Vaccination technique - not a debate on whether to vaccinate

On Mon, 29 Nov 2004 08:21:48 +1300, "Mum of Two"
scribbled:

DD has her 5 month vaccinations coming up in less than a week. When she had
her three month shots, she was fine at the time - she actually giggled,
crazy kid - but afterwards had a lump in one leg that was obviously causing
her some discomfort. I know this is common, but if I can help prevent it, I
will.
When she had the shots, she was fine until the nurse started rubbing her
leg, causing her to cry, and I must have snapped, "She just doesn't like her
legs rubbed", because next thing I was being tossed a cotton wool pad and
told to rub the site so that the vaccine circulated. Of course, I rubbed it
much more gently in a way that didn't upset DD. It was that side she got the
swelling on.
I was telling this to a friend who works in the medical profession, thinking
I'd caused it, and she said, "Rubbish, we don't rub after any of our shots".
So what's your opinion? Is rubbing after vaccinations necessary? Do you
think DD got swelling because of not having the site rubbed to circulate the
vaccine, or just because she had a mild reaction to that particular vaccine?

Interesting. Nobody rubs my dd after a shot, but will put on a
band-aid (which I refuse, as I don't want to deal with yanking it off
the next day), and we've never had a problem.

Nan

DD has her 5 month vaccinations coming up in less than a week. When she had
her three month shots, she was fine at the time - she actually giggled,
crazy kid - but afterwards had a lump in one leg that was obviously causing
her some discomfort. I know this is common, but if I can help prevent it, I
will.
When she had the shots, she was fine until the nurse started rubbing her
leg, causing her to cry, and I must have snapped, "She just doesn't like her
legs rubbed", because next thing I was being tossed a cotton wool pad and
told to rub the site so that the vaccine circulated. Of course, I rubbed it
much more gently in a way that didn't upset DD. It was that side she got the
swelling on.
I was telling this to a friend who works in the medical profession, thinking
I'd caused it, and she said, "Rubbish, we don't rub after any of our shots".
So what's your opinion? Is rubbing after vaccinations necessary? Do you
think DD got swelling because of not having the site rubbed to circulate the
vaccine, or just because she had a mild reaction to that particular vaccine?

--
Amy,
Mum to Carlos born sleeping 20/11/02,
& Ana born screaming 30/06/04
email: barton . souto @ clear . net . nz (join the dots!)
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/c/carlos2002/

Mum of Two wrote:

So what's your opinion? Is rubbing after vaccinations necessary? Do you
think DD got swelling because of not having the site rubbed to circulate the
vaccine, or just because she had a mild reaction to that particular vaccine?

No one has ever rubbed after any of my kids' shots,
and rarely have they ever had swelling. I'd vote for a mild
reaction.

Best wishes,
Ericka

Mum of Two wrote:

When she had the shots, she was fine until the nurse started rubbing her
leg, causing her to cry,

Our nurse doesn't rub, but she does put a
bit of pressure on the spot and, while keeping
her finger on there, moves it a bit, so not
rubbing, but sort of a "rubbing" motion.
She does put on a bandage, which I don't mind,
since Pillbug has never complained when I take
them off.

-- Anita --

no one has every rubbed DS's legs after a vaccine, however he has always had
a lump, but not one that appears to cause him discomfort

"Mum of Two" wrote in message
...
DD has her 5 month vaccinations coming up in less than a week. When she
had her three month shots, she was fine at the time - she actually
giggled, crazy kid - but afterwards had a lump in one leg that was
obviously causing her some discomfort. I know this is common, but if I can
help prevent it, I will.
When she had the shots, she was fine until the nurse started rubbing her
leg, causing her to cry, and I must have snapped, "She just doesn't like
her legs rubbed", because next thing I was being tossed a cotton wool pad
and told to rub the site so that the vaccine circulated. Of course, I
rubbed it much more gently in a way that didn't upset DD. It was that side
she got the swelling on.
I was telling this to a friend who works in the medical profession,
thinking I'd caused it, and she said, "Rubbish, we don't rub after any of
our shots".
So what's your opinion? Is rubbing after vaccinations necessary? Do you
think DD got swelling because of not having the site rubbed to circulate
the vaccine, or just because she had a mild reaction to that particular
vaccine?

