Side Effects of Vaccines

Nick-H · Jun 19th, 2007, 13:00

...always good advise, that!

Elviira · Jun 29th, 2007, 02:28

I just had a typhoid jab after nurse overtalked us to take it while my husband was having Hep A - and now I feel terrible. I had a bit of cold beforehand and that has definitely gone worse but "funniest" thing is that I feel a bit "weird"...As a good example,I blamed children for sticking matches in to apples (and that wouldn't be weird since they just did a "slide" out of shampoos they found from bathroom,and slid on their tummies on the floor

)...but as I had another look,they were just those usual "sticks" from which they hang on a tree

I can't wait for the side effects of malaria tablets...probably I just go

AdrianU · Jun 29th, 2007, 02:33

I'm a nurse and can tell you that if there is any pain, it's because of the injection fluid, not the needle itself.
The chance of hitting a nerve in the arm are zero and as for the buttocks, very unlikely unless you are very thin and the nurse does not know where your sciatic nerve lies.
What you should worry about it making sure the needle is the proper length. Too short and the fluid that enters can be dispersed in the subcutaneous tissue, not the muscle where it is supposed to go and may lead to a cellulitis.

Nick-H · Jun 29th, 2007, 11:19

The nurse who gave me some jabs a few years ago said, "It's very rare to hit a nerve, and I've done it once today with Dr X, so I'm very unlikely to do it again on the same day!".

Dr X was the strict, fierce doc at that surgery!

So, it does happen....

But those thicker, not-disposable, blunt needles of my 1950s childhood.... They hurt!

AdrianU · Jun 29th, 2007, 11:55

Hitting a sciatic nerve w/ an injection is a big deal. I've never heard of anyone doing it recently. Needles these days are thin and sharp, so as long as the strike is quick, you probably won't notice the prick too much. But I guess there are always exceptions.

Nick-H · Jun 29th, 2007, 14:33

Quote:

Hitting a sciatic nerve ...

I'm just on my way back down from the roof. Slowly.

edwardseco · Mar 14th, 2008, 02:51

Quote:

Needles these days are thin and sharp, so as long as the strike is quick, you probably won't notice the prick too much.

War story warning!

My first trip out (76?) all they had for Hep A was Gamma Globulin. The nurse had no clue that you warm the fluid and use a thin needle. It was a great horse doctor injection..

wonderwomanusa · Mar 14th, 2008, 06:23

Just a side note about the Hep B injection -- you may not be exposed to it, but since it is sometimes passed in blood products (that means transfusions, folks) or via sex, get the darned thing!

I acquired Hep B in India or Afghanistan, probably from a cholera vaccine (which we had to have in those days). I'll always carry Hep B antibodies, which means, among other things, that I cannot donate blood or organs. It also means my liver will always be "at risk."

It doesn't cost much more for the Twinrix (Hep A&B combined) so just get the shot and stop b*tching about it. If you have an accident on your rented motorbike in Goa, you'll thank me for it.

the opoponax · Mar 14th, 2008, 06:30

My university required the hep b series, and while I thought it was stupid at the time, in hindsight I'm glad I'll never have to worry about it.

Actually, I ended up not needing many shots at all for India because of those immunization rules! I only had typhoid, hep a, and a polio booster.

mr_rush · Mar 14th, 2008, 06:32

Quote:

Some people are immune to Malaria

Come on,... this is just not true. Some people are less likely to contract malaria then others, just like some people never get colds but no one is immune.
Believe me, I used to work at a large London teaching hospital with a big tropical disease unit and we'd get people coming back from India and African countries with raging malarial parasitaemia. Some were ex-natives, others had thalasemia trait or sickle cell trait and thought they were 'immune'.

the opoponax · Mar 14th, 2008, 06:37

Yes, some people are immune to malaria.

Of course, it's pretty much impossible to know for certain that you are (even sickle cell doesn't automatically provide complete immunity).

The possibility of immunity is no excuse for taking the proper precautions.

Nick-H · Mar 14th, 2008, 13:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr_rush

Some people are immune to Malaria
Come on,... this is just not true. Some people are less likely to contract malaria then others, just like some people never get colds but no one is immune.
Believe me, I used to work at a large London teaching hospital with a big tropical disease unit and we'd get people coming back from India and African countries with raging malarial parasitaemia. Some were ex-natives, others had thalasemia trait or sickle cell trait and thought they were 'immune'.

Its called acquired immunity. It is a partial immunity developed by some who grow up exposed to malaria.

However it can be lost as well as acquired, hence your NRIs who thought they were immune.

So yes, some people are immune.

ebby · Mar 14th, 2008, 14:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by wonderwomanusa

Just a side note about the Hep B injection -- you may not be exposed to it, but since it is sometimes passed in blood products (that means transfusions, folks) or via sex, get the darned thing!

