Wednesday, 26 May 2010

To Hep B or not to Hep B

I had Hep b vac years ago. After it I had a chronic fatigue and got arthritis. I thought I must have glandular fever and I went to get a blood test, the doctor said my white cells were abnormal but it wasnt glandular fever. He wasnt interested in finding out what it was, in fact he was quite nasty and acted as if I was just trying to get sick leave. Anyway the fatigue got better, well less severe, hard to tell as I had kids so was tired all the time anyway. I had sore joints since then sometimes worse than others. I never talked to a doctor about it till they were trying to make me have another Hep b vac and I said I wouldnt have another one. The doctor was quite nice I said the hep b vaccination I felt had given me arthritis and also it was from donated blood from people with hep b which always worried me but I could never find anything about it. He said I probably didnt need it as I was probably still immune, he did a blood test and I was still immune. 
When I was having my children they didnt give babies hep b vac, now my daughter has had to have it to do nursing. We give the babies it now with parents permission ?informed consent. Its funny to be part of this system which introduces treatments which we are expected to advocate with no education ourselves. I dont understand why they give it to babies whose immune system is very immature. I have been reading about but it doesnt make much difference as nurses just have to toe the medical line. Leave your own beliefs at the door! which is fair enough in some ways. The problems of continuing education, through we get the endless fire lectures!
I asked the cardiologist if I had an auto-immune disorder which could have caused the heart block he said no you haven't got that but didnt say why, another question for next time. I dont think he is right I think I have rheumatoid arthritis last year it was really bad, pain storms. I dont know if there is much treatment for it but I'm tired of the soreness.

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