctors are correct? I have no idea.
My daughter currently experiences the following symptoms: non-epileptic seizures, migraines, fainting, tremors, twitches, numbness, intermittent leg paralysis and facial paralysis, tingling, staring or blank episodes, eye pain, joint pain, neck pain, back pain, memory loss, confusion, brain fog, regression, mood swings and chronic fatigue. She continues to have bouts of nausea and diarrhea. She has not been in school since April 2008. My daughter can never be left home alone. She can't go to school, go out with her friends or work or has little "normalcy" in her life. She has very few good days and always says she doesn't feel good.
I do not know which way to turn for help. We have seen so many doctors and I can't seem to find anyone willing to help my daughter. There are so many other young girls who have the same exact symptoms as my daughter and the one thing that all of the girls seem to have in common is the Gardasil vaccination.
We are on a fixed income, as most people, and we have expended many thousands of dollars in an effort to seek medical opinions and assistance. Although we do have medical insurance, it is very difficult to find doctors willing to treat my daughter who will accept our HMO. Also, there are no "traditional medical doctors" who will relate my daughter's symptoms to Gardasil as I am told "there is not enough information available" about the vaccine and doctors believe it to be "safe" . The vaccine has been available for less than three years. Meanwhile, there are some doctors who are making the correlation between Gardasil and many of the girls' symptoms. However, the only doctors I know of right now are in California and Kansas. Other doctors are willing to "try" treatment, most of which is "homeopathic" in nature and extremely costly. Once again, I must reiterate that there are so many other young girls experiencing negative symptoms.
Each and every night, I check on my daughter many times in the middle of the night to make sure she is still breathing (like we ALL did when they were babies). I have a chime on her bedroom door so that every time she opens it, I know she has walked out of her room. I had a deadbolt put on the front door of our home with a key that can be removed from the inside. I never leave the key in the door for fear that Victoria will be confused after a seizure or when she has memory loss, and leave our home. (This has happened many times and she has been missing). When she is in the shower, I have to either stand outside the door and/or keep asking her "are you okay?"
Each and everyday, I cry and wonder if Victoria will be next one to die from adverse reactions to Gardasil.
We are in desperate need of medical treatment for my daughter. I have run out of ideas, doctors to treat with and finances have dwindled. I do not know which direction to turn. Any thoughts are most appreciated, especially from the medical community.
The National Vaccine Information Center is in the process of circulating a petition to have Gardasil investigated by the government. There are more than 15,000 reported cases of adverse effects from the vaccine which have been reported to the NVIC (many of the adverse effects are extremely serious) and approximately 38 deaths have been reported.
Please feel free to forward this information.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Jodi Speakman
(267) 939-0591
Jodispeaks@aol.com
P.S. My daughter's story will be posted on the NVIC website in the next several days. We did an interview with Fox news on Monday and expect it to air shortly. I was also recently contacted by ABC.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/14/investigate-gardasil-vaccine-risks-now
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/posted.php?id=547704835&share_id=76759221290#s76759221290
My daughter, almost 16, has a similar story, but different as well. ...1st Gardisal 9-20-07, 2nd 11-20-07 and the 3rd in March 08. The difference is that she did have some symptoms prior... eye blinking since she was 5, but doctors just said it was stress from her dad having MS and him being in the hospital all the time. The blinking was not ALL the time though. There were some other issues through the years, but EVERYTHING changed as of Nov 2007, everything changed...barely in school Dec and officially out of school Jan 2008, hospitalized for what was thought to be "side effects to a medication she was put on in Oct/Nov"...she was then officially diagnosed with Mild Tourette's, OCD, Anxiety and Depression. gosh I could go on, as you both know...In-patient and partial hospitalization for 4 months, considered stabile on 8 meds (6 psych meds),out on home tutoring the rest of that year.
ReplyDeleteWhen she started to go through all of this in November 2007, I asked if it could be the vaccine..."of course not..., no side effects"...I was told...
Started 10th grade classified ED, although superiorly intelligent with accommdations, straight A honor student, did well, but had an enormous amount of absences...due to fatigue that was always atributed to meds and what we always thought was medication/anxiety.
I am so sorry to hear so many girls having seizures, who knows, if my child wasn't on so much meds, maybe she would have also. I say that because we have been taking her off some of the meds, and she has these body twitches, shakes, chills...the tics since this whoel thing has spread from her eyes to her neck, stomach, jaw...better controlled with some meds...
She has been out of school again for over a month, after trying to switch meds...the restlessness, "stretchy legs" as she calls them...lethargy, and fatigue...she could sleep all day...she pushes to do some things, but with great effort...has had temp 99.6-100.3 for over a year, she says her hair has been falling out (I've noticed thinning). Always cold. Says trouble focusing, she had been put on Concerta in the hospital, which helped, but has been taken off of it now...joint pain, troule with eyes had "virus the opth said" that started in Nov still dealing with the dry, itchy and eye pain...many others...
Although I had sensed this back in Nov 2007, but was told it couldn't be...I heard the Larry King Show on Autism and they referenced the many teens suffering due to the Gardasil vaccine and I started to do some research...that led me to this blog through one of the posts...
Of course I have been to tons of drs, but nothing else medical has been diagnosed..not that I want it to be..she is so frustrated from few answers to help even with all the meds she is on...she still is not well...
I really feel for you and all of these innocent girls who are suffering from one thing to another...
Feel free to email me at:
korinneweil@yahoo.com if you'd like to talk some time...