I acquired Hep B in India or Afghanistan, probably from a cholera vaccine (which we had to have in those days). I'll always carry Hep B antibodies, which means, among other things, that I cannot donate blood or organs. It also means my liver will always be "at risk."

It doesn't cost much more for the Twinrix (Hep A&B combined) so just get the shot and stop b*tching about it. If you have an accident on your rented motorbike in Goa, you'll thank me for it.

This happened to my cousin Bangalore. He was unconcious after an accident and was treated at the government hospital and came down with Hep B . The irony was that 1) he was a senior doctor himself and 2) his son passed by the site of the accident but didnt stop because he didnt want to get involved not knowing that it was his father !

reneeautumn · Mar 28th, 2008, 01:46

Fortunately I didn't have any side effects from mine, but, man, my left arm is still sore from whichever ones were on that side. I could barely carry my purse the day I got all 4 of mine done. Polio, Hep A, typhoid, and tetanus/diptheria which I don't think I needed but got anyway.

Jun 19th, 2007, 13:00	#46
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 24,219	...always good advise, that! __________________ . IndiaMike Mod Team (The Grumpy One)

Jun 29th, 2007, 02:33	#48
AdrianU Soon to be India bound Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Miramar, Florida U.S.A. Posts: 21	I'm a nurse and can tell you that if there is any pain, it's because of the injection fluid, not the needle itself. The chance of hitting a nerve in the arm are zero and as for the buttocks, very unlikely unless you are very thin and the nurse does not know where your sciatic nerve lies. What you should worry about it making sure the needle is the proper length. Too short and the fluid that enters can be dispersed in the subcutaneous tissue, not the muscle where it is supposed to go and may lead to a cellulitis. __________________ Be a traveler!!!

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Jun 29th, 2007, 02:28	#47
Elviira Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Ireland Posts: 53	I just had a typhoid jab after nurse overtalked us to take it while my husband was having Hep A - and now I feel terrible. I had a bit of cold beforehand and that has definitely gone worse but "funniest" thing is that I feel a bit "weird"...As a good example,I blamed children for sticking matches in to apples (and that wouldn't be weird since they just did a "slide" out of shampoos they found from bathroom,and slid on their tummies on the floor )...but as I had another look,they were just those usual "sticks" from which they hang on a tree I can't wait for the side effects of malaria tablets...probably I just go

Jun 29th, 2007, 11:19	#49
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 24,219	The nurse who gave me some jabs a few years ago said, "It's very rare to hit a nerve, and I've done it once today with Dr X, so I'm very unlikely to do it again on the same day!". Dr X was the strict, fierce doc at that surgery! So, it does happen.... But those thicker, not-disposable, blunt needles of my 1950s childhood.... They hurt!

Jun 29th, 2007, 11:55	#50
AdrianU Soon to be India bound Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Miramar, Florida U.S.A. Posts: 21	Hitting a sciatic nerve w/ an injection is a big deal. I've never heard of anyone doing it recently. Needles these days are thin and sharp, so as long as the strike is quick, you probably won't notice the prick too much. But I guess there are always exceptions.

Mar 14th, 2008, 06:23	#53
wonderwomanusa Maha Guru Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Northern California Posts: 2,860	Just a side note about the Hep B injection -- you may not be exposed to it, but since it is sometimes passed in blood products (that means transfusions, folks) or via sex, get the darned thing! I acquired Hep B in India or Afghanistan, probably from a cholera vaccine (which we had to have in those days). I'll always carry Hep B antibodies, which means, among other things, that I cannot donate blood or organs. It also means my liver will always be "at risk." It doesn't cost much more for the Twinrix (Hep A&B combined) so just get the shot and stop b*tching about it. If you have an accident on your rented motorbike in Goa, you'll thank me for it.

Mar 14th, 2008, 06:30	#54
the opoponax Maha Guru Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Brooklyn, via New Orleans Posts: 1,054	My university required the hep b series, and while I thought it was stupid at the time, in hindsight I'm glad I'll never have to worry about it. Actually, I ended up not needing many shots at all for India because of those immunization rules! I only had typhoid, hep a, and a polio booster.

Mar 14th, 2008, 06:37	#56
the opoponax Maha Guru Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Brooklyn, via New Orleans Posts: 1,054	Yes, some people are immune to malaria. Of course, it's pretty much impossible to know for certain that you are (even sickle cell doesn't automatically provide complete immunity). The possibility of immunity is no excuse for taking the proper precautions.

Mar 28th, 2008, 01:46	#59
reneeautumn Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Florida Posts: 68	Fortunately I didn't have any side effects from mine, but, man, my left arm is still sore from whichever ones were on that side. I could barely carry my purse the day I got all 4 of mine done. Polio, Hep A, typhoid, and tetanus/diptheria which I don't think I needed but got anyway.

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