Our MMR vaccine diaster!

On thursday morning, I took Jackson in to the allergist to have the MMR administered. Jax's ped wanted the allergist to supervise the vaccine injection because of Jackson's severe egg allergy. Apparently, MMR is also cultured in egg - but not nearly as much as the flu shot. I wasn't looking forward to the appt knowing very well my son would be poked mulitple times over a period of 2 hours. Not to mention desperately trying to keep his occupied during that time.

First he was given a scratch test or a prick test. This went over just fine - 4 tiny "scratches" on his back to determine if there was an allergy to the MMR vaccine, as well as retesting for the egg. Turns out his sensitivity to egg has decreased since October, which means his body is most likely already getting more tolerant of it. The MMR spot showed no reaction = good news. So the nurse went to the next step - a skin test where they place a small amount of the MMR vaccine right beneath the skin to form a bubble. I believe this is just the next step because more of the potential allergen is being introduced to the body (compared to the scratch test). That went horrible! The nurse even told me, "I don't work with little ones very often."... How is THAT suppose to make me feel, knowing you're coming at my son with a needle? Needless to say, Jackson screamed murder while this nurse failed to get the vaccine under the skin. There was MMR all over my hands from trying to hold Jackson's arm still (I repeat - ARM~ on a 1 yr old?) She said she thought she got enough in him for the test to take. My poor kid has 5 bloody pokes in the same spot from where she struggled to form a bubble right beneath the skin.

Thankfully, that didn't react either - so it was on to the full concentrated injection of the MMR. The nurse wanted to do it in the arm again and I refused. I said, "You need to do it in the leg and pin his leg against the table with your body so it doesn't move." So she agreed - the allergist dr. came in to help me hold him still, which I was glad for because the nurse didn't lean into his leg to hold it anyways. The MMR is intra-muscular so of course Jackson went wild again. I just bent over him while he screamed on the table and soothed him. When the nurse was done... I saw that she had poked him TWICE for the same shot. What the hell, lady? I just picked him up and calmed him down and promised him I would never taken him back to a clinic that didn't have experience working with children. Unfortunately in WI, the only Pediatrics Allergist Specialists are in Milwaukee and Madison. I would definitely drive to Milwaukee (almost 2 hours) for an appt. where someone knew how to help children.

After the tears were gone, he was happy as a clam - but I was still a wreck. Deep down I knew it was unnecessary to have the MMR vaccine given outside the pediatrics office because the Allergist said that children with egg allergies are REARLY allergic to the MMR vaccine. But I had taken my Peds advice to be on the safe side, and I felt it went terribley. No one should be taking a needle to a child if they aren't comfortable doing it!