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My PCP would ask you to find another doctor if you don't have a good reason for refusing vaccines, like being allergic to them.
If you had chicken pox as a kid, then the shingles shot is a good idea, unless you feel like getting shingles. I've known several; people who had shingles and it was awful.
You can't get natural immunity to tetanus, and it's a pretty safe vaccine.
You are the consumer and patient. Therefore, you are free to accept or decline any treatment, test, measurement, prescription, vaccine etc. I've refused some of these for various reasons. Sometimes I've provided a reason, sometimes not. I might add, I've never been told to find another doctor.
Just politely decline: "I'm not interested." I doubt she will bring it up again, but if she does, just say you made up your mind that you don't want that particular vaccine. I don't know of any doctor that would push beyond that.
Be honest with your doctor and then find another doctor who doesn't believe in vaccines like a chiropractor or naturopath. Find something that suits your beliefs.
Don't go into an Italian restaurant and ask for Chinese food. Going to an MD who has to practice the standard of care is required to push vaccines as you state.
No need to start a fight with them or here about your believes. I am not the type of guy who goes to a naturopath and demands vaccines and I don't go to a surgeon and demand they do acupuncture on me instead. I like to think that I am smarter than that.
I would just suggest you get another doctor. This doctor chooses to practice science based medicine and you apparently aren't on board with that. I'd try to find someone who aligns more with your ideology.
I would suggest that you consider sparing yourself some considerable pain and get the shingles vaccine if you had chicken pox as a child. I put off getting mine, I was going to get around to it eventually. Well, Shingles didn't wait and it savaged me unawares - delivering severe pain, making it hard for me to walk at times, not to mention a rash. It was very sudden, the pain started over a few days, and then the rash. I didn't know what it was, but when the rash appeared on my leg, I took it and me to the hospital. They were rather excited and insisted on sending a picture to another doctor via cellphone, since it was such an 'aggressive' case of shingles. Thankfully, they also gave me an antibiotic pill that did away with the pain. And, later, the vaccine. I haven't had it come back, but it still might return. I also have lost a bit of feeling between two of my toes.
Shingles can strike anywhere. I could have had worse luck and developed the permanent scars on my face, or in my eyes, etc, rather than on my lower leg.
If I had taken the vaccine a few months or a year earlier, I would have missed out on several days of those bouts of scary, confusing, devastating pain.
Of course, if you never had chicken pox, then perhaps you don't need to worry about shingles - check with your doctor.
I'm not going to advise you about the other vaccinations. I am strongly pro-vaccines because I believe in preserving my life and the lives of the rest of the population. But we live in a free society and as adults, we have the right to decide whether to get the shots. Good luck.
I would suggest that you consider sparing yourself some considerable pain and get the shingles vaccine if you had chicken pox as a child. I
Some fun facts about shingles
- Just about everyone born before 1980 has had Chickenpox (VZV)
- 1/3 of people who had chicken pox will develop shingles later in life
- Around 50% of people who reach the age of 85 had Shingles
- Shingrix is a recombinant vaccine focusing on one glycoprotein of the virus
- Shingrix is not approved for preventing VZV/Chickenpox
- Shingrix is approved for 4 years, though some scientists believe it may last longer
- The reason some develop Shingles despite having immunity to VZV is due to waning of your immune system, Shingrix is intended to remind the immune system about VZV. It cannot eradicate VZV from your system, which has basically transcribed its DNA in various cells of your body and can be reactivated for reasons not properly understood, but correlated with weakening of immune function.
- Before Shingrix, Zostavax was used, which was basically a large dose of the chickenpox vaccine used (live attenuated virus with adjuvants)
- Probably before the chickenpox vaccine, most adults were exposed to VZV more commonly so their immune system was constantly boosted, but post chickenpox vaccine, VZV exposure is far less, and more adults are developing Shingles who had chickenpox as kids.
My GP always asks if I had my flu shot, they actually called yesterday, trying to get people in for it I guess. I do not get the flu vaccine.
I was 51 when I got shingles on my right eyelid, eyebrow, forehead and some in my head. It was like an ice pic stabbing my eye. There are a few shingles vaccines threads on CD, I read them to see what side effects everyone had while I decided if I was going to get the vaccine or not. I debated because of shingles being so close to my eye, that I was sent to an eye specialist when I first had it. If I got it again, it could have gone in my eye. I have so many medication allergies that I knew getting the shingles vaccine could close my throat.
I had tried to get it (almost 10 years ago) when I was 50 but they wouldn't give it to me, saying I was too young. I'm glad I didn't get it as it was the first that came out. I had Shingrex a year before COVID. I tried getting it from my usual pharmacist but he wasn't in. I then stopped at two more pharmacies where one was out while the last one at Walmart, their computer was down. I tried one last time to get it, my regular pharmacist was there, turns out I was allergic to it. My mouth and throat started going numb by the time I walked to my car. Thankfully I had benadryl on me, I had a feeling I'd be allergic because I'm allergic to some medications. The older I get, the more I'm allergic to. My GP said not to get the 2nd shingles shot. I also was down almost 2 months due to side effects of the vaccine.
When COVID happened, I knew I didn't want one of the new vaccines. I ended up with the J&J when my daughter was exposed, I was allergic to that too.
I'm not completely anti-vaccine. For babies I delayed some, after noticing that they wanted to give a lot more in the 90's then what my son got in 85. I did not allow the chicken pox vaccine because it was too new. I also do not believe in giving more then one at a time. Doctors these days give way too many. My grandson had about 6 in one visit when he was a baby back in 2014.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WaikikiWaves
Just politely decline: "I'm not interested." I doubt she will bring it up again, but if she does, just say you made up your mind that you don't want that particular vaccine. I don't know of any doctor that would push beyond that.
I agree, just decline them.
I've found it's rare to find a doctor that stocks vaccines these days, besides the flu one. You have to go to a pharmacy for the shingles and COVID vaccine. I'm not sure if it's true all over. This is typical where I live.
I'm not sure if a pediatrician still stocks those vaccines. My GP's office doesn't seem to do anything except flu vaccines.
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