I continue to feel heartbreak whenever I hear of a new victim. I wanted to share Jenni’s experience with SaneVax to help other’s understand how difficult this situation can be, and to please consider researching before allowing the vaccine for their loved one.
Le Roy Tourette Syndrome “mystery”
I’ve obviously neglected this blog and the job of chronicling the steps toward helping Jennifer with her health problems related to her Gardasil injury. Before I post an update on Jennifer’s health status and what we’ve been doing, I need to share my thoughts on a news story from Le Roy, New York, that’s getting national attention. In my opinion, when 12 girls develop Tourette’s like symptoms, and families aren’t given legitimate answers to what may have caused it, the media should do their job of digging for the truth. The news coverage, and information shared by the experts, have got my blood boiling. I’m so tired of watching anchors of news programs sit across from experts and spew politically correct lip service questions. Ask the questions we all want answered…what is the common element that these girls share that may have caused this? The families claim they haven’t been told what could have gone wrong with their daughters. The experts claim the girls have psychological issues, Conversion Disorder,and this is a common, but not well-known, phenomenon. The poor girls are trying to explain that they weren’t stressed before this condition, did not know each other, and just want to know what caused their condition. This all sounds too familiar. The Gardasil injured girls, and their families have been searching for answers, looking for validation, and getting the same run around from the “experts”. I know that I’m not alone in my feelings of frustration with how the Le Roy situation is being handled, and like many others, I feel a need to support these families through this difficult time. The Families Affected by Gardasil Facebook group has been a life jacket for me as I’ve tried to keep my head above water trying to find answers and grieve over the illness my daughter has been inflicted with. My hope for the Le Roy families are that they too will find support and continue to advocate for their daughters and teens around the world.
Visit to Naturopath
On April 21, I took my daughter to see Dr. Rob Dramov, a Naturopath in Tigard, Oregon. It turned out to be a two hour interview, with the Doctor ultimately, at my daughter’s request, drawing the blood needed for the numerous tests that he needed to run for determining her needs. We also sent a hair sample in for determining the heavy metals in her system.
He prescribed NeuroReplete (4 caps a day), Pharmax liquid fish oil (1 tsp a day), and Ultra Flora IB Probiotics (60 billion organisms per capsule 1 time a day). He had also wanted her to take one Diflucan pill a day for 30 days to deal with her chronic vaginal itching, but I have yet to follow through with that recommendation. I’ve had to learn the hard way that you must educate yourself before allowing something to enter your body. I’m still researching yeast problems and the methods of dealing with them.
Dr. Dramov was thorough and knowledgable, and I trust that he wants to help my daughter overcome this illness. Our follow-up appointment was made for five weeks later. I’m looking forward to getting the test results and finding out if there are any food intolerances.
The Light at the End of the Tunnel
When I first realized that Gardasil had injured my daughter, I felt numb, angry, and extremely guilty. I spent days privately crying, beating myself up inside for inflicting this on my innocent girl, and feeling despair that she would have to continue suffering pain and illness due to my actions. Thankfully, I found the Truth About Gardasil yahoo group and discovered that I wasn’t alone. Through the support and guidance shared by a few moms, I was given hope that I might be able to help my daughter, and this helped me see the light at the end of this horrendous tunnel. I still have times of sadness when I watch my daughter ache, but it only fuels my drive to continue pursuing a “fix” for her chronic illness.
My daughter has been doing great on our mission to eliminate dairy. It’s not easy, but she’s giving it a great effort. She hasn’t missed a day of using her Cilantro Pesto, and she’s also been extremely diligent in taking her supplements. But this is just the beginning, and consistency and persistence will have to continue if we are going to make it to the light.
Fact of dealing with Gardasil injury
I had hoped to keep up on this blog as a daily journal of our experience helping Jen through the recovery. Truth is, I feel overwhelmed and hopeless most days, and motivation is in short supply.
Jen is currently on the antibiotic, Docycycline Hyclate, to treat a “staph” infection brought on by an ingrown hair on her inner thigh. She has had at least 4 ingrown hairs over the last year, mostly in her pubic area. Doc says it’s probably because she is a bit overweight. One more nuisance to add to her list of ailments over the past year.
So, what is the fact of dealing with a Gardasil injury? The fact is, your life is no longer about doing the things you want, it’s about living everyday with illness, pain, exhaustion, sadness, despair, and very little hope of ever feeling better. My daughter has become a professional patient and has been subjected to numerous tests that have so far given us no answers. Our only hope now, is to follow the advice given by the Naturopath and to continue with the supplements and therapies that will hopefully bring my daughter relief from the pain.
