Immunization Drama

My kids were accepted to take classes as a charter school this fall in Oregon City... I'll comment on this later...and a requirement for admission is that they are current on all their immunizations. So last Thursday I loaded them into the van and we headed to the doctor's office.

Everything started out okay...after a 30 minute wait in front of the nurses station, Natalie was called back. She got her two shots and returned. Ethan was next. Again, 2 shots and back to the waiting room. Levi was next and he wanted me to go with him. He needed 4 shots (although I now have learned that the nurse lied to me about their needing one of their shots...and I am not very happy about it.)

Because he had a baseball game that evening, I asked the nurse to put the 2 least painful shots in his right arm in case he need to pitch. The nurse gave him two shots in the right and then gave him the first of two in the left. Right after the needle went into his arm, he turned white and looked at me and said "I don't feel right." The nurse saw him point to his throat and say that it felt funny. She quickly laid him down, put on a blood pressure cuff, looked in his mouth, and then called a doctor.

The pediatrician was right down the hall, and came rushing in. Levi was not struggling to breath but looked like he was close to passing out. They put an oxygen monitor on him...and the doctor said his body was reaction to having 3 shots given in such quick succession.

Then while we are standing over Levi, Natalie came running back into the room yelling "Something is wrong with Ethan." He had been walking around the waiting room, when he got lightheaded and began staggering and then vomiting. So he was brought back to the nurses station looking all pasty white and had to lie down.

Aghhhh!

My boys are pretty skinny. (Healthy and active...and they do eat.) But when Levi was lying there his ribs were all visible and the doctor looked at me and asked have your children had anything to eat today. I wanted to say "Can't you smell the pizza my son just threw up?"

Levi told me he wouldn't be able to travel to China with us someday if we go because he was not going to get another shot ever.

On the way home he asked me "Mom, what is the most scared you have ever been?" I asked "Why?" and he said "Today was the scariest day ever for me."