The topic of vaccinating vs. not has been a hot topic as of late. I have friends who are pro vaccination, those who choose not to vaccinate, some who choose not to get the flu shot, both for themselves and their children. Everyone has a right to personal opinion and what they put into their body. I get that. But let me give you my point of view...
I have been in immunosuppressant medication for over 10 years. Crohn's Disease is at fault. For the last 6 days I have had a stomach virus, or what some call "the stomach flu". Now my son attends daycare, I work outside the home, as does Brad. My step-children attend public school and are constantly exposed to germs. I am not the girl in a bubble, nor would I want to live that way. However, I get sicker than my family, though we all came down with the same virus. Why is this? My body gets hit harder than your average, normal person with a normal immune system.
Case in point, this past week:
I came down with this awful stomach virus at work on Tuesday. I didn't leave the house until I went to urgent care on Thursday night, to get IV fluids. My body doesn't handle sickness well. I cannot replenish fluids as easily. Finally, Saturday afternoon, I left to grab some milk and a few other things. I came home exhausted, felt sick and lifeless. It was my first errand in a week.
My parents, Brad, Tyler and two of my step-sons also had the same virus. Most of them were ok within one to two days. Back to work, school, etc. Why was I then home for almost 6 days, with no energy and lacking fluids that my body should compensate for? My pitiful immune system.
So how does this relate to vaccinations?
Remember the articles surfacing the Internet about the doctor who's young daughter has cancer and who's other daughter is too young to receive her measles shot? It's awful that she has to be quarantined for days, while battling the toughest fight of her life, known as cancer. It's quite unfair to add measles to the list. Would you agree?
We all know that a young cancer patient also has a compromised immune system. What if she she goes out in public (because she has CANCER and deserves to live each day) and someone at the same restaurant she's frequenting with her family has measles, and the young patient contracts them. Now don't you think her body is going through a rigorous enough fight that she doesn't need to add measles to the fight? What will happen to her? If she wasn't doing so hot fighting cancer she definitely isn't going to do any better while fighting the measles.
So why my does this controversial topic get my guts in a state of panic? Not only is it about the spread of measles, but the spread of any illness that makes my immune-suppressed blood boil. While YOUR body may have what it takes to fight a simple cold, a 24 hour bug, the flu, whatever it is, my body treats like an infectious disease and takes triple the amount of time to fight it. Measles, the flu, a common cold, whatever it is, my body treats it like the plague.
Next time you are sick and come to work, go to the mall, Target or the grocery store, think of people like me. We look healthy, seem fine, but our insides can't handle your germs. Maybe our employers are at fault. If we didn't have to worry about taking sick time, maybe the masses would stay home. When you think about going out in public while sick and can't fathom that a "healthy" looking 30 something woman has a hard time fighting illness, please instead think about the sick little girl who can't fight the common cold, flu or worse the measles.
*If you're interested in reading my inspiration for this blog post, read the link below! Disclaimer... It's pro-vaccination.
