2 Things

Mutants? Contagion? I just brought her here for a physical......

For the last two years, we have been medical fugitives, only coming out of hiding for absolute serious, mom cure resistant disorders. Despite much resistance and procrastination, I made 3 appointments for the "annual physical." If I want to qualify for respite or for the children to participate in any type of extracurricular activity they need a current physical.

Inevitably, the conversation always takes a turn to that issue, which can not be named. The V word. Vaccinations. It would be great if my kids were up to date, sure no problem. My kids aren't up to date due to my choice not to get my kids vaccinated.

Again.

Ever.

At this point you are either clapping with me or wondering where my brain is.

I used to care about the latter. I don't anymore. I make decisions for my kids based on the information I have read and what I have seen since accepting the red pill.

This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes. - Morpheus, The Matrix

None of the vaccine pushers are coming to babysit my 3 kiddos on the spectrum or pay any of my bills or support me in anyway, so their opinion is as relevant to me as burnt toast. I realize that by coming out of the vaccine closet, I may lose followers and readers, but it is more important for me to share the sentiment than hide for fear of backlash.

I have a hard time with people who completely lack compassion and just want to bully you into an agenda by calling you stupid. I know I am not stupid, I can read a research study.

This post is not really about the ongoing debate, its about what happened at the doctors office today.

So as usual, I let the doctor go on about her opinion that all the studies refute the connection between vaccines and autism. Me; no comment. She continues, by going after my desire to not see my child die from a childhood disease. I say "my children have been blessed with amazing health and their natural immunity has protected them" and she counters with "maybe they are benefiting from everyone else's vaccine induced immunity." I shrug. She looks at me and I see her eyes roll back and reach into her mental bag to pull out the "big guns."

Now for 2 Things most parents of so called typical, non autistic children never have to hear;

Thing #1
Me: I read the reports from both sides and I just can't be sure that vaccines didn't have something to do with their condition. This is the only thing I have control of.

Doctor: I understand but most of the research says it is genetic.

Me: Genetic? If that is so why is that I am the only one in my family and my husbands family that has children with autism? No one older and no one younger. Wouldn't we see it in other parts of the family if genetic?

Doctor: It may have been a mutation in your DNA that you transferred to your children.

Me (IN MY HEAD): Damn it, there it goes being my fault again.  If I caused the mutation then why couldn't I be an X-Men like Storm and why can't they be like Wolverine, Rogue and Jean Grey?

Me (OUT LOUD): Oh so something happened to me environmentally that mutated my DNA and passed on autism to my kids?

Doctor: Yes. No.... I mean we don't know what caused your mutation, it could have been environmental or anything. We just don't know.

Me: Oh I see.
Me:(IN MY HEAD): We don't know why its all of a sudden genetic, but we know its not the vaccines, that makes perfect sense.

Thing #2
Doctor: Also we want to keep our other patients safe.  If your kids aren't vaccinated, they could pose a risk to other children, babies in the waiting room.

Me: My children rarely if ever get sick. They are in public schools where they are exposed to measles, chicken pox and the flu. They don't come home with it or pass it on to anyone else.

Doctor: --uncomfy smile-- Well our policy is....(she stops and I believe rethinks dismissing me from the practice.)

This is a difficult conversation for both of us.

Me: I know.

I have heard these "2 Things" before. Once upon a time I would have gone head to head with this doctor about the issues and my rights. I am older now and it is not advantageous to me to be right. I'm tired of burning bridges and looking like a lunatic. Any doctor I go to after this will require that I vaccinate my kids, at least I have a history with this practice. I am not trying to recruit anyone to my side, I just ask for simple respect.  I don't want to be a mutant or have mutant kids and the last thing I want is for my house to be ground zero of the next contagion. They already blamed us for a recent whooping cough outbreak (even though they admitted that their new and improved vaccine isn't effective in preventing it.)

In my short time on this planet I have come to realize that there are no guarantees and there are many things labeled as safe that were then found to be quite unsafe.

You may be wondering where I take my brand new twins for well baby visits?  I take them to a sustainable, holistic doctor, who is not covered by insurance, which means, I have to pay him out of pocket. Would you like to know what our last conversation about vaccines consisted of?

Holistic Doc:  We should probably talk about vaccines, what were you thinking of?

Me: I don't want them.

Holistic Doc: Okay, but you may want to consider the Whooping Cough due to the recent outbreak, its fatal in infants and the Tetanus.  The other ones you could really do without.

Me: Okay, I will think about it and we can talk about it next time.

If only I could afford to take all of them there.

So, general public, here are 2 Things I can promise you;

• I won't send my kids to school with your kids when they are sick.

AND

• I won't let my kids use their mutant super powers in public on you regular humans. 

Honestly, that's the best I can do.

Lo Jacking the Kids

I saw a news article today about how the company Lo Jack, known for its car security just hired someone new to head up its "Safety Net Unit" This unit develops solutions for populations prone to wander, like kids with autism, my kids. Also known as "elopement".

I laughed because my image of Lo Jack comes from the movies, where a thief steals a car and then someone activates their lo jack system and the car comes to a hault, foiling the car thief's plan to reap unearned rewards from its many valuable parts. But Lo Jacking the kids, that is not so funny.

Lo Jack felt the need to hire someone experienced with the elderly and disabled in order to really meet the needs and develop new solutions for this population.

From Lo Jack's recent press release, Safety Net is:

is a comprehensive system that in conjunction with the Project Lifesaver Program enables public safety agencies the ability to track and rescue people with cognitive conditions who tend to wander, including those with Alzheimer's, autism, Down syndrome and dementia. LoJack SafetyNet is comprised of a Personal Locator Unit (PLU) worn by the client, a Search and Rescue (SAR) Receiver for law enforcement, a database of key information about the clients to assist in search and rescue, and 24x7 emergency caregiver support.

Pretty impressive? All of my children have wandered away on two separate occasions for more than fifteen minutes and in one instance I did have to call the police. Thankfully they didn't wander far, curiousity led them down the street. None the less, it is a terrifying situation that conjures up far too many sad news reports and personal fears than I care to mention.

So what is involved in this service?

A Personal Locator Unit is typically worn by the person at risk around their wrist or ankle. The PLU constantly emits a Radio Frequency signal, which can be tracked regardless of where the person has wandered -- even into a densely wooded area, a body of water, a concrete structure, or a building constructed with steel.

The Radio Frequency signal enables police to pinpoint the precise location of the missing person using the handheld, portable SAR Receiver. The receiver can actually detect the Radio Frequency signal from the PLU within a range of approximately one mile in on-the-ground searches and 5-7 miles in searches by helicopter. The database, a critical component of the solution, includes key information that provides insight as to where the person might have wandered if he/she goes missing, and provides searchers with a recent photo and other pertinent information. LoJack's caregiver support organization is available by phone and e-mail and is accessible 24x7 for emergencies.

I like the idea of being able to find my kids if the need arrives, but the idea of them walking around daily with a device attached to their wrist or ankle, disturbs me. Also the cost is a bit prohibitive - $99.00 registration fee and $30.00 monthly. Not saying they aren't worth it, just wondering if their is a better way to teach safety awareness.

I think if it became a serious problem, I would definitely consider it, but right now I don't think I will be lo jacking the kids anytime soon.