Flu shots and why it's still interesting to get one...

[CMdeux]

So.

Allergist has stated that he has NO problem with DD recieving a flu shot from -- well, pretty much anywhere, any lot, any time.

She just has to sit for 30 min afterwards, like an allergy shot.

Okay, so I call up regular PCP today, thinking that we'll need to make her an appt.

"No, you can just come by."

"Really?"

"Yes-- the PA leaves at 4:30 today."

"Great!"



Only when we GET there at 3:40, apparently NOT.  First, the receptionist attempted to send us upstairs to genpop (the Flu CattleCar Clinic) which I knew wouldn't work with her Hx of egg allergy...

then she finally got approval from the PA... but...

after waiting 20 minutes, the PA calls us back, she draws the vax, only to look at the disclosure form and realize... Ooooooooo-- severe egg allergy.  (Well, SHEESH-- was I supposed to LIE??) 
"Yes, but Dr. Awesome Allergist said it was fine."

"I'm sure it is-- but I can't give it without getting permission from them."

.
.
.
.
  Several rows of knitting later, it's now nearly 4:30, btw... she HANDS ME THE FORM BACK AND TELLS ME TO GO DOWN THERE (to the allergist's office) because she can't get him or one of the nurses on the phone...

Okay, so we do that.

Luckily, Nurse Lovely is there (and she's known my DD since she was six).

She hears the story from the receptionist and-- her account "I said SURE I'll do it!  Um-- before I even asked Dr. Awesome, but I knew what he'd say, anyway...." LOL

So then we got to stay for 30 minutes THERE, too.

So.

That's how a simple flu shot that shouldn't have been a big deal wound up taking almost two hours.   

Gosh, I love our allergist and his office.  SO sensible.   

[maeve]

I had to get a note sent from our allergist to our pediatrician's office two years ago before the ped would vax DD at their office. We didn't have a problem last year. Our ped actually makes all kids wait for 30 minutes after receiving any vaccine, so waiting around after the flu vaccine is not weird.

[twinturbo]

I'm starting to think there's a lot of crossed wires over there. Allergist's office is ALWAYS on top of everything communicating is so easy. The ped office is in chaos. The rules and schedules keep shifting the best I got after three times on hold was an appointment later next week. The press release the practice put out was grossly incorrect according to the scheduling desk. Okay, but don't get mad at me because I took time to read it before calling.

What's weird is my primary (same building) gave me a 'warning' that his support staff might get testy with me about the rules. Oh no, not that.

[CMdeux]

Man, are you dealing with, like, the EXACT same practice as us??!


No-- seriously. 

[twinturbo]

As DH puts it to me it's the only game in town. Or is this a city? It feels like a town.

OT rant only you'll understand.[spoiler]Don't get me started on the local sports store that has a separate store for bicycles two or three stores down. How was I supposed to know it was separate? Sign on the door said the shop DH told me to go to. They wouldn't tell me where it is they just kept saying it's in the original location. No shinto, where's the original location? Then in some sort of dialect consisting of mime and dolphin Mr. Goateed Outdoorsman squeaks without actual words ending with a mouth pop, accentuated by some spirit finger thumb pointing in a direction. JHC, dude, what.side.of.the.bloody.street. SPEAK HUMAN.[/spoiler]

(spoiler story) But that's still not as bad as the new one I got chewed at Powells for requesting a *gasp* plastic bag for a bag of coffee I bought. Seriously, coffee has a strong odor and a friend was carting it back to Boston in her luggage. The greatest of pardons would you like my entrails? #damnbags

[CMdeux]

Goatee-boy doesn't speak human.  _{He's not human.}

I know of whom you speak.  No, really.  I do.

[my3guys]

OMG! Same thing happened to us last year.  Except the allergist's office had run out. So...I had to pick up the shot from the pediatrician the following week and then drive to allergist's office.  I was...er....fuming!

[maeve]

I hate incompetence, particularly in "medical" professionals. Oh is DD's pediatrician going to get an earful tomorrow about the incompetence of her medical assistants and also about the change in flu vaccination administration. BTW, if a person can tolerate a runny egg or scrambled egg, they are generally not clinically allergic to egg. Tolerating scrambled egg is what the use in egg allergy challenges. Oh and if a RAST score goes from down, it doesn't mean the allergy is more severe. Actually, it means nothing because RAST scores have no correllation to severity. Also, clinical history in allergy also generally trumps test scores, so a history of tolerating the flu vaccine beats the lower (oh, I'm sorry you moron, more severe) RAST score.