--
Amy,
Mum to Carlos born sleeping 20/11/02,
& Ana born screaming 30/06/04
email: barton . souto @ clear . net . nz (join the dots!)
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/c/carlos2002/




same - no rubbing, but yes to a lump. no other reactions that i can tell!

c

"Mum of Two" wrote in message
...

So what's your opinion? Is rubbing after vaccinations necessary? Do you
think DD got swelling because of not having the site rubbed to circulate
the
vaccine, or just because she had a mild reaction to that particular
vaccine?

None of the peds or nurses in my practice rub the injection site. I'd think
that would be quite irritating.

Your daughter most likely would have developed that lump anyway. My ds did
from the DTaP shot at that age and has a lump on his arm right now from his
round of four year old shots. HTH

JennP.

On Mon, 29 Nov 2004 08:21:48 +1300, Mum of Two wrote:

I can't say I have ever noticed the nurses rub the leg after a shot. The
swelling, however, sounds like a typical reaction after a tetanus shot. I
often get a lump after a tetanus shot and my children occasionally reacted
that way as well. I do not think you caused the reaction by rubbing.

Larissa
DD feb 99
DS mar 01
DD2 dec 03

Thanks everyone, I think I'll tell the nurse to leave her legs alone this
time, as she hates it.

--
Amy,
Mum to Carlos born sleeping 20/11/02,
& Ana born screaming 30/06/04
email: barton . souto @ clear . net . nz (join the dots!)
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/c/carlos2002/


"Mum of Two" wrote in message
...
DD has her 5 month vaccinations coming up in less than a week. When she
had her three month shots, she was fine at the time - she actually
giggled, crazy kid - but afterwards had a lump in one leg that was
obviously causing her some discomfort. I know this is common, but if I can
help prevent it, I will.
When she had the shots, she was fine until the nurse started rubbing her
leg, causing her to cry, and I must have snapped, "She just doesn't like
her legs rubbed", because next thing I was being tossed a cotton wool pad
and told to rub the site so that the vaccine circulated. Of course, I
rubbed it much more gently in a way that didn't upset DD. It was that side
she got the swelling on.
I was telling this to a friend who works in the medical profession,
thinking I'd caused it, and she said, "Rubbish, we don't rub after any of
our shots".
So what's your opinion? Is rubbing after vaccinations necessary? Do you
think DD got swelling because of not having the site rubbed to circulate
the vaccine, or just because she had a mild reaction to that particular
vaccine?

--
Amy,
Mum to Carlos born sleeping 20/11/02,
& Ana born screaming 30/06/04
email: barton . souto @ clear . net . nz (join the dots!)
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/c/carlos2002/

"Mum of Two" wrote in message ...
Thanks everyone, I think I'll tell the nurse to leave her legs alone this
time, as she hates it.

--
Amy,
Mum to Carlos born sleeping 20/11/02,
& Ana born screaming 30/06/04
email: barton . souto @ clear . net . nz (join the dots!)
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/c/carlos2002/

Neither of my kids have ever had anything rubbed after a shot.

When you all say 'legs', what part of the leg do you mean? My
daughters got their shots this year in the top of their thighs --
previously we'd been given a choice of leg or arm, and we'd always
picked arm, but this time the nurse said it had to be in the leg, and
in that part. When I've gotten a shot in the leg, it was always more
like the fleshy part that's half hip, half leg, kind of. Not at all
the front -- this was like two to three inches below the bottom of
their underwear, right in the center of their leg. And they were
laying with their feet over the edge of the table, bodies flat. It
looked really painful, but she said it had to be like that.

My older daughter had what I consider a moderate-possibly serious
reaction to the DTaP that consisted of an approx. half-baseball sized
lump that lasted for a week, a fiery red bullseye type 'rash' around
it, and emotional and appetite problems. The Dr.s office had us
circle the lump in pen, and make sure the red didn't expand further
after about 2 days (it didn't).

I know that reactions to some vaccines get worse with each booster,
and that your daughter is very young, so anything would have to be
compared rationally (a baseball sized lump would be like her whole
leg!), but I couldn't find anyone in real life who really thought this
was an unusual thing for a vaccine -- I think we're supposed to expect
some pretty noticeable swellings, though -- unfortunately.

Tina.