I've Got Whooping Cough. Thanks a Lot, Jenny McCarthy.

[karynnj]

56. The author is wrong on the reason that many did not take the full series

in the late 80s and early 1990s.

As a mother with young kids then, the information sheet that doctor's gave parents described the possible side effects and there were a set of side effects for which they said it was important to tell the doctor. I don't remember all of them, but one was atypical excessive crying for hours.

My middle daughter, one of the happiest babies who was almost never fussy, quietly cried for hours. The doctor, at that point, recommended that she get just Tetanus/diphtheria and noted that on her chart. As someone well aware of the mathematics behind herd immunity, I asked the doctor about the pros and cons. What it came down to was that my daughter by the time the second shot was due already at the age that IF she was exposed to and caught whooping cough, she could be treated and the chances of significant problems was low. However, her reaction to the virus potentially would be greater than it was the first time -- with consequences that ranged up to brain damage. Not to mention there were very few cases in our area. Though not likely, the pros and cons were such that her doctor recommended NOT giving it -- and we quickly agreed.

When her younger sister was at the age to get the shot, the doctor was ambivalent on whether her sister's experience made it better not to give it to her. We opted not to.

Years later, the vaccine was improved and there were no problems, both girls got the shots at that point. The younger one did get whooping cough when she was about 10. She amused the doctor by telling the doctor that that was what she had because she had gone through the flow charts in the family medical book. She was not very sick with it - but she did miss some school for the period she was contagious.