Oh and that guidance on the allergist's report to avoid egg is about ingestion because while she's tolerated the flu vaccine and has tolerated some baked egg, her RAST for egg is still above the positive predictive value for egg allergy; therefore, she cannot have a food challenge and is still allergic to eggs. Furthermore, the CDC says egg allergic individuals with a reaction history of just hives (that would be DD) can safely have the flu vaccine. And another thing, it's really sad when I know that the FluMist is contraindicated for individuals with asthma or egg allergy and the doctor's office doesn't.

[twinturbo]

The front desk hates me for sitting on them until they booked an appointment with ped for flu vax. I only knew to expect 'issues' because CMdeux put a warning up here. Last year was easy peasy back at previous ped's office compared to this year's interoffice clusterfudge. Then again the years before that was the 6 hour flu clinic ordeal through allergist's office or no flu shot at all under old rules. Guess what DS1 got that year?

[maeve]

DD got her flu shot Monday evening. Again for the third year in a row, she had absolutely no problems.

[lilpig99]

So.

Allergist has stated that he has NO problem with DD recieving a flu shot from -- well, pretty much anywhere, any lot, any time.

She just has to sit for 30 min afterwards, like an allergy shot.

Okay, so I call up regular PCP today, thinking that we'll need to make her an appt.

"No, you can just come by."

"Really?"

"Yes-- the PA leaves at 4:30 today."

"Great!"



Only when we GET there at 3:40, apparently NOT.  First, the receptionist attempted to send us upstairs to genpop (the Flu CattleCar Clinic) which I knew wouldn't work with her Hx of egg allergy...

then she finally got approval from the PA... but...

after waiting 20 minutes, the PA calls us back, she draws the vax, only to look at the disclosure form and realize... Ooooooooo-- severe egg allergy.  (Well, SHEESH-- was I supposed to LIE??) 
"Yes, but Dr. Awesome Allergist said it was fine."

"I'm sure it is-- but I can't give it without getting permission from them."

.
.
.
.
  Several rows of knitting later, it's now nearly 4:30, btw... she HANDS ME THE FORM BACK AND TELLS ME TO GO DOWN THERE (to the allergist's office) because she can't get him or one of the nurses on the phone...

Okay, so we do that.

Luckily, Nurse Lovely is there (and she's known my DD since she was six).

She hears the story from the receptionist and-- her account "I said SURE I'll do it!  Um-- before I even asked Dr. Awesome, but I knew what he'd say, anyway...." LOL

So then we got to stay for 30 minutes THERE, too.

So.

That's how a simple flu shot that shouldn't have been a big deal wound up taking almost two hours.   

Gosh, I love our allergist and his office.  SO sensible.   

Be happy, you could have had to get in your car to drive to...oh......MINNESOTA (think Mayo) to get a flu shot.   

And after all that, our ped STILL won't give DS the shot. And goodness, I can even see the hospital from their front porch.  The allergist will though.

[lilpig99]

Glad it was uneventful maeve!

[Mfamom]

hi liilpig!  where have you been!

[kcw]

Our two boys, 9 and 13 suffer from severe Egg Allergies.  We have a Wednesday appt. at our allergist to get flu shots.  My wife and kids are very scared and have never received the shots before.  I have researched and all I can find that all should be fine.  CDC confirms this as well.
Can anybody shed any additional information for this very important step for our family.
thanks

[twinturbo]

Bring some entertainment for the boys like books, mags, whatever they need to stay put for a while. Same for parents.

Most of us these days are getting a one-shot full dose at our pediatrician's office. You're at the allergist's office so you can more easily have a two-step process discussed with allergist to split the dose 10/90. Obviously that requires two pokes. The first dose at 10% of volume followed by a short waiting period. Once all clear you get the last 90% then wait maybe 30 minutes for observation.

The data really does point towards tolerance with regard to egg. Now, if they've never had the actual flu vaccination before EVER I'd probably go with a 10/90 or some sort of split dose.

Prep all your meds and other needs (I typically keep an ER bag with supplies including clothing change shoved in the van somewhere) as you would for any other occasion. Mostly it's just passing the time uneventfully.