Research on Dairy Free Diet
Why I believe a dairy free diet will help my daughter. Shared from EzineArticles and Marta Sauret.
It has been shown that eliminating dairy and gluten from your diet can decrease feelings of anxiety, nausea, and panic attacks. Also, you’ll have an easier time sleeping, and have more energy. Your skin will look better your hair will look better, and your nails will look better. Also, you’ll be bound to eat healthier because foods that are stock full of cheese and wheat are usually drenched in oils or overly-processed.
That will lead to you losing more weight, lowering your sodium, lowering your cholesterol, and leveling your blood pressure to normal levels.
In kids, it’s been proven that diet has a direct effect on their behavior. Kids that are hyperactive or autistic are often put on the gluten and dairy free diet to lower or even completely eliminate the symptoms of their illness. Mothers have said that they have noticed the difference in their kids is night and day from before they feed them dairy, to right after they feed them dairy when they are bouncing off of the walls.
A difficult day
I was hoping to start this week off in a positive direction, but Jen’s chronic vaginal itching/burning, and her leg/knee problems are making her life miserable. She was also having a sharp pain headache on her right temple again. These are all symptoms she’s been dealing with since September/October of 2009.
We had her blood work done today. Third CBC done in the past year. Doc also wanted to check her thyroid and metals. This is always tough for Jennifer because her veins are hard to find and they usually end up sticking her more than once. Today they moved lower on her arm and she said it burned for the next half hour. The pain and misery caused by the Gardasil vaccine make me feel horrible as a mother who allowed it. Hopefully she’ll not need another blood test for a while.
Jen is seeing a physical therapist and Osteopathic physician for her knee. I’m thinking the next specialist I need to seek out is a gynecologist that specializes in treating autistic girls. She has continually had what I’ve thought were ingrown hairs, but now I’m wondering if it isn’t something to do with HPV. The itching and burning seem to occur most while she’s on her period, and this seems to be a common complaint of Gardasil injured girls. I know Jen will resist a visit to a gynecologist, but at this point, I believe it is necessary.
Sadly, this is a typical day in my house. Help Jen with her pain. Assist Jen with her feminine needs. Seek out medical advice and gather information. We’re all looking forward to a time when Jen is pain-free.
Dairy Overdose
Jennifer’s younger sister turned 14 yesterday and our dairy free diet suffered a bit. Olive Garden for lunch (cream sauce), Cold Stone with Sister during shopping trip, and Chocolate Mousse for dessert with family. Jen ended up throwing up shortly after she went to bed last night….dairy definitely doesn’t agree with her. Thank goodness for Whole Foods and the dairy free cheese and butter we bought a few days ago. Jen is all for the dairy free plan and we’ll start to be more careful about what she eats.
I’m anxiously awaiting the visit with the Naturopath on the 21st. I know that getting tested for food intolerance and having the guidance for adding supplements is crucial to Jen’s health improvement. Until then, I’ll continue to do what I can to include a whole food diet and eliminate anything that may cause problems for her.
Our first visit to Whole Foods
Jennifer and I enjoyed our first trip to Whole Foods Market today. Because we’re a cheese loving family, I was concerned the dairy free diet, recommended by other Gardasil injured families, was going to be difficult for Jen. A trip to Whole Foods was crucial! We ended up finding a Soy Parmesan in a bag, and were even offered a sample before we purchased. It was perfect! We ended up picking up a non dairy butter as well. What a relief that Jen can still enjoy some aspects of her regular diet. I can’t wait to go back and explore the rest of the store.
Bedtime Blues
Bedtime seems to be the hardest time for Jennifer. She regularly complains that her heart is racing and she feels anxious about the possibility of having a heart attack. Last night, she was also dealing with abdominal pains and the same chronic headache on the right side of her head. She asked me to cuddle with her for a while, and told me she feels safe when I hold her. I couldn’t help but feel shame at the fact that it was ME who gave the Doctor the OK to inject her. Jennifer never even had a choice…I will never let this happen again. I hate seeing her so miserable and knowing it was my decision that has caused her months of pain and misery. Since discovering the link between the Gardasil vaccine and her chronic illness, I haven’t had a day without tears of regret. My heart is broken.
I can’t wait for the day when Jen can go to sleep at night without worry or pain.
Gardasil Injured and Recovery 